Neil Cameron: Football will be well rid of Joey Barton who even now can't accept he's totally in the wrong

When Barton signed for Rangers last summer, even those who believed this was a good move for both player and club suspected that something would happen along the way. It says much for this supposed grown man that his fall-out with then Rangers manager Mark Warburton – subsequent suspension and departure after only eight games – is not the worst thing to have happened to him this season.

Read more: PFA offer support as former Rangers midfielder Joey Barton appeals betting ban which could 'force him into retirement'

Indeed, given his time spent in jail, an 18-month ban from the beautiful game hardly takes top billing in his lengthy list of misdemeanours. The temptation to suggest his non-footballing period at Ibrox should be taken into consideration is too strong.

“To be clear from the outset here, this is not match fixing and at no point in any of this is my integrity in question,” said Barton in his statement. No, but it is against the rules. It’s in black and white. No grey areas. Footballers are not allowed to bet on football. He did this almost 1300 times that we know of.

“I do feel the penalty is heavier than it might be for other less controversial players.

"I have fought addiction to gambling and provided the FA with a medical report about my problem. I’m disappointed it wasn’t taken into proper consideration,” he said.

Oh, why is it always Joey? Well, because he keeps breaking the rules. As for his addiction problems, they may put context to his crimes but do not excuse them.

“I think if the FA is truly serious about tackling the culture of gambling in football, it needs to look at its own dependence on the gambling companies, their role in football and in sports broadcasting, rather than just blaming the players who place a bet.”

Barton’s defenders jumped on this point. Scottish football in particular is backed by gambling companies. William Hill, Ladbrokes and Betfred are sponsors and there will be those who accuse football of hypocrisy given they don’t allow their players to bet and are happy to take money, and lots of it, from the bookmakers.

Read more: PFA offer support as former Rangers midfielder Joey Barton appeals betting ban which could 'force him into retirement'

But it is ridiculous to suggest Barton or any of the others caught in recent years wouldn’t be tempted to place a bet if the sponsors were different. To argue otherwise is grasping at straws.

Barton goes on to explain that he comes from a background in which gambling was common-place and “to this day, I rarely compete at anything without there being something at stake” saying he was “addicted to winning.”

How many other players could say that? Perhaps most of them, to be frank, and yet the vast majority realise the clear regulations and stick to them.

Barton says football is not an easy environment to stop gambling given how many adverts surround the game. “It is like asking a recovering alcoholic to spend all his time in a pub or a brewery,” he said. It really isn’t.

According to the former Rangers, Manchester City and Newcastle United midfielder, the average bet was just over £150, some of them being only a few quid which begs the questions how much were the larger stakes?

But it is not the amount of money put down or even the number of times he did that, surely the greatest offence is that he bet on his own teams to lose. The following is Barton’s attempt to contextualise his behaviour.

“On the few occasions where I placed a bet on my own team to lose, I was not involved in the match day squad for any of those games.

I did not play. I was not even on the bench. I had no more ability to influence the outcome than had I been betting on darts, snooker, or a cricket match in the West Indies.

“I should add that on some of those occasions, my placing of the bet on my own team to lose was an expression of my anger and frustration at not being picked or being unable to play. I understand people will think that is childish and selfish and I cannot disagree with that.

Read more: PFA offer support as former Rangers midfielder Joey Barton appeals betting ban which could 'force him into retirement'

“I should [also] point out that the last of these bets against my own team was six years ago [and in a reserve game], when I was going through a particularly troubled period, and when the FA were not nearly as hard on gambling as they are now.”

“One thing I can state with absolute certainty – I have never placed a bet against my own team when in a position to influence the game, and I am pleased that in all of the interviews with the FA, and at the hearing, my integrity on that point has never been in question.”

This is as weak a defence as the one he played in which shipped five goals to Celtic at the start of the season. Betting on your own team to lose is unethical and also opens up anyone to accusations of insider trading if you will.

If players were allowed to bet on a match there were even indirectly involved in, they could use information such as injuries and illness to win money. Not that Barton sees it this way because that would be a full admission that he did wrong.

And he did bet on matches he played in.

“Throughout my career I am someone who has made mistakes and owned up to those mistakes and tried to learn from them,” he says but there is little evidence of that.

In July 2004 he was publicly criticised by Kevin Keegan, the Manchester City manager, for causing a “mass brawl;” in a pre-season friendly at Doncaster.

That December, Barton stubbed a lit cigar in the eye of team-mate Jamie Tandy during City’s Christmas party. He was fined six weeks’ wages by the club. Tandy later sued Barton, winning £65,000 in damages.

Read more: PFA offer support as former Rangers midfielder Joey Barton appeals betting ban which could 'force him into retirement'

Then in July 2005 he was involved in altercation with a 15-year-old Everton fan at City’s team hotel in Bangkok during a pre-season tour. This brought a maximum of fine of eight weeks’ wages.

Two years later in May 2007, City suspended Barton after a training-ground altercation with Ousmane Dabo, which left his team-mate needing hospital treatment. He was charged with assault and eventually received a four-month suspended jail sentence.

And on May 20, 2008, he was jailed for six months after admitting common assault and affray, the result of a late night incident in Liverpool city centre.

Does this sound like a man who learns from his mistakes?

Barton says he is appealing, and he may well have a case in that other players have been handed far more lenient sentences, although it must be noted for placing far fewer bets.

Trouble doesn’t go looking for him, he goes looking for trouble.

Barton, now 34, has perhaps played his last professional match,although, when the ban ends, there may well be a chairman from the English lower leagues who will sniff a publicity stunt.

But if this is the end, he won’t be missed.