MANY have asked and wondered, on many occasions, what goes through Joey Barton’s head. When the questions were introspective, they became even more serious.

Throughout his controversial and colourful career, Barton has had to put a brave face on, had to adopt a siege mentality as his critics lined up - rightly more often than not - to have their say, to criticise or to condone.

Whether it was at Manchester City or QPR, Newcastle or Rangers, Barton became a magnate for trouble. By now, his charge sheet and list of misdemeanours is well documented but it was no surprise that it was brought up again as he was unveiled as the manager of Fleetwood Town on Monday morning.

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Yet is the latest additions to that unwanted roll of dishonour that have seemingly had the most profound impact on a complicated yet intriguing character. Even Barton started to ask himself questions.

Having seen his move to Rangers end after just eight matches and one training ground bust-up, Barton found solace at Burnley. A charge from the Scottish FA for placing bets on 44 matches followed him to Turf Moor but it was the ban he received by their opposite numbers at Wembley that set Barton down a different path.

He wasn’t just out of a team or a dressing room this time, he was out of the game. Barton had started on a downward spiral at Ibrox and eventually he reached rock bottom.

"I had a couple of days, yeah, when I struggled to get out of bed,” he said.

"Depression isn't part of my nature. I'm quite optimistic, but when people talk about that darkness descending, I was like, ‘what am I doing?’

"Getting out of bed at 11 or 12 o'clock. Luckily I had great people round me saying 'hey, what's going on here? You ok? Let's talk through this'.

"When I was younger I never had that process. I'd get out of bed and think 'what am I going to do today because I'm bored of playing golf?'

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"I had all these ambitions in my mind. I wanted to climb Everest, go to the Amazon, go on holidays. Then you realise you don't actually want to do that.

“I wanted to go skiing because [as players] contractually you were forbidden from doing that. Then I can do and I think 'I don't want to do this’.”

Some of the activities Barton did take up proved to be far more costly than a slip on the slopes.

Found guilty of placing 1,260 wagers over a ten year period, he was hit with a £30,000 fine and 18 month suspension, which was later reduced by five months on appeal, by the FA. It was still a ruling that all-but marked the end of his playing career, though.

Having had the decision over when and where to hang up his boots effectively taken out of his hands, Barton had to look for a new route back into the game. He has found it at Highbury.

"It's like the betting one,” Barton continued. “I've not got into betting when I can bet and then when I can't bet I was betting, do you know what I mean?

"I'd love you to have 24 hours, and it might be a scary ride for you, but 24 hours sitting behind these eyeballs. You'd probably be scarred for life.

"It would help me communicate to yourselves better. But I'm like anyone. We're human beings. You have a purpose.

"My purpose since leaving school was to be professional footballer and then that's gone and you never know whether you can get that back.

"That's scary. When you think 'what is my purpose?'

"Now, I jump out of bed because I've got a purpose, to be the best version I can possibly be as a coach and a manager."

The move to Ibrox could have been a far different beginning of the end in terms of Barton’s playing career as he looked to go out on a high in Light Blue.

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As with most chapters of the 35-year-old’s story, it didn’t go to plan, though. Within weeks of his row with Mark Warburton, his contract was terminated.

Recent months have been spent on the airwaves and on his own podcast as the former midfielder has still found plenty of avenues to express his views on the game, and more.

Now taking his first steps into management alongside Clint Hill, Barton has changed the record. Only time will tell if he changes his tune.

“For me, the devil makes work for idle hands so just going on a golf course might have got me into a lot of trouble because my personality is quite energetic,” he said.

“So a period of sitting in the house doing the garden, which is what I did for the initial part, quickly became very difficult for me because you play golf, have a couple of shandies and, fast-forward, this could lead to a lot of problems in my home life.

“I had to use my energy wisely which is trying the media side so the ban forced me to look like what life would be like for Joey Barton after football.

“Joey Barton has always dreamed about being a footballer but we live like Peter Pan as players, we never think the end is going to come and then you are faced with the reality that you can’t play football for 13 months.

“You have to peer through the other side of that curtain and for me, someone who loves football, it was not easy. There were some tough days.

“But you start the podcast series, talk to some interesting people and watch games of football and you start progressing and then you can see the end of the ban.

“You think you can play again but that is going to be very difficult with how fast the game is and how many talented players are coming to these shores to compete for places. You realise you have to climb Everest and you might fail in that attempt.”

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It is the summit of League One that Barton has now set his sights on after he was unveiled as Cod Army boss on a three-year deal.

He is not just a player turned manager, he is poacher turned game. Whether he succeeds or fails, it is unlikely to be anything other than fascinating viewing.

"Usually I'm in my element in that scenario - backs to the wall, I feel I come alive,” Barton said.

"When I went to Scotland and everybody expected great things of me it didn't particularly work as planned. Going through that process, realising you need to be humble.

"I maybe went in and expected things to happen very quickly. It was probably a thing I'll regret, that I wasn't successful at Rangers.

"But all the negativity of that will help me be successful as a coach because it parks a lot of the mistakes a novice manager can make.

"Having everything to prove. I had that as a player. I didn't have the same media introspection into my life as I did as an 18 or 19-year-old player.

"But also embracing it. Thinking this is what it's about, taking chances, taking risks.

"It would be easier to sit and do the nine to five, take the kids home from school and go and play golf a few times a week, do talkSPORT at weekends, criticise everybody for what they're not doing well. Sat in my ivory tower.

"But that's not me. You've got to get out there. Put up or shut up. Let's get out there, get the hands dirty and see if we can coach."