I would be better than Allardyce or Hodgson – Barton

Joey Barton believes he would be better suited to the role of England manager than Sam Allaradyce or Roy Hodgson.

Midfielder Barton was suspended by Rangers for three weeks on Monday following a training ground row in the wake of their 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Old Firm rivals Celtic.

Despite this latest episode in a career chequered by an array of off-the-field incidents, Barton – who won just one England cap in his international career – feels he would adapt well to the world of management.

In an interview with The Daily Mail, 34-year-old Barton said: “Let’s look at who is doing the key roles. Sam Allardyce is England manager. Well, am I a better player than Sam? Well, yeah, of course.

“Do I believe, if Sam can get to be England manager then I can? Of course I do. What’s Sam got that I haven’t got? 

“I look at Roy Hodgson in the England job and look at the way he handled it. Surely even you think you could have done a better job.

On Stoke City manager Mark Hughes, who he played under at QPR, Barton added: “Mark Hughes is a terrible manager. Stoke are bottom of the league.

“I thought his people skills were really, really poor.

“My trade is football. All I’ve ever known is football. I watch as much football as anybody. I care about football as much as anybody.

“And I might fail. I could dip my toes in the water and go ‘**** this’.

“But the pressure? If anything I believe I’m better suited to it than anybody else. Do you think when I walk around Glasgow there is no glare?

“Because of everything that has gone before there is a spotlight on you. People are going to judge me now, just based on performances.”