Barton wants Marseille stay

Joey Barton believes he will not return to Queens Park Rangers if they are relegated, while he has also opened talks about extending his stay at Marseille.

Barton, 30, is currently on loan at the French club until the end of the season, when he will be due to return to west London.

But the midfielder feels he is more likely to be playing his football at Stade Velodrome than Loftus Road next season.

"For me to be part of the side that stayed up and not be part of the side that went down, it would be difficult for me to go back," Barton said. "I haven't closed my mind to it although I would really like to stay here.

"I'm in a good space mentally. I've held preliminary talks with Marseille about extending my stay here. They have asked me whether I would stay beyond the loan period.

"The likelihood is, unless there is a massive turnaround in fortunes, QPR will be in the Championship next season. What it seems to me as a neutral - and I am in France, no matter that I am contracted - is that they have got a big case of a lot of good individuals, a lot of good quality individuals, but not a good team."

Barton, who still has two years left on his QPR contract, moved to Marseille after being banned for 12 matches by the Football Association for his violent conduct against Manchester City on the final day of last season.

"It didn't end in great circumstances in west London for me," Barton said. "I know there has been a change in terms of the management structure, but something like that, and what goes on around that, lives with you beyond a managerial change."

That managerial change has seen Harry Redknapp come in to replace the sacked Mark Hughes and Barton believes that Redknapp has the experience to give the club a fighting chance of staying up.

"Harry Redknapp's record speaks for itself," he said. "This time last year he was being talked about as the only successor to Fabio Capello. He has always done well with players and always got players on board. He is a really good man-manager.

"If anyone can pull the players together, a manager of Redknapp's calibre is capable of that. They are in with a good chance now with Harry there."

QPR are currently bottom of the Premier League table, eight points adrift of safety, having still yet to record a win this season.

Barton: FA have a vendetta against me

Joey Barton has launched a new attack on the “sad little men” he says are running the Football Association and accused them of engaging in a vendetta against him.



He vented his spleen on Twitter after learning that the first game Olympique Marseille played – against Rennes on Sept 2 – after he moved to France on loan from Queens Park Rangers does not count towards the 12-match ban he is serving for violent conduct on the final day of the last Premier League season at Eastlands.



Barton left QPR on Aug 31 but he claimed on Thursday night that the FA “couldn’t be bothered” registering the move until Sept 3 or 4. It means that the former England international cannot play for Marseille at Bordeaux on Saturday as he had been expecting.



“So my 12-match ban is now a 13-match ban,” he tweeted. “You gotta love the English FA. Well, no actually, you don’t! Ban has been extended as when I signed for Marseille on Friday 31st, the English FA where [sic] closed over the weekend and couldn’t be bothered ... registering me until the 3/4th.



“It’s so ludicrous a decision it’s like they have some hidden agenda/vendetta against me? Oh, ---- yeah I forgot, they actually do. I know who you are. You know who you are. Would I swap with you? Nope £sadlittlemen.”



It is understood, however, that it is normal for international clearance to take additional time because of the additional number of associations involved, particularly if a weekend intervenes.



There will also be surprise that Barton and Marseille were apparently not aware of the situation when he moved to France at the end of the transfer window.

Bad-boy Joey Barton in new bust-up during 'friendly'

Joey Barton was involved in a new on-pitch bust-up — just 46 days into his loan at Marseille.

Football’s bad-boy grabbed his opponent around the neck and wrestled him to the ground during a 'friendly'.



Joey Barton loses his rag as he grabs Guy-Roland Niangbo around the neck and drags him to the ground



The pair were separated by players and staff but Barton continued the row by jabbing his finger towards Istres striker Guy-Roland Niangbo and his team-mates.

DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM? ... Joey Barton continues the feud

QPR midfielder Barton is still serving a 12-match domestic ban for his madness at Manchester City on the final day of last season.

But he left his team-mates in no doubt that he cannot wait for his first Ligue 1 match with a committed display during the kickaround.

LEAVE IT ... Joey Barton is kept away from fuming Istres player.

Barton will not face police action

Merseyside Police have confirmed that they will take no further action against Joey Barton following last month's arrest.



Barton, 29, was involved in a fight outside a Liverpool nightclub on June 4 and the Queens Park Rangers midfielder, along with three other men, was arrested on suspicion of affray.



Barton had written of the incident on Twitter: "I got sucker punched in the back of the head. Not injured as reported just a small bruise on rear of head/ear. I've had worse. Life goes on! Thanks for the concern. Have a good day people."



Police have now said that none of the four men will be charged over the offence.



A Merseyside Police spokesman said on Thursday: "Merseyside Police can confirm that four men arrested in connection with an altercation in Eberle Street, Liverpool city centre on June 4 will face no further police action.



"The four - two 21-year-olds from Liverpool, a 29-year-old from Widnes, Cheshire, and a 20-year-old from Liverpool - had been arrested on suspicion of affray, and subsequently released on police bail.



"All four have now been notified by the police that, following advice from the Crown Prosecution Service, they will not face any further action."

Barton fined but staying at QPR

QPR have stripped Joey Barton of the club captaincy and fined him six weeks' wages following his sending off on the final day of the season.



Barton was handed a 12-match ban for his sending-off and subsequent actions in the 3-2 defeat to Manchester City on the final day of the Barclays Premier League season.



The 29-year-old was hit with the lengthy ban and fined STG75,000 by a Football Association-appointed independent regulatory commission after being dismissed for elbowing Carlos Tevez, then kicking out at Sergio Aguero as he left the pitch in the match on May 13, before aiming a headbutt in the direction of Vincent Kompany.



QPR decided not to appeal the suspension but launched an internal inquiry into his actions and following the lengthy investigation the Loftus Road outfit confirmed he is to be stripped of the captaincy and fined six weeks’ wages.



Barton signed for QPR on a lucrative four-year contract last summer and was immediately handed the captain's armband by then manager Neil Warnock. Following Mark Hughes’ appointment he retained the captaincy but he now faces the possibility of having his contract terminated if ‘he seriously breaches the Club's disciplinary procedures again’.



A statement from QPR read: "Following a full internal investigation, Queens Park Rangers Football Club can confirm Joey Barton has been fined six weeks' wages and will no longer be Club Captain.



"The 29 year-old midfielder will also be absent from the Club's pre-season tour of Asia in July.



"The Club has also reached agreement with Barton that if he seriously breaches the Club's disciplinary procedures again, the Club reserves the right to terminate his contract.



"CEO Philip Beard said: "It was important that we took our time to make sure we came to the correct decision, which I believe we have achieved.



"Joey's behaviour, which led to his red card at Manchester City, and his subsequent actions were completely unacceptable and we have made our feelings on this matter known to him.



"I am really pleased with the way in which the Club and Joey have worked towards reaching a sensible conclusion and we fully believe he will respond to these sanctions in the correct manner."



Barton said: "My behaviour was wrong and I accept the punishment that has been imposed upon me as a result.



"I apologise to the Manager, my team-mates and of course the QPR fans for my actions. I also apologise to the Manchester City players, staff and supporters."