"I started a 22-man scrap in a friendly": Football bad boy Joey Barton reflects on infamous Doncaster 'strangling'

Barton, who was recently sacked as manager of Bristol Rovers, has been unveiled in a string of controversial on and off-field incidents during his stormy and colourful career – starting with a pre-season friendly which saw him playing for a Manchester City side against Rovers at Belle Vue in the summer of 2004.

The game is remembered for an iconic photograph, which you can see HERE and which saw tough-guy, no-nonsense defender Mark Albrighton with his hands around Barton’s throat after players from both sides squared up in what was supposed to be a pre-season friendly.

The then City boss, Armthorpe football icon Kevin Keegan, was so furious with Barton’s antics that he hauled him off at half-time.

Now Barton has been reflecting on the match – and in a foul-mouthed attack, he described former Rovers striker Leo Fortune-West as a “f***ing s***bag” and ex-Rovers midfielder Paul Green as “the Milky Bar Kid.”

In the Anything Goes with James English podcast, he said: “That pre-season I was fighting for my existence.

"We played Doncaster in a friendly and I don’t do friendlies. I play to win in everything, if I’m like playing my kids on FIFA I can’t let them win, I have to have competition.

"When you are a Premier League club and you play them League One, Championship sides, a few of the knobs get carried away, especially if you are a young player.

"They try and mark their territory, they certainly did in them days.

"I always remember the striker’s name – and he was about 6ft 9in – Leo Fortune-West. I’d gone in for a ball but it was just a ridiculous tackle for a pre-season, really high and I remember giving it to him and he was f***ing massive.

"I was a spotty 20 year old, I’ve given it him, saying you f***ing big s***bag and the next tackle he’s come in and properly tried to do me.

"F***ing seen it coming,” he said, “especially a big dope centre forward like that.

"Five minutes after that, there’s a centre mid for them looks like the Milky Bar Kid (Paul Green). I’m pressuring him, he’s got the ball between his legs. Instead of letting him get up, I’ve just continued to kick through him and the ball.

"Obviously, it’s on now so all players are having it and obviously I’ve started it.

"There’s a famous pic of their captain gripping me round the neck. He's like a 36-year-old fella and I’m 20 and he’s waited till a pre-season friendly to grip up a young kid. I’d never think of doing that as a 36-year-old senior to a young player, but obviously everyone’s different.

"So I get in the dressing room at half time. Kevin Keegan’s the manager and he absolutely gets right after me, f***ing takes me off, starts having a go cos I’ve started a 22 man f***ing scrap in a pre-season friendly.

"And after that the die was cast – Joey Barton, pantomime villain and every story that’s come after that was the narrative.

"That’s the caricature you’re gonna be, good cop, bad cop, Batman and The Joker.”

Barton also clashed with Rovers' skipper John Doolan in the opening minutes of the 1-1 draw and then launched into Green as he attempted to shield the ball between his legs.

He was yellow-carded, along with Rovers goalscorer Leo Fortune-West for a retaliatory tackle which left the City midfielder limping.

Keegan said at the time: "I told him the truth - you either play football or you come off. There is no choice.

"If we had been away from home in the Premiership and he did that, he would have been sent off."

Keegan said: "He thinks he can look after himself but when you get in this division and start doing things like that, people sort you out - and that's what they did.

"I don't want to stop him being tenacious but I do want him focused on what football is all about.

"I have a problem with any player who just wants to go out and be physical all the time. There is no future in that.

"He has a nasty knock but hopefully he will learn from it because if he wants to fight, there are a lot of pretty tough players out there."

He has also faced three Football Association charges for violent conduct – one for attacking three Manchester City players on the final day of the 2011-12 season when he was at QPR, resulting in a 12-match ban.

City also considered sacking Barton for stubbing out a lit cigar in youth player Jamie Tandy’s eye in December 2004; and, he had to be restrained by a team-mate for attacking a teenage Everton fan on a pre-season tour to Thailand.

He was also sentenced to six months’ imprisonment in May 2008 for common assault and affray during an incident in Liverpool city centre.

And he was given a four-month suspended sentence in July 2008 after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm on former team-mate Ousmane Dabo during a training ground dispute in May 2007.

In April 2019, following a 4–2 away defeat to Barnsley, South Yorkshire Police launched an investigation after Barton was accused of attacking opposition manager Daniel Stendel in the tunnel but he was later cleared of the assault.