A brief history of Joey Barton's football controversies

Joey Barton has been suspended by Rangers for three weeks following an alleged training-ground bust-up with team-mate Andy Halliday earlier this month.

Joey Barton has quite the rap sheet. Picture: PA

It is not the first time the midfielder has hit the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Here are the details of some of the other incidents that have been bad news for Barton:

2004: February - Barton red-carded for the first time in Manchester City’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Tottenham, for two bookable offences.

July - Criticised by City manager Kevin Keegan for causing mass brawl in a pre-season friendly at Doncaster.

December - Stubs lit cigar in the eye of young team-mate Jamie Tandy during City’s Christmas party. Fined six weeks’ wages by the club. Forced to pay four weeks’ salary - approximately £60,000 - immediately, with a further two weeks suspended for a year. Tandy later sued Barton, winning £65,000 in damages.

2005: July - Involved in altercation with a 15-year-old Everton fan at City’s team hotel in Bangkok during a pre-season tour. Fined eight weeks’ wages by City after being found guilty of gross misconduct.

2006: September - Drops his shorts in the direction of Everton fans following City’s 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.

2007: May - Suspended by City after training-ground altercation with Ousmane Dabo, which leaves his team-mate needing hospital treatment. Charged with assault, and on July 1, 2008, receives a four-month suspended jail sentence. Also punished by FA with a 12-match ban - six matches of which are suspended and a £25,000 fine.

December 27 - Arrested in Liverpool city centre after a late-night incident and later charged with common assault and affray. Remanded in custody and misses Newcastle’s new year fixtures, before being released on January 3.

2008: May 20 - Jailed for six months after admitting common assault and affray.

2009: May 3 - Sent off against Liverpool for late challenge on Xabi Alonso. Receives subsequent criticism from Newcastle manager Alan Shearer and is suspended by the club two days later.

2010: November 10 - Punches Blackburn winger Morten Gamst Pedersen during a 2-1 defeat for Newcastle at St James’ Park. Accepts an FA charge and is banned for three games.

2011: August 1 - Newcastle transfer list Barton after a series of Twitter comments criticising the club, making him available on a free. He joins QPR on August 26.

2012: January 26 - Unleashes an online tirade against the Football Association, labelling it an “Orwellian organisation” in need of a “drastic shake-up”.

May 13 - Sent off for elbowing Carlos Tevez on the final day of the season at Manchester City. Knees Sergio Aguero, sending the striker to the ground, and attempts to headbutt Vincent Kompany before being ushered off the field.

May 14 - In the wake of the dismissal, launches an expletive-laden Twitter attack on Shearer, his former manager at Newcastle and current Match of the Day pundit, before turning on the programme’s presenter, Gary Lineker, saying: “back under your stone you odious little toad...”

May 23 - Banned for 12 matches and fined £75,000 after admitting one act of violent conduct and being found guilty of a second against Aguero and Kompany.

June 4 - Punched in the face after being involved in an altercation with two men outside a nightclub in Liverpool city centre.

June 25 - Fined six weeks’ wages and stripped of the club captaincy by QPR following an internal investigation into events in the match against Manchester City.

2013: January 14 - Involved in a Twitter row with former Germany international Dietmar Hamann over Marseille team-mate Loic Remy’s decision to move to QPR over Newcastle. Barton calls Hamann a “maggot” and a “dog”, but later issues a statement apologising.

April 3 - Marseille apologise to Paris St Germain and order Barton to end a Twitter attack on Thiago Silva in which he likens the defender to an “overweight ladyboy”.

2016: August 17 - Now a Rangers player, Barton accuses Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers of having a “mid-life crisis” in a radio interview.

September 13 - Banished from Rangers’ training ground following an alleged altercation with team-mate Andy Halliday days after a 5-1 derby defeat by Celtic. Barton apologises via Twitter.

September 19 - Rangers suspend Barton for three weeks following a meeting with manager Mark Warburton.

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