I watched Joey Barton try to bask in the publicity of his court case but it only showed his true nature: Violent, foul-mouthed, narcissistic, raging against his own irrelevance… and guilty

Joey Barton was an established professional at one of the five British clubs he played for when the manager there warned a new member of the backroom team to beware his surface charm.

‘You might be fooled when you first meet him,’ the manager said. ‘Don’t be.’

When the end of the season arrived and it was time for squad and staff to disperse for the summer, that manager set the same member of staff an unusual holiday challenge.

‘Buy yourself a copy of a book called The Psychopath…