Joey Barton responds to comments from Swindon Town boss

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton has responded to claims from Swindon manager Ben Garner that Barton’s side were too ‘aggressive’ in last Saturday’s game and the referee should’ve done more. 

During last week’s game between the two sides Rovers racked up six yellow cards. However, the game finished with the team equal on fouls committing 13 each.

After the game, Swindon Town manager Ben Garner said he felt his midfielder Jonny Williams was targeted.

However, Barton did not see the game in the same way. He told Bristol Live: “I didn’t see that type of game. I thought our players were treated a little unfairly by the referee.

“I thought it was a good, honest contest and they were as guilty of fouling as we were. Both teams were trying to win.

“I didn’t see that. I considered myself quite a physical player who played quite physical, and no disrespect to Ben but he didn’t actually play football.

“Maybe if you’ve never played football, the game on Saturday might feel a bit aggressive, but to the people who have played the game and played the game at a good level, that was a good game of football.”

Despite disagreeing with the views of the Swindon boss, Joey Barton has turned his comments into a positive reflection on his Rovers side. He said: “Disappointed to hear that, but I see that as a badge of honour. If our team are physical and putting it about for the shirt, that’s the minimum we can do.”

The Verdict:

Naturally, Joey Barton will be quick to defend the way his team plays. However, considering both teams committed the same number of fouls in this game he isn’t necessarily wrong that it was a good, physical game of football.

However, you can understand why Garner will have felt frustrated if he had set up with the