Joey showing off his diplomacy skills again...
England will 'never win' the World Cup, says Newcastle's Joey Barton• 'We're too focused on tradition in England,' says Barton
• Criticises Gareth Barry and national side's midfield
Press Association
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 7 April 2011 11.41 BST
Newcastle United's Joey Barton has said England will "never win" the World Cup, and dismissed Gareth Barry's role in the midfield as evidence of a lack of talent, in an interview with the French So Foot magazine.
"France killed us at Wembley," Barton said. "We English will play the next 50 World Cups and we'll never win one. The people in charge at the FA played football maybe 50 or 60 years ago and still think that we can win a World Cup in the same way we did in 1966.
"We're too focused on tradition in England, like always having to play 4-4-2. Sometimes you need to experiment, drop a bit deeper so you have more space to move into. France, Italy and Germany have done it. We've been doing the same thing for 20 years."
Barton won just one England cap, in 2007 against Spain, but still believes he has a role to play in Fabio Capello's team:
"Honestly, I think I'm the best [English midfielder]. Luka Modric and Samir Nasri are very good, but in terms of English players ... Well, Jack Wilshere isn't bad, but Frank Lampard's on the way down and Steven Gerrard's been injured a lot."He backed this argument, with criticism of Gareth Barry: "Did you see the game against Germany at the World Cup? If you watch the fourth goal, when [Mesut] Ozil was up against Barry, it was like the hare and the tortoise.
"Barry's got a very good agent. He's also discreet and always agrees with the manager. He's like the guy who sits in the front row and listens to the teacher. I certainly don't lose any sleep when I play against him."
He also emphasised the 2-1 defeat to France in November: "Look at Jordan Henderson [against France]," he said. "He was up against [Yann] M'Vila, [Mathieu] Valbuena, Nasri and [Yoann] Gourcuff. And he had Gareth Barry alongside him. What could they do against those players?
Nonetheless the player remains keen to lend a hand to Capello: "I'm English and I love playing for my country. Maybe the people at the top have a problem with me. I don't know. But the trouble I had was four years ago. They should be able to forgive, shouldn't they?" he said.
Barton also had a word of warning for his club as they attempt to thrash out a deal to keep him at St James' Park. The 28-year-old was understood to be ready to put pen to paper on a new deal in January when Tyneside was stunned as striker Andy Carroll was sold to Liverpool for £35m.
He and the and club have repeatedly spoken of their hopes of striking a deal since, although they are currently at odds over the length of the proposed contract. However, the player, who has been in superb form for Newcastle this season after coming to terms with the problems which have blighted his career to date, insists he will only stay if he feels the club is moving forward, and that means also tying up the futures of the likes of Jose Enrique, Cheick Tiote and skipper Kevin Nolan.
Spanish full-back Enrique, 25, has been linked with a move away from St James' for some time after excelling in the Barclays Premier League following a difficult start on Tyneside, while Nolan scored his 12th goal of the season in Saturday's 4-1 victory over Wolves.
Ivory Coast international Tiote has proved to be one of the signings of the season and was rewarded with a new six and a half-year contract in February just six months after his arrival from FC Twente as the club attempted to demonstrate its desire to build for the future.
Barton voiced his concerns in the wake of Carroll's departure and was told the Magpies would not become a selling club, but he remains unconvinced: "I don't know if I believe them. I told them I might stay this summer because we have some good players and money to spend. But I'm going to wait and see if players like Kevin Nolan, Cheick Tiote and Jose Enrique stay. If Nolan signs a new deal, I will as well. But I hope the club step things up. I want to be ambitious and I think the club share that desire," he said.
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