JOEY BARTON’S mentor has declared he remains “proud”

of the Newcastle midfielder despite the 26-year-old’s latest misdemeanour earning widespread condemnation.

Peter Kay, director of the Hampshire-based Sporting Chance Clinic, who’ve worked with Barton to help manage the player’s alcohol and anger-management issues, continues to support the controversial midfielder whom he believes needs to grow up.

“He is an intelligent man,”

noted Kay who heads the organisation founded by former Arsenal captain Tony Adams.

“That sounds rather preposterous but I stand by that.

To manage him is not hard but as well as the physical training he needs the other type training to grow up. This is his time and he knows that.

He needs to grow up.

“Joey is one of the easiest people to manage and handle but Joey’s biggest problem is managing himself.

“He needs support and he gets it and he needs to maintain that. He is no harder to teach than any other players I have worked with. In fact he is easy to teach. He listens intently.”

Kay insisted that Barton is contrite after his sending off and subsequent clash with Alan Shearer at Anfield last Sunday led to the player receiving a suspension from the club. But while Barton had worked hard on the training ground to regain his matchfitness, Kay revealed the Huyton- born midfielder has recently failed to show similar application to addressing his behavioural issues.

“He has made tremendous progress and continues to do so,” said Kay. “But it’s like anything else happening in our work. It’s no use someone attending us for a week or two and then just going away and doing nothing.

“You have to maintain it.

Recently he would be the first to admit that his maintenance of his well being apart from on the training ground has not been up to scratch.

“But he hasn’t gone out and got drunk or anything like that. He has made a rash tackle and the consequences and ramifications are terrible. It might sound strange but I’m proud of what he is doing and the changes he is making in his personal life. He has come on leaps and bounds but that sounds preposterous when you see what happened on Sunday.

“He has apologised to the manager and the players and the fans but apologies are shallow. There are ramifications to things you do and he has the consequences happening now.”

Barton’s long-term future at Newcastle is uncertain but Kay hoped the player will be able to repair his shattered relationship with Shearer.

He said: “Joey would love to work with Alan Shearer. He has enjoyed immensely the time he has been there. He feels very much that he owes and the club and the fans.”