Warren Barton arrived at Newcastle for a fee of around £4 million. He came with good credentials, and the predtige of being an international player. In fact, as a Newcastle supporter myself, I was very pleased with the new aquisition. However, my mind soon changed when I saw him play in his first few games. I think I saw him on the TV when England played Sweden, where he was awful, and then I saw him live at St James Park. Immediately, it seemed obvious that Barton wasn't good enough to play in a side that would hopefully challenge for the championship.

It wasn't long before every supporter was complaining about Barton and the mistakes he made. He became a hated (perhaps a little harsh) player of the same standing as John Dahl Tommasson. Thankfully, things did get better and Barton won a lot of support for staying at the club instead of choosing the easy way out. This must have been quite appealing at the time since Newcastle is quite enclosed socially, and he must have received a lot of stick. But he showed character, said he would fight for his place and he stayed at the club.

Barton is now established as a full back at the club, and the fans appreciate he works hard. He even shows a quite surprising amount of skill at times (I'm not being sarcastic). He is no world beater by any stretch, but he is a good team man, and has proved his worth in the side. Under Robson, he has become an important member of a more solid back four, and is a consistent performer.