QPR’s disgraced former captain Joey Barton has taken to Twitter to urge a swift conclusion of his proposed move to Marseille, and criticise the way he has been treated at Loftus Road.

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The former Newcastle midfielder is two games into a 12 match ban following his sending off and subsequent antics on the final day of last season at Manchester City. He would be eligible to play for QPR by November, and perhaps sooner if the R’s can go on a League Cup run, but has not been given a squad number and has been told he will not be included in the club’s 25-man Premier League squad which has to be named at the end of this week. He is now set to conclude a long term loan deal with French Ligue 1 side Marseilles.

Tonight Barton used his Twitter account to speak out against Hughes and QPR, and urge a swift conclusion to the Marseille negotiations – claiming “his heart” is already in the South of France.

Barton said: “I am hopefully that things will be sorted out soon. Other clubs are in but I only want to play in Marseille. This is the place for me. My heart is already in the Vélodrome. Not going to cry about it. Maybe it's just time to move on.

“I enjoyed parts of last season and believe I am more than capable of playing this year but the manager doesn't. Such is life. I have no problem with this as it’s my fault I am banned for 12 (ten now) games. When a person makes a decision he has to stand by that. I respect Hughes for this. I don't agree but accept his decision. I am not the type of player to sit on the sidelines and take the cash. It's not me. I could do that for the next 3 years but it's not me. I want to play football.

“Hopefully, the QPR fans will accept that. I offered to resign from the club/contract when I got my ban. I accepted my punishment from the FA and the club for my behaviour against Man City like a man. I could have appealed as is my right, I chose not to out of respect. But when I returned to the club I am forced to train away from the first team, I am stripped of the captaincy, then made to train at 3pm, then I am hawked around on loan, then I have my shirt number taken without any notice, then I read I wouldn't of been signed had the current regime been in place.

“I accepted all this. I never once spoke out of turn or angrily towards anybody. I am a man; I can only take so much. I want to leave. I hope to move on with my career, with my life. If that is in France, so be it. I don't want to be disrespectful to QPR but enough is enough.”

Marseille’s chairman appeared to confirm this evening that their defender Stéphane M'Bia will be coming the other way to sign for QPR in a deal worth €7m.

Barton isn’t the only disgruntled member of the playing staff at QPR. According to a report in The Mirror this morning DJ Campbell, Jay Bothroyd, Luke Young and Rob Hulse have made representations to the club’s PFA representative Shaun Derry about their treatment by Mark Hughes. All four players have been told they have no future with the club and are currently being hauled in for double training, including afternoon sessions, away from the first team to try and encourage them to move on to other clubs.

Young has previously stated he will only leave for another London club while Hulse has repeatedly stated his intention to see out the remaining year of his contract. Jay Bothroyd is wanted by Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday. DJ Campbell’s wages put off former club Blackpool from bidding for him to return to Bloomfield Road.

The Mirror quotes a source close to the players saying: “They find the way they have been treated disrespectful. They have not been a moment’s trouble to the club. They cannot understand what is going on and why this has happened.”

Hughes himself was meanwhile left to pick over the few positives from an erratic display from the first team at Carrow Road on Saturday that, more by luck than judgement, brought the first point of the Premier League season for QPR.

Hughes told the official website: “We’ll take the positives out of it because we were very poor last weekend. It was important that we showed up today and I thought we did that. It was a game of few chances in fairness, but in terms of our organisation and quality it was a vast improvement. They utilised the threat of Holt very well in the first half, but I thought we improved defensively in the second half and Anton marshalled him very well, to the extent that they had to make a change. All in all, we can be encouraged from what we took from the game. It’s only my second away point in charge here, so that’s got to be a positive as well.

“It gives us something to build on. We know we can improve markedly on that performance in terms of our quality, but we’re a new team and we will improve. The longer we spend together as a group, the better we’ll become.”

Hughes’ predecessor Neil Warnock used his column in The Independent this weekend to announce that he had fined goalkeeper Paddy Kenny for his behaviour in the wake of QPR’s 5-0 opening day loss to Swansea. Kenny became embroiled in a Twitter row with scores of QPR supporters and allegedly abused the club’s technical director Mike Rigg and chairman Tony Fernandes with texts and phone calls until the early hours of Sunday mocking the performance of his successor in W12 Robert Green.

Warnock said: “I've spoken to Paddy Kenny and he was full of remorse and couldn't apologise to me quickly enough. I told him there is no problem with having a drink to celebrate a win like last Saturday's over Wolves but he must be aware of his responsibilities to the club and be careful where he is and what he does. I've obviously fined him and he has agreed to finish on Twitter with immediate effect. He has also apologised to Tony Fernandes, QPR's chairman. I've also spoken to Tony and told him I honestly believe there will not be a repeat. We ended the call on good terms.

“It is disappointing when something which is essentially a private conversation becomes public the way this has but, as I've told players before, they need to be very careful about texting and Tweeting. You'll know if you've read this column over the years that I'm not a fan of social networking, and incidents like this only strengthen my belief that people are better off talking to each other.”

Green has been backed to turn around his QPR form by captain Ji Sung Park. He told the Fulham Chronicle: “He forgot things quickly, that's the good thing. He was calm so it's good for us. We've only had two games. He has the ability so we just leave him and give him the confidence. He's not a young player and has experience. Every player speaks to each other and if we have problems we sort them out. But he's not worried about them. He showed that he's getting better.”

The transfer window closes on Friday, and LoftforWords will be running a live blog from 1pm on deadline day. QPR are expected to be busy in the run up to the deadline with Marseille’s M’Bia, Tottenham’s Michael Dawson, Real Madrid’s Ricardo Carvalho and Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar all linked already.

Chairman Tony Fernandes told Sky Sports on Friday that he didn’t believe the club was panic buying in the wake of the opening day thrashing by Swansea. He said: “We are in discussions but QPR have got to run a sensible business. I think people out there think we are just throwing money and panic buying. But I think we are very calm at what we want. We have done some sensible business over the summer and we are not going to throw it away. We are here for the long run and we'll do things properly."

Fernandes also told his Twitter followers that QPR’s wage bill had been reduced this summer despite the new arrivals, and the net spend so far had been just £1.5m.

The chairman has repeatedly said that the return to fitness of Ale Faurlin will be like signing a new £15m player, and the Argentinean is edging closer to first team action after an hour-long run out for the Under 21s in their 2-0 victory against Millwall at Loftus Road on Friday evening.

Rob Hulse and Mo Shariff scored the goals and Kieran Dyer completed 58 minutes of action as he searches for match fitness.

QPR: Lennox, Harriman, Sendles-White, Faurlin (Hunt-Laurent, 63), Parmenter, Ehmer, Sutherland, Dyer (Andrade, 58), Hulse, Doughty, Shariff (Hitchcock, 76)

Subs: Petrasso, Trani

No run out there for Hogan Ephraim, but the former West Ham man signed a one year contract extension at Loftus Road last week and is expected to be named in Hughes’ 25 man squad despite missing out twice last season.

He told West London Sport: “It’s all well and good being in the 25 but I don’t really want to be in the stands watching games. I want to be out there helping the team. I’m hopeful of getting in or around the team. I was obviously disappointed not to make the bench at the weekend but you look at the names on that bench and it was very strong. There is tough competition here but if I get in the 25 my aim has to be to be involved rather than sitting around watching matches.”

Former R’s

Lee Cook has committed his immediate future to League One side Leyton Orient. The left winger, released by QPR this summer, has been training with the O’s during pre-season and told the Open All R’s Podcast last week that he remained hopeful or securing a move to a Championship club. However with the transfer deadline fast approaching Cook has now decided to pen a five month contract at Brisbane Road where he spent ten matches on loan last season.

Speaking via Twitter Cook said: “Time to get to work and help the team get to the playoff spots! Thin margins in this league. Time to start ripping up some League One defenders.”

A division higher Tommy Smith and Matt Connolly got their Cardiff careers off to a losing start as Malky Mackay’s side was beaten 4-2 at Bristol City. Heidar Helguson got the Bluebirds’ second goal.

And in the Premier League Raheem Sterling was in impressive form on his first league start for Liverpool as they drew 2-2 with Man City at Anfield.

Premiership Shorts

- Fresh from that draw this afternoon Liverpool have completed the signing of Nuri Sahin from Real Madrid on a season-long loan. Sahin had seemed set for Arsenal, who drew 0-0 at Stoke today, but the Gunners balked at being asked to agree a £14m permanent fee for the end of the loan spell and the player’s £110,000 a week salary demands. Stoke have signed Maurice Edu from Rangers subject to international clearance.

- Paul Lambert says he faces a “huge” task at Aston Villa following a 3-1 pasting at home by in form Everton on Saturday. The Toffees were 3-0 up at half time at Villa Park and the home side never recovered. Afterwards Lambert said: “I know the job is huge and we're trying everything we can to sort it. It's a massive club. The fans were willing us to do really well, but we just never did it. That's my problem." Things won’t get a lot easier, they face table topping Swansea next who followed up a 5-0 opening day win at QPR with a 3-0 success against a poor looking West Ham team this weekend.

- Sunderland has a busy Friday, splashing £10m on Man City winger Adam Johnson and £14m on Wolves striker Stephen Fletcher. Their game at home to Reading on Saturday was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

- Wayne Rooney will be out for four weeks after suffering a gashed leg in Man Utd’s narrow 3-2 home win against Fulham.

Travel

Cheap train tickets are now available for QPR’s trip to Stoke City on November 10. Try two singles the 10.46 (arrives 13.13) out and the 17.50 (arrives 19.23) coming back for a £23.50 journey. If you don’t fancy the stopping service there, the 10.20 (arrives 11.48) and the same train back for £27.50.

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Pictures – Action Images

Photo: Action Images

MelakaRanger added 09:03 - Aug 27 So Barton claims "I offered to resign from the club/contract when I got my ban" I think club should tell fans if this is a true statement and if it is, why they did not accept his resignation - especially relevant as Hughes has cast him into the wilderness (yet so far we are still paying him)
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JB007007 added 09:33 - Aug 27 If this deal involving Mbia does go through, I'm sure he will contribute more than Barton. He has some versatility too which Hughes seems keen on bringing in. As for the players not included in the first team, I guess this will always happen no matter what new manager comes in. I am still disappointed that Heidar has gone as I feel another striker in the squad is needed - unless MH has his sights on someone. Paddy Kenny has shown a complete lack of class, plain and simple. And good luck to Lee Cook, I hope he has a successful time at the O's.

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daveB added 09:57 - Aug 27 it's only happened to Joey at three clubs now so obviously not his fault, easy for him to blame everyone else, he always does. There is a reason this has happened but he seems to have forgotten that.
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QPRski added 10:05 - Aug 27 It is probably against freedom of speech, but If I were a fotball manager I would ban my players from using Twiter. I still remember wise advice from primary school in the form a prayer : " O Lord, Help me keep my big mouth shut, until I know what I am talking about". Still good advice in the Twitter era.
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GloryHunter added 10:39 - Aug 27 I imagine JB offered to resign if the club gave him a huge pay-off.
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TacticalR added 12:01 - Aug 27 Now that Barton's going and we've had two bad results, a few people are getting sentimental about him. The reality is that he is a ticking time bomb who would have been targetted by the opposition every match. Paddy Kenny has been driven mad by his deportation to Leeds. I have some sympathy with DJ Campbell, Jay Bothroyd, Luke Young and Rob Hulse, as long as they have fulfilled their contractual obligations to the club. I don't know what the normal way to handle such situations is (where players aren't wanted by a club), but there must be a conventional way of handling it as it's such a common situation in football. Wasn't this kind of treatment declared illegal in Italy?

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Antti_Heinola added 12:23 - Aug 27 Can't see a thing wrong with Barton's statement there to be honest. Sorry all. I'm disturbed by the way Hughes is dealing with people at the moment. We can all bitch about Hulse, but we gave him that contract. It's up to us to pay it off - he's in his 30s, he probably has a family. It's no one's fault but the club's.
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isawqpratwcity added 13:57 - Aug 27 I thought Barton was acting in good faith when he agreed to his contract being modified to allow dismissal in the case of another discipinary breach. I thought that that outcome was the best the club could reasonably ask, and certainly not expect. As the process unfolded, particulary with the loss of squad number, isolated training and talk of a season-long loan to Fleetwood, it was disappointing to find there was only good faith on one side. Seriously, all Hughes has to do is let Barton serve his ban then play, because under provocation or not, sooner or later Barton will lose his rag, get sent off and then he's on his way for not living up to his side of the bargain. With Barton (and the other four), Hughes is just behaving like an *rsehole. If you want some-one out the door with no valid contractual basis, negotiate them out.

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jonno added 20:28 - Aug 27 From what I've seen of Hulse he could do with extra training. Lazy fcker.
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julia added 13:40 - Aug 29 Double training eh, expected to work four hours a day instead of two. Poor little lambs.
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