Paul Ince: Joey Barton, your comments on David Unsworth are a disgrace

Our football ambassador has penned an open letter to the former Man City midfielder…

Dear Joey,

I’ve been looking at the comments you’ve has made about Dave Unsworth, and I think they’re a disgrace.

I don’t know if you have a personal issue with Unsworth, but what I do know is that there’s absolutely no reason to come out and castigate him on his physical appearance and weight.

To you, it’s as though football isn’t about what you know about the game – it’s about how many people you can get to follow you on Twitter.

I didn’t have social media in my playing days, but I do understand the times. What I don’t understand, though, is why someone would say something nasty just to make headlines or get more followers, like you’ve done here.

To comment on someone’s weight – which is totally irrelevant to their ability to be a football manager – is just stupid. And anyone who’s sensible knows that.

Joey, you could’ve come out and said ‘I don’t think Unsworth is the right man for the job because of X, Y & Z’ and given a considered argument. But to actually personally attack his appearance, and insult him, is beyond a joke.

Those things have no bearings on his credentials as a manager. Some people might think it’s funny, but as someone who has been in the game a long time, it’s an assassination of his character – and it’s a complete disgrace.

What you have said is an absolute liberty. It was unprofessional. It wasn’t funny. I was disgusted. I thought TalkSport wanted people to give proper football opinions.

Paul