Banned from football for 18 months, making over 1200 bets on it.

He's made an embarrassing statement were he yet again makes himself out to be the victim (again).

What an mess of a career he's had hopefully that's the end of it.

He is beyond help on so many levels, and for an individual who has made numerous pretty horrific "mistakes" he still manages to gain more than his fair share of column inches.

He will be someone whos opinions are sought so I agree having him as a pundit just makes me want to wretch, but its nailed on.

Mind if her replaces Pardew and Mcclaren he is possibly the lesser of those evils.

He's appealing against the sentence, saying that 18 months was excessive.

He had £20k on it being between 12-15 months.

Seriously what grounds does the bloke have for appeal!?

He had countless bets against his own team admittedly in games he wasn't playing in but even bets in games that he was playing in were he bet himself as first goal scorer and the like are completely wrong. Even though the bet is positive what about a situation were you shoot and a pass was maybe a better option. We are not talking one or two bets here either it's 1,260 and those are the ones he got caught basically on an account registered to his name and address (and he purports to be clever) are we seriously expected to believe these are the only bets he made?

I have sympathy for anyone with an addiction but I seriously question whether he actually has one here, it seems rather convienient and his statement had a few contradictions on that score. Even Matthew Etherington who had a full blown gambling problem that plunged his life into disarray said on the radio earlier that he didn't sound like someone with an addiction.

He did have loads of bets against his own team but you are right never when he was involved. Craig Hope has just Tweeted one when he bet £500 on Chelsea to beat Newcastle.

I'm struggling to see how it's harsh when you consider the volume of bets and the fact they know and are told all of the time it's not allowed.

You got less for racism for doping offences, it is pretty harsh. No one is doing anything to stop match fixing etc they are just using players betting as a scapegoat.

Most of those are punishments are for a one off incident not doing it 1,260 times.

I remember seeing Luscombe in Coral on York Road when I popped in to do a coupon before I went in the Millhouse one day when we were playing Charlton at home a few years back, he had his club tracksuit on as well and was on the bench that day, I'm sure he was just having a fiver on a dog though and wasn't putting on a coupon himself

For me the rules are clear and he's been caught breaking them over a sustained period. Even when you aren't in the matchday squad you have inside knowledge of team selections and tactics. The ban might be long but it's clear now to others who are doing it what the consequences are now theirs a precedent been set.

The last time he bet on his own team to lose was 6 years ago in a reserve match in which he didn't even make the bench!
Penalty is far too harsh. He will win the appeal.

As you questiomed whether Barton had only placed 1260 bets. How do you know that those other peoples where "one off's"?

Mark Bosnich - 9 month ban for positive drugs test
Paul merson - addicted to cocaine, gamling and alcohol. 3 months in rehab with help from the football league.
Mutu - 7 months for cocaine at Chelsea and then 9 months for a banned substance.

18 months seems harsh when you compare them against those

For some players, too much money, too much spare time, career ends, too much debt, could end up doing time.
After losing my money and bus fares in the arcades at Seaton as a kid I gave up on 'gambling'...it's a long walk with a whining little brother to my aunties at the headland when you're 8.

There's a bigger picture than what kind of character Joey Barton is, which Radio 5 Live has been examining this morning.

Along with the TV companies, with whom they are hand in hand, the gambling industry 'co-owns' professional football in this country. Half the clubs in the Premier League are sponsored by this or that betting firm. Pools play in the Sky Bet Football League. Every live game on commercial television is peppered with adverts urging us to wager some money but to 'bet responsibly.'

Young footballers from the same culture as the fans are arguably the number one targets of the betting companies in this country. They have loads of disposable cash! Matthew Etherington said on 5 Live that when he was at West Ham (even before 'Arry) representatives of betting companies were allowed into the training ground, offering lines of credit - he ended up owing the bookies £800,000.

The clubs are less accommodating on that level nowadays, but come on - the relationship between the gambling industry and professional football is a prime example of the rank hypocrisy that riddles life in this country. I hope Barton wins his appeal.