Newcastle United boss Sam Allardyce is confident he can handle new signing Joey Barton.
The manager is convinced he can turn Barton into an England regular, adding: 'There is nothing wrong with Joey's football. It is the off-the-field scenario that we have to work on and get better.
"Joey is a terrific player and a tremendous asset for Newcastle. He is a big, big character and somebody who likes to say what he thinks, which is getting slightly rare in today's football. The difference is he goes out and proves what he says he can do.
'He does a lot of talking on the field exceptionally well and his midfield play and goalscoring are paramount to our future success.
"His character had to be a consideration, of course. I had to convince the board that Joey and I would be able to deal with that side of him and not let it come out again."
