Joey Barton has revealed he is constantly fighting his "natural instinct" towards aggression, which led to his latest clash with Morten Gamst Pedersen. The Newcastle midfielder immediately accepted a charge of violent conduct by the Football Association and will now serve a three-match ban after being caught on camera punching the Rovers midfielder in the chest during Wednesday night's 2-1 defeat at St James' Park.
Barton has a well-documented history of on and off-field problems which led to a spell in prison and he admits that despite the help of organisations such as the Sporting Chance clinic he will never be able to fully change his ways.
"Everyone knows I have anger issues and on the pitch people are going to test my temperament," Barton told the Daily Mail.
"I realise that. But people ask me, 'Have you not changed?' and I say, 'No, this is me, I have this aggression in me and I'm trying to handle it'.
"I'm not a changed man because it's who I am. It's something inside me, a natural instinct that makes me stand and fight. I just continue to work at it.
"I'll always be fighting to curb it and it's a battle for me. I have these anger issues but I know that when it turns to rage, like it did against Blackburn, it is not acceptable.
"It was a moment of stupidity from me. I shouldn't have reacted like that even if I was slightly provoked. I can't condone it and I deserve a ban. I am human but I have made a mistake I regret."
Barton, who has given up alcohol after the problems he encountered earlier in his career, instantly regretted his moment of madness in midweek and accepts that Premier League players have a duty to set the right example.
"Footballers are role models and I have always recognised that," he added.
"But I'm not even a role model to myself. Drink was a big problem for me. That was one of the reasons I ended up in prison, and I can see more clearly now that I have abstained from it.
"As soon as it happened I was thinking, 'Oh for ****'s sake. I can't believe I've done that'.
"At the training ground I watched it with all the lads on television. I just turned to them and said, 'That's me out for three games'. I was obviously sorry."
