PFA chief Gordon Taylor admits he can't defend the actions at Manchester City of QPR firebrand Joey Barton.

Barton was punished for incidents involving Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany but Professional Footballers Association chief executive Taylor has vowed to support him.

Taylor told talkSPORT: "I can't really defend such behaviour [by Joey Barton]. His reputation will go in front of him and it's extremely disappointing. I just feel he's his own worst enemy. We're back to square one.

"I'm not saying I won't support him because he does need that help but it's recurring and he's getting to the later stages of his career and it does get very exasperating and frustrating.

"We [as players] have a duty to the game that has given us our living and from that point of view you just have to count to 10 or maybe in his case 50 [if you get angry].

"It is a situation where he needs help but there will be many people who say, 'how many chances do you give to such a player?' particularly when he's becoming more mature as an adult."