QPR midfielder Joey Barton has explained his reasons for deciding to train with League Two club Fleetwood Town.
The 29-year old has to see out a 12-game ban handed down by the Football Association for his actions in the final game of last season at Manchester City and will now saddle up with the Trawlermen for pre-season training.
Barton, who could be loaned out to a Football League during his Premier League ban, says he is hoping to rediscover his passion for the game by heading back down to the lower leagues where football is more raw.
"I have become a little disenchanted with the game in the last six months after what I have put myself through and I desperately want to fall back in love with the game," he told joeybarton.com.
"I feel that training in the lower leagues will give me a reality check and maybe help me become a better person, a little more humility will serve me well.
"The lower leagues is where the hunger for the game is at its greatest, at least where players are concerned.
"I want to re-ignite that passion for the game, something that I ordinarily have an abundance of. No prima donnas. Just pure, old school, mortgage/livelihoods on the line, balls-out football.
"It'll help me appreciate all that the Premier league offers me now and in the future.
"What else can I do? Work hard, fall back in love with the game and keep my fingers crossed that I can once again earn my place in a QPR shirt."
