Joey Barton has been told by Newcastle boss Chris Hughton to continue letting his football do the talking after an impressive start to the season. The current campaign is the fourth since the controversial former Manchester City man made his £5.8million switch to St James' Park, although injuries and his notorious spell behind bars have meant he has rarely had the chance to show the ability on a sustained basis which at one point won him and England call-up.
Hughton, whose side head for npower League Two Accrington Stanley in the Carling Cup second round on Wednesday evening, said: "Joey is a good player, we have always known that.
"It's just we have missed his services on the football pitch, which has unfortunately not allowed him to play as many games as he would have liked.
"But a fit Joey Barton, we have always known, is a good player.
"What Joey has to do is go through a period of playing well and doing what he is doing at the moment, letting his football do the talking.
"That's always the best way with any player, and Joey is certainly giving us good value."
