Kinnear promises Barton fair chance

Joey Barton has been told by manager Joe Kinnear he will be treated like any other Newcastle United player when it comes to selection for Tuesday's match against West Bromwich Albion.

Barton made his return to action last weekend in the north-east derby against Sunderland after a six-game ban imposed by the Football Association (FA) after the 74 days he served in prison following assaults on a 16-year-old boy and former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo.

The midfielder was only on the pitch for the final few minutes of a match which saw Newcastle lose away to their arch-rivals for the first time in 28 years but was involved in an unsavoury incident before taking the field.

Barton, a 5.8 million pounds signing from City, was pelted with coins and bottles as he warmed-up on the touchline.

His response was to kiss the badge on his Newcastle shirt, a move that many saw as inflammatory and a contributory factor to the violence which broke out after the final whistle between rival fans at the Stadium of Light.

Meanwhile Newcastle, who've won just once in the Premier League in nine games so far this season remain in the relegation zone and are just a point off the bottom of the table.

And it is the club's plight, rather than a debate about Barton's suitability as a professional footballer, which most concerns Kinnear.

“I am being criticised for bringing Joey back, but I have got to do the best I possibly can with the squad I have,” said Kinnear.

“I am not going to listen to people or pay lip-service to anybody. I am playing Joey Barton because he is a good player.

“I am not going to have anybody else tell me different.”

Barton's chances of playing against the Baggies appear to be strengthening with former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt struggling with ankle problems and a dead leg.

Newcastle, put up for sale by owner Mike Ashley after a fans' backlash following the departure of popular manager Kevin Keegan, may be in a parlous position but Kinnear believes their fate is far from sealed.

“I think our best 11 players are capable of beating anybody in that league. It is getting your best 11 out on the pitch, that's where the problem arises.

“Obviously some of the players who have come in have not been as good as the ones who have gone out, but if we were to be in a position where we could get our best 11 out week in, week out, I can't see us being out of the top 10.

“It's a must-win for us against West Brom and if we do achieve that, then there's a whole new slant on it, the picture looks completely different.

“We have two home games now to try to get maximum points.

“If we were to get maximum points from those two home games, then we are taking about being up near the top 10, so the picture changes very easily.”