League One

JOEY BARTON has been sacked by League One outfit Bristol Rovers.His exit comes just weeks after fans slammed the ex-Manchester City star for “throwing his own player under the bus.”
Joey Barton has been sacked by League One side Bristol RoversCredit: Alamy
Barton’s sacking comes after he called Steve Evans a ‘fat man’Credit: PA
The decision also follows Barton’s jibes at Steve Evans in which he called the Stevenage manager a “fat man” and a “weeble” after the 1-1 draw on Tuesday.
A Rovers statement confirmed: “Bristol Rovers Football Club can confirm that today the club has relieved First Team Manager Joey Barton of his duties.
“Everyone at the club would like to thank Joey for all his efforts and wish him well in the future.
“In the interim, Andy Mangan will lead the team supported by Glenn Whelan, Danny Ventre and Anssi Jaakkola who will remain in post.”
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Rovers are 16th in League One after just four wins from their opening 14 matches.
Their last victory came against Port Vale at the start of October.
Since then, they suffered away defeats at Oxford and Burton.
And Barton’s last result was a 1-1 draw with Stevenage.
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The former Man City midfielder, 41, had been in charge of Rovers since February 2021.
But following last month’s defeat to Peterborough, he was slammed by supporters after aiming a brutal rant at one of his own players.
Barton tore into Luke Thomas for playing on while carrying an injury.
He said: “We had a mountain to climb due to Luke Thomas’ decision to play on in the second-half. I’ve never known anything like it.
“He reported he was a bit stiff one minute before we are going back out, having had 13 minutes to speak to the physios.
“He was told to go out and test it. But two minutes into the second-half his side is compromised because he can’t run, he feels the hamstring.
“In his infinite wisdom, I don’t know why he presses the ball and doesn’t sit on the pitch so the ref can stop the game and we can get the sub on.
“In the midst of that chaotic spell of two minutes, we are compromised from within and they score the second goal.
“I wish I could fine him and I’ll be speaking to the CEO about that because it’s a ludicrous decision, he shouldn’t get paid this week for what he’s done because he has put us 2-0 down.
One idiotic young boy, I can’t even call him a manJoey Barton
“It’s frustrating, we have got to be better than that. You come to a good place like Peterborough, you can’t play with ten men, especially in wide areas because they will punish you.”
Asked if it was a mistake caused by the 24-year-old’s inexperience, Barton snapped back, continuing: “When does the young man stop?
“How many times can we put his lethargy in moments down to being young? At some point the penny has got to drop.
“If you are injured, fine, come off the pitch, nobody has got a problem with that.
“Going back out and making stupid decisions just compromises your team-mates and all our hard work is undone because of a decision by one of our players.
“I’m so frustrated with him, we have given him enormous backing at this club and he lets himself down with stupidity.”
In another interview he called Thomas “one idiotic young boy – I can’t even call him a man.”

Fans were not happy over Barton’s words, with one saying: “This is horrible. Thomas had been amazing this season and I’m sure Rovers fans won’t be holding this against him.”
Another added: “Very poor, been one of if not the best player for us these season. Not a fan of that.”
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A third commented: “Joey Barton throwing arguably our best player this season under the bus is a disgrace. Guy has worked hard every game this season and deserves credit, not criticism.”
More raged: “You can be the best manager in the world, but if you throw your players under the bus like this the dressing room very quickly turns on you. A manager throwing excuses instead of looking at himself.” More

JOE HANCOTT swapped football for the classroom just four years after making his senior debut aged 16 and 161 days.The left-back has his name written in the Portsmouth record books after featuring in an EFL Trophy match against Fulham’s Under-21s in 2017.
Joe Hancott quit football aged 20 to become a teacherCredit: 2019 Getty Images
He became the club’s youngest-ever player a week before he was due to collect his GCSE results.
His appearance smashed the record held by now Premier League manager Gary O’Neil.
Hancott, who joined the club aged eight, was subbed on in the game by experienced boss Kenny Jackett and he went on to make a further three appearances for Pompey.
But just four years after bursting onto the scene, he fell out of love with the beautiful game and no longer plays professionally.
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The 22-year-old was hit by a season-ending ACL injuries when in pre-season training with Portsmouth and then again during his subsequent recoveries on loan at Bognor Regis and Basingstoke.
His scholarship at Fratton Park was initially extended before his release in 2021.
It took a toll on Hancott and he simply had enough of trying to make it as a professional footballer despite being snapped up by Bognor Regis on a permanent deal.
The disillusioned wonderkid hung up his boots at the age of 20 and decided to try to achieve his ambitions of becoming a teacher.
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Hancott explained to The News: “I wanted to be out of it. Not Pompey as a club, professional football as a whole. I couldn’t wait.
“Some people would say, ‘What the hell?’, but I fell out of love with it completely.
“When I say fell out of love, weirdly I still loved watching it, I loved watching the Premier League and my club Tottenham, watching the Football League and my mates performing at non-league level.
“But I didn’t like playing it at the time.
“It could be down to pressure or maybe going through a 12-year academy process had drained that fun out of me.
“Perhaps it was due to commuting from the Isle of Wight four times a week to train or play, with your body developing and growing yet constantly getting battered on different playing surfaces.
“Or you’ve tried to come back from injury and, yet again, it hasn’t worked out, so you think: ‘That’s not for me any more’.
“Pompey kept extending my contract because they wanted to help me get back to full fitness, but it got to the point where I wasn’t fussed about playing professional football anymore – and I told them that.”
During his rehab following the ACL injuries, Hancott began to look at forging a path into teaching.
He enrolled on an Open University course in sport and business management at Salford University back in 2020.
And just six months in, he had made his mind up and quit football.
Hancott initially worked in a primary school before landing his dream job two years ago at his former secondary in Ryde as a PE teacher.
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Now free from the pressure of the academy, he is back playing with Isle of Wight team Newport and now Cowes Sports.
Both are in the Wessex Football League, which is the ninth tier of the English pyramid. More

LEYTON ORIENT will wear their white away kit against Barnsley tomorrow, despite being the home side.Both sides traditionally wear red at home.
Leyton Orient will wear their white away kit against BarnsleyCredit: Rex
Barnsley would normally rock up in their white away strip for the Brisbane Road clash.
They are currently without their alternate kit, however, after their team bus caught fire a fortnight ago.
The Tykes had been travelling home from their 1-0 win at Exeter when the incident occurred.
Everyone on board was thankfully evacuated safely and no one was harmed.
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But Barnsley’s away kit, which they had worn that day, was onboard and is now unusable.
Neill Collins’ side have been unable to source replacements in time for tomorrow’s clash with Orient.
Barnsley could wear their black third kit instead, which wouldn’t clash with their opponents’ red home shirts.
But due to red and black causing significant issues for those who are colour blind, Orient have agreed to wear their white away shirts instead.
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This means that home fans will get a rare glimpse of their team not playing in red.
Orient boss Richie Wellens will be looking for his side to continue a positive run of form that has seen them win four of their last six games.
During this run their home match with Lincoln was abandoned with ten minutes remaining following a medical emergency.
The O’s later confirmed the tragic news that fan Derek Reynolds had died aged 74.
It was later decided by the EFL that the match will be replayed in full at a later date. More