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Surveillance cameras on a corner.

Dome CCTV cameras

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors.

It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly transmitted, though it may employ point to point (P2P), point to multipoint, or mesh wireless links. Though almost all video cameras fit this definition, the term is most often applied to those used for surveillance in areas that may need monitoring such as banks, casinos, airports, military installations, and convenience stores. Videotelephony is seldom called "CCTV" but the use of video in distance education, where it is an important tool, is often so called.^[1][2]

In industrial plants, CCTV equipment may be used to observe parts of a process from a central control room, for example when the environment is not suitable for humans. CCTV systems may operate continuously or only as required to monitor a particular event. A more advanced form of CCTV, utilizing Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), provides recording for possibly many years, with a variety of quality and performance options and extra features (such as motion-detection and email alerts). More recently, decentralized IP-based CCTV cameras, some equipped with megapixel sensors, support recording directly to network-attached storage devices, or internal flash for completely stand-alone operation.

Surveillance of the public using CCTV is particularly common in many areas around the world including the United Kingdom, where there are reportedly more cameras per person than in any other country in the world.^[3] There and elsewhere, its increasing use has triggered a debate about security versus privacy.

History[link]

Closed circuit TV in Munich, 1973 photo

Sign warning that premises are watched by CCTV cameras.

The first CCTV system was installed by Siemens AG at Test Stand VII in Peenemünde, Germany in 1942, for observing the launch of V-2 rockets.^[4] The noted German engineer Walter Bruch was responsible for the design and installation of the system.

In the U.S. the first commercial closed-circuit television system became available in 1949, called Vericon. Very little is known about Vericon except it was advertised as not requiring a government permit.^[5]

CCTV recording systems are still often used at modern launch sites to record the flight of the rockets, in order to find the possible causes of malfunctions,^[6][7] while larger rockets are often fitted with CCTV allowing pictures of stage separation to be transmitted back to earth by radio link.^[8]

The history of CCTV in the United States varies from that of the United Kingdom. One of its first appearances was in 1973 in Times Square in New York City.^[9] The NYPD installed it in order to deter crime that was occurring in the area however crime rates did not appear to drop much due to the cameras.^[9] Nevertheless, during the 1980s video surveillance began to spread across the country specifically targeting public areas.^[10] It was seen as a cheaper way to deter crime compared to increasing the size of the police departments.^[9] Some businesses as well, especially those that were prone to theft, began to use video surveillance.^[9] During the 1990s digital multiplexing, which allowed for several cameras at once to record, and introduced time lapse and motion only recording, increased the use of CCTV across the country.^[10] This would have been preferable to the old style of camera due to the amount of time and money that could be saved. From the mid 1990s on, police departments across the country installed an increasing number of cameras in various public spaces including housing projects, schools and public parks departments.^[9] Following the attacks on September 11, the use of video surveillance has become a common occurrence in the country to deter future terrorist attacks.^[9]

In September 1968, Olean, New York was the first city in the United States to install video cameras along its main business street in an effort to fight crime.^[11]

The use of CCTV later on became very common in banks and stores to discourage theft, by recording evidence of criminal activity. Their use further popularised the concept. The first place to use CCTV in the United Kingdom was King's Lynn, Norfolk.^[12]

In recent decades, especially with general crime fears growing in the 1990s and 2000s, public space use of surveillance cameras has taken off, especially in some countries such as the United Kingdom.

Uses[link]

Crime prevention[link]

Experiments in the UK during the 1970s and 1980s (including outdoor CCTV in Bournemouth in 1985), led to several larger trial programs later that decade.^[12]

These were deemed successful in the government report "CCTV: Looking Out For You", issued by the Home Office in 1994, and paved the way for a massive increase in the number of CCTV systems installed. Today, systems cover most town and city centres, and many stations, car-parks and estates.

A more recent analysis by Northeastern University and the University of Cambridge, "Public Area CCTV and Crime Prevention: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," examined 44 different studies that collectively surveyed areas from the United Kingdom to U.S. cities such as Cincinnati and New York. The analysis found that: 1) Surveillance systems were most effective in parking lots, where their use resulted in a 51% decrease in crime; 2) Public transportation areas saw a 23% decrease in crimes; 3) Systems in public settings were the least effective, with just a 7% decrease in crimes overall. When sorted by country, however, systems in the United Kingdom accounted for the majority of the decrease; the drop in other areas was insignificant.^[13]

The results from the above 2009 “Public Area CCTV and Crime Prevention: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” conducted by Walsh and Farrington,^[13][14] are somewhat controversial.^[15] Earlier similar meta-analysis completed by Welsh and Farrington in 2002 showed similar results: a significant decrease in car park crime (41%), and a non-significant decrease of crime in public transit and public places.^[16] This study was criticized for the inclusion of confounding variables (e.g. notification of CCTV cameras on site, improved street lighting) found in the studies analyzed (including car park studies). These factors could not be teased apart from the effect of CCTV cameras being present or absent while crimes were being committed.^[14][15] Thus, a combination of factors might be important for the decrease in crime not just the CCTV cameras. The 2009 study admitted to similar problems as well as issues with the consistency of the percentage of area covered by CCTV cameras within the tested sites (e.g. car parks have more cameras per square inch than public transit).^[14] There is still much research to be done to determine the effectiveness of CCTV cameras on crime prevention before any conclusions can be drawn.

There is strong anecdotal evidence that CCTV aids in detection and conviction of offenders; indeed UK police forces routinely seek CCTV recordings after crimes. Moreover CCTV has played a crucial role in tracing the movements of suspects or victims and is widely regarded by antiterrorist officers as a fudamental tool in tracking terrorist suspects. Large-scale CCTV installations have played a key part of the defences against terrorism since the 1970s. Cameras have also been installed on public transport in the hope of deterring crime,^[17][18] and in mobile police surveillance vans, often with automatic number plate recognition, and a network of APNI-linked cameras is used to manage London's congestion charging zone. Even so there is political hostility to surveillance and several commentators downplay the evidence of CCTV's effectiveness, especially in the US.^[19] However, most of these assertions are based on poor methodology or imperfect comparisons.^[20] A more open question is whether most CCTV is cost-effective. While low-quality domestic kits are cheap the professional installation and maintenance of high definition CCTV is expensive.^[21] Gill and Spring did a cost-benefit analysis of CCTV in crime prevention that showed little monetary saving with the installation of CCTV as most of the crimes prevented resulted in little monetary loss.^[15] It was however noted that benefits of non-monetary value cannot be captured in a traditional cost-benefit analysis and were omitted from their study.^[15] To get a full understanding of the costs and benefits of CCTV in crime prevention these factors would have to be included. A 2008 Report by UK Police Chiefs concluded that only 3% of crimes were solved by CCTV.^[22] In London, a Metropolitan Police report showed that in 2008 only one crime was solved per 1000 cameras.^[23]In some cases CCTV cameras have become a target of attacks themselves.^[24]

On July 22, 2005, Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead by police at Stockwell tube station. According to brother Giovani Menezes, "The film showed that Jean did not have suspicious behaviour" .^[25]

Because of the bombing attempts the previous day, some of the tapes had been supposedly removed from CCTV cameras for study, and they were not functional.^[26] An ongoing change to DVR-based technology may in future stop similar problems occurring.^[27]

In October 2009, an "Internet Eyes" website was announced which would pay members of the public to view CCTV camera images from their homes and report any crimes they witnessed. The site aimed to add "more eyes" to cameras which might be insufficiently monitored, but civil liberties campaigners criticized the idea as "a distasteful and a worrying development".^[28]

Prevalence[link]

The number of CCTV cameras in the UK is not known for certain because there is no requirement to register CCTV cameras. However, an article published in CCTV Image magazine estimates that the number of cameras in the UK is 1.85 million. The number is based on extrapolating from a comprehensive survey of public and private cameras within the Cheshire Constabulary jurisdiction.^[29] This works out as an average of one camera for every 32 people in the UK, although the density of cameras varies from place to place to such a degree as to make this figure almost meaningless. The Cheshire report also claims that the average person on a typical day would be seen by 70 CCTV cameras, although many of these sightings would be brief glimpses from cameras in shops.

The Cheshire figure is regarded as more dependable than a previous study by Michael McCahill and Clive Norris of UrbanEye published in 2002.^[30] Based on a small sample in Putney High Street, McCahill and Norris estimated the number of surveillance cameras in private premises in London at around 500,000 and the total number of cameras in the UK at around 4,200,000. According to their estimate the UK has one camera for every 14 people. Although it has been acknowledged for several years that the methodology behind this figure is somewhat dubious,^[31] it has continued to be quoted in the absence of a better figure.

The CCTV User Group estimates that there are around 1.5 million CCTV cameras in city centres, stations, airports, major retail areas and so forth. This figure does not include the smaller surveillance systems such as those that may be found in local corner shops^[32] and is therefore broadly in line with the Cheshire report.

Research conducted by the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research and based on a survey of all Scottish local authorities, identified that there are over 2,200 public space CCTV cameras in Scotland.^[33]

Hacking and video art[link]

Hackers and guerrilla artists have exposed the vulnerabilities of the video systems in an act dubbed "video sniffing"^[34][35] They have crossed feeds, uploaded their own video feeds and used the video footage for artistic purposes.

Industrial processes[link]

Industrial processes that take place under conditions dangerous for humans are today often supervised by CCTV. These are mainly processes in the chemical industry, the interior of reactors or facilities for manufacture of nuclear fuel. Special cameras for some of these purposes include line-scan cameras and thermographic cameras which allow operators to measure the temperature of the processes. The usage of CCTV in such processes is sometimes required by law.^[specify]

Traffic monitoring[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Many cities and motorway networks have extensive traffic-monitoring systems, using closed-circuit television to detect congestion and notice accidents. Many of these cameras however, are owned by private companies and transmit data to drivers' GPS systems.

The UK. Highways Agency has a publicly-owned CCTV network of over 1,200 cameras covering the English motorway and trunk road network. These cameras are primarily used to monitor traffic conditions and are not used as speed cameras. With the addition of fixed cameras for the Active Traffic Management system, the number of cameras on the Highways Agency's CCTV network is likely to increase significantly over the next few years.

The London congestion charge is enforced by cameras positioned at the boundaries of and inside the congestion charge zone, which automatically read the license plates of cars. If the driver does not pay the charge then a fine will be imposed. Similar systems are being developed as a means of locating cars reported stolen.

Other surveillance cameras serve as traffic enforcement cameras.

Transport safety[link]

Digital Video Recorder for Public Transport

A CCTV system may be installed where an operator of a machine cannot directly observe people who may be injured by some unexpected machine operation. For example, on a subway train, CCTV cameras may allow the operator to confirm that people are clear of doors before closing them and starting the train.

Operators of an amusement park ride may use a CCTV system to observe that people are not endangered by starting the ride. A CCTV camera and dashboard monitor can make reversing a vehicle safer, if it allows the driver to observe objects or people not otherwise visible.

Outside the U.K.[link]

The use of CCTV in the United States is less common, though increasing, and generally meets stronger opposition. In 1998, 3,000 CCTV systems were in use in New York City.^[36] There are more than 10,000 CCTV systems in Chicago.^[37]

In the last few years particularly, the percentage of people in the U.S. having installed a security-camera system has increased dramatically. Global Security Solutions with the help of Zone Tech Systems first announced the launch of IP surveillance in the U.S. security industry by partnering up with Axis Communications (an IP pioneer). Today's CCTV market has transformed the shift towards IP-based security products and systems.

In Latin America, the CCTV market is growing rapidly with the increase of property crime.^[38]

Criminal use[link]

Criminals may use surveillance cameras, for example a hidden camera at an ATM to capture people's PINs without their knowledge. The devices are small enough not to be noticed, and are placed where they can monitor the keypad of the machine as people enter their PINs. Images may be transmitted wirelessly to the criminal.^[39]

Privacy[link]

A mobile closed-circuit TV van monitoring a street market

Opponents of CCTV point out the loss of privacy of the people under surveillance, and the negative impact of surveillance on civil liberties. Furthermore, they argue that CCTV displaces crime, rather than reducing it. Critics often dub CCTV as "Big Brother surveillance", a reference to George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, which featured a two-way telescreen in every home through which The Party would monitor the populace. Civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch have published several research papers into CCTV systems. In December 2009, they released a report documenting council controlled CCTV cameras.^[40]

More positive views of CCTV cameras have argued that the cameras are not intruding into people's privacy, as they are not surveiling private, but public space, where an individual's right to privacy can reasonably be weighed against the intended benefits of surveillance.^[41] However, both the United States Supreme Court in Katz v. United States and anti-surveillance activists have held that there is a right to privacy in public areas.^[42][43] Furthermore, while it is true that there may be scenarios wherein a citizen's right to public privacy can be both reasonably and justifiably compromised, some scholars have argued that such situations are so rare as to not sufficiently warrant the frequent compromising of public privacy rights that occurs in regions with widespread CCTV surveillance. For example, in her book Setting the Watch: Privacy and the Ethics of CCTV Surveillance, Beatrice von Silva-Tarouca Larsen argues that CCTV surveillance is ethically permissible only in "certain restrictively defined situations", such as when a specific location has a "comprehensively documented and significant criminal threat" (p. 160). Her central reasoning is that widespread CCTV surveillance violates citizens' rights to privacy and anonymity within the public sphere by jeopardizing both their liberty and dignity. She concludes that CCTV surveillance should therefore be reserved for specific circumstances in which there are clear and reasonably demonstrated benefits to its implementation and few ethical compromises.^[44]

Questions are also raised about illegal access to CCTV recordings. The Data Protection Act 1998 in the United Kingdom led to legal restrictions on the uses of CCTV recordings, and also mandated their registration with the Data Protection Agency. In 2004, the successor to the Data Protection Agency, the Information Commissioner's Office clarified that this required registration of all CCTV systems with the Commissioner, and prompt deletion of archived recordings. However, subsequent case law (Durant vs. FSA) has limited the scope of the protection provided by this law, and not all CCTV systems are currently regulated.^[45] Private sector personnel in the UK who operate or monitor CCTV devices or systems are now considered security guards and have been made subject to state licensing.

A 2007 report by the UK's Information Commissioner's Office, highlighted the need for the public to be made more aware of the "creeping encroachment" into their civil liberties created by the growing use of surveillance apparatus. A year prior to the report Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, warned that Britain was "sleepwalking into a surveillance society".

In 2007, the UK watchdog CameraWatch claimed that the majority of CCTV cameras in the UK are operated illegally or are in breach of privacy guidelines.^{[citation needed]} In response, the Information Commissioner's Office denied the claim adding that any reported abuses of the Data Protection Act are swiftly investigated.^[46]

In Canada, the use of video surveillance has grown very rapidly. In Ontario, both the municipal and provincial versions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act ^[47] outline very specific guidelines that control how images and information can be gathered by this method and or released.

Technological developments[link]

Surveillance camera at London (Heathrow) Airport with a wiper for clear images during rain

Computer controlled analytics and identification[link]

This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: too few or missing citations. Please help improve this section if you can; the talk page may contain suggestions. (July 2010)

Today’s High-definition CCTV cameras have many computer controlled technologies that allow them to identify, track, and categorize objects in their field of view.

Video Content Analysis (VCA) is the capability of automatically analyzing video to detect and determine temporal events not based on a single image. As such, it can be seen as the automated equivalent of the biological visual cortex.

A system using VCA can recognize changes in the environment and even identify and compare objects in the database using size, speed, and sometimes color. The camera’s actions can be programmed based on what it is “seeing”. For example; an alarm can be issued if an object has moved in a certain area, or if a painting is missing from a wall, and if someone has spray painted the lens.

VCA analytics can also be used to detect unusual patterns in a videos environment. The system can be set to detect anomalies in a crowd of people, for instance a person moving in the opposite direction in airports where passengers are only supposed to walk in one direction out of a plane or in a subway where people are not supposed to exit through the entrances.^[48]

VCA also has the ability to track people on a map by calculating their position from the images. It is then possible to link many cameras and track a person through an entire building or area. This can allow a person to be followed without having to analyze many hours of film. Currently the cameras have difficulty identifying individuals from video alone, but if connected to a key-card system, identities can be established and displayed as a tag over their heads on the video.

There is also a significant difference in where the VCA technology is placed, either the data is being processed within the cameras (on the edge) or by a centralized server. Both technologies have their pros and cons.^[49]

Facial recognition system Is a computer application for automatically identifying or verifying a person from a digital image or a video frame from a video source. One of the ways to do this is by comparing selected facial features from the image and a facial database.

The combination of CCTV and facial recognition has been tried as a form of mass surveillance, but has been ineffective because of the low discriminating power of facial recognition technology and the very high number of false positives generated. This type of system has been proposed to compare faces at airports and seaports with those of suspected terrorists or other undesirable entrants.

Eye-in-the-sky surveillance dome camera watching from a high steel pole

Computerized monitoring of CCTV images is under development, so that a human CCTV operator does not have to endlessly look at all the screens, allowing an operator to observe many more CCTV cameras.^{[citation needed]} These systems do not observe people directly. Instead, they track their behavior by looking for particular types of body-movement behavior, or particular types of clothing or baggage.

To many, the development of CCTV in public areas, linked to computer databases of people's pictures and identity, presents a serious breach of civil liberties. Critics fear the possibility that one would not be able to meet anonymously in a public place or drive and walk anonymously around a city.^{[citation needed]} Demonstrations or assemblies in public places could be affected as the state would be able to collate lists of those leading them, taking part, or even just talking with protesters in the street.

Retention, storage and preservation[link]

Most CCTV systems record and store digital video and images to a Digital Video Recorder or in the case of IP cameras directly to a server, either on-site or offsite.

The amount of data stored and the retention period of the video or pictures are subject to compression ratios, images stored per second, image size and duration of image retention before being overwritten. ^[50]

Recordings are usually kept for a preset amount of time and then automatically archived, overwritten or deleted. The amount of time the videos are kept allow retrieval and review in the event a crime was committed or the information needs to be studied for any number of reasons.

Closed-circuit digital photography (CCDP)[link]

Closed-circuit digital photography (CCDP) is more suited for capturing and saving recorded high-resolution photographs, whereas closed-circuit television (CCTV) is more suitable for live-monitoring purposes.

However, an important feature of some CCTV systems is the ability to take high resolution images of the camera scene, e.g. on a time lapse or motion-detection basis. Images taken with a digital still camera often have higher resolution than those taken with some video cameras. Increasaingly, low-cost high-resolution digital still cameras can also be used for CCTV purposes.

Images may be monitored remotely when the computer is connected to a network.

IP cameras[link]

Easy Connect Wireless IP camera

A growing branch in CCTV is internet protocol cameras (IP cameras). IP cameras use the Internet Protocol (IP) used by most Local Area Networks (LANs) to transmit video across data networks in digital form. IP can optionally be transmitted across the public internet, allowing users to view their camera(s) through any internet connection available through a computer or a 3G phone. For professional or public infrastructure security applications, IP video is restricted to within a private network or VPN.^[51]

Networking CCTV cameras[link]

The city of Chicago operates a networked video surveillance system which combines CCTV video feeds of government agencies with those of the private sector, installed in city buses, businesses, public schools, subway stations, housing projects etc. Even home owners are able to contribute footage. It is estimated to incorporate the video feeds of a total of 15,000 cameras.

The system is used by Chicago's Office of Emergency Management in case of an emergency call: it detects the caller's location and instantly displays the real-time video feed of the nearest security camera to the operator, not requiring any user intervention. While the system is far too vast to allow complete real-time monitoring, it stores the video data for later usage in order to provide possible evidence in criminal cases.^[52]

London also has a network of CCTV systems that allows multiple authorities to view and control CCTV cameras in real time. The system allows authorities including the Metropolitan Police Service, Transport for London and a number of London boroughs to share CCTV images between them. It uses a network protocol called Television Network Protocol to allow access to many more cameras than each individual system owner could afford to run and maintain.

The Glynn County Police Department uses a wireless mesh-networked system of portable battery-powered tripods for live megapixel video surveillance and central monitoring of tactical police situations. The systems can be used either on a stand-alone basis with secure communications to nearby police laptops, or within a larger mesh system with multiple tripods feeding video back to the command vehicle via wireless, and to police headquarters via 3G.

Integrated systems[link]

An integrated systems unit.

Integrated systems allow users to connect remotely from the internet and view what their cameras are viewing remotely, similar to that of IP cameras. In one incident, a lady from Boynton Beach, Florida was able to watch her house get robbed and contacted police directly from her office at work.^[53]

Wireless security cameras[link]

Many consumers are turning to wireless security cameras for home surveillance also. Wireless cameras do not require a video cable for video/audio transmission, simply a cable for power. Wireless cameras are also easy and inexpensive to install. Previous generations of wireless security cameras relied on analog technology; modern wireless cameras use digital technology which delivers crisper audio, sharper video, and a secure and interference-free signal.

CCTV camera vandalism[link]

Unless physically protected, CCTV cameras have been found to be vulnerable against a variety of (mostly illegal) tactics:

• Some people will deliberately destroy cameras. Some cameras can come with Dust-Tight, Pressurized, Explosion proof, and bullet-resistant housings.^[54]
• Spraying substances over the lens can make the image too blurry to be read.
• Lasers can blind or damage them. However, since most lasers are monochromatic, color filters can reduce the effect of laser pointers. However, filters will also impair image quality and overall light sensitivity of cameras (see laser safety article for details on issues with filters). Also, complete protection from infrared, red, green, blue and UV lasers would require use of completely black filters, rendering the camera useless.

See also[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Security cameras

• Space Shuttle External Tank and Solid Rocket Booster Camera Systems
• UK Government pro-CCTV campaign
• Assessing the Impact of CCTV, a UK Home office study on the effectiveness of closed-circuit television
• The Register story: Face recognition useless for crowd surveillance
• CCTV Guidance notes from the UK Information Commissioner's Office
• CBC Digital Archives - The Long Lens of the Law
• The Urbaneye Project on CCTV in Europe
• CCTV:Constant Cameras Track Violators National Institute of Justice Journal 249 (2003). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
• Public Space CCTV in Scotland: Results of a National Survey of Scotland's Local Authorities
• Opinion on Video Surveillance in Public Places by Public Authorities and the Protection of Human Rights and Opinion on Video Surveillance by Private Operators in the Public and Private Spheres and by Public Authorities in the Private Sphere and the Protection of Human Rights, Venice Commission, 2007

Joey Barton

Barton in 2005
Personal information
Full name	Joseph Anthony Barton
Date of birth	(1982-09-02) 2 September 1982 (age 29)
Place of birth	Huyton, Merseyside, England
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Queens Park Rangers
Number	17
Youth career
	Everton
1997–2002	Manchester City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2007	Manchester City	130	(15)
2007–2011	Newcastle United	81	(7)
2011–	Queens Park Rangers	31	(3)
National team‡
2003	England U21	2	(1)
2007	England	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:59, 21 April 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:00, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

Joseph Anthony "Joey" Barton ( /ˈdʒoʊiː ˈbɑːtən/; born 2 September 1982) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for and captains Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League.

Barton was born in and raised in Huyton, Merseyside.^[2] He began his football career with Manchester City in 2002 after working his way through their youth system. His appearances in the senior side gradually increased over the following five years and he made more than 150 for the club. He earned his first cap for the England national team in February 2007,^[3] despite his criticism of some of the team's players. He then joined Newcastle United for a fee of £5.8 million in July 2007. After 4 years with the Magpies, he joined his current club Queens Park Rangers in August 2011.

His career and life have been marked by numerous controversial incidents and disciplinary problems^[4] and he has been convicted twice on charges of violence. On 20 May 2008 he was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for common assault and affray during an incident in Liverpool City Centre.^[5] Barton served 77 days of this prison term, being released on 28 July 2008.^[6] On 1 July 2008 he was also given a four months suspended sentence after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm on former teammate Ousmane Dabo during a training ground dispute on 1 May 2007.^[7] This incident effectively ended his Manchester City career.^[8] Barton has been charged with violent conduct three times by The FA: for the assault on Dabo,^[9] for punching Morten Gamst Pedersen in the stomach^[10] and for attacking three players on the final day of the 2011–12 season.^[11]

Early life[link]

Born in Huyton, Merseyside, England, Barton is the oldest of four brothers.^[12] His parents separated when he was 14 years old and consequently he lived with his father at his grandmother's house on a different estate.^[13] He has said that his grandmother's influence helped him to avoid getting caught up in a recreational drug culture and attributes his work ethic to his father.^[2][13] His father, also named Joseph, worked as a roofer^[14] and played football semi-professionally for Northwich Victoria.^[15] Barton enjoyed physical education at his school, St Thomas Becket, which he represented in various sports and was a talented Rugby League prospect. He left school with ten GCSEs.^[16]

Club career[link]

Early career[link]

Barton pursued his dreams of becoming a professional footballer by joining Everton's youth system, but played for Liverpool when he was 14. He underwent trials at Nottingham Forest, but was rejected when it was decided he was too small to become a footballer.^[17] Barton said his rejection by clubs only made him more determined to succeed as a footballer and prove his detractors wrong.^[18] He made his first appearance for the club's under-17s team in 1999 and played regularly at Academy level for three years. His first reserve team appearance came at the end of the 2000–01 season, in his final year as a trainee. Uncertain about Barton's future prospects, the club planned to release him,^[19] but reconsidered and gave him his first professional contract in the close season.^[15] Over the next two years, he successfully made the transition from the under-19s to regular reserve football. He was promoted to the first-team squad in the 2002–03 season.

Manchester City[link]

Joey Barton heading a ball during a match in 2004.

Barton would have made his debut for the City first-team in November 2002 against Middlesbrough, had he not lost his shirt after leaving it on the substitutes bench at half-time.^[20] He eventually made his first-team debut for the club against Bolton Wanderers on 5 April 2003.^[21] His first senior goal came two weeks later in a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Good Friday.^[22] He ended the 2002–03 season with a run of seven consecutive starts.

After impressing in his first season at City, Barton was offered a new one-year contract at the club by manager Kevin Keegan, which he signed in April 2003.^[23] He featured in the first-team more regularly during the 2003–04 season and, following a second Premiership goal, was rewarded with a call-up to the England U21 squad for their 2004 European Championship qualifiers against Macedonia and Portugal.^[24]

An FA Cup match against Tottenham saw Barton receive the first red card of his career in unusual circumstances: at half-time, with his club 3–0 down, he argued with the referee and was sent off although the match was not in progress. In the second half, despite playing with 10 men, Barton's team-mates achieved an unlikely 4–3 victory.^[25] Barton left the City of Manchester Stadium in anger on 17 April, after not being named in the team to play Southampton.^[26] However he featured regularly in the 2003–04 season, which he completed with 39 appearances and one goal. His displays impressed City's supporters, and at the end of the 2003–04 season he was awarded with the club's Young Player of the Year award.^[15]

Barton playing for Manchester City during the 2006–07 season.

Barton sparked a ten-man brawl in a friendly match against Doncaster Rovers on 25 July 2004 after "hacking" at an opposition player.^[27] Although he signed a new contract on 22 September 2004, which would keep him at City until 2007,^[28] the club considered sacking Barton in December 2004 after an incident at their Christmas party. He stubbed out a lit cigar in youth player Jamie Tandy's eye,^[29] after he had caught Tandy attempting to set fire to his shirt.^[30] Barton subsequently apologised for his actions and was fined six weeks' wages (£60,000).^[30][31]

In May 2005 he broke a 35-year-old pedestrian's leg while driving his car through Liverpool city centre at 2 am.^[32] In the summer of 2005, Barton was sent home from a pre-season tournament in Thailand after assaulting a 15-year-old Everton supporter^[33] who had provoked Barton by verbally abusing him and kicking his shin.^[34] Barton had to be restrained from attacking the boy further by teammate Richard Dunne.^[35] Barton underwent anger management therapy at the order of City manager Stuart Pearce and paid £120,000 in club fines.^[36] In the autumn of 2005, Barton began a seven-day programme of behavioural management at the Sporting Chance clinic,^[37] a charity set up to help troubled sportsmen and women.

Barton handed in a written transfer request in January 2006, which the club rejected.^[38] The following day, they also rejected a verbal offer for Barton from Middlesbrough,^[39] with Stuart Pearce asserting that a deal could still be made to keep him at the club. During the following week, Barton admitted that he was "a little bit impetuous" in making such a request and agreed to begin negotiations on a new contract at City.^[40] He was rewarded with a new four-year deal, which he signed on 25 July, ending speculation about his future.^[41][42]

His behaviour appeared to improve after his participation at the Sporting Chance clinic.^[43] However, on 30 September 2006, television cameras captured Barton exposing his backside to Everton fans, following City's injury-time equaliser in a game at Goodison Park.^[44] Barton had received abuse from Everton supporters throughout the match and the gesture has since been described as "light-hearted" and "inoffensive" by people involved in football.^[45][46] Merseyside Police looked into the incident, but announced in October that no further action would be taken,^[47] although Barton was fined £2,000 for bringing the game into disrepute and warned about his future conduct by The Football Association.^[48]

In December 2006, Barton received the second red card of his career, for a late two-footed tackle on Bolton Wanderers player Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye.^[49]

Barton's agent Willie McKay revealed in January 2007 that if any team offered at least £5.5 million for Barton, it would trigger a release clause in his contract that would mean City would have to allow Barton to talk to the interested club.^[50] This reportedly prompted Everton manager David Moyes to make an inquiry to City about Barton's availability.^[50] However, the next day Barton said "People are trying to unsettle me but I'm happy to stay here".^[51]

Following impressive form at club level, Barton received his first call-up to the full England squad on 2 February 2007 for a friendly match against Spain,^[53] despite his recent criticism of certain members of the England squad for releasing autobiographies after an unimpressive 2006 World Cup. He had suggested such players had "cashed in" on the national team's lack of success.^[54]

Barton later received support over his comments and Steven Gerrard, one of the players whom Barton had criticised, praised him for his honesty.^[45][54][55] However, Frank Lampard, who had also released an autobiography following the tournament, publicly stated his disapproval.^[56] Barton made his international debut on 7 February 2007, replacing Lampard in the 78th minute of the 0–1 defeat to Spain at Old Trafford.^[3]

He was arrested on suspicion of assault and criminal damage after an alleged argument with a taxi driver in Liverpool while going to his hotel after a match on 13 March 2007.^[57] He was cleared of this charge in May 2008.^[58]

Barton displayed his outspokenness once again on 22 April 2007 when he publicly criticised City's performances during the 2006–07 season, and described some of the players the club had signed as "substandard".^[59] Following his comments, City's manager Stuart Pearce banned him from speaking to the media.^[60]

Barton was fined £100,000 and suspended by City until the end of the 2006–07 season on 1 May 2007, following an incident during training when he assaulted his team mate Ousmane Dabo.^[8][61] Dabo said that he had been hit several times, was left unconscious and had to go to hospital after suffering injuries to his head, including a suspected detached retina.^[62] Dabo requested that the police press charges against Barton,^[63] and as a result, Barton was arrested and questioned by Greater Manchester Police.^[64] This altercation effectively ended Barton's time at City, although he later cited a "relationship breakdown" with Stuart Pearce as the main reason he left the club.^[65] Barton was bailed until August and was later charged with assault,^[66][67] to which he initially pleaded not guilty.^[68] He later changed this to a guilty plea and on 1 July 2008 was sentenced to a four-month suspended prison sentence plus 200 hours of community service and ordered to pay £3,000 compensation and Dabo's court costs.^[7] Barton was also charged with violent conduct by the FA.^[69] Barton pleaded guilty^[70] and on 1 September 2008 was banned for six games with a further six game ban suspended for two years and fined £25,000.^[71]

Newcastle United[link]

Barton warming up prior to playing Fulham in December 2007.

Following offers from Newcastle United and West Ham United,^[72] Barton joined Newcastle on 14 June 2007 for a fee of £5.8 million.^[35] The contract negotiations had become protracted after Manchester City refused to pay Barton a fee of £300,000 to which he was reported to be entitled if he left the club without submitting a request for transfer.^[35] Newcastle United consequently raised their initial offer of £5.5 million to £5.8, in effect compensating Manchester City for the £300,000 discrepancy. He said that his desire to win trophies helped him to make the decision,^[73] along with his admiration for manager Sam Allardyce.^[74] Barton made his Newcastle debut in a friendly against Hartlepool United on 17 July 2007.^[75] Four days later, he was ruled out for six to seven weeks after fracturing the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot during a friendly match with Carlisle United.^[76] He was ruled out for a further month in October 2007.^[77] He eventually made his Premier League debut for Newcastle on 22 October 2007, coming on as a second half substitute in a 3–1 win over Tottenham.^[78] During his first Tyne-Wear derby for Newcastle against Sunderland, Barton appeared to raise his foot dangerously in a challenge with Sunderland's Dickson Etuhu,^[79] leading to the News of the World running with the headline "Ban Him".^[80] However the FA were unable to charge Barton for the incident because match official Martin Atkinson had seen the act take place in the match, and had taken no action. FIFA regulations dictate that a retrospective charge for violent conduct can be made only if the match official did not notice the incident. Barton later apologised for the tackle.^[81] Early in December, he called for Newcastle fans to give the team more time after their abuse of manager Sam Allardyce, calling them "vicious".^[82] He later played this down, saying his comments had been misrepresented.^[83]

On 27 December 2007, Barton was arrested on suspicion of assault in the Church Street area of Liverpool city centre following an incident which took place at 5:30 am.^[84] He was remanded in custody on 28 December since the offence was committed whilst he was on bail for two prior offences; the presiding magistrate noted "I also have to consider the safety of the public – you lashed out indiscriminately".^[85] CCTV showed Barton punching a man twenty times, causing him to lose consciousness, and attacking a teenager, breaking some of his teeth. On 20 May 2008, he was sentenced to six months in jail after pleading guilty for his part in the December 2007 assault. Barton's cousin, Nadine Wilson and his brother Andrew Barton also pleaded guilty to their part in the assaults and received suspended sentences.^[86] Barton admitted to being an alcoholic and claimed he wanted to achieve "total abstinence" in order to improve his behaviour.^[86] He served 77 days of his prison term, being released on 28 July 2008.^[6]

Barton's subsequent conviction, a four-month suspended sentence for the earlier assault on Ousmane Dabo at Manchester City was handed out while serving this sentence.^[7] He returned to playing action on 30 August 2008, six days before his FA hearing, as a second half substitute during Newcastle's 3–0 defeat to Arsenal. He came on to a chorus of boos from the Arsenal supporters.^[87] Shortly into this return game, Barton was involved in an incident with Samir Nasri, putting in a strong tackle, for which the referee did not give a foul. The tackle, though hard, was legal. Minutes later, Nasri deliberately clipped Barton while tracking back, for which he was booked. At the end of the game, then-Newcastle manager, Kevin Keegan, was involved in an altercation with Nasri and Arsenal captain William Gallas, in regards to the incident.^[88]

It was a brief stint back in the playing squad, with Barton banned for six games, with a further suspended six-game ban, for his assault on Dabo.^[89] After serving his ban, he played 75 minutes in a reserve game and said he wanted to transform his image to become a role model,^[90][91] before he returned to action in the Tyne-Wear derby on 25 October. He was booed by Sunderland fans and had missiles thrown at him as he warmed up, as Newcastle lost 2–1.^[92] Without him, Newcastle had not recorded a league victory since the second game of the season, but Barton scored a penalty in his second game back to lift the club out of the relegation zone.^[93] The suspended six-game ban was nearly brought into action when Barton appeared to flick Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor in the club's next game, but the FA decided not to punish Barton.^[94][95] However, further allegations that Barton had made a racist remark to Agbonlahor were cause enough for the FA to reconsider this decision.^[96] The remarks remain unfounded and 'professional lip-readers' claimed he said nothing racist.^[97] In Newcastle's 2–2 draw with Wigan on 15 November 2008, Barton was injured after a tackle from Lee Cattermole. It was later confirmed that Barton would be out for two months with a medial ligament injury.^[98] Returning to the first team at the end of January, he played only twice before again breaking his metatarsal, during a 2–1 defeat to his old club Manchester City.^[99]

Barton taking a corner in 2010.

In his first appearance in over three months on 3 May 2009, Barton was sent off late in a 3–0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield for a sliding challenge on Xabi Alonso. The red card ruled Barton out of Newcastle's remaining three games of the season, with the club in danger of relegation from the Premier League. Newcastle manager Alan Shearer raised doubts about Barton's future at the club, saying "I think it would be wrong to discuss his future now, but I'm not very happy."^[100] On 5 May, Newcastle United announced the suspension of Barton indefinitely, and Barton was told to stay away from the club. As a result, Barton's future at Newcastle United was put in doubt.^[101] The club suspension was widely reportedly to have resulted not directly from the red card, but from a dressing room confrontation with Shearer and assistant manager Iain Dowie following the game. Shearer said he made a mistake putting Barton back into the team, and that his tackle was "a coward's tackle", to which Barton replied that he was "the best player at the club", and Shearer had to play him. Shearer said that Barton wasn't, that he was "shit".^[102] Barton replied that Shearer was "a shit manager with shit tactics". When Dowie intervened, Barton called him "a prick".^[103][104] Barton was reportedly transfer listed, with former manager Sam Allardyce reported to have been interested in taking Barton to Blackburn Rovers. Barton's counsellor has said that Barton "would love to work with Alan Shearer again" and "feels very much that he owes the club and the fans."

Barton stayed on with Newcastle United after they were relegated to the Championship, playing six out of Newcastle's opening eight league games, but suffered an injury to his foot in a 3–1 win against Plymouth Argyle on 19 September.^[105] He returned in April for Newcastle, playing all nine of Newcastle's remaining league fixtures and scoring his only goal of the campaign from a free kick in a win over Peterborough.^[106] Due to the form of Danny Guthrie and Kevin Nolan, Barton had to play left wing when he returned.

He started his new club season 2010–2011 as a first team regular, playing against Manchester United on the opening day. On Barton's and Newcastle's second game, he scored against Aston Villa in a 6–0 victory for Newcastle. Immediately, after the game Barton removed a moustache which he had pledged to not shave until Newcastle United had won a game in the new season. On 10 November, in a 2–1 defeat to Blackburn, Barton again acted violently, punching Morten Gamst Pedersen in the chest. He was not punished during the game as the officials did not see the incident, but after reviewing the evidence,^[107] the FA again charged Barton with violent conduct.^[10] Barton apologised, accepted the charge, and was banned for three matches.^[108] Barton courted controversy once again during Newcastle's 3–1 win over Liverpool on 11 December 2010, when he appeared to direct homophobic remarks and a lewd gesture at Fernando Torres.^[109][110] Barton scored two penalties against Arsenal on 5 February 2011 as Newcastle came from a 4–0 deficit to draw 4–4. He was involved in an altercation with Abou Diaby which led to a straight red card for Diaby. Diaby took offence to Barton's strong challenge and retaliated by grabbing Barton by the neck and shoving him to the ground.^[111][112]

On 25 May 2011, Barton's agent Willie McKay confirmed that his client would not be signing a new contract at St James' Park after contract talks broke down between the club and player.^[113] Barton was officially transfer listed by Newcastle on 1 August 2011, and it was also stated that he could leave for free with his current contract yet to expire.^[114] Barton was set to leave Newcastle following his teammate Kevin Nolan, who had earlier joined West Ham United, but Barton insisted on not moving.^[115] Joey Barton also criticised the Newcastle board after it was decided he could leave the club on a free transfer.^[116] With Newcastle continuing to decline the offer of a new contract, after he refused an earlier offer, on 24 August 2011,^[117] Barton was given permission to talk to QPR. Thanking the Newcastle fans, he left on 26 August 2011.^[118]

A week before his signing with QPR, Barton was involved in an altercation with Gervinho of Arsenal, which got Gervinho sent off on his debut. Then, Alex Song stamped on Barton, for which Song received a three-match ban. Barton later revealed he was on a verge of joining Arsenal but his incident with Gervinho ended his hopes of a move to the Emirates and instead, he joined Queens Park Rangers.^[119][120]

Queens Park Rangers[link]

On 26 August 2011, Barton moved to Queens Park Rangers, signing a four-year deal on a free transfer.^[121] He was handed the captain's armband by manager Neil Warnock on his debut with the club, which was a 0–0 draw with former club Newcastle.^[122] On 17 September 2011, he scored his first goal for QPR during a 3–0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.^[123] Following his goal, Barton was involved in a physical confrontation with Wolves player Karl Henry.^[124] Henry and Barton had a previous physical confrontation in August 2010 when Barton was still at Newcastle.^[125] Barton accused Henry of "trying to hurt people".^[126] Henry responded by calling Barton's behaviour "embarrassing".^[127]

On 2 January 2012, Barton scored the opening goal in QPR's game against Norwich City, his second for the club. However, he was given a straight red card after head-butting Norwich midfielder Bradley Johnson, Barton's first dismissal since May 2009. With QPR down to ten men they went on to lose the game 2–1.^[128] When Warnock was replaced as manager by Mark Hughes in January 2012, Hughes confirmed that Barton would remain captain.^[129] Barton's performance in QPR's 3–2 home victory against Liverpool saw him booed by the QPR fans, who promptly cheered when he was substituted just after the hour mark.^[130] Barton admitted on Twitter that his performance was "awful" and the "worst I've ever played in my career" but also criticised the QPR fans for not sticking with the team in their battle against relegation.^[131] After being dropped for the club's next game, an away defeat to Sunderland, he returned to the line-up for the home game against Arsenal. Barton led QPR to a 2–1 victory and he was cheered by the supporters and praised by Hughes, who described his performance as "top-class".^[132] Barton's third goal for the club came in a 3–0 victory at home to Swansea on 11 April 2011.^[133]

On 13 May, on the final day of the season, with QPR requiring at least a draw in their match away at Manchester City or for Bolton Wanderers to lose or draw to guarantee their Premier League safety, Barton was sent off in the fifty-fifth minute for violent misconduct after elbowing Carlos Tévez in the face. Immediately after being shown a red card, Barton kicked Sergio Agüero in the back of the knee and attempted to head-butt Vincent Kompany.^[134][135] Barton had to be dragged from the pitch by former team-mate Micah Richards as he rowed with Manchester City players and staff and attempted to square-off with striker Mario Balotelli.^[136] QPR went on to concede two late goals and lose the match 3–2, thus handing Manchester City the title. Bolton, however, were unable to capitalise and drew 2–2 at Stoke City, thus ensuring QPR's safety. Barton took to Twitter after the game and admitted to trying to "take [one] of their players with me."^[137] Barton accepted the charge for kicking Agüero but denied the charge for attempting to head-butt Kompany. QPR have also begun an internal investigation into his behaviour,^[138] amid speculation that he will be stripped of the captaincy and fined and possibly shown the door by the club either by being sold, released on a free transfer or having his contract terminated for gross misconduct.^[139][140] Barton has been widely condemned in the media for his actions and for attempting to defend himself on Twitter, where he also attacked Match of the Day pundits Gary Linekar and Alan Shearer, his former manager.^{[141][142][143][144][145][146][147][148][149][150][151]}

On 23 May 2012, Barton attended an FA hearing.^[152] Punishing him for all three accounts of violent conduct, Barton was handed a twelve-match ban and fined £75,000.^[11]

International career[link]

Barton represented the England U21 and was part of the squad for their 2004 European Under-21 Championship qualifiers against Macedonia and Portugal, scoring once against Portugal.^[24]

Following impressive form at club level, Barton received his first call-up to the full England squad on 2 February 2007 for a friendly match against Spain,^[53] despite his recent criticism of certain members of the England squad for releasing autobiographies after an unimpressive 2006 World Cup. He had suggested such players had "cashed in" on the national team's lack of success.^[54]

Barton later received support over his comments and Steven Gerrard, one of the players whom Barton had criticised, praised him for his honesty.^[45][54][55] However, Frank Lampard, who had also released an autobiography following the tournament, publicly stated his disapproval.^[56] Barton made his international debut on 7 February 2007, replacing Lampard in the 78th minute of the 0–1 defeat to Spain at Old Trafford.^[3]

Style of play[link]

Early in his career, Barton mainly played a defensive role,^[153] with a game based on tackling and tracking back to shield the defence.^[154] As his career has progressed, he has begun to incorporate a more attacking approach to his play, which has resulted in a greater number of goals and assists. His six goals from midfield made him Manchester City's leading scorer in the 2006–07 season, ahead of strikers Georgios Samaras, Bernardo Corradi, Émile Mpenza and Darius Vassell.

Barton has been described as having a good work ethic and the ability to carry the ball and retain possession for the team.^[154][155] He has been praised for having a good passing range.^[45] This aspect of his game has shown improvement since the 2005–06 season, when he began to favour simpler passes over more ambitious ones,^[43] and his relatively high pass completion rate can be attributed to this change.^[154] Barton's passes have often proved to be crucial; in the past he has led the way in his team's assists.^[156]

Barton has been described as the dirtiest player in the premiership,^[157] a style reflected in the high number of fouls he has committed during his career.^[158] He received 39 bookings and three red cards during his time at Manchester City.^[159] This physical approach was occasionally criticised by Kevin Keegan as excessive.^[27][160] Opta statistics rated Barton as the tenth best tackler in the Premier League for the 2004–05 season.^[156]

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

As of 23:00, 11 April 2012 (UTC)^[159][161]

International[link]

Correct as of 10 February 2011.^[162]

International goal[link]

Scores and results list England U21's goal tally first.^[163]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	9 September 2003	Goodison Park, Liverpool	Portugal	1–1	1–2	2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship

Personal life[link]

Barton's brother Michael Barton was sentenced to life imprisonment (with a tariff of 17 years) for his involvement in the racially motivated murder of Anthony Walker in 2005.^[164] Joey made a public appeal to his brother to come forward and help with the police investigation following the attack, and also made a series of calls to Michael, enquiring about his involvement in the incident.^[34][165]

Barton is a patron of the Tamsin Gulvin Fund,^[166] a charity set up to support people who have addiction problems and no financial support. Tony Adams, who had been impressed with Barton's attitude during his involvement in the Sporting Chance clinic, appointed him to this role.^[166] He is a part of the 'Get Hooked on Fishing' campaign, designed to keep children out of trouble by encouraging them to take up fishing.^[167] He has also taken part in a celebrity cricket match for charity to help fund a new children's rehabilitation unit at a hospital in Manchester.^[168] In 2011 he began writing a regular column in The Big Issue, a street newspaper sold by the homeless and vulnerably housed.^[169]

He is a good friend of the boxer Ricky Hatton and has supported him in some of his fights,^[170][171] and has trained with him.^[172] He is also a friend of former Oasis band member Noel Gallagher.^[173] Barton co-owns a race horse called 'Crying Lightning' (Named after the Arctic Monkeys song) with fellow football player Claudio Pizarro.^[174] In January 2011 the horse competed at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in Dubai.^[175]

Barton is a prominent user of Twitter,^[176] boasting one-and-a-half million followers as of May 2012. Commenting on figures from Friedrich Nietzsche and George Orwell to Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Morrissey, his eclectic tweets have resulted in him being described by the BBC as "as a philosophical sportsman to rival Eric Cantona in his heyday".^[176] Others in the media have criticised this description with Paul Hayward, chief sports writer for The Telegraph writing that Barton "manages to be patronised [by the media] and held up as some kind of exemplar all at once... he is skilled at tricking us into watching him veer between the extremes of thinker and thug. Either this is a repudiation of societal hypocrisy or, more likely, indicative of a sociopathic tendency."^[177] Ellie Mae O'Hagan of The Guardian commented that "the problem, I think, is not the belief that Barton is a reformed character, but the notion that one cannot possibly be a philosopher and violent at the same time: that quoting philosophy should automatically be taken as a sign of reformation... In my mind, this all boils down to class snobbery. It is automatically assumed that Barton has violent tendencies because he's a working-class man who has chosen to play football for a living. So when he shows signs of intelligence, it's treated as a sign of reform: intellect is the preserve of the gentlemanly middle-classes."^[178]

On 28 December 2011, Barton became a father. His partner Georgia McNeil gave birth to a baby boy who was named Cassius.^[179]

In a television programme broadcast on BBC Three on 30 January 2012 Barton revealed his pro-gay rights beliefs, in discussion with presenter Amal Fashanu, daughter of John Fashanu and niece of Justin Fashanu, describing the lack of any openly gay players in English professional football as "a subject that's quite close to my heart", as his uncle is gay. He stated his belief that there would be an openly gay player "within the next 10 years" and expressed his fear that "certain managers [...] will discriminate against people" but that he feels "more fool them, and their lack of social awareness and intelligence" and wants his generation's legacy to "help not only change the game for the better, and change the teams that they played in, but also change the culture and change the society and the football clubs that they played at.^[180]

He's also notable for his love of Manchester band The Smiths, citing Morrissey as an idol of his.

Honours[link]

Newcastle United

• Football League Championship (1): 2009–10
• Teresa Herrera Trophy: Winner: 2010

References[link]