Steve Harper: "Some players said they would grow one and not cut it until we won our first game in the Premiership.
"But mine came out ginger, and I cut it off."
But Barton has taken it very seriously, and Chris Hughton is “ecstatic” about Barton's commitment to the side in pre-season and he's sure the tache will be off before long.
Hughton: “If he can keep performing the way he has done and stay injury-free – he can leave the ’tache on for the whole season if he wants.
“He’s played very well in pre-season and we’re all really pleased with him.
“It was another good performance at Rangers from Joey.
“He missed a big chunk of last season with injury.
“But now he is making up for lost time, and it really is for us like having that new player.
“There will be downs, perhaps more than last year, and when you get those downs, it’s about bouncing back from them.
“If we get a couple of defeats on the spin, we’ll need to absorb them as a group.
“But I think we can absorb them, and we’ll be confident of staying upbeat for the season.”