Joey Barton declares that if he was Sunderland manager they would no longer be in League One.
With seven games to go Fleetwood still have a very outside chance of the play-offs, eight points adrift with a game in hand.
However, they are only two points short of last season’s total and currently in tenth, look sure to finish higher than last season’s fourteenth in League One.
The former Newcastle United midfielder has largely let his team do the talking but now in the final stretch he has given a very honest, slightly provocative interview.
Joey Barton declaring ‘…let’s be honest, if I had Sunderland’s budget I’d have them up by this point.’
On Thursday for example, figures were released showing how much all clubs in England had paid to agents in the past two transfer windows, Newcastle were 12th highest in the Premier League with over £8.8m, within a ridiculous overall PL total of over £260m.
The League One figures showed Fleetwood Town had paid out £183,356 to agents, whilst Sunderland had shelled out £2,873,033. In actual fact, Sunderland paying more to agents than the other 23 League One clubs combined.
Joey Barton asked by Fleetwood Today, if in the summer he would have taken tenth place now and only eight points off the play-offs with a game in hand:
“No, I thought we could win the league. I think I can win everything.
“I still think we can win the last seven games and get in the play-offs.
“I won’t stop believing that until it is mathematically not possible. That is my outlook to life. It is what made me the player I was.
“If I listened to other people or set my bar relatively low, I would not have played at the level I did. As a coach and a manager, I set the bar as high as I possibly can.
“Sometimes when you make a bold claim and are not able to back it up, then it can cause people to give you a little bit of stick. But on the flipside, you have to believe in yourself, and believe in what you are doing and where you are going.
“If we do not get there this year, then I will set everything in my mind to getting there next year.
“People forget I came into this job having never coached before. I didn’t know League One. I’d never played in this league.
“I did not know how to build a team or set up a team to win promotion.
“We have emptied a lot of people out of the building who we did not think had the right psychology and the right talent to get us where we need to go. On the flipside, we have not been able to recruit everybody we would want in the building.
“We have some really key components already here with us. I think that is what has emerged this season whether or not we are successful and get promoted. That is for a select few. There are only so many that can do that.
“It is two (up) automatic and one by the play-offs. Everyone judges those sides as being successful but, let’s be honest, if I had Sunderland’s budget I’d have them up by this point.
“Look at Portsmouth, who played at Wembley on Sunday with 85,000 in the stadium. It says a lot about what the clubs we are playing against have got on us.
“They have 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 years tradition, huge supporter bases and huge financial powers compared to clubs like us.
“It is a very competitive division. Look at some of the sides we had in there: Luton, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Barnsley – four teams who have only lost single-figure games. Charlton are very close in behind that.
“We have got to keep professional because in this game – as the table shows – if you are not moving forwards you can very quickly move backwards.”
ARSENAL 2 NEWCASTLE 0
Dubravka, Yedlin, Lejeune, Lascelles, Dummett, Ritchie (Kenedy 75), Pérez (Muto 77), Hayden (Ki Sung-yueng 67), Diamé, Almirón, Rondón
Subs: Shelvey, Fernandez, Manquillo, Darlow
NEWCASTLE 3 EVERTON 2
Dubravka, Schär, Lascelles (Dummett 45), Lejeune, Yedlin, Hayden, Ki Sung-yueng (Shelvey 79), Ritchie (Kenedy 73), Pérez, Rondón, Almirón
Subs: Diamé, Manquillo, Joselu, Darlow
WEST HAM 2 NEWCASTLE 0
Dubravka, Manquillo, Schär (Dummett 65), Lascelles, Lejeune, Ritchie, Pérez, Longstaff (Diamé 45), Hayden (Atsu 79), Almirón, Rondón
Subs: Ki Sung-yueng, Muto, Yedlin, Darlow
NEWCASTLE 2 BURNLEY 0
Dubravka, Manquillo, Schär, Lascelles, Lejeune, Ritchie, Pérez (Joselu 87), Hayden, Longstaff (Diamé 85), Almirón (Dummett 80), Rondón
Subs: Ki Sung-yueng, Yedlin, Darlow, Atsu
NEWCASTLE 2 HUDDERSFIELD 0 (Rondon, Perez)
Dubravka, Yedlin, Schär, Lascelles, Lejeune, Ritchie (Kenedy 68), Pérez, Hayden, Longstaff, Almirón (Atsu 81), Rondón (Joselu 84)
Subs: Dummett, Ki Sung-yueng, Manquillo, Woodman
SPURS 1 NEWCASTLE 0
Dubravka, Yedlin, Schär, Lascelles, Lejeune, Ritchie (Barreca 86), Pérez, Longstaff, Hayden, Atsu (Kenedy 82), Rondón
Subs: Clark, Fernandez, Manquillo, Joselu, Woodman
NEWCASTLE 2 MAN CITY 1 (Rondon, Ritchie (p))
Dubravka, Yedlin, Schär, Lascelles, Lejeune, Ritchie, Pérez (Manquillo 90+1), Hayden, Longstaff, Atsu (Kenedy 87), Rondón
Subs: Clark, Murphy, Fernandez, Roberts, Woodman
FAC NEWCASTLE 0 WATFORD 2
Woodman, Manquillo, Fernandez (Schär 81), Lascelles, Clark, Ritchie (Atsu 73), Murphy (Pérez 72), Hayden, Longstaff, Kenedy, Joselu
Subs: Rondón, Dubravka, Lejeune, Yedlin, Atsu
FAC BLACKBURN 2 NEWCASTLE 4 AET (Longstaff, Roberts, Joselu, Perez)
Woodman, Sterry, Fernandez, Clark (Lascelles 45- Substituted for Hayden 57), Manquillo, Schär, Murphy, Longstaff, Roberts (Pérez 94), Ritchie (Atsu 109), Joselu
Subs: Rondón, Yedlin, Harker
NEWCASTLE 3 CARDIFF 0 (Schär 2, Perez)
Dubravka, Yedlin, Schär, Lascelles, Lejeune, Ritchie (Manquillo 85), Pérez, Hayden, Longstaff, Atsu, Rondón
Subs: Clark, Murphy, Joselu, Sterry, Roberts, Woodman
CHELSEA 2 NEWCASTLE 1 (Clark)
Dubravka, Yedlin (Manquillo 82), Lejeune, Lascelles, Clark, Ritchie, Pérez (Murphy 82), Longstaff, Hayden, Atsu, Rondón
Subs: Schär, Fernandez, Joselu, Sterry, Woodman
FAC NEWCASTLE 1 BLACKBURN 1 (Ritchie pen)
Woodman, Sterry, Schär, Lejeune, Manquillo, Murphy (Atsu 75), Hayden (Shelvey 57), Longstaff (Pérez 80), Ritchie, Kenedy, Joselu
Subs: Clark, Rondón, Yedlin, Harker
NEWCASTLE 0 MAN UTD 2
Dubravka, Yedlin, Schär (Muto 81), Lascelles, Ritchie, Pérez (Kenedy 69), Hayden, Diamé (Shelvey 53), Atsu, Rondón
Subs: Manquillo, Lejeune, Joselu, Woodman
WATFORD 1 NEWCASTLE 1 (Rondon)
Dubravka, Yedlin, Fernandez (Schär 45), Lascelles, Dummett, Ritchie, Pérez, Hayden (Shelvey 79), Diamé, Atsu, Rondón
Subs: Murphy, Muto, Manquillo, Joselu, Woodman
LIVERPOOL 4 NEWCASTLE 0
Dubravka, Yedlin, Fernandez, Lascelles, Dummett, Ritchie (Murphy 80), Hayden, Diamé, Kenedy (Longstaff 73), Muto, Joselu
Subs: Schär, Rondón, Pérez, Manquillo, Woodman
NEWCASTLE 0 FULHAM 0
Dubravka, Manquillo (Yedlin 84), Schär, Lascelles, Dummett, Ritchie, Atsu (Kenedy 72), Ki Sung-yueng, Diamé, Pérez, Rondón
Subs: Muto, Hayden, Fernandez, Joselu, Woodman
HUDDERSFIELD 0 NEWCASTLE 1 (Rondon)
Dubravka, Schär, Lascelles, Clark, Manquillo, Diamé, Ki Sung-yueng (Hayden 72), Atsu, Kenedy (Dummett), Pérez, Rondón (Ritchie 81)
Subs: Murphy, Muto, Joselu, Woodman
NEWCASTLE 1 WOLVES 2 (Perez)
Dubravka, Lascelles, Fernandez (Manquillo 45), Clark, Yedlin, Diamé, Ki Sung-yueng, Atsu (Kenedy 89), Ritchie, Pérez, Rondón (Joselu 86)
Subs: Dummett, Muto, Longstaff, Woodman
EVERTON 1 NEWCASTLE 1 (Rondon)
Dubravka, Yedlin, Schär, Lascelles, Fernandez, Manquillo, Atsu, Diamé, Ki Sung-yueng, Murphy (Pérez 64), Rondón (Joselu 74)
Subs: Clark, Shelvey, Muto, Longstaff, Woodman
NEWCASTLE 0 WEST HAM 3
Dubravka, Yedlin, Schär, Fernandez, Manquillo, Ritchie (Atsu 54), Diamé, Ki Sung-yueng, Kenedy (Shelvey 70), Pérez (Joselu 78), Rondón
Subs: Clark, Lascelles, Longstaff, Woodman
BURNLEY 1 NEWCASTLE 2 (Mee OG, Clark)
Dubravka, Yedlin, Schär, Fernandez, Clark, Ritchie, Kenedy (Hayden 90), Diamé, Ki Sung-yueng, Pérez, Rondón (Joselu 71)
Subs: Murphy, Shelvey, Manquillo, Atsu, Woodman
NEWCASTLE 2 BOURNEMOUTH 1 (Rondon 2)
Dubravka, Yedlin, Schär, Fernandez, Dummett, Ritchie (Hayden 74), Ki Sung-yueng, Diamé (Atsu 80), Kenedy (Clark 78), Pérez, Rondón
Subs: Clark, Murphy, Manquillo, Joselu, Darlow
NEWCASTLE 1 WATFORD 0 (Perez)
Dubravka, Yedlin, Lascelles (Schär 45), Fernandez, Dummett, Ritchie, Shelvey (Ki Sung-yueng 51), Diamé, Kenedy, Muto (Pérez 45+2), Rondón
Subs: Manquillo, Joselu, Darlow, Atsu
SOUTHAMPTON 0 NEWCASTLE 0
Dubravka, Yedlin, Lascelles, Fernandez, Dummett, Ritchie, Shelvey, Diamé (Ki Sung-yueng 76), Kenedy, Pérez (Rondón 69), Muto (Atsu 80)
Subs: Schär, Manquillo, Joselu, Darlow
NEWCASTLE 0 BRIGHTON 1
Dubravka, Yedlin, Lascelles, Fernandez, Dummett, Ritchie, Shelvey, Diamé, Kenedy, Pérez, Muto (Joselu 74)
Subs: Schär, Murphy, Hayden, Manquillo, Darlow, Atsu
MAN UTD 3 NEWCASTLE 2 (Kenedy, Muto)
Dubravka, Yedlin, Lascelles, Fernandez, Manquillo, Ritchie, Shelvey, Diamé, Kenedy (Murphy 68), Pérez (Joselu 88), Muto (Atsu 78)
Subs: Schär, Hayden, Darlow
NEWCASTLE 0 LEICESTER 2
Dubravka, Yedlin (Manquillo 80), Lascelles, Clark, Kenedy, Ritchie (Murphy 65), Diamé, Shelvey, Atsu, Pérez (Muto 69), Joselu
Subs: Schär, Hayden, Darlow, Longstaff
CRYSTAL PALACE 0 NEWCASTLE 0
Dubravka, Yedlin, Lascelles, Fernandez, Dummett, Ritchie (Atsu 73), Diamé, Shelvey, Kenedy, Pérez (Muto 81), Rondón (Joselu 45)
Subs: Clark, Ki Sung-yueng, Manquillo, Darlow
NEWCASTLE 1 ARSENAL 2 (Clark)
Dubravka, Yedlin, Lascelles (Clark 45), Fernandez, Dummett, Ritchie (Muto 79), Hayden, Diamé, Murphy (Kenedy 69), Pérez, Joselu
Subs: Shelvey, Rondón, Manquillo, Dar
MAN CITY 2 NEWCASTLE 1 (Yedlin)
Dubravka, Yedlin, Lascelles, Fernandez, Clark (Murphy 81), Dummett, Kenedy (Atsu 54), Diamé, Ki Sung-yueng, Pérez, Rondón (Joselu 73)
Subs: Muto, Sterry, Darlow, Longstaff
NOTTINGHAM FOR 3 NEWCASTLE 1 (Rondon)
Darlow, Sterry, Schär, Fernandez (Pérez 69), Clark, Atsu, Longstaff, Ki Sung-yueng, Kenedy, Muto (Murphy 77), Joselu (Rondón 82)
Subs: Elliot, Dummett, Diamé, Yedlin
NEWCASTLE 1 CHELSEA 2 (Joselu)
Dubravka, Yedlin, Schär (Muto 79), Fernandez, Clark, Dummett, Ritchie, Diamé, Ki Sung-yueng, Murphy (Pérez 73), Rondón (Joselu 62)
Subs: Sterry, Darlow, Atsu, Longstaff
CARDIFF 0 NEWCASTLE 0
Dubravka, Manquillo (Hayden 45), Lascelles, Clark, Dummett, Ritchie (Murphy 70), Shelvey, Diamé, Kenedy, Pérez (Muto 65), Joselu
Subs: Ki Sung-yueng, Rondón, Fernandez, Darlow
NEWCASTLE 1 TOTTENHAM 2 (Joselu)
Dubravka, Yedlin (90+2), Lascelles, Clark, Dummett, Ritchie (Atsu 69), Shelvey, Diamé, Kenedy, Pérez (Muto 81),Joselu (Rondón 59)
Subs: Ki Sung-yueng, Schär, Manquillo, Darlow