Joey Barton has chipped in on the debate around Wayne Rooney’s conspiracy theory of the final day of the 2011-12 season that saw Manchester City win the Premier League in dramatic fashion.
Barton was on the pitch in QPR colours – for some of the game at least – on that fateful May day over a decade ago when Roberto Mancini’s men won 3-2 at the death thanks to a now-iconic strike from Sergio Aguero.
The goal – and Martin Tyler’s memorable commentary of it – wrote the City side into the history books as they lifted the first of what would be eight top-flight titles in the 21st century.
But victory at the Etihad came at their crosstown rivals Manchester United’s direct expense, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side poised to claim the title had Man City lost or drawn with the London club.
In recent years, Rooney had voiced skepticism surrounding the late winner, arguing that it was ‘strange’ that QPR appeared to have kicked the ball back to a Man City player on the heels of their opponents’ late equaliser.
Now Barton – who was sent off in the 55th minute after elbowing Carlos Tevez – has lashed out in an expletive-filled rant at Rooney, who was playing for Manchester United.
WARNING: Very strong language
Joe Barton has told Wayne Rooney to ‘get f***ed’ over his Manchester City conspiracy theory
Rooney has, in the past, questioned the legitimacy of City’s Premier League title win in 2012
Speaking on the Common Sense podcast, Barton began: ‘There’s been a bit of a spat online between Djibril Cisse and Wayne Rooney. Rooney has said that the game was bent and that QPR threw that game.’
Cisse spoke in the last few days about Rooney’s comments regarding his full time celebrations. As the final whistle was blown, the French striker, who was on the losing side, ran over to Samir Nasri and celebrated in bizarre scenes that saw the striker overjoyed.
‘I’m not going to take this accusation any longer,’ Cisse told FourFourTwo. ‘I was celebrating with Samir Nasri.
‘I didn’t celebrate with Mario Balotelli, Sergio Aguero or anybody else. I celebrated with my brother, Samir, who had been a friend of mine for 15 years.
‘I was happy for my friend and also that we managed to stay up. I don’t care about Man City. My friend finally won the Premier League after many years in England and I was happy for him and also for me. That’s all.’
Barton continued of Rooney: ‘I’m only commenting on it because he referenced me in it. Half of our team knew we were safe and stayed up and half of our team didn’t. You can see when you see it.
‘Five or six of the team did. I can hear it getting shouted from the sidelines. We had all been in City’s academy. You had Nedum Onuoha, Shaun Wright-Phillips and myself. So we would have wanted Manchester City to win the league over Man United, make no bones about that.
‘But at the time, we were fighting for our own survival, so we had to better other people’s results on that day to stay up. As it was, we all got beat.
City were 2-0 down to QPR on the last day and won in dramatic fashion – and Barton has stated his case
He has suggested that not all of the QPR players knew that they were safe, having been at risk of relegation
‘I have to disagree with Wayne. Wayne is trying to say that this game is some kind of bent fixture, that the lads had given up. He does say Paddy Kenny has basically thrown the two goals in that lead to City winning the league. I don’t think Paddy knew.
‘You might say Paddy should have done better with the goals, but I don’t think Paddy Kenny is the type of lad to throw a game to help Man City win the league.’
Then, he upped the tone.
‘So Wayne, and the other Man United fans – and I know loads of Man United fans have come up and asked me – no. I got told by Bobby Zamora to get someone sent off, so I tried. That’s where the book stops with me.
‘Your conspiracy theories, Wazza, are untrue. Sometimes people tell you stuff in life and you want to believe it because it fits your narrative and you want to have that cognitive dissonance.
‘It might be the same fellas who were saying that if you get one more hair transplant it might come back. This might be the time you get a fringe. As you found out, that is complete nonsense.
‘Stop wasting your time on nonsense. The game at Man City was not thrown. Man City won the league, Man United never. Am I happy about that? Abso-f***ing-lutely, because I hate Man United. But I didn’t go out my way to make City win the league.
‘To say that me, or Djibril Cisse, or Shaun Wright-Phillips, or Nedum Onuoha, or Paddy Kenny have somehow concocted to make sure you don’t win the league is b****cks.
After the final whistle, Djibril Cisse celebrated with his friend Samir Nasri on the pitch, sparking Rooney’s concern
Rooney was on the wrong side of the title decision, having been playing for Manchester United, who narrowly missed out
‘You should have got yourselves in a better position. You didn’t. Man City had to beat QPR on the last day of the season at home, who were in the bottom four. That’s your fault.
‘The fact he’s even had a sniff of winning the league is a testament to the lads at QPR and the battle they put up, because that was an easy f***ing win for City.
At the end of the rant, Barton added: ‘QPR stayed up, happy days. City won the league, happy days. And you ****s were all crying on the pitch at the f***ing Stadium of f***ing Light or Middlesborough or wherever you was, which is f***ing triple whammy. Get f***ed.’
