You never rated him as a player, Arky? Quite a few better judges than you did. Joey Barton was a very decent midfielder with over 300 Premier League appearances to his name, for a number of clubs. And he was voted Player Of The Season during his first stint at Burnley. Where, i might add, according to Sean Dyche, Barton was the consummate professional.
Unfortunately, in Barton's case, Hyde takes control over Jekyll far too often.
If he is guilty of assaulting a woman, he will be deserving of the stiffest punishment the court can hand out, and his career in football will, quite rightly, be at an end.