Chris King returns to LFW with thoughts on the triumphant return to form of Akos Buzsaky, and the online activities of his fellow midfielder Joey Barton.
Joey Barton seems to consider Twitter his own, personal, on-going Sermon on the Mount. The alacrity with which the R’s captain spouts his views on the social networking website has certainly annoyed some supporters, particularly as it has occurred alongside a series of lacklustre performances which ill-befit the armband he sports.
Against Wigan Athletic on Saturday the boos of a minority were drowned out by the applause of the majority, but ultimately tragic hero Barton was upstaged by someone who had been told by former manager Neil Warnock that he could leave the club on a free transfer. This was Akos Buzsaky, who once upon a time was considered by a not inconsiderable number of fans to be fit to join the ranks of the legendary entertainers who had previously worn the famous Number 10 shirt.
In the carefree days of Luigi De Canio’s managerial tenure, Buzsaky acquired a reputation as a midfielder with a fearsome shot, who was unafraid to try his luck from distance. He appeared, also, to have been blessed with the playmaking ability to forge a career at a level higher than the lower echelons of the then Coca-Cola Championship. However, injuries took their toll on the Magical Magyar, and his time appeared to be up in W12.
With Alejandro Faurlin adapting so proficiently to the demands of top flight football, and the arrival of Joey Barton, it seemed unlikely, implausible, even, that Buzsaky would ever feature in the blue and white hoops again. Yet it took the cruellest of blows – Faurlin being side-lined for the remainder of the campaign – to thrust the near-forgotten Hungarian back into the starting line-up.
Against Wigan Buzsaky proceeded to demonstrate a skill that Barton appears to have long forgotten; the art of a perfect free-kick. Ali Al-Habsi in the Latics goal could do nothing about the midfielder’s effort, which ricocheted off the post before nestling in the opposite corner of the net. Buzsaky nearly doubled his tally, in fact, expertly flicking the ball up before smashing a volleyed effort towards goal, only for Al-Habsi to tip his effort over the bar. In the Match of the Day studio on Saturday evening, Messrs. Lineker, Hansen and Lawrenson were nearly beside themselves with praise for Mark Hughes’ “inspired managerial change” and the “instant impact” he’d had on the club by choosing Buzsaky to start the relegation six-pointer at Loftus Road. Truth is, this was false praise, and undeserved. Whatever Hughes said to Buzsaky, or whether he would have eventually been included in the first team as a reward for performing well in training, ultimately the Welshman’s hand was forced by injuries and Adel Taarabt’s presence at the African Cup of Nations.
Hughes has insisted that Barton’s malevolent Twitter presence is of no interest to him, and quite rightly so. With the captain so publicly slating Warnock, and mounting a very aggressive, personal and vitriolic social media campaign against the Yorkshireman, Hughes’ involvement would surely only risk the club being dragged in to Barton’s online games. Ultimately, the former Newcastle United playmaker needs anything but greater attention and focus. What Hughes ought to be doing behind the scenes is slowly trying to wean the public persona Barton is trying so hard to create and maintain, of the “troubled intellectual,” and ultimately bring back the aggressive, clever, tenacious ball-winner who was allegedly being courted by a whole host of more illustrious Premier League clubs prior to putting pen to paper with Queens Park Rangers.
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Pictures: Action Images