Fleetwood are making a documentary about Joey Barton's managerial debut
Fleetwood Town are looking to sell the story of fiery ex-pro Joey Barton’s first season as a manager.
Barton took charge of the Cod Army after his ban for betting on football ran out in June, and the Cod Army have hired a production team to document his first steps into management.
The League One side have, according to the Daily Mail, held talks with BBC, Sky Sports and have scheduled meetings with Netflix as they look to cash in on Barton’s appointment.
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Amazon Prime will release a similar behind-the-scenes documentary detailing Manchester City’s title-winning season tomorrow, after the premiere last night. Fleetwood club officials have held talks with City over how they approached it.
It will add further fuel to the fire that Barton’s appointment is just a PR move by Fleetwood, who made sure the camera crew were in place on Barton’s first day of pre-season, and have followed them throughout pre-season. He was appointed despite having no experience of coaching or managing in the professional game.
Barton has been wearing a microphone throughout his time at Highbury, while cameras were positioned next to Fleetwood’s dug-out for their opening day defeat to AFC Wimbledon.
The Wombles’ winner looked to be offside and while Barton would not complain about the officials in his post-match interview, it’d be fascinating to see his reaction to it on the touchline.
Barton’s colourful history means that successfully selling the documentary could bring in as much as £1m for the Lancashire club, who have risen from the depths of non-league over the past ten years.
The Liverpool-born midfielder has attracted controversy both on and off the pitch throughout his career, and spent time in jail in 2008 after pleading guilty to an assault in his home city. He was also banned for 12 games by the FA for violent conduct at the end of the 2011/2012 season.
Barton has positioned himself as a reformed character in recent years, especially through social media, and his autobiography was award-winning.
Whether or not he is successful as a manager will only become clearer over the coming months, but a documentary detailing his every move should be fascinating.