Joey Barton launches astonishing verbal attack against his own Bristol Rovers player for being ‘weak, feeble-minded and idiotic’ by playing through injury

• Joey Barton’s Bristol Rovers lost for the first time since August in League One
• Luke Thomas had complained of a hamstring issue before deciding to play on 
• Click HERE to listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s ‘It’s All Kicking Off’ 

Joey Barton has launched a bizarre attack on one of his own Bristol Rovers players after a 2-0 defeat on the road by Peterborough. 

The Gas fell to a first league defeat since the end of August, courtesy of goals from Archie Finn Collins and David Ajiboye either side of half-time as the Posh moved up to fifth spot. 

For the visitors, meanwhile, it was a defeat that ended a decent run of form in League One, picking up seven points from nine and leaves them now 14th in the standings. 

After the game however, Barton was full of praise for all but one of his players, picking out Luke Thomas in particular for a blasting.

The ex-Manchester City and Newcastle star labelled Thomas an ‘idiotic boy’ and claimed that he lacked ‘the mindset’ to make the correct decisions under the pump.  

Joey Barton singled out one of his players in particular for criticism and was called a ‘young boy’

Thomas had complained of a hamstring issue before Barton attested he was at fault for the second goal 

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‘Their first goal was a deflected hit that went through a crowd of bodies and our keeper had no chance.

‘Then to compound it one idiotic young boy – I can’t even call him a man – has compromised the team with his behavioural standards and we find ourselves 2-0 down with a mountain to climb.

‘Unless we man up – and I know you have to be careful saying that in the modern era – and absolutely eradicate these weak, feeble-minded individuals that are currently inside our unit, we won’t get promoted out of this division.’

Barton added that Thomas had complained of a hamstring issue before deciding to continue playing, while Barton readied a substitution.  

‘But, in his infinite wisdom, he goes to press the ball and completely exposes Jack Hunt.

‘We should do better after that, but we find ourselves 2-0 down – all because someone hasn’t got the mindset required to make the correct call to keep the team strong.

‘We didn’t get that little bit of luck and we were sabotaged from within with an idiotic decision by Luke.’

Despite his side sitting nine spots below the Posh after the game, Barton was firm in his assessment that his side were superior and seemed convinced that they went behind against the run of play. 

Barton remained convinced that his side were the better team in the clash despite now sitting nine places below Peterborough

The Gas had picked up seven points from their previous three league games despite losing to West Ham’s U21s in the Football League Trophy

‘I can’t really get too down on the lads as I thought there was some really good stuff out there, but some days it just doesn’t go for you.’ 

‘The thing that’s really annoyed me is at 1-0 I still really fancied us. I thought we were the better side and said to the lads at half-time that Peterborough had scored against the run of play.

‘The frustrating thing for me is because of an idiotic decision we find ourselves 2-0 down and they had something to hang onto.

‘We’ve had a right go at them, but we couldn’t find that breakthrough and it’s three points dropped because we’re better than them.’

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