Two years ago today, I sat down with Joey Barton for the first time – virtually, of course. When he became Bristol Rovers' third manager of an omnishambles of a season, COVID-19 dominated the news cycle and governance of the game and life in general.
Knowing the appointment of one of the game's most-talked-about figures risked dividing the fanbase, that 10-minute Zoom call from the Gloucestershire Football Association offices – The Quarters was lacking a clubhouse back in February 2021 – focused on uniting Gasheads. There was talk of "mobilising an army" and making sure supporters were "chomping at the bit" to return to the stadium once pandemic restrictions were lifted.
That was not the first time I had interviewed Barton, by the way. Some 14 months previously, not long after taking a cheeky picture as he sat in the row behind the press bench at Highbury Stadium following his dismissal from the touchline for dissent, I posed a couple of questions about his red card and Fleetwood Town's 0-0 draw with Ben Garner's Gas.
