Joey Barton selects 5 Newcastle players in greatest ever team

Joey Barton has been asked to choose the best eleven players he has ever played with.

Appearing on Sky Sports’ Fantasy Football Club, the former Newcastle midfielder was asked to pick his perfect team.

Having played for Manchester City, Marseille, QPR and current club Burnley, Joey Barton had a decent range to choose from.

After deliberation he has chosen five former Newcastle players, one of who played alongside him at Man City rather than St James Park.

Here is Joey Barton’s best eleven and then his explanations for picking the former Newcastle United five:

Peter Schmeichel

Richard Dunne

Fabricio Coloccini

Sylvain Distin

Shaun Wright-Phillips

Nicky Butt

Kevin Nolan

Ali Bernarbia

Nicolas Anelka

Andy Cole

Robbie Fowler

Joey Barton explains his Newcastle choices:

Fabricio Coloccini

Ferocious character, the year we got promoted and the year we were first back in the Premier League he was outstanding, following a really tough start to his Newcastle career. He struggled in his first year.

Kevin Nolan (captain)

Great human being, the best captain I’ve played for, and somebody who scored a ridiculous amount of goals from midfield in the Premier League and didn’t get an England cap. He was our fulcrum at Newcastle, and any team I’d pick I’d have to have him in.

Nicky Butt

Really, really good in the dressing room, and was quick to pull people in line but would equally use a lot of humour as well. Butty had a great role as defensive midfield in the [2002] World Cup.

Sylvain Distin (played with Barton at Man City)

We didn’t realise how good he was until he left. He had everything, good in the air, good on the ball, good athlete, great professional, great trainer.

Andy Cole (played with Barton at Man City)

I used to pick his brain about how strikers moved, where they want the ball. Just because of the amount of Premier League goals he scored, he has to go in.