Barton defends use of French accent after Twitter mockery

Nov 27, 2012 12:51:00 PM

The on-loan Marseille midfielder was mocked by his followers for putting on an odd Gallic twang whilst speaking to the media after debuting in the 1-0 win over Lille on Sunday

Joey Barton has taken to Twitter to defend adopting a strange French accent whilst speaking to the media on Sunday, declaring that he was only trying to help journalists understand him better.

The Marseille midfielder, on a season long loan from QPR, was panned by his 1.8 million followers for adopting the weird Gallic brogue despite his Liverpudlian lineage during a bizarre post-match press conference.

But in a series of tweets he explained that there was no other choice after it became apparent that reporters were struggling to decipher his broad Scouse tone.

"In my defence, it is very difficult to do a press conference in Scouse for a room full of French journalists," he tweeted.

"The alternative is to speak like an 'Allo Allo!' character. Its simply a case of you had to be there."

Barton's use of the faux-French accent came after he finally made his Ligue 1 debut in the 1-0 win over 10-man Lille at the Stade Velodrome, and drew instant comparisons with Steve McClaren's quasi-Dutch interview in 2008 whilst manager of FC Twente.

His inclusion in the starting lineup came after he completed a 12-game domestic suspension handed to him by the Football Association following the red card he picked up playing for QPR on the final day of the Premier League season against former club Manchester City.

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