When Joey Barton announced his commitment to pacifism, DT assumed his days of stubbing out cigars in teammates eyes and violently attacking teenagers on the street were over. But when he went postal on the final day of the season, it was clear he had returned to his feral ways. The QPR midfielder — currently serving a 12-match ban due to his antics at Eastlands — was involved in another skirmish while exiting 'gay-friendly super club' Garlands in Liverpool city centre.

Patrice Evra has seen his international career dip to an all-time low after being caught on camera wiping his backside with teammate Mathieu Valbuena's shirt. Evra has had a rough twelve months after seeing his club career with Manchester United finally questioned, and now his international popularity has crashed to an all time low.

Premier League bad boy Joey Barton was recently handed a lengthy 12-match ban by the FA for his violent antics during the denouement of last season.

Manchester City became champions of the English top flight, for the first time in 44 years, after overcoming a struggling QPR side at the Etihad Stadium following the dismissal of Rangers skipper Barton.

TweetEngland legend Paul Gascoigne has come clean as he tackles your questions and debunks many myths ahead of Euro 2012. It is a must see! 'Gazza' tackles amongst many things, his antics after matches, his mad bets with Jimmy 'Five Bellies', what it means to wear the Three Lions shirt, as well as his hopes [.

How do you define who is, and isn't, a great? A legend? Or is that the same thing (it isn't, apparently)? Gary Neville isn't a great, we know this. Is he a Manchester United great? No or at least I don't think he is.

Instead, he was just a good player, the no-frills type, but unlike the airlines the term is connoted with, Neville was reliable and consistent; a so-called 'team player' who is correctly renowned today as the English right-back of his generation.

The season is done and dusted, 4th place it is then but as we know because of Chelsea's antics in the Champions League final we have no Champions League football down at the Lane next season. What impact this will have to the squad, with players in and out, is unknown for the time being, but that is discussion for another day, along with a whole host of subjects that this blog will try and delve into over the summer months.

In the senselessness that is Joey Barton, the greatest tragedy is his thinking Twitter is some sort of substitute for actual therapy.

Barton receives a 12 match ban for going berserk on the Premiership's last day after Carlos Tevez elbowed him. In addition he's lighter by £75,000.

The FA has thrown the book at Joey Barton for his out-of-control temper tantrum against Manchester City on the last day of the season.

Barton has been given a huge 12-game ban and fined £75,000 for his antics.

The FA gave the QPR midfielder an automatic four-game suspension when he elbowed Carlos Tevez in the face.

Former Chelsea player Gianfranco Zola says he would "be dead" if he got up to some of the antics of compatriot Mario Balotelli. But he says the Manchester City striker can be the star of Euro 2012 if he manages to control himself. Zola, who briefly coached Balotelli during his time with Italy under [.

Mancini, Carlos Tevez and Manchester City's European Dream - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Roberto Mancini's reward for guiding Manchester City to Premier League glory will be a new £20million contract.

Mancini, who has a year left on his current deal, will sign a new four-year agreement worth £5m-a-year.

szólj hozzá: Patada de Joey Barton a Aguero

QPR went down to City but in the end it did not prove costly as Bolton could not pull off a win against Stoke so they remain promoted. But no thanks to Joey Barton. This man is a disgrace to his team and the sport. This match should have been spent marshaling players for a huge match instead the demons inside this George Orwell quoting hack got the better of him.

TweetRock-star Manchester City fan Liam Gallagher gatecrashed City's press conference and after City beat Manchester United 1-0 in the derby. The former Oasis musician emulated the antics of striker Mario Balotelli by walking in unannounced during the post-match press conference to revel in his sides' triumph.

By all accounts, Steven Lenhart is a laid-back and mellow person off the field. Someone who enjoys surfing and is considered quiet by most who know him.

On the field, the San Jose Earthquakes forward is something else entirely.

Lenhart has fashioned a well-earned reputation as a bad boy, a villain, the kind of player who spends as much time getting under his opponent's skin as he does actually playing the game.

FYI, Kickettes a few of our staffers are making the trip up to Manchester for tonight's derby, which means fact/spell-checked stories and drunk tweeting can not be guaranteed.

Otherwise, how's Monday going over thus far for you?

Saturday

- Jermain Defoe is allegedly back to his old ways, stepping out with some girl who isn't his current steady, Alexandra Burke.

Lots of red cards were handed out in Week 7. Four, to be exact, two each for two teams, RSL and Philadelphia Union. Two of the incidents were quite similar, with the offending players leaving their feet and challenging with both feet, studs up. The referees delivered a consistent message -- there will be none of that.

With this seasons antics of footballers such as Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli causing a big stir amongst fans and the media, I've decided to look back over the history of the Premier League to find some other hot-headed footballers with the aim of making a team (or army) of 11.

The players I've chosen are either highly aggressive, highly unpredictable or just a bit mental.

Don't get us wrong, OTP loves a coordinated launching of bog rolls onto the pitch as much as the next guy. But this goes slightly beyond that in both the logistical and the safety stakes. Fans of Argentinian side Racing Club protested against their side's woeful recent form by taking crutches to the match and [.

We kick off this edition of 'Weekend Wrap' with an epic photo of Arsenal's goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, attempting ballet like pimps do. The Gunners recently filmed a video with dancers from the English National Ballet in a tie-up to promote their Official Automotive partner.

Just like with Carlos Tevez at Manchester City, Mario Balotelli's fall from grace has been fairly dramatic. After being hailed as a hero and a legend, City fans quickly became tired of his antics after his selfishness at the Emirates on Sunday helped end their hopes of winning the league.

Speaking to Dutch magazine Voetbal International, first-team coach Rene Muelensteen has claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson would never sign a destructive player like Balotelli.

Down one goes and out the other goes

Ok, that's a lame title. Well, they are Wolves and we didn't lose, you get my drift. In essence, that's what it was. Wolves were a side low on confidence and the slightest change completely offset them. The red card ended the game as a contest and Arsenal strolled to a 5 point lead over the 4th place team.

Down one goes and out the other goes

Ok, that's a lame title. Well, they are Wolves and we didn't lose, you get my drift. In essence, that's what it was. Wolves were a side low on confidence and the slightest change completely offset them. The red card ended the game as a contest and Arsenal strolled to a 5 point lead over the 4th place team.

Sunday's antics at Emirates Stadium threw perennial trouble maker Mario Balotelli back into the headlines after a red card against Arsenal. Donning a t-shirt reading "YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE" to reveal if he found the net, Balotelli's intentions are clear. He feels it is all about him. Who else would expose the message "WHY ALWAYS ME?

As surprising as this may sound, the FA has decided not to take any disciplinary action against Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli for his foul on Arsenal midfielder Alex Song.

This means that Balotelli who would have faced a 9 match ban had the FA's decision gone through is free to feature in City's remaining fixtures.

In excellent news, the upcoming Clasico has been bumped up one day. Which means less time waiting on Pepe v Busquets: The World Dreams of Long-term Injuries.

Pepe is getting warmed up nicely with some of his standard antics, although going studs out on the shins of a teammate is probably new.

Mario Balotelli's affinity for his former side Inter Milan looks far from over after he apparently made an impromptu visit to the club a little over a week ago, however, according to Balotelli, he was only in Italy to catch up with old friends.

With his future at City thought to be nearing it's end, both Inter Milan and AC Milan are said to be preparing deals that would see him return to Italy after a brief two year stint in the EPL.

There's no better way to start off the week than that powerful mid-range screamer (our favourite type of goal!) from Mikel Arteta in Arsenal's resounding win over City yesterday. There's also a good chance Vicente del Bosque slowly got off his armchair after the game to retrieve his notebook with "Mis Jugadores : EURO 2012″ carefully written at the top.

By Chris Wright

*sigh*

Police have launched an investigation after receiving a complaint about racist abuse aimed at James Perch on Twitter following his various antics against Liverpool on Sunday.

The Twitter user, believed to be a 17-year-old Liverpool fan who works at a supermarket, tweeted: "I want to punch Perch in his n*gger head!

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli on Monday interrupted Inter's official unveiling of their new coach Andrea Stramaccioni when he walked into the press conference room to welcome Stramaccioni and greet the directors of his old club.

Of course this is not the first time, Balotelli is making news for his controversial behavior, however, you definitely have to what pushes Balotelli to do the things he does.

Tottenham midfielder Rafael Van Der Vaart showed he had been spending too much time training with five-year-old son Damian by showing some very childish dissent in today's match against Chelsea. After conceding a free-kick, VdV decided to lie on the floor and throw all his limbs around in a fit of tantrum He picked up [.

Real Madrid will boycott their pre-match press conference ahead of their game against Real Soceidad in protest over the refereeing decisions that went against them during their 1-1 draw with Villarreal on Wednesday night.

Real had two players sent off during the match which also saw manager Jose Mourinho and fitness coach Rui Faria sent to the stands by referee Jose Paradas Romero.

Certain Premier League teams are criticized for haranguing and harassing referees, but this incident from a Tanzanian match between Young Africans (known as Yanga) and Azim puts thing in perspective.

Incensed when a teammate received a red card for verbally abusing the ref, Yanga's Stephano Mwasika let his fists do the talking, landing a hefty punch on the official.

Several Croatian papers broke some sad news over the weekend: Niko Kranjcar and his wife, Simona (nee Fistrić) have separated and are planning to divorce after several months of intense marital problems.

And, our ever-reliable BFFs the tabloids were also reporting that the 27-year-old Tottenham footballer already has a new girlfriend.

For no particular reason, Eric Cantona has spoken out against the likes of Mario Balotelli and Leo Messi for pre-calculating celebrations and seeking attention by revealing messages on their shirts. From goal.com:

"I dreamt of being a footballer, of doing great things, of crying and laughing after a victory, of exploding with joy.

When Mike Ashley honored the 120-year heritage of St James' Park by changing its name to the Sports Direct Arena in February this year, a number of Magpies fans were angered by the sportswear-selling antics of their club owner.

Supporter Michal Atkinson was so angry that he spray-painted "St James" on the wall where the stadium's famous moniker was once emblazoned.

Heres the crux of it: if you want to play Academy-level soccer, don't plan on lettering for your high school team anytime soon. Last week,the US Developmental Academy announced a shift to a 10-month schedule, complete with a ban on any high school play by its members.

*shrugs*

Its not all that surprising, really.

Leading up to Sunday's African Cup of Nations final between Zambia and the Ivory Coast, Gerald Imray wrote of the contrasting styles of coaches Fracois Zahoui (Ivory Coast) and Herve Renard (Zambia).
Francois Zahoui at one point doubted if he was good enough to be coach of the star-studded Ivory Coast team.

You would not think that anything could overshadow a Manchester United-Liverpool game, but thanks to Suarez and his antics everyone has seemingly forgotten that United won 2-1 thanks to a quickfire Rooney double right after half time. The former Evertonian could have had himself a hat-trick had the referee not disallowed his 30-yard effort for [.

Acura just released the extended version of their Super Bowl ad featuring the highly anticipated NSX, six days before the :60 TV spot will air in the third quarter of the big game.

The video depicts the over-the-top antics of comedians and famous car collectors Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno as they bid to be the first in line to take delivery on the first Acura NSX supercar.

The underwear model girlfriend of AC Milan star Kevin Prince Boateng reckons she is the reason behind his injury-ravaged season. Melissa Satta thinks she has done a better job of nobbling the ex-Spurs and Portsmouth man than even the toughest of Serie A centre-backs. Boateng has started just 11 Serie A games this season as [.

The underwear model girlfriend of AC Milan star Kevin Prince Boateng reckons she is the reason behind his injury-ravaged season. Melissa Satta thinks she has done a better job of nobbling the ex-Spurs and Portsmouth man than even the toughest of Serie A centre-backs. Boateng has started just 11 Serie A games this season as [.