Joey Barton apologises 'unreservedly' for bust-up
The controversial midfielder was sent home this week following an altercation in training and has now released a statement apologising for his "inappropriate" conduct.
Joey Barton says sorry
Rangers midfielder Joey Barton apologised "unreservedly" for his role in a training ground bust-up with teammate Andy Halliday that saw him sent home earlier this week.
Barton is set to miss this weekend's match with Ross County as a result and says that his conduct was "inappropriate."
Barton releases a statement
In a full statement released via social media on Thursday night, Barton wrote:
"Obviously after [the] Old Firm game on Saturday everybody was hurting and in training on Tuesday there was a full and frank discussion about the result and reasons for our loss. I, like everyone else, care deeply about the task at hand, which is to restore Rangers Football Club to the top of Scottish football.
"The discussion we had involved some sharp disagreement about the game and some harsh words were said. There were only words involved in the disagreement, nothing else. Nevertheless, some of the words used did overstep the mark.
"As someone who communicates directly, I accept that some of the things I said were inappropriate and for that I apologise unreservedly. I cannot, however, apologise for caring deeply about winning and for wanting to perform better myself and for Rangers to do much better.
"Whilst I don't feel that this [the decision to send him home from training] was necessary I fully respect the manager's decision. I regret what happened and on Monday I will report for training and I will do what it takes to help the team draw a line under it so that we can get back to the task at hand."
Rangers are yet to release a statement.
Rangers looking to get back on track
Rangers were beaten 5-1 in the Old Firm derby at Celtic Park at the weekend and will be looking to get back on track when they welcome Ross County to Ibrox on Saturday afternoon.
Mark Warburton's side currently sit in third with eight points from five games following their return to the Scottish top flight after a number of seasons in the lower divisions.