Barton brands QPR players 'maggots'
Midfielder Shaun Derry thinks Joey Barton's decision to brand QPR's players as "maggots" was unwise.
Barton wasted no time in delivering a damning verdict on QPR's relegation on Sunday afternoon, describing some members of the squad as "maggots" and [expletive] shortly after the team's 0-0 draw at Reading.
Derry, one of the players who helped Rangers earn promotion to the top-flight two years ago, conceded the season had "horrible," but admitted that Barton's blast was ill-advised.
"I know Joey. I know him on a different level and I know that when things go against him personally he comes out with some unbelievable comments," the QPR midfielder told talkSPORT.
"Deep down he's a fighter, but at the same time, when you're down and you're really at the bottom of what's been a horrible season perhaps it wasn't the wisest thing."
Club owner Tony Fernandes, who celebrated his 49th birthday with a big QPR cake, met with manager Harry Redknapp yesterday to formulate a plan to try to get Rangers back in to the Barclays Premier League at the first attempt.
Fernandes was happy that Redknapp was willing to continue as manager, but he was in a far less joyous mood when asked about the performances of some of his players this season.
The Malaysian businessman will likely try to clear out some of those players in the summer, including Barton, whose loan at Marseille expires in the summer.
Midfielder Esteban Granero has hinted that he would be willing to remain at Loftus Road, but Loic Remy, Djibril Cisse, and Julio Cesar appear to be considering their future.
Remy, who has scored five goals since joining from Marseille in January, revealed he wants to playing the top flight again next season.
When asked whether Premier League football suited him, the French striker told FIFA.com: "I feel like it is, in every way. You get less time to read the game in this league. There's more pressure and there's more contact, though there is more space too. It's great for a player like me. They play deep here and I like that. It feels like the perfect league for me."
Brazil Goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who moved to Loftus Road from Inter Milan last summer, is another player who is considering his future at the club, according to his agent Josias Cardoso.
"There is nothing concrete yet," he told Calcio Mercato. In two weeks I plan come to Europe to talk to Julio. I do not think he will go back to Brazil. If QPR were to decide to sell Julio Cesar, I still see him for a European future."
Djibril Cisse appears to be eyeing a move back to Marseille after admitting playing in the npower Championship with QPR appears "complicated."
Cisse, whose loan spell at Qatari club Al Gharafa expires at the end of the season, told France Football: "Given how it has gone for them from a sporting viewpoint, (a return to QPR) does seem complicated."
Cisse would relish a switch to Marseille, a club he joined on loan from Liverpool in 2006 before making the move permanent. Cisse is hoping a move back to Europe can enhance his chances of representing France at the World Cup finals next summer.
"It would be a dream to go back," said Cisse, "or play for any club which can make me shine. I have Les Bleus in my heart," he said. "If I'm in a good team and if I do a good job I think it's possible. I have a crazy mind and when I have a goal in mind I do everything to achieve it."