Graeme Souness: Joey Barton will have deep regrets if this is the end of his Rangers career

A dressing room bust-up with his manager is far from the worst indiscretion on Barton’s lengthy charge sheet but it could spell the end of his Rangers career.

The 34-year-old may not realise it right now, but Graeme Souness reckons it will soon hit home just what an opportunity he has let slip through his grasp.

Read more: Mark Warburton: Rangers deserved to win at Pittodrie and we are making progress

Barton is at the eye of another storm, caught up in a whirlwind of headlines and controversy that Mark Warburton hoped wouldn’t follow him to Ibrox.

The Old Firm defeat to Celtic was Barton’s eighth appearance in Light Blue and could well prove to be his final one. He is now a fortnight in to what will be a four week suspension and the Ibrox crowd may already have seen the last of the midfielder.

Read more: Mark Warburton: Rangers deserved to win at Pittodrie and we are making progress

The Gers drama is another chapter in Barton’s career but it is not the story that Warburton hoped would be written. The script could have been so different, but there will once again by no happy ending.

“I met Joey last summer when we were doing TV work at the Euros,” Souness said.

“I hadn’t met him before, he’s a young man who has encouraged the wrong type of publicity.

“I couldn’t have been more wrong when I met him. I found him charming, sensible and knowledgeable about football. He was really interested in the game and wanted to remain in football as a coach.

“He truly loves football and what he was offering up about the game was a lot of common sense.

“As far as I was concerned it was good stuff. He talked at length about how excited he was about joining Glasgow Rangers.

“He knew it was a big football club but he had no idea just how big it was.

“I told him he only knew half. I told him it would get under his skin and it would be something he would remember for the rest of his life. That’s how it is when you’re involved with Glasgow Rangers.

“He has found himself where he is now and I can’t comment on that as I wasn’t there when it happened.

“He said to me it was a big football club and I told him he was underestimating it, it’s not a big football club. It’s about what it means to the supporters and it’s the same for the club in the East End of Glasgow.

“You are born a Celtic or Rangers supporter and the passion involved is far greater than anywhere else I’ve worked.

“In that respect I said to Joey, ‘you think you know it’s a big club, well wait to you get into it’.”

By the time Souness had met Barton and spent time in his company, and posed for a photo for his Instagram account, the Englishman had already made his presence felt in Scottish football.

It appears that he will not be here long enough to prove if he could have been the best player in the league or not. Going on his performances so far, he has a lot of improvement to find if he is somehow given a second chance at Ibrox.

Souness was no stranger to the spotlight during his high-profile and successful, and at time controversial, Ibrox career. He thrived under the pressure, but Barton hasn’t.

Souness said: “First and foremost, I would love that attitude if I was his manager.

“I would love a player to tell me how good he would be. More importantly, I would want him to show me how good he would be.

“Missing parts of pre-season is never good as you are playing catch-up.

“What I tried to explain to him, and it would be the exact same as the Celtic lads, is that they will be playing against teams where it’s the biggest game of their season.

“You are playing against players who dislike you because they are Celtic supporters and it would be the same if the foot was in the other shoe.

“You are playing against players who want to be at the club as they are Rangers supporters or they’re trying their hardest against you because they don’t like you very much.

Read more: Mark Warburton: Rangers deserved to win at Pittodrie and we are making progress

“I told him there would never be an easy game. I never played an easy game when I was at Rangers and I used to preach that.

“Forget going to watch teams and thinking you would roll them over for fun because they become a different team when you are playing them.

"Maybe when we played against someone and someone would catch my eye I would go and watch them the following game. They were a yard off the pace and had less aggression.

“They just weren’t the same player. Everybody raises their game when they play the Old Firm, you just accept that.

"Yeah [I was struck by the intensity when I signed], but it was slightly different because we were coming back and were seen to be arrogant and that certainly wound people up. I am sure we were on occasions."

Barton has talked the talk but failed to walk the walk. His next steps could well be out of Ibrox.

His future remains unclear and only time will tell whether he will return to Warburton’s squad or if the Gers boss decides to cut and run from a gamble that hasn’t paid off.

It is maybe not a surprise to many how his time in Light Blue has unfolded, but Souness reckons there will be plenty for Barton to ponder once again.

He said: “Joey will deeply regret it [if this is the end of his Rangers career]. I spent over four hours in his company and he was charming.

“There was no hint of the boiling head which has got him into trouble in the past.

“I wasn’t there when it happened but he’s obviously got himself on the wrong side of the manager.

“Mark Warburton will deal with it in the way he sees fit and proper for, firstly, the benefit of Rangers football club and secondly, for his career at Rangers.”

* Graeme Souness was speaking at the McDonald’s & SFA Grassroots Awards National Ceremony at Hampden Park. Find out more about the national winners at mcdonalds.co.uk/awards