Bristol Rovers REMOVE Joey Barton’s rant about club’s previous managers from their website

Bristol Rovers have been forced to remove an article from their website containing an astonishing rant from Joey Barton about their previous managers.

Sportsmail understands Rovers took swift initial action after receiving contact from lawyers on behalf of ex-boss Paul Tisdale.

Barton was appointed Rovers manager in late February, replacing Tisdale who succeeded Ben Garner in November.

And Barton sparked controversy in March by accusing his predecessors of ‘negligence’ in their handling of the squad he inherited and labelling their training sessions ‘a farce.’

In a statement released to Sportsmail, Tisdale said: ‘There was no basis for these allegations and I’m pleased that the club has decided to take Joey’s comments off its website. I wish Joey and the club all the best.’

Barton hit out as he battled to keep Rovers in League One, having taken over when they were two points above the relegation zone.

He was ultimately unable to as they were relegated with two games left and finished bottom.

Barton sparked controversy in March by accusing his predecessors of ‘negligence’ 

Sportsmail understands Rovers took swift initial action after receiving contact from lawyers on behalf of ex-boss Paul Tisdale (pictured) 

With years of experience and understanding of the things managers say to suit their own agendas, Tisdale – an advisor to Colchester United for the final six weeks of the season – is understood to have no issue with Barton.

Instead it was with his former employers for allowing the potentially libellous comments to go unchecked and also helping push them into the public domain.

Rovers took a story containing the offending comments down though the matter is understood to be ongoing.

Ahead of Bristol Rovers’s defeat against Sunderland at the end of March, Barton said: ‘They’ve set these boys up for failure and we’ve got to try to reverse that trend.

‘Whatever has gone before me has been negligent. If they were doctors, they should certainly be struck off for what’s gone on here before. I could show you the footage of the training sessions. They’re a farce. It wasn’t done correctly.

Barton (right) was appointed Rovers manager in late February, replacing Tisdale at the helm

‘How do I know that? Look at the league table. Look at the fact two managers have been removed from the job.

‘Two-and-a-half-hour sessions on a Friday — what chance have the lads got? It’s like having a 15-round spar the night before you have a 12-round scrap.

‘It’s because they don’t know what it’s like to go in the ring, the Colosseum. They’ve read it in a book and they’ve done it on a course and they don’t know. It’s criminal.’