HEATHER DEWAR: Joey Barton's comments are enabling a multitude of misogynists to come out of the woodwork and discredit women working in football

Unless you've been living under a rock these past few days, you'll have noticed that Joey Barton has caused quite a storm with his unadulterated views on female commentators in men's football.

The former Rangers player compared women commentating on football to men talking about 'knitting' and insisted: 'Women shouldn't be talking with any kind of authority in the men's game.'

He added that 'any man who listens to women commentary or co-comms needs their heads testing', before remarking it was 'like me talking about knitting or netball. Way out of my comfort zone. Some of the men are bad enough! We have gone too far. You cannot watch a game now without hearing this nonsense'.

Predictably, there was widespread outrage to these posts.

Some, like sports presenter Laura Woods, took him to task for bringing a young female vlogger into the debate. 

To seemingly emphasise his point, Barton had posted a video of a woman talking to the camera from the Etihad about Manchester City's Champions League match against RB Leipzig.

'I mean, look at this nonsense,' wrote the former Bristol Rovers boss.

'You give them a f****** inch. Was going to use the hashtag #Getthemout but no doubt it will be taken out of context. Out of the stadiums and off the concourses with the influencer f****** nonsense. Men surely, enough's enough?'

The posts were outrageous enough to garner global media attention and even earn him a place on Piers Morgan Uncensored. I watched the segment with interest, as Barton tried in vain to explain himself.

Put up against veteran Sky Sports presenter Bianca Westwood, Kait Borsay and Pearl Davis, he appeared to change his argument multiple times.

One minute it seemed to rest on whether someone had worked hard enough in the industry to earn a spot as a pundit or commentator, the next it was down to a lack of knowledge in the game. 

'Quota-filling' was also brought up — as though some women only got aired because the programmers had a box to tick.

Since then, he has refused to back down, or indeed, apologise, for his incendiary messaging.

Now, undoubtedly, there will be those out there who think that his posts are really rather funny. There are others who question his motives and whether he really means what he says at all. 

Then there's the rest of us, who believe his bile-fuelled rants do nothing to further or enhance the women's game that he professes to back and support.

The reality is that it doesn't really matter whether Barton is saying this 'tongue-in-cheek' or with a cheeky wee smile on his face. 

He's enabling a multitude of misogynists to come out of the woodwork who will continue to discredit women working in football. Quite frankly, it's hard enough as it is — we don't need another mouthpiece adding fuel to the fire.

Whether he likes it or not, women are becoming an increasing presence in the men's game when it comes to reporting on football. 

They are chosen, in the main, because they have an insight and a knowledge of the game that adds weight to a broadcasters' programming.

The likes of Alex Scott, Eni Aluko, Eilidh Barbour and Karen Carney, for example, all have a footballing background. They are well versed in technique, formations, style of play and tactical success. 

They also understand what it's like to have the mindset of a footballer — which can often play a big part when providing co-comms in a live match scenario.

For Barton, that knowledge, however, appears to be utterly irrelevant, because in his mind, women's football is a totally different game. 

Now, in terms of style, this can be true in some games — certainly, it is often played with less physicality and, often, more technical skill. And indeed, I've heard some women's football managers say they don't want to be compared to the men's game.

Fundamentally, however, it is the same game, with the same rules and the same outcomes. So, we have to ask ourselves — what is Barton really saying here? 

Sadly, you only have to look at the stereotypical use of the word 'knitting' to know exactly what he means.

What he's saying, effectively, is that because these pundits are female, they couldn't possibly understand the game in the same way as a man.

It's as sexist as it comes. And please — knitting? Seriously? Does he think we all sit at home with a set of needles and a ball of wool all day? At least come up with some originality, man!

I've spoken out previously about this sort of misogyny around female commentary. 

Having reported on football myself, I understand how difficult it can be, as a woman in this domain. I come from it with experience, having covered men's football since 2001.

Karen Carney ended up deleting her Twitter account some time ago because of abusive comments following her appearance as a TV pundit, and the BBC's Vicki Sparks has also been vilified on social media for her commentary in men's football.

That side of it is certainly very tough to handle. She may not be your cup of tea, but Sparks has broken boundaries in a way few of us will ever manage. 

Being the first female commentator of a live men's game at a World Cup was really quite something, and will, I am sure, have inspired multiple young girls to pick up a microphone.

These are the women that open doors for others to pass through. They make the impossible seem possible. It's why we are seeing so many young women coming through in sports broadcasting. They know their stuff, too.

Many of our young broadcasters have been in or around men's football their whole lives. Some work voluntarily at clubs before progressing to national TV or radio. Some have played in boys' clubs when they were younger, because girls' teams in their area don't exist.

Ask many of the current Scotland women's squad, for example, and they'll tell you quite openly that they started out playing alongside boys. 

When they learned the game, there was no difference. Same ball, same skills, same techniques, same pitches. So why is it not okay for them to talk about football in the same way as a man?

When Kevin Keegan declared at an event in Bristol that he didn't like listening to female pundits talking about the England men's team, Barton came out to back him. 'Bang on', he said on social media.

It was interesting that Barton followed up his comments on X, with a post that declared: 'Of course loads of ex-players can't get a gig because the TV companies have quotas to fill and boxes to tick. 

'Their experience thrown on the landmine to accommodate the 'woke'. Only way they will change if it hits them in the pocket. That only happens when the men decide to switch off.'

So, is this a jealousy problem? Is the real issue here that Barton feels like he's being excluded from work, for being a man? He is currently not working in the game. 

Were he to do punditry himself, he'd probably make a pretty penny. In fairness to Barton, I also know people who complain that the best people are often not given the job because they do not 'tick the right box'.

The problem is that the people Barton is complaining about all do deserve their place and are not in situ for the reasons he is railing against. 

I don't believe that women working at the top of the men's game are there to 'tick a box'. They simply couldn't cut it if they were.

I'd like to think that gone are the days that women get on the telly just because they're a 'pretty face'. That does nobody any good either, and only perpetuates the myth that women don't belong in what has traditionally been seen as a male-dominated arena.

Barton has professed to support women's football — and backed the #HERGAMETOO campaign. However, he's got it utterly wrong on this occasion. 

I'm still struggling to see why he would come out with such a forceful attack like this. He clearly knew what he was doing, and the reaction that would ensue.

You only have to look at some of the replies to Barton's posts to see that misogyny is alive and well when it comes to women in the game. Thankfully, most think he's just a bit of a plonker and have railed against what appears to be outright sexism.

Whatever his reasons, it's a strange way to go about promoting himself to those who might take him on — and it does nothing for those women who choose to make a career in men's football.