'Being Joey' - Dyche talks up Barton TV show

Burnley manager Sean Dyche believes midfielder Joey Barton could have his own TV series.

Barton, 34, was at the centre of controversy once again during his side's shock 1-0 loss to Lincoln City in the FA Cup a week ago.

The one-time England international was slammed for diving during the fifth-round defeat in the latest incident of his chequered career.

But Dyche, whose team visit Hull City in the Premier League on Saturday, played down the incident and said Barton was entertaining enough to be on TV.

"I think it's pantomime stuff, myself. I've got to be honest. I've seen a lot more controversy around Joey than that," he said.

"If that's as far as it goes, I'll be a happy man.

"That's the way it goes. That's just part of being Joey, I suppose. It could be a TV series, actually. Being Joey. It'd be interesting. Never a dull moment, unless he's in here, training with me."

Dyche talked up the impact of Barton at Burnley, who are 12th in the Premier League.

Barton returned to the club in January and Dyche said his performances had been impressive.

"It's just the way life is now. People should actually have been saying, 'What about the game? What about him?'" Dyche said.

"He was so far in front of everyone else on the pitch, it was incredible to look at. I really thought that.

"And I thought he was against Leicester as well. He was absolutely outstanding.

"Chelsea have two unbelievably high-quality midfielders, and I thought Joey more than dealt with what he needed to deal with. I think he's been fantastic for us."