Laura Woods puts Joey Barton in his place after sacked manager goes on bizarre rant about women

Former Premier League footballer Joey Barton has launched a bizarre sexist attack on women commentators in the men's game - insisting he cannot take them seriously.

Player-turned-manager Barton, born in Huyton, was sacked by League One outfit Bristol Rovers in October and has since become more outspoken on social media.

On Thursday afternoon, the former Newcastle United, Manchester City and Rangers midfielder compared the recent rise of women broadcasters in Premier League coverage to "men talking about knitting or netball".

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Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the latest round of Premier League fixtures, Barton said: "Women shouldn’t be talking with any kind of authority in the men’s game. Come on. Let’s be serious. It’s a completely different game.

"If you don’t accept that. We will always see things differently. The women’s game is thriving. Fantastic to see. I cannot take a thing they say seriously in the men’s arena."

He added: "Stand by everything I’ve said on Women commenting and co-comms on the Men’s football. 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 the nonsense. Any man who says otherwise is an absolute fart parcel."

That prompted TNT Sports presenter Laura Woods, one of the most high-profile female broadcasters, to snap back at Barton, who quickly doubled down on his stance by adding that any male who defended female broadcasters in the men's game was an "absolute fart parcel".

Woods, 37, who now works for TNT