Joey Barton has followed up his declaration that Everton caretaker boss David Unsworth is little more than a “glorified PE teacher” by declaring the Toffees will be relegated if the coach is given the job on a permanent basis.
Barton, speaking on talkSPORT following Everton’s defeat at Leicester on Sunday, laid into Unsworth, who has taken over at Goodison Park on a temporary basis following Ronald Koeman’s dismissal.
Barton, a boyhood Everton supporter, slammed Unsworth declaring: "Look at him on the touchline... he's more like a steward.”
Unsworth’s immediate response was to state: “It's not a problem – anything Joey Barton says, I couldn't care less.”
However with the Merseyside club in the relegation zone - after six losses in their opening 10 Premier League games - and having been comfortably beaten at the King Power by Claude Puel’s side, Barton once more took aim.
This time both Unsworth - who has made clear his desire to take the job on a permanent basis - and chairman Bill Kenwright were in the firing line.
"He's talking a big game in the papers saying he wants the job and thinks he can handle the job full-time,” said Barton, speaking on Monday’s Sports Breakfast with Alan Brazil.
"He is saying this on the back of having never managed a senior side, not really done an apprenticeship and gone down the leagues to ply his trade and work his way back up into a position to manage a Premier League club.
"In my opinion, he has cosied up to Bill Kenwright, who he knows is a romantic, who he knows likes former players to be involved in the football club, and is attempting to take a shortcut.
"He doesn't look right to me. He is not the right man for the Everton job.
"If he takes the Everton job, Everton will get relegated."