Ahead of the Black Cats clash against Barton's Fleetwood Town at the Stadium of Light tonight, we’ve delved into the archives to find some of the one-time England international's attempts to goad Sunderland fans over the years – on everything from Simon Mignolet and Jack Ross to Paolo Di Canio.
Simply scroll down and click through the pages to take a look.
17. Following Fleetwood Town and Sunderland's January draw, Barton said
“It was a tough game against Sunderland, and it is especially whenever you play against a side who has a stadium capacity bigger than the number of people in our town and you know it’s going to be difficult,” Photo: Alex Davidson
18. Ahead of Tuesday's clash between Sunderland and Fleetwood at the Stadium of Light, Barton said:
“We are that stage where we are thinking, who is next? We go to Sunderland on Tuesday night with nothing to lose and absolutely everything to gain," Photo: Jan Kruger