Joey Barton says Charlie Austin should stay at QPR where the fans love him

CHARLIE AUSTIN has bought a new house out to the west of London - and Joey Barton reckons that is a very good idea indeed.

Charlie AustinGETTY

Joey Barton says Charlie Austin should stay in West London and learn his trade

Don't go East, Barton has told his hot-shot young teammate.

In fact, don't go anywhere - stay at Queens Park Rangers and carry on learning your trade.

Austin, the former bricklayer and non-league footballer whose Roy of the Rovers style climb to Premier League fame has lit up football this season, is the man whose 12 goals are chiefly responsible for keeping Rangers' heads above water in the choppy waves of the relegation fight.

Many big clubs in the Premier League are casting envious eyes at the 25 year old, even though Rangers are determined to hang on to their most precious asset this month. But Austin now has a constant advisor in Barton. Or a constant earache, depending on how you look at it.

Joey these days has a view on just about everything. In fact, here is his theory as to why West London is better than East: "A mate of mine said to me, the River Thames runs from west to east, and all the sewage used to run in that direction.

"Historically that may be why west London has always been regarded as more upmarket. People keep telling me areas like Shoreditch are up-and-coming, but I'm not so sure."

There you go. Good job Charlie did not buy in Hackney then.

Harry Redknapp praises hat-trick hero Charlie Austin

Actually, I don't see anyone buying Charlie. I said that to him today. I'm always on his case

Joey Barton

Austin, reckons Barton, should stay right where he is, banging in the goals at a club where he is appreciated - rather than do an Andy Carroll and end up sitting on the bench at somewhere like Liverpool.

Rangers midfielder Barton, who recently joined an EA SPORTS FIFA 15 panel to debate their Team of the Year, said: "Actually, I don't see anyone buying Charlie. I said that to him today. I'm always on his case.

"He has still got a lot to prove for me, and there is no bigger fan of Charlie than me.

"I've been caning him since the day he walked into the building, and I have a great relationship with him. But, who would sign him? I had a very similar situation at Newcastle.

"We came up and Andy Carroll had set the world alight, so Liverpool went and paid £35 million for him. And we all know how that turned out.

"I'm not saying anyone would pay £35m for Charlie - if they did I would probably sell him. But teams are more cautious now.

"If he scores 20 odd goals over the year then teams will take a chance - he's young, English, knows where the goal is. Then the fight will be on our hands to keep him.

"I'm just talking to him as a mate. I told him, there's no better place for you than here - and he knows that. The fans love you, the team is built for you to score goals.

"And he has just moved into a house locally, further West, proper upstream, away from the sewage plants!

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"He's realistic. If he scores 20 goals and gets a big club knocking on his door, its a good situation for Charlie and the club. They might want to do business.

"But I am made up for him, he is a great lad. He has done it the hard way. To see someone who has gone 'on the hod', as he always reminds us, and come up the way he has, it is a Roy of the Rovers tale."

Rangers travel to fellow strugglers Burnley today with a miserable record of ten straight losses away from home this season. Not one solitary point.

But from now on their travels take them to places like Sunderland, Hull, West Brom, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace. Paces where points should be - have to be - garnered.

Barton says: "I have no clue why it's been like this. It is weird. It has to be mental. It can't just be that we are having off days.

"But this is the testing time. Now we play the top sides at home, and a lot of the sides around us away, starting with Burnley.

"We have played 20 games, and there are 38 in this league. We are on course for 36 points, and its not enough. We have got to improve, just to give ourselves a fighting chance."

EA SPORTS has teamed up Rio Ferdinand, Kyle Walker, Joey Barton and the strongest player in FIFA 15, Adebayo Akinfenwa, to have their say on who should make this year's Team of the Year for FIFA 15 Ultimate Team. Watch them debate their World XI at youtube.com/easportsfifa.

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