Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton told to ‘get a grip’ after labelling Andrew Tate interview ‘food for thought’

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton has drawn criticism online after sharing an interview with rape and sex trafficking accused Andrew Tate.

The Gas manager shared the hugely controversial interview on his Twitter page and labelled it as an 'interesting conversation' and 'food for thought'.

Over 67 million people have seen the Tucker Carlson interview with Tate since it was shared on Twitter on Tuesday, July 11.

In the two-and-a-half-hour clip, the former Fox News gifts Tate a platform to further his infamous take on masculinity, claim Vladimir Putin had 'cured Covid' and dismiss his criminal charges.

Tate is currently under house arrest having been charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women.

The influencer's brother Tristan also faces charges but both siblings deny the allegations.

Carlson asks viewers to 'make up your own mind' on the former kickboxer but has been slammed for running and sharing the interview. The presenter had previously defended Tate and labelled his arrest a 'human rights violation'.

Over 1.5 million people have seen Barton's Tweet sharing the interview with social media users telling the former midfielder to 'get a grip' and to 'have a word with yourself'.

Some picked up on the manager calling the clip 'food for thought'. One person replied: "Correct. If by 'food for thought' you actually meant 'diarrhoea down the back of both legs'."

Another added: "If that food had already been eaten and then thrown back up onto the carpet maybe."

The 40-year-old has been at the helm of Bristol Rovers since 2021 and sealed promotion back to League One last season resulting in a three-year contract extension this summer.

Bristol Rovers will begin their League One campaign begins away at Portsmouth on Saturday, August 5 before a first home game of the campaign against Barnsley comes on Saturday, August 12.