Joey Barton has revealed he plans to introduce a social media ban for his Bristol Rovers squad until they are out of the relegation zone.
The Rovers boss has been irked by some of his players' Twitter activity over the past week, with Luke McCormick and Luke Leahy among players to issue public apologies for their errors as they have fallen into the bottom four.
But with 14 games left to save their season, Barton is fed up of the warm words. He has called for his players to do their talking on the pitch.
"I’m going to speak to the players today about social media," Barton told Bristol Live. "I have a strange love hate relationship with it. When you win it’s a fantastic thing and it’s important to engage with your fanbase.
"But players coming out and saying they’re sorry after making mistakes, that doesn’t help anybody. At the end of the day, just don’t make the mistakes in the game.
"Don’t come out in the aftermath and say you’re sorry. I’ve been guilty of it myself, it doesn’t bode well. It’s a negative interaction and we only need positive interactions at this moment in time.
"I’m going to advise the players that they can’t use Twitter when we get beat, draw or we’re in the bottom four. You just shouldn’t be using it, there’s nothing positive on there, they shouldn’t be saying ‘I’m going to do this…’ Just do it. Get out on the training pitch and do it. Put it into action don’t put it into words.
"If they win, and the fans want to tell them how well they’ve done and they want to bask in the adulation of that, no problem because that positive energy can help them in their lives and careers.
"But I think, if you’ve made a mistake, OK, it happens, it’s part and parcel of life and football, but don’t be online tweeting you’re sorry. That doesn’t serve anyone. Put it right in the next game or training session. We have to break this cycle as I think social media can be a positive for some people but it can be an energy sapper, like a vampire sucking the life out of people when at this moment all we need is positive contributions and energy.
"That’s the only thing that will get us out of the situation now."
Barton, in his press conference ahead of Tuesday's visit ahead of Accrington Stanley, said there was a "malaise and complacency" at Rovers that needs to be addressed, and he has promised he will foster a winning culture in BS7.
"I understood what I was getting myself into," he said.
"I knew I wasn’t coming into an elite level performing and winning culture as the league table suggested otherwise and the results profile suggested otherwise.
"I can see the potential of the football club and where we can take it, that’s what excites me and I’ll be driving towards it. Not the negativity of the past, the bad habits, culture and whatever has gone before because that’s none of my business and I can’t affect that.
"What I can affect is the future and what I will affect is the future."
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