The 26-year-old midfielder has featured in the club's last three games after completing a six-match disciplinary ban on top of the prison sentence he had to serve during the summer.

However, he has already found himself in the headlines, first after being targeted by Sunderland fans and then becoming involved in a spat with Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor which led to allegations of racist abuse.

Neither Villa nor the Football Association decided to take any further action after Monday night's incident but the former Manchester City midfielder has been left in little doubt every action will be scrutinised in minute detail.

Kinnear said: "None of this is going to go away. Joey is playing with all this stuff over his head and it is coming back to haunt him and the only way he can answer his critics is to play good football.

"He has to just be himself and play as well as he has been. He was outstanding the other night.

"When he came on against Sunderland, he got stories for the wrong reason, and again, it marred his performance. What happened the other night was unfortunate.

"But the thing is with Joey, he has got good character. I speak to him on a daily basis and I have spoken to him and said, 'You are in the limelight, you can't afford to give them what they are looking for. You are a silly boy'.

"But he is so competitive. He is a winner, and like all competitors and winners, they sometimes over-step the mark because of their nature.

"He has got to control that and once he manages to do that, then he is as good as most midfielders around in the Premier League.

"He is a winner for sure, so I don't ever want him to lose that. I don't want him to lose the fact that he has that winning mentality, I don't want that to be taken away from him.

"But he has been battered from pillar to post and I have got to make sure I keep him in the right frame of mind.

"I don't want it to get to him, all this stuff that is going on around him.

"He has to live with it, we know that, but he also has to focus on playing good football."

Barton and his team-mates will attempt to extend their run of two successive league victories tomorrow at Fulham, where they won last season courtesy of his last-gasp penalty.

That would represent another significant boost to a manager who admits he has already started the process of identifying possible transfer targets for January should owner Mike Ashley decide to extend his stay at St James' Park later this month when an announcement is expected on the club's future.

Kinnear said: "I will know about my future after the Chelsea game (November 22). Nothing has been told to me since the last chat I had with them.

"If I am fortunate enough to get an extension or get the job for a longer period of time, then I don't want to be left in the lurch.

"I want to know (a) how much I can spend and (b) do I have to sell to generate my own funds?"

One issue which remains to be resolved is that of striker Michael Owen's contract, with one report this morning suggesting Chelsea are preparing a January move for the 28-year-old.

However, Kinnear said: "I have spoken to Michael about it today and he is bewildered himself as to where the stuff comes from. He just doesn't know.

"Of course we want to keep our best players, and I have made that known to Michael."

(reopens)

The teenager assaulted by Barton in the Liverpool city centre attack which led to the midfielder's four-month prison sentence is suing the player for compensation.

In a short directions hearing at Liverpool County Court today District Judge Michael Baker agreed to a request from Phil Alcock, representing Barton who was not present, that he be allowed to question Jordan Spencer when the matter comes to trial.

The case was adjourned to an unspecified date after April 30 next year.