THERE are those who would, not wholly unreasonably, single out Joey Barton as a shining example of all that is wrong with the modern footballer.

Yet fair play to the 31- year-old for his Saturday night post-match Twitter comments.

He said: “Congratulations to Burnley.

“Thoroughly deserved all 3 points today. Nowhere near good enough from us.”

That he managed to show such good grace after suffering defeat, conceding a penalty and having been struck by a bottle lobbed by a moron in the James Hargreaves Stand suggests he’s not beyond redemption.

Yet Barton was only half right. It wasn’t so much that QPR weren’t good enough, more that the Clarets were too good for them.

Defensively Burnley were sound. Tom Heaton had only the most routine of saves to make and the returning Charlie Austin cut a peripheral and isolated figure.

In midfield Burnley used the ball much more effectively than the visitors.

And up front, the Hoops failed to conjure anything as thrilling or deadly as the almost telepathic interchange between Sam Vokes and Danny Ings which culminated in the Clarets’ delightfully executed and thoroughly deserved opener.

Somewhere near the top of the almost endless list of pleasing aspects to Saturday’s win must be the upending of an old tradition at Turf Moor.

That of the team manoeuvring itself into a great position, raising expectation levels, attracting a large crowd, then stinking the place out.

That there never looked to be the remotest hint of that happening is down to the attitude Sean Dyche has clearly instilled in his squad.

“You can do anything you wish and I have made that clear to the players,” he said after the game.

Indeed, reasons for believing that the best side outside the top flight can’t keep this up, fall away with every passing week.

Since topping the table with victory at Doncaster at the start of this month, the Clarets have overcome the significant obstacle of a much-fancied Reading side, broken a 40 year-old hoodoo at Ipswich and ripped up the only unbeaten record in the top four domestic divisions.

It’s also worth mentioning that the only league goal this side has conceded since September 21, has been the self-inflicted one against Reading.

As for tonight, one imagines that West Ham will be too engaged with their travails at the wrong end of the Premier League to be too interested in the Capital One Cup. Quarter-finals, anyone?