Joey Barton believes that the Football Association need a "drastic shake up" after revealing that he has received a letter telling him to stop predicting match results on Twitter.

The Queens Park Rangers captain, who is known for his outbursts on the social network site, has stated that he has been sent 30 letters from the English governing body since he began tweeting over a year-and-a-half ago.

"Just received my weekly warning letter from FA headquarters, this time regarding me tweeting about predicting the weekends Manchester double," Barton wrote on Twitter. "According to the FA, I am not allowed to give my opinion of possible results in case that is seen as insider information.

"These people are so out of touch with reality its untrue. What difference does my opinion of the outcome of a match, have on the result? None. The strange thing is they have probably sent me 30 letters since I started tweeting. That's 30 pieces of paper wasted....stop sending please.

"I'll probasbly get a letter about the last few tweets. Thats how ridiculous its become. Drastic shake up needed to move the game into 21st century."

Meanwhile, Barton and his teammates are preparing for a fourth-round FA Cup clash against Chelsea on Saturday.