Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, the England international admitted he feels the Blues have let the City fans down this term.
"This club and its fans deserve to be at the highest level," Barton said. "If I was a fan I wouldn't have paid to watch us at home this season.
"I know a lot of the supporters are umming and ahhing about whether to buy their season tickets," he added.
"They go out and work hard. It is a lot of money to buy a season ticket at our place and they are not getting value for money."
Although City started the season with an impressive home record - not conceding in our first 6 at home and not losing in our first 8 - the Blues have failed to score at CoMS since the New Year's Day win over Everton.
City strikers Bernardo Corradi (3), Paul Dickov (0), Georgios Samaras (4) and Darius Vassell (3) have scored just 10 league goals between them this season, leaving Barton as City's top league scorer with 6.
Corradi and Dickov both arrived last summer and Barton is concerned about the club's recruitment policy.
"There has to be a plan," he said. "Everyone seems to have one in place but at the moment it just feels like this club is praying to get the right players this summer.
"There is no way Reading have spent more than us and no way Everton have either, but they seem to have overachieved. Bolton have not spent big either. I know they paid a lot of money for Nicolas Anelka but we paid a lot for Georgios Samaras.
"You have to face facts," he added. "We have not brought quality in. One or two have done all right but not enough to take the team onto the next level.
"We can't gamble on players who have scored six goals in six games in the Pontins League (the reserves) or in Belgium."