It wasn't about playing the bad guy. You have concocted your own narrative, which is of course the truth to you, and so forth. What Joyce is saying is that Morrissey didn't complain about all of these things at the time, so it's strange that he would now denigrate everyone involved. Morrissey seemed rightfully proud of The Smiths and their records. The point is that he was either lying then or he is lying now.
So you might say, "Well, Morrissey had to play the "good guy" to get things done." No. If they were such incompetent idiots, and Alain as well, then why did he work with them for years? Why, if they didn't deserve to be in his band, did he go on with them, and even work with them in some choice moments of his solo career?
This is rhetorical. You don't need to answer. None of us was there. But Mike Joyce was there, and he is saying that there are inconsistencies in Morrissey's story, and pointing out what they are. Of course, both things can't be true.