12 years and it comes to this, bye Barry
So after nearly a year Barry has gone.
I remember his debut at Sheff Wed away and shortly afterwards his second game at Goodison. Anyone who was there will remember the impression he gave to us all. He seemed to have everything at only 17, poise, quality passing and an intelligent football brain.
Over the years at Villa his form never quite lived up to that promise, well until MON joined us. He played Left back, Left Midfielder, Left central defender but never seemed to settle into one position, in fact at the end of DOL it is well documented he was about to leave us for £4m to Pompey.
Then MON joined us, made Barry some promises and made him the key of our side that Barry really played up to it and up until last season played fantastic and played his way into the England Squad and now an almost permanent fixture of the England side.
things were different then
Then it went wrong.
Something happened and Barry for me gave the signal to Liverpool that he was interested in moving, we had a summer where we stuck to our guns and won but it was clear from what I saw this season that he was not interested in really playing for us. It does not take much for a pro footballer to lose the 5% extra that makes all the difference and he lost it. The lack of pace was suddenly shown up and he seemed to pull out of the physical side of the game. For me and others it looked over and we expected him to leave for one of the ‘Sky Four’, as it was it Manchester City and a huge wage that persuaded him to leave and let me remind you of the News of the World quotes.
Barry, 27, said: “My mind’s made up, I want to join Liverpool. There’s no going back, it’s time for me to move on. I’m desperate to play Champions League football and that’s why I have to leave Villa.
“I hope the Villa fans understand. I have given my all for the club for 10 years and I’m only leaving because now I need to test myself at the very highest level.
“And I can honestly say if Villa were in the Champions League I wouldn’t even consider leaving this great club.”
Manchester City hardly fulfil these criteria and Pat Murphy on Radio 5 today has also said that 6 months ago Barry re-iterated to him that the aim was Champions league, so it is amazing what a wad of notes waved in front of someone will do.
Motivation factor
In retrospect Barry was lost to us last summer, he has been a good servant but not at the legend status, he never ripped up trees but never really player poorly but the manner of his leaving leaves a very sour taste in his mouth and we can only help that Martin and Randy have some aces up their sleeves to wash this taste out of our mouths.
Barry in Talks with Man City
Just been announced on the Official Site that Barry is in talks with Manchester City over a possible move.
a Liar and a Judas
Yes this is the same Gareth Barry who claimed he would only move from us to another Champions League club, in other words he is a liar and those who defended him this year when he has been poor should now realise that we were telling the truth over him
He could have been a legend now a judas
When I have calmed down later today I will post a more detailed response.
Randy is a quick Lerner
Randy speaks and that is not very often and as someone who guards his thoughts very carefully he did this in a class way by inviting journo’s round for a fireside chat, no interviews but just in what seems like a relaxed manner. So what did he say and more importantly what did it mean for the future.
When he speaks it means something
“He’s been fantastic. I think Martin has bought into the club. He has emotionally invested and I think it suits the way he is wired.
“We’ve improved steadily and we have qualified for Europe two years in a row.”
Well it seems like we all know that MON in Randy’s eyes he is doing very well and these words just add further to my comfort factor with the two of them in charge.
“Will there be funds for players this summer? Yes. Like any club we are conscious of having money available for the summer.
“We are also conscious of managing the players leaving and trying to generate funds from that. It is a balancing act but, yes, there will be funds.
“Will the credit crunch impact on funds available this summer? I don’t really view the credit crunch as a big issue in terms of the funding for the summer.
“But, if anything, what has gone on in the economy makes you very conscious of building a sustainable business because, in the end, that is what you are responsible for doing.
“To the extent that you are deficit spending, maybe you should think very hard about how you are ultimately going to pay it off and the consequences of not being able to pay it off.
“We know clubs that got into trouble before and those disappointments far exceed not having the best players and not winning what one sets out to win. They are long term problems that don’t go away.
“That is more in my mind where things like the credit crunch impact on your thinking, impact on the psychology of spending and they should in my opinion.”
All very sensible stuff and shows despite a few fears on forums that we really could have been impacted by the recession these words should comfort us all because we know to make the next step up that money will be made available.
“I would give Barry the highest ranking possible. He is the best. He is a gentleman, a great player, a leader, a great captain,” said Lerner of the Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur target.
“I don’t think anyone could do better than Gareth on any level. Am I optimistic Gareth will stay? Yes, I am optimistic. It is my nature. He is currently really speaking to Martin O’Neill.
“Am I happy for him to wind down his current contract? That’s his decision. If it means he is staying another year, I am absolutely happy. Even though Villa would lose £10-£12 million? Yes, absolutely.”
Well I disagree with a lot of this about Barry and I think some of it is make sure we get the best possible price for him but again it shows how we do business. We are not pushovers and will not allow ourselves to be bullied by others whether it is our own players or other clubs.
Finally he rounded it off by saying
“If clubs come in for Gabby and Ashley, will we sell them? No. There is no way right now I could imagine that happening.”
Again very strong signals for any predators lurking around and surely this must say to any prospective players we may want that we are deeply ambitious to succeed. This end of season speech to me is about ensuring we are seen as serious players despite the last three months and we are progressing in the right way. Maybe for some it is not quick enough but maybe it is the right way to progress slowly in what are very uncertain times.
Image of our season and a blessing in disguise
This mirrors what has happened since January just 7 points in 11 games and whilst there are many factors but the obvious one is the midfield and the lack of cover it gives the defence. And as I pointed out here that the cause of this was moving to a 4-4-2 and leaving Barry and Petrov in the middle. Whilst both have good qualities and Petrov easily player of the season the problem is Gareth Barrry.
you are not as irreplacable as you think you are
Simply in a flat 4 in midfield he is too slow to be dynamic enough to cover the space, many times he fails to track attacking midfielders leaving Petrov to do a lot of cover up work for him. I do not like to have a go at MON but he is too loyal to him and for me it is obvious he should have been dropped for either Sidwell, NRC or Gardner when they are fit and whoever is playing well.
On the forums too many fans in my view are wrong when they say Barry is irreplaceable and is the quality in our side that makes us tick, that on this season’s evidence is Petrov, what has never happened for us to make a judgement is that Barry rarely gets injured. Barry leaving in the summer could actually be a blessing in disguise as it will force MON to change his view on how the midfield should play.
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