Barry demands move to Anfield and Villa fans are happy, if we get our 20 million pieces of gold

i say get rid of him
i love him to death but i want 100% commitment

Can't help feeling a little sick at all this. Liverpool will not be challenging. They are simply not good enough. They relied on the sheer brilliance of Torres (slightly assisted by Gerrard/Mascherano) to get just above fifth place last year. For a club captain to openly say through his agent he wants to go to this club, a mere two places above the club that made him, is a bit off.

This would make it six players down on the squad from last season - SIX. We need to buy a club I reckon. Become like Dagenham and Redbridge.

liverpool will never pay 20 mill for barry. not enough money in the bank....

20m You're having a laugh.

The only problem is would we actually spend the money on players? All I currently hear is a deafening silence or perhaps I am being unkind and a lot of activity is going on behind the scenes.
Cess

For me if Carrick was worth £16m like Manyoo brought him for, Barry is defo worth £20m!

It's sad to see the guy go but he has been great for us and a good leader. He will be a loss but not a massive one as we do have decent cover in the arms of NRC and Petrov

But £20m!? YES PLEASE!

i think the problem is that he doesnt believe villa will get into the champions league within the next 2 years, he probably feels let down(like the fans do) on the lack of investment on the team and he has a chance to be playing to be playing next season alongside Torres and Gerrard in the CL, it isnt a hard decision to make!
i think we're better off with 20million quid, he can go, and i think he'll regret it, not because villa will be in the CL soon but because liverpool wont do as well as he thinks and barry wont play as much as he thinks!

The UEFA Cup is awful, it doesnt even come close to the Champions League. That is why Barry wants to leave. Villa have never been in it while Liverpool have won it, reached a final and a semi-final in the last 4 years. Liverpool are a bigger club with a better side and are offering more cash. Its the easiest decision in the world, what is all the fuss about?!

no chance of 20 mill. more likely to be 13 and by the way Liverpool were as many points above 5th as man utd were above 4th, so maybe utd were just above 4th then.

no chance of 20 mill. more likely to be 13 and by the way Liverpool were as many points above 5th as man utd were above 4th, so maybe utd were just above 4th then.

I would have loved him to come out and say im 100% staying, obviously, now hearing this news, hes not committed enough to the cause and we should let him go, especially for £20mn. If he ends up going, I do think it would be hard to find a replacement, usually players who are bought for £15mn only go to teams in the Champions League. But I would rather have someone with less quality in his place than a GB who wouldnt be concentrating 100% on his football.

I have to agree with you here 20 million for Barry, you'd be stupid not to accept that. The one thing that disappoints me about the Barry situation is this. Before MON arrived Barry wasnt on any radar. MON persuaded him to stay at Villa transformed his domestic and International career and how does he re-pay all this? Demands a transfer to Liverpool.

redsquad - you're right, we are having a laugh - because you'd never be able to afford it. Look out Rafa - here come the administrators! Quick ! Run!

Can't really blame the guy. He stayed when others would have left, persuaded by MON's arrival and the promise of top quality signings which didn't materialize (Ashley Young apart) last summer, or in January. And here we are again, linked with everybody, missing out on them all - or so it seems to me (and to GB, by the look of things). And no hope of top 4 spot according to our manager...
Sorry for the negativity, but I've been at work all day and all night and I'm really, really knackered!

UpAllNightAndWorriedSick

he stayed when others would have left? when exactly - it was only portsmouth that have come in for him in 10 years .. if you had the choice of villa or portsmouth and villa have just had a new owner come in and its the club you've spent 8 years at - you'd give it another chance

for me, i think it's that he was made promised - they've not happened and so he's off ..

this isn't at you UpAllNightAndWorriedSick, everyone ..

all still believing the PR?

Why take this personally? Put yourself in his shoes - you're 27 years old, you maybe 2/3 seasons left at your peak, naturally you'll want to spend them playing at the highest level you can. Why begrudge him that? Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the world, much bigger than us I'm afraid, and the opportunity to play for them doesn't come along very often. Playing in the Intertoto Cup is pittance compared with the Champions League. Of course he'll be earning more money but he'll be challenging for serious honours for the first time in his career. He's only doing what anyone in his situation would do.

Barry has been a loyal servant to the club for a long time. Don't forget it was only a short time ago he snubbed the chance to leave for a new challenge because he thought the right thing to do was stay here, and with all due respect to Tottenham, the lure of Liverpool is a million miles apart.

He's given us some great years and we should thank him for that. He wants to progress his career and I don't see why we shouldn't support him.

Agree totally with the article. God forbid i've agreed with damian twice in one day.

I don't think anybody, including Damian, can begrudge Barry a move. As you say, it might not be a massive step up, however it is a step up and i can't see us (or anybody else) dislodging the pool from 4th for at least two seasons. I totally agree with your point about the way it has been handled by Barry, his agent and Liverpool. Dispicable on all fronts. Anyway, i wish him well but hope he lives to regret the day he left Villa which, ironically, is a good thing for AVFC :)

Barry is not so Mr.Perfect anymore, i respect his decision ( possibly ) to go and play CL FOOTBALL! ---BUT--- If Martin didnt come in and get barry to play better again, he would still be slumbering away at his midstandard level, Martin made him better than that and now he wants to leave..

:) It doesn't matter what you scouser glory hunters say if MoN say 20m thats the price,Barry has said he has nothing to think about until a bid is accepted so 20m it is, thanks

vivavilla!

i dont begrudge him the move - i think anything around £8mn. would have been excellent business for us. but i'm on record saying that i dont think he's a very good central midfielder

but first things first - he was never on the verge of signing for Spurs - it was portsmouth

second - this isn't loyalty - nearly signing for portsmouth then wanting to sign for liverpool (two opportunities and he wants to leave at both times) it really isn't loyalty getting made a millioanire when there is no alternative. it's doing your job

i'm all for letting him go and dont begrudge him. what winds me up is these rose tinted glasses people seem to have because he's been distinctly average for 8 seasons - him leaving is just like yorke going to united and yorke was absued for that

martin o'neill made his career at villa what it is - him going is a slap in the face for o'neill

I think we should let him go, its obvious he wants to go and join a team of rotators. Villa are on the up and if we do get some of the players we are gunning for, Barry will be looking back in 6months from the sidelines.

Nanado, you have summed it up mate, you are as far away from Man U as we currently are from the top 4. Unfortunately for you, our 2 clubs seem to be moving in different directions. Having said that, not sure we could attract anyone better than Barry to replace him!! UTV

I say let him go, we all remeber what happen to Bosnich when he thought he hit the big time at Man U. O'Neill however needs to stop telling fans to be patient we have been waiting for signing and good business for the last two seasons. Fans will start to lose faith in him and Learner if he doesn't act soon.

I think if barry leaves it is prrof that there is no hope for villa or any other team breaking into the top four if the so called big teams always take our best players. Watching the premiership last season not one player could put a ball in the box better than ashley young, he will be next to go as the top 4 teams dnt have a player that can put a delivery right on the money like ash does apart from ronaldo.

According to Dan Jones of Vital Football, amongst others, Gareth Barry has phoned Martin O'Neill saying after 10 years at Villa he wants to stay loyal to the club.

Villa skipper's agent Alex Black is quoted as saying:

'Gareth has spoken to Martin since he returned from England`s game in Trinidad and told him how he feels. At this stage of his career Gareth wants to be playing Champions League football and believes this is his chance to do it.' It is believed that if Martin O`Neill can strengthen the team during the current transfer window that Aston Villa would be a real force in Premiership next season, building on a squad that already consists of hot prospects Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young, both currently England Internationals.

All players want to play Champions League, all players should want to help the team they are with play Champions League!

The report says Barry hopes a bid of around £15million can be rejected. Alex Black is believed to have asked for an extension to Barry`s current deal with the club.

This story will come as a real blow to Liverpool and their fans. It is already thought that Liverpool are having to use the sell to buy technique, but overpricing players like Scott Carson and Peter Crouch at £10mil and £15mil respectively, it could prove impossible to raise the funds required to make any top signings.


See boys and girls, its THAT easy.

Gareth Barry is going nowhere.

barry staying or going has a effect but not the biggest affect
this in my opinion is villas biggest summer in 20 years
its the time we make our mind up as were we want to be
we either invest and build and try to break the top 4
or we decide we cant do it and stay a mid table team
it really is that simple
our biggest summer for years
we will all know come september what the future lies

I'm disappointed that Villa have allowed the situation to get to the point where we said "no way he's not going", when the fact is, he is. We don't come out of this looking good. I hate to say it, but Mr O'Neill's rant at Rafa was untimely, and not what we needed. We've been smacked about by Liverpool.

phillbull

i tend to agree with you - next season is vital and this summer, while not the only factor, is a big one, especially with the likes of spurs spending and having a very good manager, everton already up there ..

this summer is about bringing in the quality (that you can get without champions league football) to secure top 6 and fight for 5th .. if we drop down this season, it's just further to fight the season after ...

but i got stick for suggesting this the other day ..

i think its about time he put his cards on the table , now his intentions are in no doult we can move on ...we now know we need a top class baller in the middle of the park...but barry can be replace.. good luck to him as i live in london its going to be a nightmare listening to the london wannabe scousers banging on about the best player to come out of the villa academy since dwight.

i agree with damian let barry go we are not a one man sqaud we could use the cash to buy, as it looks like randy may have very deep pockets and he will only spend what we have made in the club. i will be very surprised if we buy players who have made it else where for other clubs because the teams who splash the cash get the best players, we are not and never will be in there league so we will have to carry on looking for the barrys,david platts,andy grays etc of this world that wont cost us an arm and a leg to get us by, its sad but its true ive seen many chairmen and even more managers come and go and they all promise great things only one delivered and that was the great ron saunders whom we should of given him what ever he wanted because he made a team of nobodys into world beaters,its all so well giving free scarfs away free trips to chelski etc etc etc we need MONEY SPENT NOW AND LOTS OF IT or we can kiss the dream of 4th place good bye be more like 14th you cannot win a league just with a bunch of kids we need players who have great footballing brains as well as a bit of magic at there feet what i say to martin Oneil is spend the cash or else we are doomed...ps hope i,m wrong for the sake of the thousands of villa fans out there

Damian I respect your views on Barry. I still think he is top class but personally I prefer him on the left where he demonstrated under Taylor that his lack of pace did not prevent him from getting quality crosses in from deep or behind the full back.

If you concede that he is top class (which obviously you don't but all the pundits and the current England manager disagree with you) then the problem is simple. We are losing a top class player that we will not replace. Villa will NOT pay top dollar to get players in regardless of what MON says because you are competing with other clubs who will pay way over market value.

Next year we will therefore lose players like Young and Gabby IF they progress. It's inevitable I'm afraid.

Thats why I would turn down £30m for Barry.

Anyone who thinks he's not leavin is clueles...
Anyone who slags him for not bein loyal is clueless, he's made over 400 appearances for u, and won what? FUCK ALL.
He's a talented, ambitious player, who has established himself as first choice in Englands midfield, so why would he stay at a club with no hope of winnin anythin or playin European football, not even UEFA cup???
Is not about loyalty, its about progressing his career. If Villa were half decent and actually challenging for things, he's be goin nowhere.
Maybe you small minded brummy idiots will realise this when he's walkin round the pitch in Rome next May with a Champions League winners medal round his neck...

First of all am i wrong thinking this is a villa blog,ive noticed theres been alot of input from liverscum fans,i mean they should have their say but why not on thier own blog!!secondly trader you say .. Villa have never been in it while Liverpool have won it,.. but mate 1982,was the european cup then and when you won it in 2005 still the european cup check your facts mate!lastly im a big gb fan,and have been saying he wont go,but for 20 mil id take him there myself!!

Damian,

I totally agree there are many who overrate Barry. Over the 8 years he has been one of our consistently better players though, so it's fair enough the fans want to be well comepenstated to see an integral part of the team leave. I'm inclined to agree with your valuation though, as much as I'd love to see us squeeze every penny out of a richer club, I just can't justify a player like Barry being sold for more when he's not worth it.

I do disagree about loyalty and about a slap in the face to O'Neill though. Yes, he wanted to leave (Portsmouth/Spurs... it's irrelevant), but in the situation the club was in can you really blame him? O'Leary had us in rut and we were going nowhere but backwards. In this day and age 90% of players put their personal ambitions, that's a given and we have to accept that, so the prospect of facing another relegation battle can't be appealing to anyone. Barry didn't particularly want to leave Villa during that offseason, I think we could all tell that. It was a very difficult thing for him to come to terms with, but for the sake of his career he had to consider it. Barry made a brave decision to put his faith in O'Neill and we all know how that turned out. I don't really think that just because O'Neill helped him reach a higher platform, that Barry somehow owes it to O'Neill to stay in a situation like this. It's not abandoning us, it's a great opportunity. I'm sure O'Neill will understand this and so long as we're appropriately compensated and can bring in a suitable replacement, it won't matter anyway.

Rampage personnally I agree with most of what Jamie the Red said and I don't mind other fans coming on it's interesting to get their take. Unfortunately though both of you ruin it with your petty insults and I would rather not read contributions from either of you.

Good to see your not responding Damien ;)

I said in this site yesterday it won't be $20m, at most $16m IMO. Maybe it's just his agent being quoted and it seems as if it is in the sun and vitaless football, these things get exaggerated and could be the agent wanting some of his sign on slice?

MON has let players go if they want to and has said he does not want anyone at this club that's not 100% (Ridgewell,Cahill, Davis), so if he does really want to go, he will.

I think that numb nuts Rafa should get reported though, severe tapping up, then Gerrard follows suit. Bang out of order.

If he does goes,although I love Barry, it would be nice next year if we pip Liverpool to the last or one of the Champs league spots. With their Chairmen carrying I really can see a collapse coming from Anfield, so maybe not a wise move.

Barry did tell us make the signings this summer and I stay. We have not made 1 so far- so maybe we have made his decision for him??

Report Rafa

McVilla

I didn't think there was anything for me to respond to .. my views on Barry are perfectly clear I think .. after three years and more comment in the last month.

I think my views on Barry are perfectly clear ;)

With this being GBs final decision this will be my last comment on the subject:

I'd like to wish GB luck and thank him for his efforts through the good and not so good times, I'd love to have the Gerrard/Barry midfield down at villa park but thats never gonna happen - and I cant blame him for wanting to play at the very highest level after so many years of mid-table dross!

I've got this horrible feeling that whatever spout MON and RL gave him (during the meetings) about players coming in and where we want to be was just not enough, and if they couldn't persuade a player who has given us 9 or 10 years of service to stay then how are we supposed to attract "top class players" (sorry to bring that up). As a die hard fan I have the right to now question the ambition of our club and our ability to attract/keep better players, the proof is in the pudding, we did not give our club captain enough reasons to make him want to stay - does that mean our clubs ambition is less than our captains... to me that is the only possible outcome, and a very worrying one too!

I suppose the other way to look at it is that he's heard it all b4 and just thought [i]"fuck it, I cant be arsed anymore, I've been here ten years and won the intertoto cup, I'm off!"[/i]

Has anyone heard Barry say he wants to go? No is the answer. The idiot who is his agent - this Alex Black bloke or whatever his name is - has gone to the press to put pressure on Barry. Just remember, the agent gets 20% of any deal, so if Barry stays at Villa he gets nothing. He is obviously worried Barry won't go, otherwise why go to the press at this stage. Let's wait to hear from Barry before we judge him.

What will happen to us if FIFA instigate this 6 5 rule and the top four have to go out and buy the best of English Talent???

You know the first step will be Villa Park, if GB goes and justifies his decisiion by cementing himself in the team then all other players will jump at the oportunity to go. That is the real harshness of the situation.

Although we have made massive strides under MON and RL, we are realistically 6/7 world class players away from breaking into and staying in the top 4, if GB goes I think it's a sign that we're struggling to up the ante!

I agree with Damian, if we can get over £15M I would be happy. Yes, he has ben a great servant to the club, but let's look realistically, he is only a four or five goal a season scorer (open play, anyone can take penalties!). I would rather cash in now, while someone is willing to pay stupid money, then invest that on Sidwell (£5M), Wright-Philips (£7M) and Finnan (£2M) as has been "speculated". I am sure MON can get the best back out of the first 2 and Finnan is a good steady defender who would be an asset to most teams.

Craig Cochrane

1st - i doubt his agent gets 20%
2nd - barry might not have said it himself - thats whay he has an agent
3rd - rafa has even said barry wants to leave - he's not going to say that unless he knows

2 ways to view this:
either he wants to move to a team who are in the champions league and not play for them in that competition because he is not good enough
or he is holding out for money from villa

interesting if arsenal were to come in for him surely 20 then!

Damian you wrote

[quote]If you're offended by my opinion, there is a comment box for you below, but I won't be replying individually again as it is too time consuming and it's just an opinion - you don't have to like it or agree with it. [/quote]

However you have made 3 personal replies to users. I don't need a reply to his one thanks!

This here Barry subject is obviously not going away so I'll stick my two penneth in....

If you want to go to Liverpool or any other club that plays CL football Gareth then you have my personal blessing and thanks for the service, you have helped keep Villa in the spotlight, especially in the last 2 years. (let's face it when have we had any other Villa England regular standard bearer recently). Also at 20 million I think it's a fair price. Until we get quotes from Gareth saying he wants to go or we get an accepted offer and Gareth then wants to go then I ain't bothered. But thats only my opinion.

It's good to have opinions of the other teams fans, but both parties don't need to have a vitriolic exchange with each other (for the Liverpool fans than means 'bitter word'). Sorry, could not resist that, but I would have said it about any other fans, so not personal! You gotta be able to laugh at yourself ain't ya?

Up The Villa

Wow. In the time it took me to write the last comment you have done two more replies Damian!

Let's get taglors opinion on the Barry thing!

McVilla

I get it now ;)

What I meant was I wasn't going to respond to the type of comment usually left by Peter .. ;)

and andyarkitekt

please read above ;)

Interesting that DOL got fined for saying that James Beattie was a player 'who wanted to play for us'. If Rafa gets away scott free it'll be a joke.

I think we will get 15 mill for Barry, however I believe what goes around comes around. It will be interesting to hear them cry when they start to get their players poached.

I am concerned though that we aren't being more proactive, purely from a logical point of view. If we are playing the intergalactic cup in July, then surely it's better to get the players in now, so that they can gel.

Of course there is another argument, that we wont be able to get better players until they have seen that we have qualified for the UEFA cup.

We are in danger of experiencing the three year curse. Gregory wanted to spend when we were top of the table and he was turned down. We are in a very strong position again and we really do need to buy quality, otherwise next season will be a lot more difficult with the likes of Spurs, Man City upping the ante.

vivavilla! Couldn't agree more with you but Damien has some warped notion of loyalty that he keeps harping on about which is getting a little tedious. Yes we know your feelings, because you post the same views every few days can we please move on or at least wait until a reputable newspaper prints a story? This is getting old, can we move on or at least talk about i when it happens? What happened to not responding to comments, you just want to argue don't you?

Damian you wrote

[quote]What I meant was I wasn't going to respond to the type of comment usually left by Peter ..[/quote]

There's two things that this points out...

Firstly, that's the point Damian you say I have misunderstood you, that it was directed at Peter, but you then put the bit 'What I meant was....' So having to clarify it means that it was easy to misconstrude in the first place. I think well call it quits on that?

Secondly it just goes to show what's written and sounds correct and plausable it gets taken out of context. So when we read these reports in the papar etc allegedly from Gareths agent they may not actually mean what some people are 'reading' into them.

It would be grate for the nerves if we could leave it all until it's sorted and we now who will be signed in a few weeks time. But I suppose all this speculation and rumour passes a lunch time....Back to work!

Get rid of this asshole now !

If he doesnt want to be part of the future at Villa and just want to do it the easy way and join his bumchum Gerrard at Scouseville then let him go ! I dont care that he's given 10 Years service to us he's still a glory huning ass wipe and i hope he gets his just deserts when he returns to Villa Park in the future ! Id say to Liverpool you give us 20 Million and you can have him otherwise we will drop him and stick him in the reserves for 2 Years, thats the price , you want him you pay it !!!

wish this whole saga will finish, its probably holding all efforts to sign other players.
Its quite funny that a contract nowadays means absolutely nothing even if you signed 4-5 years. Fifa need to step in and stop these pouching of players still under contract! >:(

I've disagreed with you on selling Barry before Damian, and certainly still disagree with anyone who thinks Sidwell/Petrov/NRC should or could replace him. That said, If we do sell for 20m it would be good business in terms of the fee, but still looks really bad on us as a club if he wants out for Liverpool. How are we going to attract anyone if he leaves before we sign some more? Assuming he goes for 20m, I would estimate we need to spend 60m if we want to move forward, as Spurs/Man City & co will all be much stronger next season. I'm worried!

Barry is awsome, he is easily worth £20m. He has served us well and I think we should respect his decision. He has not left yet so dont slag off our own player. Look at the facts, he is easily our best player and he is one of Englands best and most consistent performers. I hope he stays but as MON is not doing anything in the market why should he hang around.

I agree with Craig, though Craig it's pretty obvious he wants to go! I doubt however that he is as desperate as Dwight Yorke was for example. There is no guarantee of silverware at LFC and there is a risk to his England place if he goes and ends up benched regularly like Crouch. If Villa stick to their guns however and are prepared to write off the opportunity to possibly £10m I believe GB would honour his contract.

PS Deltic you are a disgrace.

does no one else think if our manager wasnt off playing tv star and was sat down lookin to buy some quality players, it would give one of the best players our club has seen in over 15- 20 years the confedance that this 'big' club of ours can be great again and him want to be part of that.
but MON seems quite happy gettin a free ride from the bbc does he need the money does he need to be spending his summer like this remembering we start our session earlyer then eveyone else correct me if im wrong but wasnt big ron given the ultimatum when he was in charge club or media just a thought????????

Like most id like Barry to stay but you can understand him wanting to go to Liverpool we are on the way up but if you look at the players the scouse can bring in compared to us were still a way of challenging year in year out. I dont think we'd get 20 mill but id take Finnan 15 mil, they can keep all the other tat they are trying to offload including Crouch. I wish we'd start making some moves for players no excuses this season its time to splash Randy's dollars on some quality.

Dixie: Do you not think that if you were in one of the most performance related, high powered jobs that you would give 100%? All premiership managers do and I'm sure whatever MON is doing it has absolutely no impact on his job as a manager. I think everyone should relax a bit and realise how lucky we are to have MON - most other fans would love to have him including England!

look if he wants 2 leave let him go but we dont need the money we need players so hopefully we can bring back crouch and sort out our right back position with steve finnan im shocked barry wants 2 leave after we got him in the england team just when were startin 2 break into the top 4

If We do get 20m for Barry, I want that spent on one quality Centre Midfielder-not 10. We need someone to bring confidence and quality to our Midfield, and a big name to boost the fans

im in no way doubting mons ability his record speaks for its self im just saying that if we were workin on getting big names to the club we could keep hold of players like barry, i know we aint top 4 but thats no reason not to try and get a few big names we can build th club aroun look ar arsenal when they got dennis bergcamp (i dont know how to spell it) and chelsea with zola even bolton gettin anelka not big clubs but big players

dixie

first off - i'm a huge fan of martin o'neill, but what record are you talking of?

I have picture of new shirt...Man at villa emailed it me....if you want it email jurgenpopp@hotmail.co.uk

Dixie we won't get big names coming to the Villa. We won't get the sexy players like SWP and Defoe but we will get some of the emerging talent like Reo Coker, Davies and Young. Live with it.

10-12mil plus a player is the best we will get IMO, and if that player is riise or kuyt then we should bite their hand off

if its penant, crouch or finnan or less than 10mil then we should say no

If I were MON, I say to Barry - So you want off, well if we don't qualify next season you can leave with my blessing. By then Rafa would've been sacked which I hear as a cert before the new season. Also with Liverpool nowhere near good enough to challenge Man U or Chelski - Stevie G will leave as he keeps talking about. I would also like Barry to realise that he will get not only a hard time by the Villa fans but also England - I wouldn't think he'll get much of a look in with England as a sub for Liverpool.

Take the money and run, it pains me that Rafa seems to have won this round and i wish RL would seek to take *spit* liverpool to FIFA.

I will be gutted if he went but i think he`d fall flat on his arse at *spit* liverpool,and i hope he enjoyed the run in the England team.

I think we could replace him with a quicker and more consistent Midfielder for the money we would get.

BUT i was under the impression he had 2yrs on his contract and as it`s apparent Claret and Blue aren`t his favourite colours, (remember spurs and pompie "tempted" him not long ago) i`d more than welcome him serving me chips and a bevy at half time for the next 2yrs.

After this saga he`s lost all respect i had for him and imo has slapped MoN in the face with a poo finger just under the poor mans nose.

20 mill!?He isn't worth that much,is he?Well with that money imagine who we could buy! :)

Has Martin O'Neill got Aston Villa's best interests at heart????Martin O'Neill should be 100% focused on signings this summer, after making great strides over the last 2 years. This is the most important summer for decades for the club and he is off helping his own bank account with the BBC. We need at least 7 or 8 big signings if we want to better our position next season. Martin pull your finger out and focus on you job at Aston Villa and not lineing your own pocket.

has been a great player but we will b fine without him. i wouldnt want him now anyway his heart no longer lies wid our club. so lets cash in and see what player we can get

Anything more than £12mn is GREAT business for us. Take the money and move on. Now Martin canbuild HIS team.

Barry wants to leave because MON has failed to deliver in the transfer market. At this rate a top half finish is the best we can expect. We are being linked with average players so fair play to Barry but i expect he will regret leaving as soon as he has his wheels pinched for the 1st time.

£20m? thanks ...next.

Barry deserves to choose now what he thinks is his best chance of champs league experience, whether it lies possibly with villa next season or a quick fix with liverpool.

If he chooses the latter, then sadly i think he'll be nothing more thean mascheranos number 2 in rafa's tinkering. Maybe used as left back or left sided midfield during unstrengthened fieldings or through injuries.

As a result of a lack of club form, his new found international career will disolve and lampard will probably force himself back in to mismatch with gerrard once again.

Starlet and graft for glory? or bitpart and, maybe, a medal?

A big decision for Barry to make but still a chance he'll stay on to become a Villa legend.

I feel yr pain Villa fans. We had exactly the same situation when Gerrard nearly moved to chelski.

The difference in the end was that Gerrard was scouse born and he still saw the chance that we would win things.

Barry has looked at Villa and seen he is unlikely to win anything with them. Alongside that he is now an Inger-land regular and getting to mix with the elite (!) players and he wants more of that.

We will end up paying 14million for him and we will be very happy to have him. Many of us believe he is the missing link in our drive to win the League.

Good luck in the Inter-toto Cup by the way.

if barry leaves it wont be such a big deal, we have more important players in our team, Martin Laursen and Ashley Young. Barry is quality but far too inconsistent and £15m is great business!! we can then buy someone better, more consistent and give someone else the chance to shine. This is a big summer for us and we will be challenging the top four with our without Gareth Barry, remember when rooney left everton, look how they responded because the whole team were given equal responsibilty and i believe that will happen a villa. Martin Laursen for captaincy next season!!!!!

Damian,

You obviously want a response from me - so I will give you it.

You talk rubbish. You have your favourites and people you dislike - and it makes you inconsistent. If Barry is disloyal, then so is Mellberg - but you gloss over that don't you. Personally I would rather a player leaves and we get money for him - rather than he runs down his contract and we get nothing. I am sure Martin O'Neill and Randy Lerner would think the same. If Liverpool had come in for Mellberg, whilst in contract, do you honestly think he would have stayed? Because he would not have. So if Barry is disloyal so is Mellberg.

I just don't understand how it can be one rule for one, and one for another. Maybe its because Martin O'Neill took the captaincy off Mellberg and gave it to Barry. Maybe its because you are Swedish or live in Sweden or something - but you are biased.

As for you comment that Spurs did not try to buy Barry - how do you know. On the evidence of this site you know no more than the average fan at home. No in fact, before recommending we sign David Bentley, the average fan would recognise that he does not play left wing wouldn't they?

Enjoy the Sweden game!

Who cares? If Barry wants to leave us let him warm the bench every other match at Anfield. Then, if he's still worth it, we can buy him back when Liverpool go into administration. We'l,l find someone younger and better. Thanks for you hard work over the years, Barry, and I hope you leave the scum after a year to go to a decent side, like Man U;)

its a big mistake in my opinion as i cant see rafa being at liverpool for much longer, maybe a season or 2, i cant see barry being the difference in liverpool winning the league and finishing 4th, if rafa wins nothing next season i cant see him being there at the end of it, then where will gareth be???? who knows but the new manager will want his own players. gareth barry is in martin oneills plans and even if oneill wins nothing next season and finishes 4th he will still be villa manager and gareth will still be in his plans. and before you liverpool fans start saying it...NO martin oneill isnt going to replace rafa ' the riff' benitez. i can see why gareth wants to go to liverpool though, it seems like a good move in the short term

and people stop criticizing oneill maybe he has gave lerner a list and lerner is doing the negotiations or some1 has been appointed to do this

if he wants out, then let him go, but at our price. liverpool are to used to using their name to unsettle players and getting a FAIR price but when it comes to selling want top dollar!
he is not irreplacable and is a guilty of anyone of going missing in big games ie man utd!
my concern is all our targets dont seem to be coming out in the press to say they would want the move to us, club and iperhaps that says a lot about them and shows up barry for what he is.
hope you enjoy the bench and a slow death to your career at both club and international level

your all getting ahead of yourselves...the quote is from THE SUN...

has about as much credibility as me being married to jessica alba, keira knightley AND jessica biel

I'D rather have Bennayoun than barry

Damo, I'm not having a go but you must be pretty pleased, you have been harping on about him not being good enough for some time now. As miffed as I am about him leaving, it's just a fact players come and go, but if we are trying to push on this is a bit of a blow, who are we going to atract to the club who is as good or if not better? buying a young british player isn't going to cut it. huddleston and sidwell are no where near as good otherwise the pool scum would be in for them surely!!! So who will replace him?

Fivetimes... what a load of C_rap!

"I feel yr pain Villa fans. We had exactly the same situation when Gerrard nearly moved to chelski.

The difference in the end was that Gerrard was scouse born and he still saw the chance that we would win things".

GERRARD DID NOT LEAVE AS HE AND HIS FAMILY WERE THREATENED BU SOME NOT VERY NICE PEOPLE IN LIVERPOOL... THAT WAS THE REASON HE DOD NOT GO TO CHELSEA!

i mean if barry does go wouldnt that ramssey kid at cardiff be a good buy 5m only 17 ??? but mon is livin it up with linaker et el and not movin for someone who is clearly in our range of player

no man is bigger then the club, players come players go the club will still be around a long time after mr barry has gone

I would have benayoun too I HATE BLUES

Might be wrong, but cant Barry just repay 2 years wages (2 years on contract) and leave the Villa for nothing more?

That would mean his wage £45K a week times 104 weeks = £4,680,000
scared? I am. UTV

Ben Richards - why on Earth would Barry have a hard time from the Villa fans? Please don't tell me you're one of those muppet fans who boo players just because they don't play for us anymore.

why wasn't MON at the spain russia game? could it be to do with transfers???

he wasnt at the game because he was getting a contract sorted for iker casillas, david villa, xavi alonso and sergio ramos and @ tinker i dont think barry would do that on the villa, that would be like kicking us in the balls on the way out.

And we all no who his replacment will be dont we

Yes the lazy sidwell that guy is not botherd about playing football nor dose he have the class of barry martin better sign a quality center midfilder now and not someone that cost 2 million

More like 10-15 Million im not quite sure how people can say or think barry loves our club look at steven gerrard he will never ever ever leave anfiled because he LOVE'S them barry likes us theres a big diffrence lads

I dont care if im the only one but when he plays against us i will boo weather it means getting me head kicked in or not i dont care barry is getting booed

Why doesn't he go to one of the top teams if he wants to win things?

Yes if we get £20m for Barry it is good money but only if it is spent this summer along with another £20m as promised but I honestly cant see that happening can you? All we ever get from Villa is broken promises and false hope.

We are supposed to be in the middle of the the most important summers for years in terms of transfer activity and progression yet Martin O'Neill is off working for the BBC! I really hope im wrong and Villa are planning a big spending spree but I cant help but think that Gareth has asked about our ambitions and proof of it and didnt like what he saw.

We may remember a certain article written by Anthony titled 'THE MISSING MILLIONS OF ASTON VILLA'.....

I agree that Barry is not worth 20 million and that in theory selling him for anywhere near such an inflated rate seems good buisness.
My issue is that I know MON will not spend even half that amount on a first rate replacement to add to the 6-7 players of an equally high standard that we already need.
So however much the red scouse offer, we cannot afford to let him go.For christsake we haven't has a right back for 12 months and we still have no sign of one.
Don't worry though, MON will soon be spelling out the bloody obvious,telling us not to panic and cracking jokes with Captain Scarlet,Jug ears and Shearer before nipping out for a fondu !

luv you barry, did luv you barry,barry who?.

While I'll wish Barry the best, I am a bit disappointed in him, given that MON resurrected his career at club and international level.

I don't think this has to do with transfer activity, but the simple fact that he's approaching the last good years of his career, and that's what's driving the timing for him. No big clubs have come in for him before, so this is perhaps the first and last oppty he'll have in this regard, especially given that Villa are still at least a couple years away from being able to close the gap.

But I do think he can be replaced. He does a job, but he's not a spectacular player on any regular basis, and there are better to be had. Can we sign one? I don't know. I also don't know whether the gamble will pay off for him, but that'll be his problem.

As long as we don't take Crouch, I'll be okay with £15m or more for him.

Why are so many people surprised by this news - this broke on 19th April, Gareth Barry didnt deny this and 3 weeks later Rafa confirmed this!
The only response from O'Neill was anger that the news had broke which has clearly turned in to a smoke screen whereby people choose not to believe that our manager had agreed to sell our captain before the season was over...

Maybe Barry saw the January transfer window close and realised that the club had no real ambition, the team nosedived during March and at the end of the month the England squad gathered for the France game "March 26th" - this is when Barry spoke to his (best mate?) Gerrard and the rest is history.

Regardless this is more that champions league football, when this news first broke Barry was only 18 months in to his contract so something is definately wrong.

Nice to see the first accounts produced by Kop Holdings Ltd showing a £33m loss...

Wouldn't go near them..

And I should also say, I'm a bit disappointed if he's trying to put pressure on MON in public, as this reduces MON's negotiating leverage. In conjunction with MON reviving his career, that seems a bit selfish to me.

Perhaps he's worried a deal won't get done, but he could've kept this out of the papers and just had the word with MON.

get 15mil and finnan and then with the money buy quaresma

Well Damian you got your wish Barrys likely off. I wonder if you'll be revising your indignant comments about him when we struggle to replace and slip in the league next season.THen his true value to Villa will surely be missed.

Hang on a minute you muppets who think MON is tossing it off working with the BBC on the Euro's. If he was not watching it on monitors down at BBC towers he would be at home watching. Whats the difference? How can we lose. He watches the matches as he should be doing to help see who's out there. I know he says they know most of the players, but they may have put a player on the list and when seen more in the Euro's they may be poor and crossed of the list, it works both ways! Also MON is putting himself out there. How many other managers opinions on football have been courted by the BBC of late. MON is getting his face seen. Those players living in this country will see MON on the goggle box and see what he's about more. Personally I think it's great having MON on the box. I don't see any downsides. Keep it up MON...but I wish you would be a bit quicker with the signings....it's a tad frustrating.

When does MON go on holiday?
He deserves a nice rest.
He's worked hard all season.
He could keep his phone by his side on the beach in case anybody called.
He could also make sure his hotel had internet access so he could watch clips of good players on You Tube.

Those of you concerned that we will not sign players because MON is doing a couple of hours of TV a day are losing the plot.

(I am currently able to hold down a full time job, have watched every Euro 2008 match, and still found time to read the paranoid delusional ranting of the happy band of Villains on the AVFC blog.)

Good riddance to Barry is what I say to the traitor. I think he needs his head tested for making such a decision. He's stuck around for 10 years when in truth we've done very little and now he decides to leave when we've got the best team we've had since he joined all this to sit on the bench with the occasional appearance for a club desperately clutching onto their status as one of the 'big 4'. I've been a huge fan of Barry but he's really gone down in my estimations now I think we deserve a bit more loyalty from him. This resembles the actions of a certain Mr Ronaldo somewhat. I'm sorry but I don't wish Barry all the best- he'll regret it. We'll move on and with the money we receive for him buy a far better player than him.

barry's a decent player....to be honest if you really look at what he does on the field its not all that special ...paying 20million for a player who is a little above average would be great for villa...(in my opinion i think barry think's he's all that now he's in the england squad and is too good for villa but he's wrong).....one concern though is would MON use this money to buy quality players or just bring in below par players like salifou

i agree with andyarkitekt, he's getting some PR work done (cos face it he's got more personality than most of the other muppets on BBC)
he's working alongside gordon S, so maybe a boruc deal discussed? he'd be watching the games anyway, and all the villa players are on holiday, so whats he going to do all day that he cant do from over there?

plus most importantly in all seriousness do you think MON is the main contact point for transfers? if chelsea phone up villa park wanting to discuss SWP will they say sorry MONs in austria? hell no, surely he suggests players and then other people at the club work out finance structures and deal with agents, its randys job to get the players in, its MON's to ask for them

I think Gareth has forgotten the great support he has always had from Villa Fans .I cant think of another player who had such a effort from there supporters trying to get him into the England team. I hope he ends up like Bosnich ,warming the bench until his career fizzles out.

I already know his probaly already gone because in like every newspaper it says he wants to go and if they are going to offer 20 mil i think o neil will let him go. I think that idiot rafa is wasting his money and his clubs money. Barry isn't worth that much.

[quote=chrisb]Well Damian you got your wish Barrys likely off. I wonder if you'll be revising your indignant comments about him when we struggle to replace and slip in the league next season.THen his true value to Villa will surely be missed.[/quote]
i've never wished that barry be sold prior to this whole liveprool thing. i think he'd make an excellent squad player who can play in a variety of positions - but nice of you to put words into my mouth

as for my comments about barry, i just don't think he's as good as others seem to think he is. he is too slow and doesn't have enough in the locker for me anyway, to be a central midfielder challenging and wanting to play in the top 4 - i may be proven wrong, if after 15 games for liverpool he is still in the centre of midfield, but we'll just have to see if liverpool finish top four next season with him playing regularly - i suspect he'll either play and they'll not finish top four or he'll not play that often (after 10/15 games) and they will .. then you'll come on here and what - say you were right?

as for us slipping in the league next season - it will have nothing to do with barry if we do - it will be because martin o'neill hasn't strengthened while other teams around us have - but that is all opinion and barry is really that good

This news is not suprising as I told you all last thursday Barry was going to Liverpool for talks. I myself think a fee of around 14 mill will clinch the deal but we should also ask for Pennant Finnan and Riise. (just to add quality squad depth)

Spend money on David Villa, Deigo or Farfan or all of em, we have a lot in the bank from other players sold already,plus Randy is minted!! Caution to the wind for once boys!!!

Villa for Villa please!!

Up the Villa!!

Right, its offically on sky sports that he wants to leave in a statement by Villa. Villa should take the pool for all they can afford and then go after them for tapping up a player - very pi**ed off over this whole saga and on the up side reports are that it will be sorted out soon.

Damien, i agree with you that barry is not a fantastic midfielder but there is one key quality that nobody has mentioned - his consistency. Performs week in week out to the best of his ability and that rare! We need someone of a higher class to replace him - as to who may fit that bill - i simply don't know!!!!!!!!

Darragh

Nice that we get confirmation from other sources other than the club isn't it ...

But onto Barry - I think Sidwell will be a very good replacement and it's also worth remembering that with all his consistency his best games for us were those three matches where we scored 15 goals ..

I also think we'll see a different Reo-Coker without Barry and a better Reo-Coker alongside someone like Sidwell - both players can run and run and Barry never really could

Players play with what is around them and I think Sidwell had a fantastic season with Reading and he's going to have a lot to prove if he comes to us, but I think he has it in the locker

Sorry Damien, was just on the whind up

Is this going to drag out longer than the NRC saga?

Hey Adelaide Villain, you in the Villa downunder supporters club my old man looks after in Adelaide? he has funky Villa tops

Let me know

See ya later gareth! Good luck! But its what you want! 2 years and liverpool will be fuck all! Im gona hate to say 'I told you so'

McVillain

Took me a while to get it though ;)

I dont think it will drag on now .. not if Liverpool really want him that is. The club have confirmed it and the club have also told Liverpool their position which will no doubt be a figure, because you cant keep a player that doesn't want to play for you - which was what Barry had to do to make this move forward - but his last resort and one that he probably didn't want to make.

Damien, yeah its a joke at this stage when your reading statements from the club for the forst time on Sky Sports.

Does everybody remember when we were all complaining tht Barry wasn't in the England setup and other fans (including the scousers) said he wasn't good enough - i bet their tune will change now :)


I suppose the next question to ask is who will be the next club captain - Laursen all the way for me!!!!!

i dont mind us getin 10million as long as kuyt an finnan come to vp!!

20 mill....Gareth who???

I'm not fickle!!

Just noticed us Irish boys are spelling your name wrong - apologies Dami[b]a[/b]n ;D

I just think it's sad that, having spent 10 years of his career with us and given his all, he's about to walk out at a time when we're on the verge of coming back to being the club we once were. And it IS going to happen with or without him.

GB would have been a major part of that resurgence, and had he stuck two fingers up to Liverpool and continued with our quest, then I'm positive that he would have been granted legendary status at Villa Park a la Little, Cowans, Mortimer, Taylor etc. whether we won anything or not.
Long after his career is over he would have been welcomed back to VP with open arms and had the crowd singing his name, something akin to what Alan Shearer gets when he returns to St James. I somehow don't think that will happen now.

I feel sad for him now that he's going to a club where the fans aren't bothered whether he's there or not - in fact from what I read they'd rather keep Alonso - and he will never reach iconic status like Gerrard, Dalglish etc. All this just to play CL football which I can understand to a point. But who's to say it's not coming our way in the near future?

I think he should have given us one more season. His England squad place - or arguably his place in the team - is secure, the money is great, we're in Europe too - OK it's the UEFA but it's better than nothing - and I think we can kick on next season.
If we didn't make CL next year then I don't any Villa fan would begrudge him his opportunity, even though I think my 'legend status' point earlier would still stand.

Gareth, all can say is thanks for 10 years great service to the club. I wish you well and hope you continue to reproduce the form you've shown under MON this last 2 seasons.......but only in an England shirt.
I hope you don't get suckered into Benitez' rotation policy and lose your national team place - look at fellow England star Crouch (and this is a guy who scored shitloads of goals at all levels and now look how he's being treated), because that would only lead to us all wishing you had stayed put even more.
See ya.


Right then lads 'n lasses. Laursen for captain. Let's get some big signings in and go for a top 4 finish this year. At the expense of Liverpool obviously...


UTV

fair commenent brett, but dont you think something is going wrong i havent heard of one firm offer we have made yet, which to me suggests that the rumors are comeing out to keep us the fan happy, but i wont be happy till we start sighning quality players a few older guys with quality that do the unpredictable, i cant remember the last time a player got the ball in our half and i thought something could happen here not since the days of beni carbone not the greatest player but excitin well worth the ticket price to see that quality

why are some people insisting we get a 31 one year old right winger? give him a year or two and he'll be about the quality of a championship player.

get some ambition people! jesus!

Its no use getting over sentimental about players like Gareth Barry. Ashley Young will be off next and then Agbonlahor and the list will get longer. Players want to better themselves and why not.
It may be cynical but why doesnt MON go out and buy some expensive foreign talent who have no emotional links to the club and fans and visa versa to do a professional job. Thats what players are payed for to play football and win stuff. If the club put as much time into scouting for talent than fending off the rumours about who's buying our players we might get a decent size squad capable of consistently getting results. We can't expect the likes of Spurs, Newcastle and other underachievers of last season to give us an easy ride into a top ten place again next season. that is what they did last season.

I actually think Barry picked his game up right around the time some interest from other clubs came in. He was sleepwalking for most of the season, as far as I'm concerned. That doesn't mean that I don't think he's been great at Villa, but I don't think we're going to drop out of the top half of the table because he's not playing for us anymore.

Dear Gareth & your agent,

Before you confuse your career needs with your emotional and irrational desire to play with your mate Stevie in the odd Champions League game, you might like to consider this.

Hicks and Gillett hate each other.
The club has their debt incurred acquiring the club.
They have already refinanced and the club pays interest of £30m a year.
Accounts of Kop Holdings Ltd (set up to run the club) show a loss of £32.3m in the last year, despite reaching the Champions League final.
The duo had to draw £1.5m to cover their 'personal expences', hardly something rich men need to do.
The duo have still not obtained finance for the new stadium. If they have not got it now, they will not get it. They have no capital worth talking about, the world is already suffering the 'credit crunch' and is about to go into recession.
Villa is totally stable and improving
If the Reds have to sell to buy, they will have to do it again next season. Does any other Champions League club have to do that? Eventually they will run out of players.
Are Man U, Chelsea or Arsenal interested in Milner?
How long before someone comes in for Torres or Stevie? Will the duo resist the desperate need to sell?
Have you ever heard of the two full backs Benny has just bought?
Who will pay £15m for Crouch, with only 1 year on his contract? Is Benny that daft? Harry Rednapp cannot believe what he is asking?
If they get the money to buy you, who else will they be able to afford?
Benny has just had to confirm publicly his job is safe. He will be the last to know he's going.
The Reds are a season from emulating Leeds, maybe DIC will save them from administration and a 10 point loss.
DIC will sack Benny and the new man might not want you, or Stevie, who is reaching an age when they will cash in.
A good agent would never sell his client to a manager with such an uncertain future or such an anstable club.
The Scousers have not got a hope of catching the 3 above them.
They must qualify for the Champions League
You are idolised by the Villa fans, but you won't be by the scousers, wrong accent.
At Villa you have established yourself as an England regular.
How do you feel about being rotated and only playing every other game?
Fabio, one of the more important people in your life has said, "It's very imortant to see the players every week. Its better for us if they play regularly (Crouch, Bridge and Defoe to note). It's not important to be playing in the Champions League. A lot of players have done very well for the national team (you) without playing in the Champions League". Source - Independent 10.6.08.
Steve (gis us a job) McLaren has just tried to raise his profile by saying you will benefit from Champions League football. Well he made only one good decision as England manager, he picked you who never played in it. But what does his view matter any more?
Benny has said they can play you at full back, wide and central midfield. He doesn't know where he is going to play you. You need to play central midfield reguarly.
You play for the best manager in the country.
Do you really want your next child born a scouser?!
What does the wife say, or more importantly keep to herself?
Have you any idea of the fans response if you ever return to Villa in a red shirt? Don't bother.
Look Stevie in the eye, does he care for anyone other than himself and the Reds?
Just accept you are bloody well off and you could screw it up, for what?
Stevie will tell you about the impotance of loyalty, if you need to be told, he must be laughing his head off.

Think Gareth, life isn't always greener living in the red.

From someone who has contributed to your wage packet for the last 10 years.

Mark Lowen, that was a brilliant piece I for one hope Gareth reads that cause if I was him I would be crying out for a new contract at Villa now, especially the bit about his next child being born a scouser.. Just imagine your child who you love dearly speaking like that!

i can understand barry's reasons for wanting to go to liverpool in the short term because they are in the champions league and to be fair his attitude regarding the move has been admirable.however if you look at the long term picture liverpool lost 33million last season benitez position is precarious and a new manager may not want barry.he'll be in and out of their side anyway and i believe villa can challenge them in the league.barry may regret his decision before the season is out.i say if his heart isnt in villa let him go as long as villa get £20m(spot on mon)or,even better £10m and peter crouch.barry has to be worth at least this after all whats gerrard worth and barry may not score many but he's a better footballer

When i said Barry would get a hard time - He's not the type of player whose best when he's backs against the wall. I've been one of Barry's biggest fans and remember his first game, I was also at his first U21 and again I said he's go all the way when most said he was slow - I always said look at all these other things he has in his game. No I wouldn't boo him nor would I welcome him back. If a player wants out at the end of his contract that's fine i.e Olaf or the Hammer. But when you jump ship as your heads been turned I think is a sign of a poor loyal professional. People may harp on about 10 years service - Yes its rare in this day and age. But Liverpool are in the position we are meant to be going for. So to go from 4th to 4th doesn't really make sense?

I would love it if Barry stays which he won't now. And it may well put us back a season. A season we don't have!

Also when I talked about Barry with regards England - People liked the fact that he stood by Villa and he came through the back door so to speak. Now Barry will be looked at like so many other people - Disloyal !!! Its not CL its money .... its agents wanting money .... Its about idiots like Rafa / Mark Lawrenson unsettling him ....

End of !!!!

vivavilla - Your missing the point ........ I will give respect where due. Barry if he leaves for a rival in this country he doesn't get it from my 1/4. If he wants to better himself in Europe then go for it. But let me tell you something You Muppet - If Barry gets a last min penalty in front of the Holt - You going to say good old Barry thanks for the 10 years. If you think like that you really don't belong at VP. I remember D Yorke kissing a badge in front of the Holt - Do you want that? Or maybe you were there (I doubt) when D Vassell refused to celebrate when scoring - As much as it hurt I thought fair play - There's very few players that would do that - Barry i just don't know .........

Mark Lowen, you are spot on

I would love it if players and clubs would read these blogs but I doubt they really care what fans are thinking.

I know Liverpool have had a good history but - They're are not in the same bracket as Man Utd, Chelski or Arsenal - Who maybe you'd think would've been a better move for Barry. But he wouldn't get a game in any of those clubs.

I like Stevie G apart from his diving skills. But to go because your friend is there is daft. Barry could and more than likely will be left in a worse position 2 years down the line at Anfield than he feels at Villa.

I think one thing is really missing in football these days and that clarity. You read all this stuff in the papers, the club don't come out and say things ... its a bit here and there.

I'm not saying its right - But you look at the big two in Spain - They say who they want or like and guess what - They get !!!

Actions speak louder than words - And this is so true with football.

I know Ellis talked sh*t all the time but he used to always come out and say things which gave a glimmer of hope even though it meant we missed out on nearly everybody as change in his pockets wasn't enough to lure the best or middle class players.

Thanks Ben Richards and jim nic nic. I know The General reads some blogs, but I am not sure about this one. But how can you express a view politely, to someone in the club? I am sure they could be inundated but there should and perhaps is a line of communication. Anyone know of one? I am sure the General will appreciate the need for one if there isn't one. Are you there General?

I agree with Ben Richards. But how to keep GB? When the Reds first mentioned their interest the papers were full of how Villa will 'break the bank' to keep him. If we want to chase down the weakest of the 'big 4' this coming season or next, you don't sell them your best player. GB is probably worth more than what he is getting paid at present, so stick a contract in front of him at say £80,000 pw for 4 years. Tell the Reds you will not sell to them for less than say £20m. What will the Reds do? My bet is they haven't got £20m. But if they have, then they will also have to come pretty close to paying GB £80k pw to get him. And if they do then their kitty will be empty and we will be laughing. In the meantime, unless GB goes to the Reds, he will be left with the choice between either facing down real long term security for his family and himself, or signing on for 4 years and getting on with life. But maybe Villa cannot or will not pay like the big boys.

im not bothered cause we has better players, we should get 8m and peter crouch

u yam yams r avin a larf

Just read a new newslink - That says Barry's boyhood team was Liverpool ????? I'm sure Barry said last time he was going that Spurs were his team - So which is it GB? Or did you say it was Villa when you left the Gay town of Brighton?