Birmingham versus Liverpool: Paul Merson’s Tale of Two Cities
Sunday, 29 June 08, 01:51 AM · Comments (16)
David Platt’s recent comments regarding Gareth Barry’s proposed move to Liverpool has left many a Villa fan disgruntled.
That Platt has re-asserted his views despite Martin O'Neill describing his comments as “worthless" has left many to question how great the former Villa player’s attachment to the club actually really is.
All the more pleasing then it is to see yesterday when another Villa legend has publicly spoken on the Barry saga, but this time urging the seemingly Liverpool-bound midfielder to stay at Villa Park.
Merson’s life has certainly had its ups and downs, and although often outspoken as a pundit, refreshingly for Villa fans and Martin O’Neill has come out to undermine anything Platt has said in the press over the last week.
Rather than urge Barry to move on for a bigger club (as Platt himself did by moving to Italy in the early 1990s), Merson has urged caution to the Liverpool move, in this case drawing from his own experience.
Talking to the Birmingham Post at a testimonial night for former Walsall team-mate Darren Wrack, the 40-year-old said: “It would be an absolute tragedy if Villa lost him — he is by far and away the club’s best player. My advice to Barry would be that the grass is not always greener on the other side.
“I was at Arsenal and had a phenomenal time there but I had got to the stage in my career where I started to think less about my football and take it for granted. I went to Middlesbrough but knew within a week that it was a big mistake.
“I was lucky because I went on to play at Villa and had a terrific time. I admit when it came to the time for me to leave I cried. I loved it here.”
David Platt believes that football is less about enjoyment and more about ambition, as “it's not necessarily the people within the club but just the level you are playing at and what you are playing for.” But Merson delectably shows that the attitude does exist in professional football where allegiance and feeling at home at a club outweighs European glory and an increased wage.
Merson makes a valid point: if you are at a club and enjoying playing football, why consider moving?
It is important to remember that Barry would most certainly have been given the opportunity to move before. Liverpool are not the first club to have shown interest in him, only a couple of years ago both Chelsea and Newcastle were linked with the England international and were eager to lure him away from Villa Park. At the time both clubs would have made both lucrative and appealing deals to Gareth but over a decade at Villa has shown he is happy at the club.
Gareth Barry is a regular England international and has the prospect of European football this season, and if he stays at Villa, will be on the yellow brick road to becoming a Villa legend.
Villa are on the way up and it is a lot to do with the commitment and loyalty that Barry has shown by staying at the club. Let’s hope he picked up his copy of the Post and is stimulated by Merse’s comments.
I’d be interested to know if anyone went to the ‘Evening With Paul Merson’ on Thursday and got to speak to Paul about either Platt’s comments or his Villa career in general.
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16 Comments · Add yours
Matt sent this post in yesterday, but since then, Gareth Barry has come out and said:
"My mind's made up, I want to join Liverpool. Villa kept saying they wanted me to stay but I have not heard from the manager for weeks."
He added: "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."
He added: "It's seven weeks now since the season finished but while the gaffer's found time to be a pundit for the BBC at Euro 2008, he hasn't found the time to speak to me.
"Have Villa offered me anything to try to persuade me my future is at Villa Park, not Anfield? Not a thing."
Yeah, no way will Barry stay, or be allowed to stay, now. He has been a bit underhand with these comments cos Villa need to now sell him to pool or keep him in the reserves.
Unfortunately, it does not look like Villa will get the £18M they were after.
We can't have a player thats too big for his boots now, can we? He can sod off to Liverplop tomorrow for all I care-if that really is his attitude. Have fun with Rafa's rotation policy, Gareth. Villa should take the next offer and get rid of him. Liverpool will be trying to sell him next season so they can pursue the new flavour of the week and he'll wish he'd never left. I also hope that the rest of the players at Villa get offended by this premadonna attitude and stop going to the papers with the "please stay, Gareth" comments. By saying these things Barry is suggesting that the rest of the squad aren't good enough and its just not true. Noone is or can be bigger than the team. Good bye and good luck is now good riddance. Dickhead.
Gaaaareth Barry what a w@nk@ what a w@ank@....Gaaaareth Barry what a w@nk@ what a w@ank@...what an idiot.
damian, could you tell me where you got those barry quotes from? cheers.
He can go now. If he really wants to go, let him, were not a one man team and if I was MON I certainly wouldnt want anyone playing for Villa who wants to be elsewhere, and I dont think many fans will give him a warm reception either. It really annoys me when the so called big 4 get all the chasing teams best players, and when the likes of inter milan are after gerrard or real madrid are after ronaldo they all go off on one! To be honest i would be happy with 15 million. Can get almost 1 and a half Ashley Youngs for that ;) But we could use that money to get Sidwell, Robinson and a right back for £5 mil. Just hurry up and get it over with!
Gareth have you thought the reason while no-one has spoken to you or you have not been offerd an incentive to stay is because your not wanted.MON only wants players that are 100% commited to Aston Villa and as you came out and said you want to play for Liverpool why on earth would you get offerd anything surely your not that thick are you?.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out, you ungrateful tosser. Hope you enjoy getting that bench nice and warm.
Gwyllum and KSenner why all the angst? I can't play all my career at a small club. I need a challenge with top players, not lower league cloggers. I'm sure once you have calmed down you will realise i am bigger than your club and wish me good luck. By the way, Merse has fallen off the wagon and can't remember any of the comments he supposedely made ;D
Barry is a disgrace. I had a lot of respect for him even when he made it known he wanted to move to Liverpool, but now he is demanding it. Now i hope the board don't go back on what they have said and stick to their price. If not, let him rot, who cares about this scum now? As for Merse, he is the complete opposite, a true villa legend.
Barry had a good season end of he's not a consistent performer just like Arshavin at Euro 2008. When they got knocked out nobody wanted him any more. If Villa keep Barry they could end up losing his value. If Villa have any sense they'll sell for £10 million now cause he won't be worth that next season.
Look at it from Gareth's point of view.. o'neill hasnt contacted him to persuade him to stay WHY?. Ask any true Villa fan if they honestly want him to leave the answer would be no.
He is totally right in what he says, o'neill is at the euros when he should be at home doing his first job and showing Barry that his future is at Villa but he's not is he? and again why?
He is by a mile our best player and we should be building a top four side around him not letting him go but by doing so we are sending out all the wrong signals, how will we now attract world class players?
We have lost our captain and we all now know from the news of the world interview this could have been avoided by a simple phone call.
Martin O'neill has made a massive mistake.
you ungrateful tykes I gave your club 10 years, now your avin a go at me just cus I want to play for a decent club. If fartin o'nelly would've assed I might av stayed
Nice to know everyone believes what they read in the News of the World.
If the comments in the NOTW are true, Barry spoke to them from Florida to have a rant about MON being in Austria/Vienna. Pot/kettle!
Is he supposed to follow him to Florida to beg him to stay (again!) after he resurrected his faltering club career which established him as an England regular! I didn't see Benitez queing up to buy him 2 years ago, the last time he wanted to leave!
10 years (1 very, very good one), I hope your newly found form & ego can handle being a squad member and not the man the team is built around.
I know how proud you were, wearing the Captains armband for England, if the chance comes around again, would Capello consider a player who's not even a Captain at club level? I think not!! Thanks for the memories, but shut the door behind you!!
UP THE VILLA!!
Platt was one of the most overrated players ever to play for England and his views arenâ€t worth a thing. Heâ€s got his coaching badge but is useless at that too. It beggars belief that heâ€s ever on TV talking football. The thing that is most strange is how so many Villa fans rated him so highly at the time. He was a one trick pony: he had a great first touch/shot but as a midfield player he couldnâ€t see or hit a pass for international standard. He was less than half a Sid or Merse. Barry owes everything to MON. People have already forgotten that for most of his career Barry was pretty much a peripheral player which says little about previous managers. But to be fair to Barry MON hasnâ€t moved things forward as much as he should have done; there have been some poor buys and why should Barry wait while he goes the organic growth route? MON needs to be aware that without real stars we are going to go backwards this year. Spurs will be above us; West Ham, Newcastle too if they keep their players fit. Last chance Martin; if you send out this team next season it will finish halfway. If Barry goes, bottom half. Perhaps Southgate was right after all.