Surprise surprise: Barry can go to Liverpool

I don't blame MON for this, they had an agreement and now Barry has gone back on it. I was all for supporting him and for second chances but there is a line and he has crossed it now, I wouldn't want him any where near the team, disrupting pre-season. The negativity this situation has created is ridiculous, Liverpool should be reported, cough up the funds and Finnan and let us get on with playing football. GB should be ashamed of himself for seemingly sticking two fingers up at his loyal fans.

DanWilson82

So, when he said there was no going back and he had to leave; he didn't cross the line then?

This makes look Martin O'Neill look a little unprofessional - but mostly the club.

I'll have Martin O'Neill manage Villa for every - but I think we need someone in to bring in the players. If Martin O'Neill is so good at motivating players, which I believe he is, if we have someone at the club tasked with just doing that and they bring in some real quality - Martin O'Neill shouldn't have any problems ...

MON and Villa have come out of this looking small club and unprofessional. All the talk of the media war has been very one sided with MON and his huge ego doing all the talking. Who will want to play for Villa now? If thats how Villa treat a good servant of 10 years (and Sorenson and Berger, etc),I would not want to

I guess being a big Barry fan like a lot of other fans, I wanted to see him stay, badly. Particulaly since the team has looked really poor at times without him this pre-season. I can also understand why certain fans reacted the way they did first time around.

I assumed GB had realised what he had done re the NOTW interview was out of order and was ready to try and repair some of the damage by atleast acting proffesionaly. YES he still wanted to go but it looked as though he was getting on with it, playing for the team and had agreed to MONs deadline... Now he has the cheek to turn around and say he wants more time, it doesn't wash, I don't do third chances and I wonder how many people that felt the way I did will still be cheering him next time he walks out (if that happens again that is)

I suggest Gareth takes a look through the largest Liverpool forum, he may be suprised to see the views of the Pool fans who think he is over rated, over priced and worse than the player they seemingly need to sell to buy. These are the same people he wants to play for, stuff the loyal Villa fans who have continued wishing him the best since he stated his aspirations of wanting to play for a 'bigger and better team'

Well, for me the Daily Mirror's article makes far more sense. Please see LINK

Well, for me the Daily Mirror's article makes far more sense. Please see LINK

Well, for me the Daily Mirror's article makes far more sense. That makes a change! Please see LINK

was at the game yesterday, nikcey shorey wasn't playing and coppell says he will be transfering bk to the premiership within days anyone think that it could be villa????? some good youngsters tho played future definitly looks bright! as for the whole gareth barry thing, just hope he goes quickly now so we have £18m to spend on a quality replacement. we must get a quality replacement else next season will be very difficult indeed.

We look like such tits now. I really hope I'm wrong but by the end of the transfer window can anyone that was taking the p out of my views the last season or two at least say that I was right all along, I take no enjoyment but I will say I WAS RIGHT YOU WERE WRONG lol ;D

I think we should see this for what it is: A player wants out and he's willing to do whatever it takes to leave, except sacrifice his loyalty bonus by asking for a transfer.
Gareth Barry and his stink-bag agent sat down with the club and agreed that if a deal was not done by the defined date, the show was over, and it was back to work with the lads.
It is now clear he only made this agreement as he was certain that Liverpool were going to come in for him so that he and Stevie-G could enjoy their love-in.
When this didn't happen, he got his knickers in a twist again and put MON and the club back over the barrel, leaving MON with two options: a disgruntled professional benchwarmer whose value would diminish with every game, or a chance to cash in, even though it would involve him looking weak.
I think we should be wondering out of this if Randy Lerner has as much cash to spend as we think? If he did, he could have burnt G. Barry and ruined his career by holding him at Villa. Maybe MON has done what he has done because there is not as much cash as we all believe?
p.s. The player contract should state: "Slag off the club or manager in the press and your loyalty bonus is gone". See how many of these guys go running to the papers then

did anyone notice MON bottom lip shaking when he gave that interview to sky sports news, i swear i thought he was going to have tantram, throw himself on the floor and start cryin,

the fact is he jumped to a conclusion without consulting Barry and his agent, now he looks like an idiot as do we, lets face it Barry has given us 10 years good service so who are we to stop him moving on for a fair price, yes he'll be hard to replace but thats the way of football, i just feel this whole situtation has been blown out of proportion,

the sooner we let him leave the sooner we can move on..

Congratulations Damian on writing that. Its very hard for a supporter of any club to try and be even handed.

As I Liverpool fan I have listened and read everything MON has said during the three months of this saga and been really impressed with how Liverpool havent been drawn into a public debate despite MONs best efforts to drag them in.

Rafa Benitez was asked way back about Barry and admitted Barry was a player we were interested in. How the media play that, depends on how slow a news day it is/was.

But since then, EVERYTHING said has been by MON (except for the truly bizarre Barry interview in the NotW).

Meanwhile Spurs and LFC had a private argument that only came to light after the transfer was completed.

MON should learn how to deal with players who want away from a true professional. Who's that I hear you ask: Rafa Benitez.

Owen wanted to go to Madrid. He was gone within a fortnight. Gerrard wanted to go to chelski. Bid accepted next day.

The very best players have more power than the clubs and managers have to understand that. Alonso for instance is a good player, but obviously not good enough to demand to stay/leave. He isnt a "best" palyer at our club.

I never liked MON for his behaviour in Scotland when he ruled the roost at Celtic. He is an intelligent man, but to suggest he is outraged at what LFC are doing to him now is to forget his same behaviour at Celtic.

Its about time he got on with improving Villa and signing a big enough squad to compete.

I wonder why he has the smallest squad...Cant his ego handle a bigger squad?

Anyway I hope (fat chance) that he comes to regret the animosity that he has caused between LFC and Villa fans.

Good luck in The UEFA Cup.

maccamanaman

quite possible. read this:

[url]LINK[/url]

John

Sure, that is probably what O'Neill is trying to do, but they've still got their man. All it's doing for the other clubs is saying you've got to pay what O'Neill thinks he is worth if you want to buy Young next season ... but remember - it's all about player power now.

Black and Barry have as good as told O'Neill that he won't play for the club now. They've used the 'my player is too confused' and 'unable to train with this going' on lines.

This saga is giving supporters of both clubs the sh**s and its about time it got sorted out. I am a liverpool fan but have not come on here to upset anyone. But i am interested to see what the writer has to say about Martin O'Niell consistently talking to the public about Barry, when Rafa has said absolutely nothing the past 4 weeks or so. Would it not have been better for AVFC if he just shut up and let it take care of itself. The deadline set last week was ridiculous and the immediate press statement was childish. Communication between the two clubs and the the player has been a shambles, with all 3 parties letting down the fans of both clubs. Can't we just end it and we get Barry, and you get the money ?????

I think sometimes the obvious answer is the right one!

I don't think the club or MON have come out of this badly. GB has dug himself a big, big hole and I'm afraid he's made himself a big target for the media this season. He always struck me as a naive lad but not the brightest and it's looking that way.

I don't think most fans are bothered about this press release issue except those who want every opportunity to carp and criticise. Previously people were moaning that we didn't do enough to keep GB - can anyone seriously suggest that now? I'm satisfied that AV as a club did everything possible to keep hold of this player and that for me is yet another step forward in our progression.

PS This just ABSOLUTELY convinces me that the club will say whatever they like to sound good and it is just that "words" as you have said before Damian actions speak louder than words and so far our action has been get rid of the few players we have left and buy, sidwell, friedel and guzan. Just awful, absoultely awful, unless the miracle 12 signings happen we are mid to bottom table. Although I am sure we will sign 2-3 players and 1 from Liverpool as a swap before the window closes but they will be the same old workhorse average players with one slightly better player from the Barry deal. I just found out that with my NHS card I can go to my local team for half price £5 at least I can enjoy watching them this season, come on you MAGPIES!!! (Dorchester Town FC lol) ;D

DanWilson82

Well said! I to am sick and tired of the whole affair. Liverpool fans clearly do not want him, though it is true that fans are very fickle and the first goal assist he make they will be singing his name. Moving on the U2 song springs to mind "WITH OR WITHOUT YOU" Be certain...Villa will march on! A new hero will emerge be it from the reserves or in the transfer window. The train started rolling when Lerner and MON joined the club and we have and will continue to move forward. Villa is not about Barry it's about 11 players on the pitch fighting for Aston Villa Football Club. That's right and let's not forget it. We move on! I HAVE A DREAM....

I'm afraid ive not got my optimistic hat on this morning, the barry saga has gone on too long and people are right when they say it is making the club look stupid. However, i do believe this this is mainly due to a certain Gareth Barry.
He must have agreed to the transfer deadline, or MON and the club would not have released the statement. It sounds to me that Gareth Barry does not know what he wants and i think we are better off getting shut and cashing in.

If what MON says is true, 'is head is all over the place', who wants a player in that position come the start of the season.

And my last point, does anyone else wonder if Barry as actually got a tongue and can come out and put everything to rest by telling the world he wants out!!!!?

I'm steaming this morning!!!!!

Damian, I agree MON needs help in getting players in. He's not really up for that role as has been proved time and time again. MON is the best man for managing the players in when IN!

I think this has showed not only Villa to be a very poor team, Liverpool to be a desperate team who are borrowing stupid money (Remember UEFA now ban clubs in debt from European Cups)- Also this has showed Barry not noce but twice an idiot. He goes back on his word and disloyalty is not needed at Aston Villa.

If I was MON - I'd make him train with the kids or ask Walsall; until Liverpool buy him. But and I'd do this just to piss him off play him for 2 min of the end of the game in Iceland this will mean not being able to play for Liverpool until group stages. Hoping Liverpool don't make it which will be the best thing ever! Liverpool playing Villa in UEFA Cup Villa winning - On the Pitch and take the Piss out of Barry !!!! oH well I've just woken up

:'(

Oh and Taglor, gloating is not a pretty attribute!!

Mr.LVFC fan i think youn need to take a long look at your own manager before you start slagging off ours. Then come back when you can actually come close to winning the league!

Ben Richards "play him for 2 min of the end of the game in Iceland this will mean not being able to play for Liverpool until group stages. Hoping Liverpool don't make it which will be the best thing ever! Liverpool playing Villa in UEFA Cup Villa winning - On the Pitch and take the p**s out of Barry !!!! oH well I've just woken up"

That would be classic, and it's completely possible too!!! I really hope Liverpool FLOP this season, it would make me happier than seeing Birmingham relegated to the First Division!!

Mon and Villa have come out of this looking like a small club...news flash, in today's Premier league we are a small club.

Wh have won nothing in 12 years, we strugle to attract top class players to the club, we cant keep the ones we have got ,we cant spend the Billions $ our chairman supposedly has.

Look at what teams around us who are showing intent with big money signings.

Im sorry but even if we sign 7 players tomorrow were not gonna move on from 6th this season.Defend MON all you like, 4 transfer windows and no RB that is poor managment IMO.

I think you all should read the link posted by John Lerwill. I posted this same link eleswhere on the site yesterday.

LINK

I think LFC-fan should read the link. Remember this is written by a third person. I assume neither an AV or Liverpool supporter.

Sorry, can't resist just copying part of the article:


"Those Liverpool fans who think he's (MON) acting like a mad bag lady should ask themselves this: How would you have felt if Chelsea had followed up their interest in Fernando Torres and bid £50million, with the Spaniard (and the American board) being tempted?
Would you have wanted Benitez to roll over and wave him goodbye? Or say OK, it's £70m, paid up front in cash, plus Shaun Wright-Phillips. Nothing less.
Then brazened it out in the hope that Chelsea grew weary and looked somewhere else. I think we know the answer"

There you go.

One final point that really annoys me is that GB does not put in an official transfer request, gets want he wants, breaks his contract and still gets his signing on fee - beggars belief!

UTV

I just think this whole thing makes MON look rather foolish...

It has been an awkward situation from the moment that the first bid was lodged for GB... Now MON (for reasons known only to himself) has decided to take it to a new level with his 'GB is staying - oh no, he's possibly going' statements...

If MON had genuinely wanted to keep GB then he has gone completely the wrong way about it from the start...

But, he'll no doubt be ready to blame others for GB's departure (if it eventually happens)...

Would Barry move to Arsenal (A far better team than Liverpool) or does he just want to spend all his working & free time with Stevie G? If this is about those two and not the football why don't they compramise and get a house in Stockport or something, perhaps it would mean a small commute every day but atleast they could both keep their current jobs and sleep together.

well get on with the darn transfer MON!

UTV ;D

I am ashamed at the way this transfer has carried on. We decided to play hardball with LFC over this which was a fair idea at the time. However I am sure all of us know that teams speak to agents to sound out the player before even commenting on a player, let alone make a bid. Barry has obviously wanted this to happen for some time and we should have worked on a plus side and down side set of circumtances to ensure if Barry was to go we have a replacement lined up straight away. Some joke that is - we haven't had a right back for a year and a half now.
On that basis how long will it take to get a replacement for Barry? Probably the 2010 season when we are playing Championship football.
It is obvious to me looking at MON yesterday that he has drawn tired of the whole affair but he also looked completely drained. Not ideal when you are surpposed to be talking to clubs, agents and players telling them about our great club!
Please, please, please Randy learn that football has moved on, we need a director of football or something like that where MON says this is the guy I want, go and get him.
We are only a few days away from our first proper European game for so many years and we don't have a left back or right back, what a poor poor way to run a football club and a business.
I also do question where has all the money gone? We have released/ sold a large portion of our squad and only brought in a few players for small money? Our wage bill must be smaller than most Championship clubs at the moment.
I just hope we can get some decent players in otherwise we are going to be taking a massive step backwards this season.

I can't believe how badly O'Neill has handled all of this.
Firstly he blames Liverpool and Benitez for leaking them wanting Barry to the media - when it was Villa all the time that did ... still waiting for the apology by the way.
Then he suspends Barry, then invites him back ... don't act all tough Martin if you ain't going to go through with it.
Then he imposes a time limit on deals ... didn't realise you ran UEFA Martin?
Then he announces Barry's staying forever ... then the next day he says he can leave ... as if the situation changed overnight!
Face the facts - O'Neill has acted completely unprofessionally and is now looking like a complete idiot and Villa as a club are suffering.
Barry was always going to want to play for Liverpool - so would you if you were in his shoes.
And yes ... I'm a Liverpool fan.

A band wagon is being to roll suggesting that MON is not the one to handle transfers. This is a fair point to discuss.

I think we should remember that LFC initial offer for GB was certainly not £18m. Can we agree on £10m to £12m?

Therefore if MON does eventually screw £18m out of LFC is that good or bad business?

Also my belief is that if LFC had bid £18m in the first place MON would have let GB go - no fuss and no bother.

Brenton- And how do yo think Gareth Barry has handled the situation? Certainly not the correct way.
I bet you can't wait to see the love affair that is Gerrard and Barry blossom this season!

i am so sick and tired of this barry saga. MON, let him go to liverpool where he won't be in the starting 11 week in,week out thus meaning hargreaves will take over from barry in the england team so 'good choice gareth'? thankyou gareth for your 10 year stay all the best in the slums of liverpool at the end of the day we will profit from £18m when liverpool decide to finally cough up and we should then replace him by my favourite player at the moment and is avaialble van der vaart and hopefully then we reep the rewards for us villa fans sticking to a certain player sylian petrov who made one of the best villa debuts in recent times against the hammers in 2006 but has been non existant ever since. the most important thing at the moment is replacing crocked bouma and mellberg with proper full backs and not using gardner and on occassions reo coker who looks like a fish out of water when in that position!!! get players in MON otherwise were looking at a mid table finish like the previous season!!!!

pool fan here. taglor : all those pool fans who think barry is over-rated/alonso is better - are wrong. it is true they are very large part of pool fans but not everyone thinks that way. i certainly don't. from the first time almost 4 months ago i heard that Rafa talked about Barry, i thought - YES! and i never had a doubt for all these months.

Get rid of bad rubbish

As a LFC fan, Villa was always a team I liked and respected, same goes for MON. I don’t necessary think that this saga reflex badly on Villa as a hole but most defiantly tarnishes MON reputation. He has conducted the whole saga through the media. It has been confirmed by the reporter who first leaked the story that it came from the Villa side. In defence of Rafa he confirmed that he is interested and has not commented since. The rest should have been done and negotiated out of the spotlight of the press. A simple no to the offers preceding the accepted one was all that was needed, no hysterics no bitching and moaning to the press, all that did was make a mockery of MON and the Villa football club as a whole.

When a player who has given you 10 years loyal service wants to leave and you cannot persuade him otherwise, with dignity you take the money and give him your blessings. The so called deadline was only agreed between Barry’s agent and MON, nobody else. The price was agreed between the two clubs, but at the last minute the terms of payment where changed by Villa from 3 instalments to two and this delayed the transaction. So the argument that the deadline was missed is rather childish as is the announcement by MON that Barry is staying. Everybody with half a brain cell could have told him that it will back fire spectacularly.

Barry for me and many other knowledgeable LFC fans will be an improvement on Alonso and eventually he will ( Alonso) be sold for the right price. Possibly we are overpaying for Barry but will that matter if we get the desired results within the next few years?

This is absolutely f*cking discraceful and the club know it - the miss communications and the level as to which the club have not managed the fans expectations is totally beyond me, MON is a fuck*ng liar!

Damian is correct [quote]but he's got a very good way of making you like him, regardless of the circumstance.[/quote] - I can see this in posts from several people today already, what the hell will it take for people to realise?

I have travelled all over Europe with AVFC over the last 3 decades and never before have I felt that the club do not care about the fans - I refuse to be part of this sickening american spin any longer and will therefore not be attending any future games at VP - fuck*ing discraceful!

Another link on the GB saga.

[url]LINK[/url]

MON is quoted giving a full account of the goings on.

Now do we take this as the truth?

Well unless someone else (GB, LFC or its waiter) decide to come out and contest MON I think we should.

UTV

The article in The Mirror is flawed. Torres said he did not want to go to Chelsea, FULL STOP. Why would he? That would be a step down playing for gangster laundered money. Barry wants to go to a bigger club to further his career and stopping him must be illegal with employment laws. MON HAS come out of this looking a prize one idiot with an ego bigger than the club he is employed by.

"Congratulations Damian on writing that. Its very hard for a supporter of any club to try and be even handed".

LFC - Damian is objective in his article - but you certainly are not.

You call Benitez professional - what an absolute joke. He unsettles Barry before key games at the end of last season, makes his interest public, and then makes derisory bids for a player contracted to us. He wants £10 million off us for Carson, but then sells him for £3 million - so he obviously aint so good at valuing players is he?

You cannot find the money for Barry in 4 months, but suddenly find the money for Keane.

O'Neill has just looked to keep the player, and failing that - to get the best price. You will end up paying the requested price so O'Neill has won.

No doubt you will finish fourth again, and then moan that you dont have money to spend. So focus on your only club and the failings of your own manager - of which there are many. At the end of the day he is paying £40 million for two players aged 27/28 that you will not get money back for and who will not be good enough to bridge the huge gap in quality between Man Utd and Liverpool.

So run along now and get back to glory hunting in Bournemeouth, or Dorset or wherever most of your glory hunting fans come from.

Grant, it's understandable that you are annoyed with GB and Liverpool, but is it necessary to resort to childish comments regarding the city of Liverpool??!!

I'm sure if I was as narrow minded I could find a few things to say about the midlands...

I think both you and MON should think first before speaking (or writing in this case)!!!

Taddy

I'm right with you on LFC's objectivity

Ron - I'm not honestly sure how Barry has handled the situation. Apart from the time he came out and criticised O'Neill he's been very quiet.
Obviously criticising O'Neill in the press was a strange - and perhaps a silly move - but one can only suspect he was completely frustrated with the way Villa were handling the situation.
As for the anticipated love affair between Gerrard and Barry, I hope it does blossom - but to be honest I don't think we need Barry. I'm not saying at all he isnt a good player - far from it - but I think Liverpool have an embarrassment of midfield options, including some fantastic young prospects such as Lucas and Plessis - and actually think the money would be better spent on a true winger such as Silva.
But I'm not a manager - and I have full faith in Rafa to make these decisions.

Brenton.

1. MON has done next to nothing wrong, LFC went to the media, and IMO probably had some part in GB stupidly doing so.
2. He suspended and fined GB for unauthorised interview, regardless of what was said, and had to let him back, due to FA or UEFA rules. It isn't not following through.
3. The time limit was sensible, as it should have put an end to the saga, and for about 24 hours, it had put an end to it. HOWEVER, the circumstances did change overnight, forcing MON to go back on his word, after GB and his agent (Who had agreed to the deadline) went completely back on it, making themselves look like idiots, and GB is desperate to get the move, whereas LFC don't seem too bothered. Especially the fans.
4. If MON at all looks stupid, it is because of GB's mind-changing, and not his own fault.
5, Finally, If we get £18mill or suchlike (Players etc) AVFC will be just about happy...and apart from a bit of GB hating, this saga will be forgotten.

Taddy their seems to be some distortion of the 'truth'. It IS fact now that it was first made public the Vila end (the fax from LFC made its way to the Birmingham press) either by managment leak or employee for money. The only comment from Benitez has been WHEN ASKED, was that he is player LFC were interested in. The fee for Carson was agreed last season BEFORE the loan and Villa did not want to pay that amount (dont blame them...) when the option to buy was offered. Barry wil be made very welcome at Liverpool. He will give the side a very strong left side and a winning mentality and I can understand Villa fans being upset about loosing him. I hope you do well in UEFA, get in the top four and Liverpool win the EPL.

SpuddyBoy - I think you need to check some of the things you are saying ...
Firstly it seems to be universally agreed the leak of Liverpool's offer for Barry came from Aston Villa - NOT Liverpool. Rafa only commented once it was in the press - not before.
Secondly it now seems that a deal between all parties was agreed yet VILLA again changed their minds on the payments at the last minute - and this was the reason Martins "deadline" was missed.
The fact that Liverpool seem willing to accept the revised payment plan is the only reason O'Neill has now had to come out and state Barry can go after all 24 hrs after saying he can't.
In saying all of this I do appreciate how Villa fans are upset - I would be too if Gerrard announced he wanted to leave - and I'd want Liverpool to get the best deal possible ... but O'Neill really has handled all of this extremely badly.

MON showed what he was pre the barry saga, during the reserve final at anfield, rafa kept a discreet distance from our reserve team coach garry ablett but MON PUBLICLY UNDEMINED AND EMBARRASSED KEVIN MCDONALD. what a slimeball

MON is absolutely ridiculous in the way that he dilly dallies around in transfer windows. He has wasted so much time this summer, and this is supposed to be our most important season in a decade. If he would have spent half the time he used to talk to the media about Barry and used it watching tape of other players we would not be in this situation. This is a farce and we had better win the eufa cup this time cos we sure as hell wont be challenging this year. What a joke.

PS I think it would be a terrible job being a Villa scout, watching 1st divion matches, whilst every other scout involved with other teams gets to fly around the world

Spuddy, where is your proof that Liverpool went to the media? If you check your facts, it was actually MON who made first went to the press regarding the deal with his rantings...

I firmly believe that MON's MAIN gripe with the potential transfer was with the timing of the first bid (prior to Wigan game)...

Understandable, but this has made it a personal thing and as such, has turned the whole episode into a saga...

All parties concerned have some portion of blame in this matter...

MON has made us look like absolute idiots, it was clear from day 1 that Barry wanted to leave, but MON wanted to play big boy, now he just looks like a spoiled brat

i just watched the you tube video of when friedel scored!

goal of the season!

UTV ;D

i think it important to say that we'll probably never know who leaked the story about liverpool wanting barry

liverpool fans will say it was villa and villa fans will say it was liverpool

some might even say it was barry's agent ..

but we'll probably never know - because nobody will admit to it

This is a joke.

Offering only 10 million for Bentley was a joke.

MON what are you doing?

Holte1970, the difference is that Torres clearly stated that he didn't want to leave, unlike barry who clearly did. we keep our bets players because they want to stay not because we try to force them to stay.

this 3rd person article is clearly not very informed in the the world of football. and joker can pick a few lines and make a whole arguement arooound those lines, you should look at the bigger picture which is clear for all to see. if a player wants to leave then there is not alot you can do about it. you can either keep them and let them go for free while they give off bad vibes in the changing room or you can sell them quickly and look to replace them.


50-70 million is a lot of money but we would not sell torres to one of our rivals regardless.

Can't believe he still hasn't handed in a transfer request. What a total cnut? That article in The Mirror was spot on. We will improve next season without Barry. I can't wait for us to buy the link player we actually need.

That's one position i'm really excited about filling. I'm just really pleased to see the end of this now. Michael Johnson could do the job and has so far not signed the contract offered a week ago and apparently refuses to bow to the nutbag Thai Citeh Chairman before every game.

Yesterday's game was awful.

Freidel was solid... but then we knew he would be. Great penalty stop. Another save towards the end when the Reading fans were already cheering a goal, but Friedel just strolled out of the melee with the ball and distributed it wisely.

No-one had a clue who was playing at left-back!! It later turned out to be Stieber.

Gardner was poor at right back. Replaced by Reo-Coker who must be wondering why the hell he was deployed there.

Davies - It was great to see him start. A knackered, unfit, recovering from injury Davies was 20 times better than Knight who made mistake after mistake. Davies spent alot of time doing 2 jobs as Gardner is so clearly not a rb. Same for Laursen (dodgy moment clasping his knee early on, but came through it) on the left.

The central defence will be so much stronger when they are surrounded by quality l/rb's

Osbourne was rubbish, but to be fair it was an almost unrecognisable midfield which clearly lacked a little cohesion. He could do a job for us at right back though i think. He seemed to have better marking skills than Gardner when covering that position.

Salifou, the Togalese Zidane was poor.

Routledge showed some great skills on the right but never threatened and his end product in terms of crossing, shots and passing was generally weak. I think the MON factor is increasing his confidence though and those attributes will improve with games. Potentially a good impact player.

Maloney was poor although did have a couple of decent shots. Frustrated because this is the sort of team he should be making mince meat out of. I'm just not sure he's ever going to be the wonder kid, Scottish Player of the Year we hoped for.

Harewood is blatently only good for sub appearances and was sluggish and disinterested. If there was an injury to Carew, this guy could not be trusted to step up to full game level.

Carew was poor. He benefits from playing alongside a striker who offers a little pace and movement. I think Carew played alongside Harewood against Reading last season and they bullied the Reading defence all day. It may be a formula against certain lower prem weaker defences, but it just didn't work today.

Agbonlahor despite his goal looked rubbish, I hate to tell you. He needs some competition for the pacey striker role and could do with a run on the right wing. Great speed and skill, but just doesn't seem to know how to play as a striker. Worrying.

Young. Game changer. If this guy gets injured, we're stuffed.

Albrighton - looked good. Get some meat on him and you've got yourself a decent player.

Delfouneso - He took shots where other were not prepared to. Unfazed by the opposition. Very assured confident player. Look forward to seeing a few step overs in the Premiership next season!

I think thats everyone. It wasn't supposed to be war & peace.

Bring on the new players and f*ck off Barry.

UTV

Damian, the fax was off the Villa fax machine. As you know faxes are time/ date stamped. I think Villa fans should look a bit more into that. I think MON protestive to much?

the story was released first in the midlands press then the next day the echo reported it thats when the chit hit the fan

MON is is the best coach in the premier league..His message to the big four is, you want our talent..pay or f@#k off..fight for them or f@#k off...Barry's 10 yrs at Villa was served well..regrets will follow him after he moves to Liv..When he gets cut he will bleed red, but claret and blue will always run through his veins...He will realise this when we play them!!

john.lerwill@btinternet.com thanks for posting the Mirror link which sums things up very well. It is a tough market and I am proud of MON and the way he has stuck up for the club. I disagree with the blogs on this subject, what else could he possibly do but roll over. Well done MON for showing some fight, the result was inevitable given Barry's determination to go but you couldn't have done more to keep him and the vast majority of villa fans will appreciate your efforts.

can anyone blame barry for wanting to go when we r being linked with danny simpson of man united ? where r all the big sighnings to show our ambiton,top 4 my arse.

This is the reason i only read forums from time to time.

What on earth some of you are thinking is just sickening. Martin is acting for the interest of the club. By talking to Barry about deadlines for the transfer and getting agreements to the deadline, in which he asumed Garry was happy to stay if the deadline comes and goes, Why are we being "a small club"? Martin goes on to say that Barry now still wants to leave after this dealine so now he holds out for the original price!

If anything it tells other clubs to deal with Villa in clearaty and if the club says a price thats the price! Martin has been very consistent even in his offers.

Following the statement a few days ago - this backtracking is embarassing and summarises all the fears fans who do not live in narnia land have had for some time.

It's embarassing and not because we have to cave in to Liverpool and Barry - but because by releasing THAT statement the other day the club finally proves we indeed have no idea of what we are doing.

Two years to re-build a squad. To find a right back. To sign a suitable keeper.

We have a millionaire in charge? I'm beginning to wonder.

As for MON's ability on the transfer market - if any of his "thoughtful" pauses when he speaks are anything to go by - we know how he likes to operate. Slowly and thoughtfully.

This is not the Scottish league where Bobo Balde wins you trophies, this is a cut-throat league where the likes of Wenger and Ferguson operate. MON's out of his depths.

Red faces all around at Villa Park this morning, well done everyone and God help us next season.

From the interview with MON he sounded pissed and fed up of things. Sounds to me that relations between MON and GB have broken down completely and he just wanted to get rid of him no matter what.

Benitez none stop pestering is finally worked.

10m for Bentley? who cares?

could have offered 20m and he would still go to hotspurs. Like Barry, only one place he wanted to go as we found out after hotspurs interview with him... lifelong fan etc. Im sure Martin found this out same day as our (first offer for him) 10m bid went in!

Martin knows what hes doing.

If Gunners come in with 18m offer for Barry, Villa might accept but put my house on the fact Barry will still go to pool!

Just calm yourselves before you leave an embarrising puddle on your lounge floors :)

I'm with John Lerwill and Panchovilla

Pancho Villa and the likes, you're missing the point entirely.

This morning MON and AVFC look like mugs: efforts? I tell you where I want to see his efforts going - SIGN PLAYERS YOU LETARGIC BUFFOON.

I really enjoy reading Brian Reade's column in the mirror, it's just a shame it's in the mirror.

ive had enuff of this now, barry doesnt wanna stop here, so MON seell nd get wat you can for him, 17.5 plus finnan wud be a gd deal cuz then we have an out and out right back.

there been alot of specualtion 2dy.

- were aparently putting in offer for danny simpson from manu, beating blackburn to the signing.

- were leading the race with portsmouth to sign shorey and wright phillips, if i was either opfthem i wud cme to villa because we can guarantee them 1st team football.

Sorry, I will reiterate. You miss the point which completly flaws the Mirror article. Torres said he did NOT want to leave Liverpool. Barry said the complete opposite

Villa have made themselves look very foolish in all of this, completely farcical this last week! Why didn't MON just keep his mouth shut, then if Liverpool didn't come back in for GB or it didn't happen etc, Villa would have looked like their initial statement stood. If it had gone through then fine deal with the egg on face then!
I wouldn't blame GB too much, these things happen, get over it. As for reporting Liverpool!!! WTF!! So Villa have never bought anyone the selling club didn't want to lose? If the answer is yes to that then no wonder you don't win anything! It's because you just buy cast offs and if the answer is no then stop being such hypocrites!!!

1. I hope Barry has been told to put in an official transfer request because if Villa end up paying him a loyalty bonus will scream.
2. The story broke in the Liverpool Echo, I can't imagine anyone at Villa contacting them!
3. Sign some fucking players MON !!!!!

Mon is a complete idiot!!! get rid of him now!
sign some fk;ing players u pric!!!

I said on wednesday that if villa and MoN go back on their press release that we would be laughed at.

Aston Villa are now officially a joke. And as for all the 'In Mon we trust' merchants - that man is not GOD, it is nothing more than BLIND trust and BLIND loyalty. Where is the evidence of ambition?? Last four transfer windows have been an absolute joke. Talk about MoN moving transfer windows....all the In Mon we trust brigade constantly move the time of next signing date....we'll have signed two by the end of the week - how many times have we head this.....

Whats worse is MoN will probably spend 20m this transfer window , of which 18m will be from the sale of Barry and the MoN brigade will be delighted.

Wake up - the club is in crises.

MON's rants were after LFC's doings, if the rants were first, what were they about.

I am not 100%, agreeing with Damian that it will always be each saying it was the other.

For the record, I also agree with Damian's well-known views of Barry. Last season, he was good in games that maybe we didn't need him to be, and absent/lazy when we needed him. No loss.

I expect LFC will realise this before the end of the season.

John D

You're missing the point mate.

It is a rhetorical situation.

New post, I will not be reasing comment replies here now.

The bottom line is that Gareth Barry would rather be playing for a tin-pot club like Liverpool, rather than us. What this makes us I'll leave you all to draw your own conclusions. It is going to take something incredible for us to finish in the top half this season, never mind challenge for a top 4 spot, which should have been the aim for this season. Needless to say, the incredible isn't going to happen. The best we can realistically hope for is that signings are made that will ensure our Premiership status season, and we have a young side that, in time, might be able to establish itself in the top third of the premiership given time.

All of you questioning Barry's professionalism are, quite simply, idiots. He was our best player against Odense, despite the fact that he's desperate to leave a club that is going nowhere. His stance has not changed in the last few days. He's not prevaricating. I'm sure he was delighted by the reception he received at VP a week ago, but for us to expect that the love of the fans would persuade him to remain at a club who are incapable of, or unwilling to fulfill not only his but our ambitions is ludicrous.

As for Liverpool, you aren't a disgrace; you're a joke. That you are a more attractive proposition than us is not to your credit but to our shame. Your club doesn't deserve Gareth Barry.

i am so sick of this whole saga, barry is one of my favorite ever players players but what his done i ain't gonna forget i don't no how u can agree to a deadline then come back the next day moaning saying i want more time, his turned his back on us fans twice now even after we had showed him our supports for him.

to the liverpool fans coming on here chatting crap, benitez is slimey f@ck he phone o'neill asking about the availability of barry. o'neill told him he was not for sale, then a couple of weeks later he faxes threw a bid with some of your mickey mouse players and maybe abit of money just before we play an important game, which was leaked to the press no one knows who leaked it were probably never no( but i wouldn't be surprised if it was barrys agent cuz his a money grabbing tw@t )

steve b said:
This is a joke.
Offering only 10 million for Bentley was a joke.
MON what are you doing?

who has ever confirmed that the bid was 10mill no one, we don't no what it was it could of been 15mill but hughes was still there so he wasn't gonna sell. i think u should no and get your facts right before u come on here chatting crap.

does anyone think maybe all the fans should go down villa park and ask o'neill and learner whats going on with players, cuz if we don't get some in soon we gonna be finishing in 15th place maybe even worse

rant over

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Those of you who abuse MON on this site - not just criticise but use abusive comments are cowards and not Villa Supporters - Mick70, Anthony_Daventry are you listening?

Here's my take

Barry has twice reneged on a deal - appalling behaviour towards a club that have made him rich and a manager who has made him an England regular.

MON has hopefully learned not to comment on any transfer ever, at all - even though a lot of fans on this site moan about lack of communiction from the club.

Rafa - both Tottenham and AVFC are upset over his dealings (are we both wrong?) and you can tell with the way he dealt with the Boardroom issues last season that he's a snidey little s**t that will get his come uppence. All I pray is that he comes out and does the deal because I'm starting to think this was nothing more than one hell of an idea on how to knock AVFC off their stride without spending a dime.

Get this transfer done and get out of our hair.

Lastly, I think this season will be the real test for MON (though I thought that last year). If he again proves the doubters wrong then surely he deserves an apology from a lot of people on this site. Personally I think this seasons target is to cement ourselves as a top six team and a good cup run to boot. Sure, I'd love more but I'm more concerned about building success rather than chasing it.

Finally, finally - Anthony - Daventry. I can't beleive you really feel that over the last three decades you think this is the worst the fans have been treated - time truly is a great healer then!!

And finally: if Barry wants to leave for Liverpool, good for him.

He's going to a club who may be in turmoil in terms of ownership but he's also going to a club who will challenge for honours year in, year out.

At 27, he wants to improve his chances of playing at the highest level and - as we stand at the Villa - he will clearly get his wish.

Good luck to the bloke.

Unlike with other transfer windows, this summer's proving to be much more difficult to justify a cautious approach for the likes of MON and Lerner, mainly due to the fact that we've lost Mellberg and Berger too - so the squad is depleted.

Add to this the Bouma injury and we're devoid of defenders.

It's now or never, THIS is the summer where we'll see exactly how much the people in charge at the club want us to progress: 3rd of August, 28 days left to sign at least 7 players (2RB, 2LB, 1CD, 1RM and 1CF). A CM with some flair would also be appreciated but that would be too much to ask, I guess.

It'll take a hell of a lot of MON's charm to justify any possible failure so I'm curious to see what happens now.

Honeymoon's over Martin, let's see what you're made of.

This is the begining of the end for MON at villa. I reckon he will quit at the next season at the latest. Its obvious to me he isn't getting the backing from Lerner - and without this backing - his job is done - without money will not take us beyond 6th - and MON knows it.

AVMark, I am sure your fairness is appreciated by the club.

Fans with your sense of decency have been keeping the likes of Ellis in the job for decades so - with a bit of luck - your eternal sense of justice and respect shall ensure we start the season with a squad unable to compete beyond 8th place and not a grunt of disappointment in sight.

We can happily settle to be the club we've been for a long time or the club they told us we could become, I have politely waited a fair few transfer windows to step up to this level and frankly patience's wearing thin - unless you settle for mediocrity of course - which is what we've been fed on and off for the past 20 years (aside for the odd decent season - but then even Ipswich and Sunderland have had the odd decent season in the Prem in recent years).

I may be a coward, but you're a mug.

Ghosthunter: if MON really takes us beyond what we achieved last season and next summer we're not in the same position for the likes of Young as we are with Barry now, I'll be happily here to apologise - and rightly so.

As we stand today though, it will take a magician to achieve that.

the club were certainly premature in releasing their "barry's staying" statement. however, all parties on the villa side agreed to set liverpool a deadline to shit or get off the potty.

barry and black then moved the goalposts after the deadline passed. any lingering doubts i had about barry have now gone... it's clear he's a first class tosser. if MON and the club look bad out of this there's only one person to blame... gareth barry.

sad to see the usual negative suspects rubbing their hands with glee at the latest twist. i really can't reconcile some of their views with reality. i wouldn't recommend drinking the water in the daventry area, there's clearly something in it.

oh, and are liverpool fans seriously suggesting that MON leaked the liverpool bid to the liverpool echo and then went on a rant about it?? something in the liverpool water too by the looks!!

Can't wait for the day Barry goes now. You can't keep an unhappy player but I'm gutted that our captain obviously has no belief in MON and Randy and neither do I anymore. Barry can take MON with him as far as I'm concerned.

Mick70 - so you think by abusing MON you will change things for the better? You gonna have the bottle to do it at VP? So what else have you "done" mate? I tell you what I did about Ellis - I cancelled my season ticket after 30 years - if everyone had copied me he would have been forced out far earlier. What did you do? Others disagree - their opinion- but what are you going to do? Whinge?

I think MON should learn the lessons from this embarassing saga, if a player wants to leave he should be allowed to leave and the two clubs should come to an agreement very quickly and move on.
GB has been a loyal committed player for our club and i think he deserved a little more respect than he's received. I and i know many other supporters are embarassed at MON comments/rants on a daily basis in the media.

Damian, could you please confirm to the Villa fans on this site who are misinformed? The intial report on the Barry transfer was from the Birmingham press. The Liverpool Echo reported THAT article the very NEXT day. The fax was leaked the Villa end, it is time and date stamped so could not have come from any other source. I do not know who leaked it or why.

AVMark - I am not abusing MON, I am stating facts and analising evidence following 2 full seasons and 4 transfer windows under MON and Lerner.

It is a fact we still have a tiny squad, it is a fact players like Barry want to leave because they see other clubs as more ambitious.

I like MON, I really think he's an intelligent, charming man.

But silent resignation and immense patience will not contribute to better things as much as my ranting will not prompt anyone at Villa Park to review their plan of action.

So I respect what you did when Ellis was Chairman but I also feel entitled to doubt we - at present - are moving in the right direction, hence my rants towards an undecisive MON.

In 28 days we shall know more, if things by then have radically improved I'll be the first to be upbeat but right now, with no defence, a pedestrian midfield and Ashley Young beginning to look more and more like Maradona that much mediocrity surrounds him, I can say it's safe to be concerned, or whinge as you put it.

I'm

John D

I'd need to see the fax you talk about to be able to comment.

Is there in fact a fax that was leaked ... like I said above, I don't think we'll ever know for sure who leaked it, mostly becasue nobody is going to want to own up about it.

Unless someone comes out and says I got it from .. or someone comes out and says I gave it to ... it's just speculation.

Unless of course someone already has come out and said that .. if they have I've not read it.

Jesus Christ, some of you lot need to calm the hell down. I cannot believe how many people have turned against O'Neill even though he's done nothing wrong. NOTHING WRONG.

Look at the facts:

* MON set a deadline for Liverpool to make an acceptable bid which LIVERPOOL, BARRY AND HIS AGENT agreed to.
* the deadline passed and that bid was not made. As far as MON, Villa and all of you should be concerned, that's that.
* Barry and his agent moan and complain that they still think Liverpool will make an acceptable bid - EVEN THOUGH THEY AGREED TO A DEADLINE.

MON is clearly very upset by all this and rightfully so. He's been treated awfully by Barry, his agent and Liverpool. A verbal agreement may not be lawfully binding, but as professionals of the modern game everybody should have stood by it, instead of moaning and whinging and going behind everyone's back after it passes.

This is NOT O'Neill's fault. He is being made to look a mug by Rafa Benitez's underhanded tactics and Gareth Barry's total lack of respect for our club.

O'Neill deserves our full support, so for God's sake all you doubters, stop you complaining and get behind him!

Mick70 - "lethargic buffoon"?

I appreciate your heart is in the right place but show a bit more circumspection.

well i dont know about all you other villa fans but i need an end to this barry saga!!!!!!he stayin he goin thats all ive heard over the news about my team!,fuk barry we dont need him id like for all the villa attention to focused on gettin in new talent,think of a midfielder worth 17 million pounds,u can do a lot with that sort of money martin so sell him!AN BUY SHAUN WRIGHT PHILLIPS!ASHLEY YOUNG STEVE SIDWELL MALONEY WRIGHT PHILLIPS is one seriousley fast attack most prem defenders wouldn struggle to keep up with!c ya gareth thanx for the help enjoy ur self next season playing 50&#xon; the bench 4 top six side like villa!u fukin egg

@ John D. the news broke on [url=LINK]May 2nd[/url], the day before our crucial game against wigan. the conventional wisdom is that the timing was deliberate on liverpool's part as their season was effectively over and ours hung in the balance for 5th place.

please explain why MON or anyone at villa park would want to disrupt the club going into that game by releasing the story to the media?? we [i]did[/i] lose that game remember and barry was absent throughout the game.

the only people outside of liverpool who might want to do that are barry and his agent... there you might find your leaker, but it most certainly was not MON. doesn't make sense.

oh, and notice that the liverpool echo article i linked to claims an "exclusive".

this [url=LINK]birmingham post article[/url], dated the same day, does not.

i'm no detective, but i'd say evidence and motive would lead me to think the leak originated in liverpool, or from someone more inclined towards liverpool's interests than aston villa's.

The fact that te fax was leaked to the BIRMINGHAM press FIRST, which was then reported by the Liverpool Echo the NEXT day (FACT) does indicate its source is at the Villa end??? The date stamp will indicate which machine it is off. Maybe your contacts in Birmingham can show you the fax? Or maybe they want this misinformation about Liverpool leaking the fax to the Echo to be given to the Villa fans?

Vivavilla get a grip mate.

Setting a deadline which Liverpool DIDN'T agree to 30 days before the transfer window is shut is just pure nonsense.

Also, if you take a closer look you'll find that a bid was made and accepted on that very day, but due to a bank and payment dispute it ran over the 5pm deadline.

I used to be a fan of O'Neil, at one time he was rumored to be the next Liverpool manager post-Houllier and i was in favour of that. However, he has proven himself to be the biggest hypocrite and a bit of a sulk.

He hung Barry out to dry after his NOTW interview (which i agree was very silly) but O'Neil has kept the whole world updated almost daily on the transfer saga. He spouted off constantly during the Euro's on BBC which is quite unfair. He's given more interviews this summer than Beckham and lets not forget he was the FIRST person to attribute direct quotes to the saga, stupidly responding to paper rumour and admitting our interest.

Benitez however has handled himself well I feel, our business has been conducted behind the scenes and not played out on stage. It can't be helped if there's huge interest in a multi-million pound transfer but at least Rafa has not allowed himself to be constantly sourced and misquoted like O'Neil.

I like Villa, but everyone has to be realistic here. The guy has played for you for 10 years, he's almost past his peak and now he's got a chance to play on the biggest stage (Champions League). It's optimistic of Villa fans to say "we would of been the ones to catch Liverpool this season", but you need to get real, no one will break into the top 4 this season, if anyone was to slip out it would be Arsenal, as they haven't strengthened.

For Villa to break into the top four you'd need something like a 20 point swing in your favour, I'm sorry but get real guys. :P

VivaVila: Barry and LFC have said very little, espcially over the last 6 weeks. Its MON who has been doing all the talking to the media. I think they have given MON enough rope to hang himself. The IS an egotistical plonker. When the deal is completed it will interesting to see if Barry or LFC comment on MON version of the truth. Me thinks MON would make a good politician with his double speak

i hope when they finally offer the money MON says, "barry for sale, but he hasn`t put in any request" screw his head up a little and make him ask for 1

AVMark - How else would you describe him?

Slow-paced developer? Cautious operator? Conservative snail?

I don't backtrack on that, the man's proving to be useless on the transfer market - up to now anyway.

He's had 4 transfer windows to build a squad, people like Wenger build competitive squads every single season and often with kids!

MON is an extremely well paid man - a supposed top manager with plenty of time to scout players and generate plans who is in fact unable to find a single right back in 2 years - how much longer before anyone can doubt his ability?

He has a tiny squad, possibly even smaller than when he took over from DOL. How on Earth did he manage not to build on that in 2 years?

If you think the likes of Tottenham are not already ahead of us and by quite some distance due to this apathetic wheeling-dealing from MON and Lerner you are a very optimist man.

Things may change between now and the end of August but - as we stand - the current situation generated by that ill-adviced "Barry stays" statement and the consequent backtracking were buffoon territory.

And it made a mockery of the fans, too.

MON pulled out all the stops to keep Gareth Barry. We should thank MON, not slate him.

If 90% percent of Villa fans put themselevs in GB shoes, they will do the same thing. As a player we all will like to lift trophies and win medals. Think that we are 28 years olds and a bigger club than AVFC come and knock on the door for us. At 28 years old it will be his last chance to move on to a bigger club. He has 4 years left in his career to win trophies and medals. For 10 years he has been a loyal servant to ur club. He thinks that will win medals with LFC and will be able to show to his kids and grandsons. We cannot bad mouthed him by treating him a cheat and greedy. If he is a cheat and greedy, we are all cheats and greedy then. We all want in life to have a better job, more money and works for better companies to acheive our ambitions. So why GB cannot have these dreams and is he not a human being afterall? We should respect his decision.

My first comment on this site will be short and sweet. Liverpool and Gareth Barry is a match made in heaven; they're both contemptible shits, and truly deserve each other.

Liverpool’s title winning reserve side added another trophy to their collection at Anfield last night, as they overcame Southern League winners Aston Villa 3-0 to be crowned national champions.

Despite being without several regulars through injury and international call ups, Ablett was still able to name a well balanced side, which is testament to the amount of talent in his squad. Lucas was the only member of the senior squad involved, and he was only drafted in when Jay Spearing failed to shake off an injury in time to take his regular spot in the middle of the park.

Villa drafted in a few seniors, most notably Marvellous Marlon Harewood, who scored for their first team on his last visit to Anfield. Shaun Maloney and Wayne Routledge were also named in an experienced attack. The Brummies took this game seriously, that much was evident when [b]Martin O’Neill decided he would sit on the bench for the second half and completely undermine the reserve coach Kevin McDonald by taking over.[/b]

Surely O’Neill hasn’t taken Rafa’s bid for Barry personally? Maybe it was Paddy Berger’s comments that rattled him? Either way, it was unusual to see a first team manager getting so heavily involved in a reserve game. Halftime 1-0 Fulltime 3-0




Martin O'Niell is trouble and will blame everyone else for his mistakes, just ask Celtic fans what he's like. I'm glad he's at Villa because when the likes of Scolari, Capello and Sven G were linked, I was quite worried that Villa may even become a huge force again. As it is, all is well with the world.

PS, there is no way you will get your hands on Steve Finnan for less than 4m

I don't think there was much MON can do in the situation. If Barry demanded to leave and we refused to sell him, we'd just have a highly paid "star" sitting on the bench and we wouldn't have the extra money to buy players to replace him. MON tried to shame him into staying and it didn't work, but now it looks like Liverpool will pay the 18 million, which is what we were asking for in the first place. I'll reserve comment on the transfer window until it's over, but at least we have a good keeper, for once.

John D

You say it was in the Birmingham press first, but I'm not convinced. You could say it was in the Liveprool press first, but I'd also not be convinced - the fact is, we don't actually know who had it first.

As for, whoever had it first means it came from them, doesn't stand up either. If you're going to leak something it doesn't mean you are going to give it to your paper - you might as well give it to another one, to take the pressure off a little.

Unless someone comes out and says 'I did it' or a reporter comes out and says 'I got it from ...', we'll never actually know.

Damian, respect. You are correct and I was misinformed and I apologise. Either way I hope things turn out the best for both clubs and this does not create too much bad feelings

I have to disagree with the moaning. MON has done what he can with Barry, and has refused to let Liverpool or the tantrum-throwing player dictate the price or terms. And this has as much to do with Young, Gabby, and Davies as it does Barry.

Obviously he's none too happy with the FSW. If Rafa and Barry had kept this out of the papers, MON would have, too. If Barry was a man of his word, MON wouldn't have had to change the club's position. If Barry was a man with integrity, he'd put in a transfer request.

There's a way to go about transfers. MON respects the process and the other teams' wishes. He lodges his bid, waits to hear from the club, and doesn't say anything other than to rubbish speculation.

And of course he's p*ssed off, because this is what's wrong with football: entrenched CL teams in all leagues who can offer a stage the other clubs can't. It's not easy breaking that barrier when the top4 can simply approach the key players from chasing teams and set them back. You can slate MON if you like, but what players refuse the chance for CL football when it's offered? FFS, SAF has to make the same stand regarding Ronaldo! But SAF and the other entrenched clubs like Barca, Milan, Real Madrid...They know they sign other CL performers to replace their losses. It's much tougher for those outside the CL spots trying to get in.

Barry could've chosen to help break that tide, but he opted to look after himself. And thus he will be despised at Villa Park, and forgotten at Anfield. And he may never lift any meaningful silverware at Anfield.

As the Mirror article stated, what MON has done is good for football. If more managers took a stand, the balance of power would shift back to the clubs. But most of the other managers are chickensh*ts, afraid to look foolish. Liverpool are desperate to hang on to that fourth spot, and targeting Barry is just as much about setting back the competition as it is valuing the player himself.

Here's some timeslides for you to peruse and make up your own minds on how this Barry saga had unfolded.

16 april 2008
LINK


22 april 2008
LINK


23 april 2008
LINK


25 april 2008
LINK


O'Niell and Villa fans knew a long time ago that Barry wanted to leave for Liverpool so why the sudden suprise

His original valued estimated at 14-16 million has risen only because the Board at Villa did not expect the fans to be so vocal against the sale hence the price hike and total bollox talked since the Birmingham mail leaked the official bid. Martin O'Niell has flip-flopped like a gibbering mental patient over the last month and is looking foolish all over the football community. This now leaves the door open for other clubs to take whomever they want from Villa

Can't wait till we next meet

Rushback

If you're saying it was the Birmingham Mail that broke the story then I'm more inclined to believe that it was Liverpool that leaked it.

SHOW ME THE PROOF

and don't show me links to the birmingham mail. it's possibly the worst reported sports paper in the country

kohoutek, if by "setting back the competition" you mean that Villa will make up 16 points and 6 games on Liverpool [b]even[/b] if you keep Barry then you're living in cloud cuckoo land.

You've bought no-one, it's looking unlikely that you're going to buy anyone unless you sell Barry with two weeks to the start of the season and your Chairman Randolf Lerner who states on a weekly basis that he's one of the richest men in the world is making Doug Ellis look like Bill Gates.

We shouldve sold barry two months ago. All this faffing about by MON has really left us with only a few weeks to sign the players we need. What odds now he panic buys some scandinvian nobody before the transfer window shuts... :(

Damian, The Birmingham Mail is Villa's official source whether you believe it or not. Martin O'Neill himself has used this paper for his own use on many occasions most notably his phone call 1 week after several newspapers Quoted Rafa had been in communication with Martin for 20 days previous.

Well, whomever was first with the story was not my point, My point was that how is it such a big suprise that we reach todays date and fans are still suprised that Gareth is, or wants to leave Villa. O'Niell himself quite clearly states in April that he's worried certain star players want to leave and the board must act with improved contracts if they want to secure them for the long term. Lerner and O'Niell may not have acted quickly enough and seeing as Barry was running with less than 2 years left on his contract, it's also a bit suspect don't you think. Big players will usually be already into negotiations well before that time scale

It could be that Lerner is not prepared to give Barry an 80 grand a week 4 year deal seeing as he's getting on a bit who knows

what do you think

11 april 2008
LINK


11 april 2008
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15 april 2008
LINK


as you can see, Liverpool were not the only ones to be linked with Barry, Chelsea were one of the first teams this year to take an interest. Would there be as much of a fuss if he were to leave for the ruskies? Or is it because you see yourselves as challenging Liverpool for 4th?

The arrogance of Liverpool's fans infuriates me. "We're a big deal. Of course your captain wants to come to us. Accept it." And LFC-Fan essentially said, "It's so nice to see an even-handed take. Well done, Damian, you've finally admitted that MON is an ass and that Liverpool and Barry have done nothing wrong."

Rushback

The Chelsea link came from nothing .. in fact it came from Martin O'Neill. Read this from April 10th:

[url]LINK[/url]

As for Barry going - I actually don't rate him that highly and think if we can get this amount of money for him it's great business, but I won't go in to it again ..

are all liverpool fans deluded, or just the ones that come posting around here??

well done rushback, you've reminded us that barry and other key players had a good season last time out and MON recognised the need to offer them new contracts this summer. nothing unusual about that.

what would be unusual would be a player with 2 years left on his contract apparently considering joining a club which hadn't bid for him yet. unless of course he, his agent and the club in question had been in conversation for some time. can you say "tapping up"??

you think MONs actions make it open season on our players?!? LOL!!! who do you think will approach our club with the disrespect rafa has now??

as daniel levy said about the keane transfer:-

[quote]I don't regard it as a transfer deal - that is something which happens between two clubs when they both agree to trade - this is very much an enforced sale, for which we have agreed a sum of £19m as compensation plus a potential further £1.3m in additional compensation." [/quote]

the only difference being that keane had the balls to put in a transfer request. if only barry wasn't so greedy, he could be receiving the adoration of scousers up and down the land by now saving us all this bullshit.

Damian, your second to last sentance in that article sums it up for me. Lerner was never prepared to give Barry an 80 grand a week 4 year deal

It's a shame you've never rated him, however, he should work well in the midfield system at Liverpool and if it pays off, then it's been worth all this effort.

To those on here happy having all this extra cash, Money isn't everything, winning things IS

Newcastle get 52k seats filled every other week yet they rarely win things, ask them how it feels to have a rich board (soon to be chinese board)

villafandan, How do you know he hasn't handed in a transfer request?

The funniest thing is, CM is the last position Liverpool needs help in. They could've spent this money on Bentley to play on the wing, where they desperately need help.

i personally think sidwell is gonna be a better player than barry was, lets face it moriniho brought him, and i trust his judgment more than that rafa geezer.

lets glet him go give him hell 3rd game with a lil song like


who's that in villa's Midfield
who's that with the Ginger hair
Its Steve Sidwell Scoring Goals
We dont care if Barry goes
and Barry wont play for England anymore....

(Who's that dying on the Runway tune)

taken from LINK poster V111A

Rushback,

No, the reason we value Barry so highly is because you're idiotic manager started the whole thing by valuing Peter Crouch at about £15m more than he's worth. Then by asking for £10m for a goalkeeper who isn't worth half of that. Don't even think for a second that Villa have anything to do with the prices in question, you're the ones with the clueless manager who can't negotiate to save his life.

And now you're the ones ultimately paying for it because you're going to give us £18m for a player who, really, is probably only worth about half that. But then again, as we've already seen in this transfer window - you're used to paying through the nose for mediocrity aren't you?

Enjoy playing with the league's most expensive average team next season and seeing Spurs nick your Champions League position.

when he goes we have to sign at least seven players... once the saga is over there are no more excuses for o neill

rushback, maybe he finally has... [url=LINK]according to some reports liverpool have encouraged barry to do just that[/url].

that was reported a couple of days ago, so who knows now?? given that he was on the bench at reading yesterday i think it's pretty safe to assume he hadn't by that point??

other than that, have you read anywhere that barry's handed in an official transfer request?? they're generally pretty big news and this saga has received plenty of coverage!!

The Mirror article which asks what Liverpool did when Chelsea bid for Torres is irrelevant. Torres is happy and already at a team playing in the CL. Barry is not. Apples and Oranges.