posted Dec 3, 2008

its official mon is after 3 wigan players in valencia, zacki, and oh dear donkey heskey also routledge and knight and harewood are on the way out in jan also mon is after kevin doyle

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posted Dec 3, 2008

"hes a big fish in a small pond at villa"

You mean he's an average sized fish in a fairly extensive pool that hopefully is growing, though clearly not the biggest there is by a long way.


The problem is. Can Barry grow with us.

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posted Dec 3, 2008

I agree with PranksterofLove, Barry is overrated.

Last season he was our best player by far, he would never lose the ball and was always creating opportunities.

But since the summer he really hasn't been at the standard he was at last season.

I think it would be in our best interests to sell him in the summer, especially as he is saying that he only wants to stay if we get CL

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posted Dec 3, 2008

Barry after ten years is entitled to look for a move and a big pay day if he was that mercenary he could have been like Anelka how many different clubs has he signed for in that time?

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posted Dec 3, 2008

Not mercenary, or he'd have moved on long ago. For a while he was the lynch-pin of the team, but I agree he hasn't hit those levels this season.
There have been bigger players in the team this year, and Barry's performances have been largely muted (and sometimes wasteful).
Could have built a team around him, but I think that time has passed.

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posted Dec 3, 2008

Even if Villa qualify for the CL (and I think they have a real chance), they are highly unlikely to win at the first time of asking. So if Barry is serious about wanting to win that trophy, as opposed to just playing in the competition, his best bet is still to move to a bigger club with a good track record of reaching the later stages.

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posted Dec 3, 2008

I can see him going to Arsenal. I think his shot at going to Liverpool is gone. Maybe I am wrong though.

Villa have a chance of finishing top 4 this year so he might stay if they get CL. I don't see him winning the CL with Villa though. So he might not stay for long. All in all I don't see him getting a CL winners medal with anyone. I don't think any club worthy of winning it is interested in him. Another poster mentioned that Man Utd might be in for him. Time will tell.
To be honest. I don't even know why I am posting this. I got really bored with the Barry saga ages ago.

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posted Dec 3, 2008

"So if Barry is serious about wanting to win that trophy, as opposed to just playing in the competition, his best bet is still to move to a bigger club with a good track record of reaching the later stages."

So the discussion has moved on now has it? No longer is Barry just wanting CL football, he's supposed to now be craving to actually win the damn thing, if he's to be really fulfilled as a player.

See how these things work my fellow Villans. It's finally conceded by some that we now have a small "realistic" chance of attaining a CL spot, but of course the barrier is again raised for us beforehand. This now includes actually winning the trophy, for us to be able to keep our better players from leaving us for one of the so called elite "bigger clubs".

Forget that it's Barry we are discussing here for the moment. This is just another example of the self-serving drivel we've had to put up with at Villa all summer from certain quarters.

Well actually I too don't think Villa are good enough yet to compete in the CL, so whether Barry stays or goes at the end of this season is purely academic as far as I'm concerned. Besides I'm past caring one way or the other on this particular issue.

What's really getting up my nose now though, is the excuse for the continued dissing of my club by those only too happy to have a pop at every opportunity about our so called lack of size and stature, and our alleged inability to ever compete with the elite.

We'll get there if we can summon enough ambition and loot to make it happen. That I've no doubt about. We are one of several clubs that could achieve that level of success that some believe is pre-ordained for but a few.

If we can do so with Barry's assistance, all well a good. If not and he departs. It's his decision and I won't be losing any sleep over it.

Aston Villa will be around long after Barry has hung his boots up and I confidently predict Villa will eventually win at least one major trophy before I depart this mortal existence. Like religion, one has to have that much faith, in order to sustain any support for a club like ours. It's what probably keeps the likes of Newcastle Utd fans and a few others going I suspect.

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posted Dec 4, 2008

You may well be right claretnbluevillain, but the fact remains that while he's at this club, we get behind him. If we would like him to stay longer than all we can do as fans is to let him know we're behind him as long as he decides to stay.
I'm a firm believer in sticking with your players through high and low, and getting behind them regardless of what happens.

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posted Dec 4, 2008

Villatopofthetops, why did you take my comment as a dig at your club? Villa may well be good enough to win the CL if they continue to improve in future years. But Barry is 27! What are the odds of this happening while he is still a first 11 player?

So with that in mind, there is still an incentive to play his CL football in a club more likely to win it before he ages into squad player status.

I'm not saying your club lacks status, class or history, because they don't. Relax!

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