Aston Villa News 24/7Writer: J P Fear 
Date:Thursday May 21 2009
Time: 11:20AM
UK time is: 20:34:21
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Villa To Play Tough With Gareth Barry?
Villa to play tough over Gareth Barry? Well, yes according to a report in The Sun today by Janine Self.
According to her report Villa boss Martin O'Neill and the club are happy (well, not happy but you get the drift) to lose the chance of around £9million in transfer fees and allow the Villa Captain to leave for a free the following summer instead of selling him to a rival Premiership Club.
The paper says he has three choices 1) make Villa follow their 'gentleman's agreement' to allow him to join a top four club this summer if one bids 2) Sign a new and massive contract at Villa 3) Run down his contract and leave on a Bosman in the summer of 2010.
Hopefully whatever happens, the situation is cleared up VERY quickly and early on this summer. If he goes he needs replacing and if he stays then that will surely help attract more players? If top quality players see that the England midfielder leaves then surely they too will doubt our ability to seriously break into the top four?
Nothing to do with me but I'm not sure making him stay and run down his contract would be the best thing to do, if he does seriously want to leave - again - then it would surely be better to allow him to go, no matter how much the team and many of us fans would miss him?
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Your Comments
I think if Barry wants to go we should let him - he as done a lot for us and vice versa. He is a great player but there are better and we need better if the team overall wants to be better. I know most of you are going to shoot me down for my controversial comments.
Pablo1978
I think if Barry wants to go we should let him - he as done a lot for us and vice versa. He is a great player but there are better and we need better if the team overall wants to be better. I know most of you are going to shoot me down for my controversial comments.
Pablo1978
No shooting from me Pablo, I tend to agree, if he wants to go for a second summer in a row and it is to a top four team, then he should be let go this time. I think they did the right thing keeping him this season but having failed to break the top four it may well be time to part waves with him. I so hope we can tempt him to stay but don't think the players he has seen incoming will have convinced him that we are going to break the top four despite very valiant attempts.
The Fear
No shooting from me Pablo, I tend to agree, if he wants to go for a second summer in a row and it is to a top four team, then he should be let go this time. I think they did the right thing keeping him this season but having failed to break the top four it may well be time to part waves with him. I so hope we can tempt him to stay but don't think the players he has seen incoming will have convinced him that we are going to break the top four despite very valiant attempts.
The Fear
He will go and I say all the best. He really could have just suked all season - look at other players 'forced' to stay at their clubs another season e.g. Santa Cruz who have been awful. Barry continued on, regained the armband and had a blinding season. Petrov is all the better for his involvement. Hopefully NRC, Sidwell and Gardner can step up to the mark now as well as Defour!! (please)!!
deano.avfc
He will go and I say all the best. He really could have just suked all season - look at other players 'forced' to stay at their clubs another season e.g. Santa Cruz who have been awful. Barry continued on, regained the armband and had a blinding season. Petrov is all the better for his involvement. Hopefully NRC, Sidwell and Gardner can step up to the mark now as well as Defour!! (please)!!
deano.avfc
I would want him to stay . . . .if he wants to stay. If he wants to go and that was what was agreed at the start of the season, then it is right to let him go. But I agree it has to be done immediately. We can not have Murderpool taking him off us, 1 week before the season starts if he has not been replaced.
voiceoftheholte
I would want him to stay . . . .if he wants to stay. If he wants to go and that was what was agreed at the start of the season, then it is right to let him go. But I agree it has to be done immediately. We can not have Murderpool taking him off us, 1 week before the season starts if he has not been replaced.
voiceoftheholte
Let him go, we need a revamp in midfield
son_of_cher
Let him go, we need a revamp in midfield
son_of_cher
Clubs never play tough,The fans want them to and try and adjust what really happens to suit their own mindset,I have heard people say o`neill "played tough" and kept barry in the summer,He did all he could but the Fact is if liverpool would have stumped up a million or two more he would have gone.It will be the same in the summer.He will go and i couldn`t care less,He is in all reality no better than petrov,Let reo coker play in his proper position for once and we will be fine.
lerneravfc
Clubs never play tough,The fans want them to and try and adjust what really happens to suit their own mindset,I have heard people say o`neill "played tough" and kept barry in the summer,He did all he could but the Fact is if liverpool would have stumped up a million or two more he would have gone.It will be the same in the summer.He will go and i couldn`t care less,He is in all reality no better than petrov,Let reo coker play in his proper position for once and we will be fine.
lerneravfc
yes, get what you are saying lerneravfc, the players hold the power HOWEVER I think they did play 'tough' in the fact they set the price they wanted and would not budge despite constant attempts to prize him away for less.
The Fear
yes, get what you are saying lerneravfc, the players hold the power HOWEVER I think they did play 'tough' in the fact they set the price they wanted and would not budge despite constant attempts to prize him away for less.
The Fear
I think Barry going to liverpool would be the biggest mistake he could make. I know you think I am bias but think about it. Why leave a club with a big future, where you are the star and will most likly be captain to go to a club where you know you will be playing left back (not your fav center mid which you have only just made your own for england, think you would keep that spot in the england team playing left back) not even be in with a change of being a real fan fav and that has a manager with a history of buying players in one window and selling them the next. If he goes to pool this summer I think he would back at VP by 2012.
Tallaght Villan
I think Barry going to liverpool would be the biggest mistake he could make. I know you think I am bias but think about it. Why leave a club with a big future, where you are the star and will most likly be captain to go to a club where you know you will be playing left back (not your fav center mid which you have only just made your own for england, think you would keep that spot in the england team playing left back) not even be in with a change of being a real fan fav and that has a manager with a history of buying players in one window and selling them the next. If he goes to pool this summer I think he would back at VP by 2012.
Tallaght Villan
nice to see some reality rather tahn the usual Barry is irreplaceable rubbish. He's good but no better than that and IMO is restricting our options in midfield. NRC should be given a run in his real position or possibly bring milner into the middle in a gerrard type role, there are loads of options even with the current stock if MON could be freed of the requirement to play Barry every week. Unless talking about a true mercurial talent, you don't necessarily alsways play your best players rather the best unit as proven by lampard and gerrard for england.
AVbornandbred
nice to see some reality rather tahn the usual Barry is irreplaceable rubbish. He's good but no better than that and IMO is restricting our options in midfield. NRC should be given a run in his real position or possibly bring milner into the middle in a gerrard type role, there are loads of options even with the current stock if MON could be freed of the requirement to play Barry every week. Unless talking about a true mercurial talent, you don't necessarily alsways play your best players rather the best unit as proven by lampard and gerrard for england.
AVbornandbred
Despite the plaudits, I am quite disappointed Petrov has made his name as a defensive player for us. I thought he would be our Lampard, Gerrard, behind front 2 type of player like he was for Celtic and get 10-12 goals a season. If he was to be that type a partnership with NRC would work well, as it is though, Sidwell may give the better balance. But I do like the idea of Milner in the middle with Young and Bentley or Downing on the wings. Downing L and Young R or Young L and Bentley R.
deano.avfc
Despite the plaudits, I am quite disappointed Petrov has made his name as a defensive player for us. I thought he would be our Lampard, Gerrard, behind front 2 type of player like he was for Celtic and get 10-12 goals a season. If he was to be that type a partnership with NRC would work well, as it is though, Sidwell may give the better balance. But I do like the idea of Milner in the middle with Young and Bentley or Downing on the wings. Downing L and Young R or Young L and Bentley R.
deano.avfc
Its highly likely that NRC will be off too in the summer. Salifou has never cut it and I dont think Gardner is ever going to be anything more than back up. Sidwell has dropped of the face of the planet so that could leave us with just Petrov. i'm not too fussed if barry goes but it leaves us seriously short and lacking depth.
themightyatom
Its highly likely that NRC will be off too in the summer. Salifou has never cut it and I dont think Gardner is ever going to be anything more than back up. Sidwell has dropped of the face of the planet so that could leave us with just Petrov. i'm not too fussed if barry goes but it leaves us seriously short and lacking depth.
themightyatom
Tallaght Villan: I fully agree. Gareth Barry should be thinking WORLD CUP this summer and not CL at Liverpool. In my view there are far too many risks involved in joining Liverpool this summer with respect to his WORLD CUP place for which England look certain to qualify. Playing Left Back one week, Left Midfield the next, Centre Mid the next, bench warmer the next will not be good for his form. Also the additional games, risk of injury, and freshness for next summer must be more important.
AVFC_WSM
Tallaght Villan: I fully agree. Gareth Barry should be thinking WORLD CUP this summer and not CL at Liverpool. In my view there are far too many risks involved in joining Liverpool this summer with respect to his WORLD CUP place for which England look certain to qualify. Playing Left Back one week, Left Midfield the next, Centre Mid the next, bench warmer the next will not be good for his form. Also the additional games, risk of injury, and freshness for next summer must be more important.
AVFC_WSM
But does he care about all that if he's getting his wish to play top level european football? I want him to stay but i dont mind if he goes. As son_of _her said, i think a revamp wouldnt go a miss. A creative, goal scoring centre mid is what we need. someone to provide assists instead of relying on Ash all the time.
medzy
But does he care about all that if he's getting his wish to play top level european football? I want him to stay but i dont mind if he goes. As son_of _her said, i think a revamp wouldnt go a miss. A creative, goal scoring centre mid is what we need. someone to provide assists instead of relying on Ash all the time.
medzy
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