Is it really worth it, Gareth?

It was supposed to be an exciting pre-season. One where we saw the club secure the signings to cover for the players that left as well as improving on the squad we did have in it's bid to push up that extra level. To take on Everton for that fifth place.

But it hasn't happened. Nowhere even near. It's just been about one person.

Not the manager, not the owner - but a club captain who clearly doesn't know what it means to be captain of a football club. Gareth Barry is a player who only back in March I would have described as a model professional. He gave the impression of being dependable, unlikely to cause problems in the dressing room and dedicated to the cause. He was a player who had finally been given the international honours he deserved and would go on to lead the club into Europe.

A few months later, and those thoughts have changed.

I'd never have thought that Gareth Barry would resort to tactics like he has over the summer in his desperate attempt to engineer a move to Liverpool's substitute bench. Even if he was the type of person who came across as not afraid to open his mouth, as captain, I expected him to act with decency and a bit of respect for his current club no matter how much he wanted his move.

Truth is, it doesn't look like he's even thought twice about it.

The whole drawn out process has been one big embarrassing mess. Embarrassing for Villa, the player and most of all Liverpool FC. Nobody comes out of this looking good.

Benitez's pathetic opening bids and week long pursuit telling the media about his bid for the player, possibly breaking Premier League rules.

Steven Gerrard telling all who'd listen whilst on international duty that he's desperate for Liverpool to sign Barry.

Martin O'Neill refusing to give in to a situation that was always going to end in Barry leaving - meaning he's wasted time which could have been spent actually trying to bring in players and his insistence to do everything behind closed doors - and then join in with Benitez and telling everyone the situation at regular intervals.

And then, of course there is Gareth himself. Is it really all worth it, Gareth. Yes you want Champions League football - but do you think you will actually get it? Ahead of Gerrard, Alonso and Mascherano? Really?

Joining a club whose supporters really do not seem to actually want you at the club cannot be a great idea. Especially when it's a club who won't be giving you first team football (well, not if they actually want to win things - you are good, Gareth - but not Champions League winners good), and without your first team football you'll lose the England place that you worked so hard to get.

Is it really worth it?

Having agreed with his agent and manager on a deadline for this saga to be over, and then decide once it had passed to then go back on agreement stinks - and has finally ended any goodwill that Villa fans had left for you, Gareth. You've now managed to ruin your relationship you had with a set of fans that were proud to have you at their team in favour of trying to force through a move to a set of fans who don't actually want you.

Is it worth it, Gareth?

Well, with if the reports that he's signed a new sponsorship deal with Adidas, giving him a cool £500,000 but only if he signs for Liverpool are true then perhaps it is worth it after all. Even the most professional players succumb to the pound signs, it seems.

I'll miss Gareth. He's a decent player and Villa will be a lesser team without him, O'Neill's determination to keep him shows how much the manager valued his ex-captain. And I really don't blame Gareth for actually wanting to play Champions League football.

It's just a shame that he's done it in the manner he chose - and (soon to be) signing for a team where he will be spending more time on the bench than on the pitch. John Gregory once said that f Barry that he didn't like to get his shorts dirty. He won't even get the chance to do that at Liverpool.

You've let yourself down, Gareth.

Comments

[David]

I think LFC fans on here should wake up. The behaviour of their club throughout this farce has been contemptible, as indeed has been that of Barry himself. LFC used to have class,now their actions all look ragged and shifty. The current manager and board wouldn't recognise class if a ton fell on their heads!!

[magnumopus]

I detect some sour grapes in this article! Barry will not sit on the bench more than having play time!!!! He will fit in nicely with Rafa's plans. Alonso will be the one in waiting....

[Andrew]

Ahh, diddums. Did the ickle Villa fan throw all his toys out of the cot because Gareth Barry would actually like to win something one day?

I can't believe how pathetic you Villans truly are. The booing and chanting 'You're not fit to wear the shirt' to a player who has given as much to the club as Barry showed just how petty and smallminded you really are.

I love the fact that you all swallow Martin O'Neill's tripe whole-heartedly while never stopping to ask why he's the only one ever quoted on this story that Liverpool are apparently using the media to facilitate...

[Xrayser]

Should Barry play in the UEFA qualifier on Aug 14 in Iceland - will he not be cup tied? Whatever - I feel it has now become very embarrassing for the player who has been left in limbo by liverpool fc.

[Lee]

I'm a villa fan so I'm bound to be biased as are Liverpool fans. You cant change history though and the fact remains the manager of Liverpool FC did not contact MON until after the news had been revealed to The Liverpool Echo.
More and more we are seeing clubs court players using the media. I've always respected LFC but they have gone down in my estimations and shown a lack of class.
As for Barry himself I loved the player and am grateful for the 10 years excellent service he's given villa through some difficult times. I dont blame him for wanting champions league football. However, I feel he could have helped villa reach that goal. Aside from that I think he's lost his 'gentleman' of football tag by going behind O'Neils back to the press....he wont sit on the bench at Liverpool, he's too good a player, even though their fans are yet to be convinced of that but I'll say this.....he will never be revered like he was in claret and blue.

[Spike]

20 odd years ago I saw peter withe make his home debut towards the end of an average season for the villa the next season was very different,with the following european glory.just a couple of peices in the jigsaw and we will be on top of scouse and chasing manure.We have a great manager who has a plan just as mr Saunders had.I think Villa will do very well this year with or without Gareth

[Gareth]

why in Gods name would will sell our captain, most consistent, England regular(preferred over Lampard) highest paid player for 6 million quid. Why don't we just sell all our best players to whoever wants them and just get some scrap hand-me-downs which Liverpool's first proposal for barry included. We valued him at 18 million as he was our best player and that is how much Villa thought of him, but Liverpool think he isn't worth that, what a confidence boost for Barry. Perhaps you value him lesser as Benitez just wants a squad player or just so Villa don't out do them this season

[JONNY]

I think Villa should have set the asking price much higher - as everyone expects to negotiate down. That way they could have sold at £18m and it would have been a win-win. I remember Bayern priced Hargreaves at £30m+ before settling for £18m.

I can't think of any club that has bought a player outright for the initial asking price, so Villa's tactics are very suspect.

Barry is realistically worth about £15/16m due to his age but by being unwilling to negotiate, Villa have now cut off their nose to spite their face - they've now got a demotivated player and no cash to buy replacements.

[Doug Bates]

Maybe transfer rules should be more rigorously enforced, villain here is Liverpool who have used the media to flatter a player and then have not come up with the asking price. Barry has put in 10 years with Villa and has been a rock for them, if he is given the opportunity to play for a bigger club at a higher level then no-one should begrudge him that. Both Barry and Martin O'Neill have aired their frustration to the press, and maybe Barry should not have, but at the end of the day if Liverpool had made a proper approach and come up with the asking price it would have been clean cut.

[Pauls Calitis]

I don't agree that Liverpool are the villains here - rather, it is Martin O'Neil, who refuses to grant Barry his one career-defining opportunity to play for one of Europe's leading clubs. If he ends up on the bench, so be it. But is it better to play every week for a mid-table side with no hope of success, than to dream of bigger and better things, and collect some medals? Isn't football all about glory, not just settling for second best? Would Michael Carrick have been better off staying at Spurs?

BEC LFC cannot win. You say in your comments that there is no news on our website, well if we did we would be accused even further by your club and your silly manager of tapping him up. Also to your fans who question our desire as LFC fans, not too sure eactly what you mean by that, but I don't know any scouse fans who want to get rid of Alonso and buy Barry anyway, so you are right if you doubt our desire about Barry. Also Steve you contradict yourself by saying Villa set the price and LFC decide if it is worth it, isn't that what has happened - when have LFC set the price? Then to go onto personally attack the city of Liverpool and it's people is really pathetic. Stick to commenting on the story about Barry, it just makes you sound really sad and bitter otherwise. YNWA

[Mick]

An answer for Dave (and it ain't rocket science son!) What do (did) we want L'pool to do? Well, if you feel you are being ripped off simply WALK AWAY..it's what Juve did re. Alonso; it's what Villa did re. Bentley. Nobody is forcing lfc to buy Barry (although now I hope they do).

You can simply WALK AWAY.

WALK AWAY if you don't agree with the price. What is so hard to grasp?

Lfc have clung on to this transfer with all the determination of a spurned bunnyboiler. Famously they claimed to have missed MON's imposed transfer deadline by a mere fifteen minutes and encouraged Barry and Black to plead with O'Neill to relent- yet here we are a week later and lfc still haven't paid up any cash to Aston Villa. Shambolic.
There is no doubt whatsoever that, to anyone with a grain of commonsense, lfc's actions in this whole saga have been an embarrassment to football, to sportsmanship and, most keenly, to lfc themselves.
I predict lfc will pay-up, but in keeping with their infantile approach to this whole affair they won't pay-up until the closing moments of the August deadline.
They fear the threat of Villa to that fourth spot and dirty tricks has been the most effective way for them to tamper with Villa's progress.
If there are any footballing gods up there in Heaven, then lfc's unethical methods are doomed to failure.
You reap what you sow lfc, you reap what you sow!

[Nigel Bailey]

As a life long Villa fan I beleive that it would be good business to sell Barry for £18 million. Despite the excellent skill Barry has shown with passing and creating chances there are two main weaknesses in his game. Firstly his lack of pace has often seen the Villa defence exposed and he has frequently conceded needless free kicks pulling back players as they sweep past him. Secondly his general fitness is suspect and often he is to be seen walking back when the ball has been lost. Also not a born leader and he has not been able to generate enthusiasm amongst other members of the team. Difficult to find immediate replacements but that is the responsibility of the management staff.

[MIchael]

This article has been ruined by the writers insistence that Benitez was telling anyone and everyone that he wanted Barry. That is a complete lie. Benitez was accused by O'Neill of leaking to the press the transfer details. Benitez was on record, briefly in riposte to O'Neil. He hasn't said anything in literally months.

O'Neil has done all the talking, made all the accusations, Benitez has been silent throughout the several news snippets over these last two months. Yet if you read the press you wouldn't believe it

Bec - the reason why there is no mention of Barry on the official Liverpool website is because Barry is not a Liverpool player. All summer long Martin O'Neill has been banging on and on (in the media, to anyone who listens) about the behaviour of Liverpool - do you really think that an official club site would mention anything about someone else's player? Imagine the uproar - O'Neill would blow a fuse. While we're on the subject - can anyone tell me how Harry Redknapp talking about Crouch, Wright-Phillips is any different?

[Al]

Who said anything about Villa wanting to get rid of him for six million? Lerner and O'Neill certainly didn't. O'Neill made Barry captain and the first name on the team sheet every week. He gave him a new contract him which made him the best paid player at the club. He helped him from the forgotten fringes of the national set up to become a regular in the England team, ahead of the 18 million rated Carragher and Hargreaves, the and god knows how much Lampard.

It is frankly ludicrous to believe in these circumstances that MON "willed Barry to go" at six million a year ago, at the same time as offering West Brom eight mil for Curtis Davies and paying nine point five for Ashley Young, and equally ludicrous to expect Villa to hand the player over to Liverpool at anything less than his true market value.

[john evans]

Grow up villa fans. Barry wants to play for a big club and before you say Liverpool arent a big club, have a word with yourselves.

And Barry wont be on the subs bench like you seem to think he will.

[Roger]

Not only is the desire of the Liverpool fans in question here, but also LFC.

It seems they did have the money but preferred to spend it on Keane when Tottenham gave in and since last week have been amazingly quiet!

[Bec]

I agree with you, but i also think that its Liverpool whose playing us around.

He has shown no respect for the club and the manager by going about it the way he has. I was extremly disapointed and shocked by his unortharised interview with News of the World, i couldn't believe he's slated Martin O'Neill - his manager! But as for Liverpool, they to me dont seem that bothered about signing him, i mean they have said they want to and have put bids in but they know that we wont accept a bit under 18 million, yet they persist to give bids under it. Also they decided to dign Robbie Keane over Barry, if they really wanted him they would have signed him.

Also have a look in the news on Liverpool official site, there's nothing on Barry at all, look on Villa's and it's full of articles on Barry, like the MON stating that he would love Barry to stay. I think that really puts it into perspective how much we value him to Liverpool.

I expected more of Barry, but there you go.

[Craig]

Nice piece, sums everything up well. I think Barry has let the club down with his very public unprofessional behaviour. Hopefully, you can get rid and see whether O'Neill can bring in 4/5 top class players.

Good work.

[John Orford]

Gutter journalism. It reads very much like the Sun or the Mail. Any journalist should be shown the door for thinking like this, much less writing it. And the Times - the Times - prints it. No wonder the Guardian is at the top.

[Steve]

I disagree Dave. The guy's given Barry credit for being a good player and has admitted that Villa will be weaker without him. he's also criticised his manager for his stance throughout.

It's Liverpool who have behaved shockingly here. It's the selling club that sets the asking price and they can change it year on year, month on month whenever they like. Liverpool then decide if the player is worth it. Simple

It's not up to the residents of self pity city and a fat spanish waiter to set market prices.

[Dave]

Uneccessary and vitriolic piece of journalism.

It's very simple - He's given 10 good years to Villa, he wants to move to further and better himself. O'Neill hasn't done enough in the last x years to convince Barry Villa can reach CL football, he's going to go.

What do you want Liverpool to do? A player who last year Villa were willing to go for 6 million pounds, now being priced at 18/20 million?

Liverpool are getting ripped off here, no doubt. But Villa have behaved shockingly throughout.