Gareth Barry: Aston Villa fans continue to have their say
IN THE end it was money rather than Champions League football that seduced Barry.
However, I feel very strongly that he would have committed himself to a long-term deal 12 months ago and thus still been a very important part of our future if he had been sure of Martin O’Neill’s intentions to bring in the quality of player we need to realistically challenge for honours.
O’Neill has completely lost his way – we are back to the old Ellis format of two to three seasons of progress under a new manager and then performances falling away.
There is one difference. Previous managers were given little money. O’Neill has been given plenty (and Randy Lerner appears willing to put up plenty more) but he lacks the will and the nous to spend it wisely. My conclusion is that he is the most over-rated manager in football.
In the transfer market, particularly, he is a disaster. He appears to only be confident in bringing in players he has worked with before (Heskey, Petrov) or playeres who have played well against the Villa (Sidwell).
His obsession with the workmanlike and mediocre is now, I understand, legendary in the game. There appears to be little or no scouting for genuine new talent or at least, if identified, they are never signed.
Why does it take him so long to sign players and why does he insist on controlling transfers from beginning to end, treading on the toes of chief executives in the process?
Tactically, he is over simplistic, naive and one-dimensional. Villa, home or away, whatever the quality of the opposition, play everyone the same way – absorb the other team’s attacks and then hit them with pacy front men fed by a completely unsophisticated long-ball policy. Kick and rush really.
I feel it is now time for Randy Lerner to get rid of his manager before he wastes more money. If the chairman cannot find the will to sack him then O’Neill ought to do the decent thing and resign. Steve Coppell would be the perfect replacement.
S HUDSON, Handsworth
I AM extremely sad about Gareth Barry leaving Aston Villa, especially for Manchester City.
It does leave a very bitter taste in the mouth after all the Champions League talk. I thought he would have stayed to see out his contract and make a decision based on our position in the league at the end of the 2009-10 season.
Even though he has decided to leave I would like to wish him good luck. He has been an excellent servant to Aston Villa and a true professional on and off the pitch for 12 years.
I certainly won’t be booing him when he comes back to Villa Park. Twelve years in one job is long enough for anyone and deserves a round of applause.
Thank you for everything and good luck Gareth, Saturday afternoons won’t be the same without you.
V WILLIAMS, Kingstanding
GARETH, how dare you try to explain your guilt with a patronising letter to your loyal support at Aston Villa.
Most fans would have been upset but accepted your excuses had you left, as your wishes demanded, for Champions League football.
The truth is that, pushing 29 years old, a five-year contract and 100k-plus a week is your real vocation.
As for Mr Lerner, we all know you do not do interviews so why embarrass yourself not more than two weeks ago in saying you would rather keep Gareth for one extra season and lose out on a fee at the end, only to sell at the first chance.
At least Doug Ellis would have made sure Gareth went through a proper auction and got his true value.
And, Mr O’Neill, what now? What are you going to buy with £12m? We have to hope for a repeat of last year’s away form and a drastic improvement at home or the bookies reducing odds of 33-1 for the drop look pretty good.
K PICKERSGILL, Coleshill
