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From the Terraces
Tagged:
Premiership, Aston Villa
Football FanCast
columnist Rob Facey wonders if Liverpool's apparent underhand
tactics would backfire in their bid to sign Gareth Barry.
As Martin O'Neill strives to convince his team captain to
stay, he will receive many fans sympathies after Liverpool's no-holds-barred
attempt to sign the England midfielder. Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has already
been on the receiving end of O'Neill's wrath after suggesting that the pair had
been in dialogue over a possible sale and earlier this week claimed that the
Aston Villa star wanted to leave the club.
Now, it would seem, his players are getting in on the act,
as seen by Xabi Alonso's comments in The
Guardian today:
"I think I will be here next season even if Barry comes," said Alonso, whose future at Anfield is thought to be under threat, especially if Liverpool do sign Barry.
"He would bring good competition and he would be more than welcome.
"He can play different positions and if he plays in midfield then I could play with him. I have no problem with that. I have been here four seasons already. Why not seven or eight?"
It is depressing yet commonplace for managers to publically talk about transfer targets in order to place a seed in the mind of the player involved, but to have your players come out and start talking up transfer targets only adds fuel to the fire and is a worrying prospect for the future of the game.
If Barry does move to Liverpool, which is looking increasingly inevitable as the days pass, Martin O'Neill and the whole of Aston Villa have every right to feel aggrieved with Liverpool's aggressive tactics.
Troublesome agents are one thing, but players commenting on other players transfer situation, especially when a target for your club, should be outlawed.
People are forgetting that Barry is contracted to Villa and this should be respected until the player releases a statement to clarify the situation or, alternatively, he is photographed in front of the Kop wearing a Liverpool shirt.
Liverpool seems to be pinning all of their hopes onto the signing of Gareth Barry - is this a sign of desperation by Benitez or all part of the master plan?
Saying this, the writing does seem on the wall regarding his future at his boyhood club, do you think Liverpool's alluring comments have played any part or is this a sensible move for a footballer approaching his prime? Should the Villa captain be doing more to dampen rumours? What do you think of the constant stream of Gareth Barry related quotes emanating from Anfield?
Poll:
I as a Lfc fan have not been
I as a Lfc fan have not been impressed by how public this deal has become whether it be Rafa's fault or Martins or a combo of the two...However if Gareth was to turn up at Anfield I would be very happy indeed, excellent player whom I have rated for over two/three seasons now - was clamoring for his call up to the England team and am glad that he did himself no harm whatsoever with his performances. Excellent player full stop.
I think everybody should
I think everybody should chill out until we find out how Barry feels about all this talk. Talk is not a problem...
Barry is a class
Barry is a class international player in the prime of his career and therefore wants to play at the highest level i.e. Champions League. Liverpool want him and play regularly in the Champions League.
Liverpool made a legal approach to Villa and Barry has done nothing to publicly commit himself to Villa, therefore his silence speaks volumes. I would sugest in private he's told Villa he'd like to go.
Nothing new, the best players usually want to play at the highest level and the biggest most successful clubs want the best players. And Alonso's comments reflect that, he presumes Barry is likely to come.
I would like to know where
I would like to know where you get the 'inevitable' bit about Barry moving to Liverpool from. there is NOTHING inevitable about it, just because Tom Jones mini-me benitez says it doesn't make it so.
There has been some absolutely disgusting reporting on this story in some sections of the press but the truth is Barry has never said that he wants to leave Villa. What barry IS doing, in my opinion, is very cleverly forcing MON's arm over this summer's transfer dealings. i.e. "You don't get some quality players in this summer and I'm off boss".
Providing MON does the bizz this Summer I have no doubt whatsoever that Barry will still be at Villa next season.
Benitez didn't talk about
Benitez didn't talk about his intrest in signing Barry in the press or in interviews, he even refused to acknowledge his intrest in the player when he was questioned after a game by a Sky reporter. If the offer was sent to Mr O'Neill's fax machine how did Gareth Barry see it to be "unsettled" by it. The press will always find scoops as they always have an "insider" athe the clb who gives they exclusives, why not call into question the ethics of newspapers who leak these exclusive to the public. This has gon on for years and will continue as long as there will be papers to sell.
I think liverpool have lost
I think liverpool have lost the class they have upheld for so many years at board and management level and believe shanks and paisley will be turning in there graves at the fact that liverpool have detached themselves for the blueprint which made liverpool so successful and classy.
If garath does go to them it will end up being a very bad career move as garath has always been a model pro which is more the can be said for liverpool at the moment.
There are 3 good reasons why
There are 3 good reasons why Barry will choose to go to Liverpool. (1) He will be playing in and competing for Champions League football next season and every season for the foreseeable future. (2) Playing with Gerrard week in week out will certainly help him cement a place in the England squad (3) The money, he will probably earn double what he earns at Villa. Considering all of the above, do you really think that Barry will elect to stay at Villa??
Scouse Scumbags, feeling the
Scouse Scumbags, feeling the pressure at another possible season without trophies trying to take our best players so we find it harder to challenge them! I've said this before but we have the money so why not but a bid in for Gerrard and torres and Barry will not need to go, with these two we would obviousley have a stonger squad that those scumbags!
1) Liverpool have got to
1) Liverpool have got to qualify for the champions league.
2) Barry has already cemented his England place.
3) Villa will match any money he may get elsewhere.
4) Liverpool are a club in disarray...even Benitez doesn't know if he will be there at the start of next season let alone Barry.
5) Villa will be vying with Liverpool for 4th spot next season.
This aggressive Liverpool
This aggressive Liverpool move was basically a call to MON from Rafa and then a faxed bid some 20 days later. The fax may have been leaked (and who knows by who!!), but it was MON’s anger and indignation, while attacking Rafa and Liverpool that made the issue news worthy and controversial. Every accusation MON has made has little correlation to anything that has been made public by Rafa.
From the ‘prolonged discussions’ to the ‘Barry wants to leave’ these have been propagated by MON when there is no quote or interview found showing Rafa saying these things. Either MON is deliberately miss reading the interviews or is only reading headlines. Either way, its MON who has spent so much time being quoted while Rafa has retorted twice to explain his point of view following an triad by MON.
Whether Barry leaves AV or not, its no longer the issue, but rather how MON is reacting to it and making it bigger than it really is. Rafa has done everything by the book, yet he is being vilified, while MON is clearly riled but it must be said that he is also over reacting. If Barry wants to leave, Rafa should have gone directly to the player and made MON deal privately with his own player, not the correct way, but clearly the better way for dealing with MON.
