Many have been waiting for someone at Villa to say something about the departure of former Villa captain Gareth Barry. Well, now, at last, someone has!
That someone happens to be the gaffer, Martin O’Neill (in case you didn’t know who the gaffer was!).
He said on the official site that he wishes him well but also wished that he’d stayed.
‘It would have been fantastic if he had stayed. It happened early so we didn’t have the debacle we faced the previous season. But that wasn’t too important to me. It would just have been great if he had stayed on another year. I was disappointed to lose him. He wanted to go and he felt Manchester City was the right stage so I won’t argue, particularly when you consider the number of years he spent at the football club.’
He adds that although it has now happened, he reminds us all that Barry had been a ‘fantastic servant’ and says he wishes him all the best.
The Sun also carry some quotes today in a report by Janine Self. I had a chat with the reporter last night and was asked what sort of reception I think the fans will give Barry when he returns with Manchester £ity on October 3. I said that the boards had been split, you only have to see our thread in the forum: Click Here which is 84 pages long to see the differences in the fans stance! Anyway, I’m quoted as saying: ‘The boos will drown out the claps’. From my point of view there is an ‘unfortunately’ needed at the start of the sentence, from others there isn’t!
Gareth Barry is also quoted, although to be honest, having got me in the article, I can’t see that some no mark England international midfielder can really add any more glamour and interest?!?! He it seems knows he’ll get a rough ride and said: ‘I saw lads I respected come back and get booed — Gareth Southgate, Dwight Yorke. It happens.’
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