by account deleted by request » Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:48 am
From The TimesJuly 23, 2008 Peter Lansley
Aston Villa force Gareth Barry to play for reserves
Aston Villa last night took their brinkmanship with Liverpool to a new level as they asked Gareth Barry to risk injury and his prospective move to Anfield by playing with the reserves away to Walsall.
Martin O'Neill, the Villa manager who refused to accept Liverpool's £16million bid for a player whom he rates at £18million, humiliated Barry by selecting him to play with the likes of Nathan Delfouneso and Mustapha Salifou - and with Marlon Harewood as captain - in front of a crowd of 5,081 at Banks's Stadium.
Fans who thought they had seen Barry play in a Villa shirt for the last time, after he made public his desire to join Liverpool, booed their former hero when his name was announced and every time he touched the ball in his first game since he captained England in the second half of their 3-0 win away to Trinidad & Tobago on June 1. Cries of “Judas” alternated with chants of “Martin O'Neill” as the Villa faithful made their sympathies clear.
Barry had returned to pre-season training only last Wednesday, after serving a fortnight's suspension for publicly criticising O'Neill, and soon picked up a foot injury that ensured he took no part in Saturday's 2-2 draw away to Odense BK in the first leg of their Intertoto Cup third-round tie.
Barry trained on Monday, but it was still a surprise when O'Neill decided that his malcontent would be involved in such a low-key friendly at such a high risk. With the threadbare nature of his squad, the manager could argue that he needs every fit body as he prepares to take on Odense on Saturday in the return leg with a place in the Uefa Cup qualifiers at stake. Barry played for an hour in the 3-2 win, Shaun Maloney equalising twice before Wayne Routledge's late winner.
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I think any remaining hope Villa had of keeping Barry must surely have gone now. Even if Liverpool look elsewhere I think Barry will still leave. Give it a couple of weeks ....then offer £14million or £12million and Finnan and they will snatch our hands off