Bogman

MON TVMartin O'Neill today insisted only one factor was delaying Gareth Barry's Villa Park departure - Liverpool's failure to meet the asking price. And the Villa boss confirmed he reluctantly accepted Barry's imminent exit once the midfielder made his desire to move to Anfield clear early last month. Speaking to the News of the World last weekend Barry complained about a lack of communication from Villa Park. But, speaking exclusively to AVTV Online, O'Neill told www.avfc.co.uk: "We're really disappointed that he's not going to be with us, he's made his mind up to go to Liverpool. "You can talk and you can talk and talk but the bottom-line was that when he came back from the England game in Trinidad and Tobago he told me he wanted to leave. "When somebody says they want to leave a football club there's not much else you can do about it. We'd had a meeting a few weeks before that, Randy, myself, Gareth and his agent and he said that Champions League football was what he wanted to do. "So this idea that we have not done anything in our power to keep him, I'm afraid I totally and utterly disagree. Why on earth would we not want to keep our very top player at the football club when we're trying to improve? "I think we have made steady improvement - we've gone from 16th to 11th to sixth in the league. This season we're going to try to push on from there. So the one thing you want to do is keep your best players." The Villa boss added: "But Gareth has made his position clear and after that it's straightforward. We've put a valuation on him and Liverpool value him differently at the moment. That's what the stalemate is, it's nothing else. "Gareth has pointed out he wants to go and if Liverpool come up and meet our valuation, he will go. That has been the case since the beginning of June when Gareth said he definitely wanted to go to Liverpool. "We put a valuation on him and we have based this valuation on a number of straightforward issues - not least that he's actually a top quality player." http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsD...1338337,00.html

New Barry bid rejected by Villa by Tom Adams, 02 July 2008 Aston Villa have confirmed they have rejected another bid from Liverpool for club captain Gareth Barry. The England international is at the centre of one of the most prolonged sagas of the summer so far with Villa remaining steadfast in their reported £18 million valuation of the player. Reports on Wednesday claimed that The Reds had tabled a final offer worth £17 million, but this specific suggestion has been rubbished by the Midlanders. Instead, Villa have revealed that a new offer was received from Anfield but that the latest approach was swiftly denied. “The report in today’s paper of a £17 million offer for Gareth Barry is inaccurate,” read a club statement. “The club have received a renewed offer from Liverpool for the player but that still falls well short of Aston Villa’s evaluation, and has subsequently been rejected.” Barry has been disciplined by Villa after an interview on Sunday in which he criticised manager Martin O’Neill and pleaded for a move to Anfield. http://sport.setanta.com/en/Sport/News/Foo...ct-another-bid/

Nah, it's one player who's 3 foot 4 inches, and a player who's 10 foot tall

stuart Downing

wot number does Villa wear at Valencia?

we're getting a new No10 Keane wears 10. Either that or Lawro's coming out of retirement.

aye, me three.

It's a double bluff.

People forget we only lost 4 games last season, which I believe was actually better than the Mancs. We also had one/if not the best defencive records in the league. We had one of the best goal scoring seasons we've had in many a year. We had the best goal scoring return from one of our strikers in decades. Pepe won the golden glove for the most clean sheets, for the third consecutive season. We finished nearer the league winners (points wise) than we have for years. AND all that with Riise playing.

Liverpool's transfer blow as Xabi Alonso and Gareth Barry moves hit skids Jun 13 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo Gareth Barry and Xabi Alonso RAFA BENITEZ’S bid to fund Gareth Barry’s transfer with Xabi Alonso’s exit have been dealt a double blow. Villa boss Martin O’Neill rejected Liverpool’s latest £13m offer for Barry yesterday, and reports in Italy now claim that Juventus have switched their attentions from Alonso to Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger after refusing to meet the Reds’ £15m asking price. A deal for Alonso appeared to be close last week when the player’s agent went to Turin for talks – money Benitez would have used to fund Barry’s arrival. But Juve officials said on Wednesday they were now looking at other players. The news came on the same day that Villa rejected Liverpool’s latest offer for their skipper. O’Neill, speaking at the European Championships last night, explained: “He was the last person to have the captain’s armband in the last England game – so the offer Liverpool have made is just not acceptable even though they have upped it.” But he added: “I think it might be difficult to keep him because he has more than intimated to me that he fancies going to Liverpool so it’s a big setback to us. “It’s very frustrating. We finished sixth and he played a major part in that and it was just looking like we could improve matters, because the club is capable of doing that. “Look at Manchester United, struggling to keep hold of Ronaldo. That leaves the rest of us in a bit of trouble. “But that’s what you’ re in football for, you want to try and get there (top four) and if it’s without Gareth Barry, we’ll still have a go.” O’Neill is clearly resigned to losing his skipper, but is intent on squeezing as much money out of Liverpool as possible before conceding defeat. Speculation has already started again, meanwhile, that new Chelsea boss Felipe Scolari will target Fernando Torres this summer. He will be met with the same curt response that Avram Grant received last month. Former Reds boss Gerard Houllier, meanwhile, said last night he wished he could have brought a striker like Torres to Anfield during his six years at the helm. “Torres is a wonderful player and he has had an excellent first season at Liverpool. I only wish I'd had the money to buy someone like him when I was in charge there,” he said, hopefully with tongue pressed firmly in his cheek. “He was outstanding against Russia, and so was David Villa,” said the Frenchman, who spent six years in charge of the Merseyside giants. “Their partnership is very interesting. The way they work together. The diagonal runs they make are very clever, very exciting

We should get Pepe, Shabby, Nando and Arbie to gang up on Villa, and torture him into coming to us, a few chinese burns should do the trick

my bad.

Watch the warm up from 4.45pm onwards, see how they get on, as Villa ain't playing.

Benitez: I am here for good Jun 10 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo RAFA BENITEZ today confirmed his “100% commitment” to Liverpool Football Club – despite yesterday’s bleak financial figures. The first accounts produced by Kop Holdings Ltd showed a £33m loss. While this summer’s transfer budget had already been catered for in the January refinancing package, the Reds boss must still sell to generate further funds – but he insisted today that he remained totally focused on the task of restoring the Reds to the pinnacle of the Premier League. “I said at the end of the season that I was very happy here and I will say it again,” said Benitez. “The supporters have been absolutely magnificent with me, the staff are working very hard and I would not have brought players like Fernando Torres and the young players we have here if I did not have a long term vision for the club. “Now is not the time to be saying goodbye! “Fernando’s agent has asked about my Liverpool future and my answer is that I am 100% committed. “If we had a lot of money to spend it would obviously be better. But if we don’t it doesn’t matter. “It is not about buying the most expensive players, it is about buying the right players and we can sell some players to get the others we need. “We have the spine of the team and we just need others in other positions. “Some teams around us are spending £20m and £30m on one or two players. But the important thing is to get the right players and my staff are working hard to do that.” Gareth Barry remains Liverpool’s transfer priority and the Aston Villa skipper has turned up the heat on his club in a bid to push through his dream move to Anfield. The Villa skipper phoned boss Martin O’Neill at the European Championships to plead for a move to Liverpool. Villa rejected a £10m bid for Barry the day after Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final defeat by Chelsea, then turned down an improved cash plus players offer. Since then Steve Gerrard has declared: “I am desperate for us to sign him,” and Barry himself has made it clear he would relish the switch. The midfielder, who scored his first England goal in Trinidad last weekend, has now intensified his efforts to quit Villa Park. Barry’s agent, Alex Black, said: “Gareth has spoken to Martin since he returned from England’s game in Trinidad and told him how he feels. At this stage of his career Gareth wants to be playing Champions League football and believes this is his chance to do it.” Villa want a premium price for their captain’s services and are refusing any player-plus-cash offers. But Barry hopes a compromise deal can be thrashed out at around £15m. Espanyol winger Albert Riera is also a player Liverpool have looked at, but the Reds are not anticipating any imminent offer for his services. Gerrard, meanwhile, must wait until August to discover whether he has won the race to become captain of club and country, despite reports suggesting Fabio Capello had already decided on the Reds star. Gerrard was Capello’s first England skipper against Switzerland, with John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, David Beckham and Gareth Barry all wearing the armband since. But Capello insisted he will wait a few more weeks before deciding who will lead England into the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign. “I have two candidates to be captain,” he said. “I think (I will decide) in August, ten days before the start of the new season.” http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-f...00252-21049625/ Nice use of mind games with Torres' agent , to boot.

I've an image now I can't shift of you being "moist"

ShanksLegend RTK.....Been there, done it, watched it, got the kit...... RAWK mole RAWK Supporter Legend Offline Gender: Posts: 1,317 Garth "why say 1 word when you can say 100" Crooks Re: Liverpool eyeing £12m bid for Aston Villa's Gareth Barry « Reply #3746 on: Today at 01:17:55 PM » -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heard a very interesting tale that Villa will do a deal but they want Crouchie as part of it. I also know Barry told Villa he wants to leave several weeks ago, and was told to sit on it until his return from England, now Barry will sit down with Villa to reiterate his desire on Wed or Thurs.

Simple really, Xabi's feeling neglected, as Stevie's now only got eyes for Nando.

You reckon?

No, I mean, what type of players would Moyes/O'Neil end up with if they had half a billion. They ain't names that lure any player to go and play for them. Um, play for Rafael Benitez, or, um, David Moyes?

What on earth would Moyes end up with with half a billion, or O'Neil infact?

But with what he's had to poke up with, most other managers would have scarpered at the earliest opportunity.

As the nodding dogs says......"ah, yes" Would be a no-brainer to get rid of the bloke. I believe, if it was any other manager than Rafa, we'd have struggled to get 4th, after the s**** that he personally has had to endure. He's right up there with me.

so do I, but I expect it to be one big anti climax when we do find out.

Getting the bleach in his hair, just right.

can Hicks sack Parry without George's say so? wouldn't think so.............