Barry Retires | Vital Football

Barry Retires

He'll definitely go down as one of my top ten Villa players of all time. Hugely underrated by the majority of football fans, more premier league appearances than any other player says it all really.

I was sad to see him go, angry and upset at the time but fair play to him, he's one of a handful that left and achieved success elsewhere.

Some gemstones don't shine as brightly as others, his abilities were often overlooked in teams with brilliant attacking players around him, but he was nonetheless a crucial cog in every single team I saw him play in, right up to his final days at Everton.

Come back and coach anytime Gary Barry!
 
Yep one of our best players of the last 20 odd years, I'm sure he'll be back coaching at Villa soon. Record PL appearance and was so underrated by everyone outside of AVFC
 
A great player. He proved you dont need pace if you have a brain and are technically gifted. Almost impossible to push off the ball and a great servant where ever he played.
 
Top player and a great career. Still ran the game when he played against us last season and to be fair he got a terrific reception from our fans when he was substituted despite the scoreline.

I remember my dad saying after he had played a couple of games for us that he was class and he was right.
 
I always thought he went a bit under-stated. Very decent goal scoring record in his younger days.

We picked him up relatively cheaply as a nipper and he went on to have a great career. It would be good to see him stay in the game in a non-playing capacity.

I hope his namesake Louie, who’s recruitment was not dissimilar, can mirror him.
 
Outstanding professional. Think the stink about him leaving was more to do with the way that Liverpool tried to tap him up. At least when he left he had the sense to go to Man City.
 
The Fear said:
Last player to leave that I really cared about. Milner also, but Barry was here so long, such a great leader and professional and was here so much longer.
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Yes, there was a time when they were both in the same team.
Three top six finishes!
If MON had been a great manager rather than just a very good one, like Marlon Brando, we "coulda been a contendor".
 
McParlandTheGreat said:
Outstanding professional. Think the stink about him leaving was more to do with the way that Liverpool tried to tap him up. At least when he left he had the sense to go to Man City.
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Some of the abuse and language thrown at him (remembering I used to, before the PL told me to fuck off, sit right by the bench) was stunningly bad.
 
Fantastic player and professional and has the medals to prove it now.
Class.

I took great pleasure in standing up applauding him when he returned to VP while the knuckle head fan boys booed him.

I think he is coach or manager material aswell.
 
Never thought he played as well for any of his other clubs as he did for us. Perhaps because everyone else saw him as a water carrying defensive player whereas at Villa he was a more all round player.

Good luck to him in whatever he goes on to do.
 
It wasn't right, but I think much of the anger directed at Barry was a frustrated fan-base coming to the realization that the wheels were falling off the Randy Lerner regime, and that we weren't as "big" as we aspired to be when competing with the wealth and ambition of the Sky 6. The media (as always) didn't help with the constant fake rumours in the 12 months following the failed Dippers move...
 
The Fear said:
Some of the abuse and language thrown at him (remembering I used to, before the PL told me to fuck off, sit right by the bench) was stunningly bad.
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I was at the game where Wilfred Bouma got that dreadful injury (I was sitting very near it but only saw it was so bad by the horrified expressions on the other players' faces). GB was on the bench and did not get a good reception when he came on (to say the least). He played well and much of the abuse seemed to die down as the match went on.
 
BBJ said:
I was at the game where Wilfred Bouma got that dreadful injury (I was sitting very near it but only saw it was so bad by the horrified expressions on the other players' faces). GB was on the bench and did not get a good reception when he came on (to say the least). He played well and much of the abuse seemed to die down as the match went on.
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Yes, myself and the two ladies who always sat behind (miss them so much on match day!) made our voices heard in support of Barry whilst on the bench, he stuck his thumb up at one point and it seemed to help him a bit. Not nice having the angry (idiotic) mob turn on you like that.
 
JW1985 said:
Never thought he played as well for any of his other clubs as he did for us. Perhaps because everyone else saw him as a water carrying defensive player whereas at Villa he was a more all round player.

Good luck to him in whatever he goes on to do.
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Yep, he had a tremendous drive which often took him into advanced attacking positions.

833 matches, 441 for us. Didn't realise over half of them were for us, he seemed to be away for such a long time. 52 goals for us was some feat.
 
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