For a quiet lad, Villa midfielder Gareth Barry sure didn’t half cause a stir this summer.
A furious feud between the bosses battling for his services, booed by the fans who had worshipped him for over a decade, stripped of the claret and blue captaincy, “that interview” in a Sunday newspaper which led to his Bodymoor exile and more twists and turns than an Eastenders Christmas special. As transfer sagas go, his on/off move to Liverpool was right up there.
By his own admission, it was a testing time for the 27-year-old – something he never wants to endure again.
“It was quite hard, the day-to-day speculation could gradually get you down,” reflected the England regular.
“The events over the summer are something that I learned a lot from. If it happens again you would like to think things would happen differently.
“I tried to be honest, which you are always trying to be in life. I couldn’t control what was going in the papers, it’s something I don’t really want to talk about that much or blame anyone for that reason.”
Turn the clock back less than five months and Barry faced one of the most challenging nights of his career when his own fans turned on him in a pre-season friendly at Walsall.
It came after he had criticised Martin O’Neill in the press and demanded a Merseyside move.
Many fans feared he would never wear the claret and blue shirt again, his departure being a case of when rather than if.
And despite having turned most of the jeers to cheers by the time he was substituted, Barry doesn’t blame supporters for their intitial reaction.
“At that point the speculation was still ongoing,” added the midfielder.
“It was a difficult situation to deal with because being booed in an Aston Villa shirt is something you don’t really enjoy,
“The fans were right to show their feelings, they care about Aston Villa so that was fine.”
But, four failed bids later, his £18m price tag was never met and the transfer window came and went.
It would have sent many of the Premier League’s prima donna’s into a sulk; instead Barry quickly rediscovered the form which caught Fabio Capello’s eye.
“These things happen in football all the time, I was part of it this time and as soon as I realised it wasn’t going to happen I was ready to give 100 per cent for Aston Villa,” added Barry.
“The bottom line was Liverpool didn’t match Martin O’Neill and the club’s valuation of me.”
It did little to quell rumours of a January exit, prompting last week’s announcement he will definitely be staying until the end of the campaign.
“I made the statement in pre-season that I was going to discuss things again in the summer but for some reason the speculation just continued,” he added.
“I felt it (last week’s announcement) was right for the good of the club.”
That doesn’t mean, however, he is about to sit down and discuss a new deal. No decision on his future will be made until the summer.
His main focus is on helping Villa qualify for the Champions League – the very reason he wanted to join Liverpool in the first place.
“I realise that (the speculation won’t go away entirely) and I’m sure the manager does as well,” he continued.
“The questions now might start in April now but you won’t get answers until May.
“Hopefully when the time comes we will be looking at Aston Villa in a strong position rather than thinking about my posiition.”
So why won’t Barry make his decision sooner? Well, according to the midfielder, he’s just treating this season like he would any other.
“Three years ago when I had just signed a new contract at Aston Villa I would have always taken one season at a time,” added the midfielder.
“This season is no different for me. I’m sure if you talk to other players they’d be the same. My situation will be no different but probably a bit more in the press.”
It’s fair to say he might have a point.
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Isn’t it about time we dropped this subject, its getting boring now.
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