Villa blogger Dave Bytheway gives the fans’ take on how they have really reacted to the departure of Gareth Barry to Manchester City.

Well the inevitable has finally happened. What has been promising to take place for the last 12 months has eventually taken place. Yes, that’s right, Gareth Barry has acheived his dream move to Liverpool – no wait, Manchester City?

When I heard a bid was accepted on Tuesday, I honestly thought it was a ploy of some kind either by Barry, Martin O’Neill or Villa as a selling club to generate interest in him as it was clear he would leave this summer.

Less than eight hours later he was announced as a Manchester City player. I have to admit I was totally shocked and maybe a little disheartened at the move, as the justifications he gave for leaving were to play with Europe’s elite in the Champions League.

In fact, this is what Barry had actually said in the summer of 2008.

To wit: “I’m desperate to play Champions League football and that’s why I have to leave Villa.

“I hope the Villa fans understand. I have given my all for the club for 10 years and I’m only leaving because now I need to test myself at the very highest level.

“Now I can honestly say, if Villa were in the Champions League, I wouldn’t even consider leaving this great club.”

Less than 12 months later he has gone to a team who finished four places below us in the league and haven’t even qualified for Europe!

Talk about going back on your ‘word!’

To be totally fair to Barry, he has been a good servant to Villa. The letter he has written to the fans goes a fair way of explaining his reason for a move, but it does nothing to justify his move to Manchester City.

To break the top four they will spend big as we know, but it takes teams time to gel. I fear for him that by the time they do get there, his time at Eastlands will be over.

He is at the peak of his career now but in four years time he will be 32, and will probably be replaced long before that by the best Brazilian in the world.

In my opinion, it’s a massive gamble for him, as a move to a top four side would have seen him see out his dream this season, not hope for it in the future, as he was doing at Villa Park.

In his letter he says he was worried about going stale. OK, that happens, but it doesnt happen to the elite.

Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and so on have all played for the club they love and never gone stale, so why would it happen to Barry?

Regardless of what people think of the deal to City, or of Barry as a person for how he has gone about this move, he has been a great asset to us for many years now. That shouldn’t be forgotten.

When he plays at Villa Park next season I for one shall give him a warm welcome, so I hope most fans feel the same.

All the best Gareth, thanks for what you have given us and I wish you all the best for the future.

But now he finally has gone, it starts probably the biggest summer of Martin O’Neill’s managerial career. He simply HAS to bring in top class reinforcements, players better than Barry to take us into the next campaign.

Blow it and we will go rapidly down the table. I do feel he will come up trumps though, hopefully signing some of the quality we’re looking for sooner rather than later to give us a little bit of optimism back.

We’re not a sellling club, but if players want to go then they have to go. The big point is that world class players attract others, that’s what we have to do now.

Spend big, show the ambition and let’s move on to the next level that’s been promised for the last four years.

Enjoy the summer while it lasts, there’s a long old season ahead.

Up the Villa!