For almost a decade, Gareth Barry's arrival at Aston
Villa's training ground has been unspectacular. The England
international is normally one of the first there, his black Aston
Martin occupying one of the more prominent spaces.
There is no doubt that today will be different for the deposed
Villa skipper and you can be certain he'll be under the scrutiny of
Martin O'Neill's loyal lieutenants - John Robertson and Steve
Walford will report everything.
Barry will walk past the reception desk and make a swift left
turn into the corridor which leads to the manager's office. The man
who once was accused by former Villa boss John Gregory of 'not
getting his shorts dirty' has managed, quite nicely, to get his
hands filthy in the past fortnight over his protracted transfer
negotiations for a move to Liverpool.
No deal has been concluded and the war of words has been
unseemly. Now Barry is in limbo and needs to make his peace with
O'Neill.
It would be an understatement to say the manager was angry at
the personal criticism levelled in his direction by Barry. Few have
done that to one of Brian Clough's former men. Goalkeeper Thomas
Sorensen questioned why the Irishman needed to sign Scott Carson on
loan last season and the Dane has not been seen since.
Barry is unlikely to get away with a ticking-off. O'Neill,
blasted in public by his skipper just 17 days ago, has accepted the
midfielder back into the fold - although it is clear that the
longest serving player on the club's books will have to work far
harder to win over fans who once idolised him.
He will return to training following confirmation from Anfield
that Rafael Benitez does not have the money to tie up his main
summer target.
The 27-year-old's switch was being funded by Spain midfielder
Xabi Alonso's proposed move from Liverpool to Juventus. But with
the Italian club's boss Claudio Ranieri having captured Christian
Poulsen from Seville for $8million, the former Chelsea manager was
quick to rule out an Anfield raid.
Alonso is happy to remain on Merseyside, so it seems that
Benitez has the money for either Spurs striker Robbie Keane or
Barry - not both. That has left Villa's man out in the cold -
certainly for the time being - forcing him to head back to Villa
Park, presumably after apologising first to the manager and club
owner Randy Lerner. If anything, O'Neill was marginally less
furious than the American, who has refused to budge from the $18m
valuation set by the manager.
A source close to O'Neill said last week: 'When Gareth returns
he will have to do a serious amount of grovelling.' O'Neill has
managed to see off a late inquiry from Manchester City to land Brad
Friedel for $2.5m as his firstchoice keeper on a three-year
deal.
Blackburn Rovers were unhappy to lose a shot-stopper who is
regarded by many as one of the most consistent in the Barclays
Premier League. But the offer of a double-your money three-year
deal - allied to the tie-up with compatriot Lerner has swayed it
for the veteran.
Friedel, 37, is keen to set up his own football schools
Stateside when he retires and the billionaire Villa Park owner has
offered him the use of his network of contacts when he eventually
calls it a day.