EPL Thread 2008/09

**SkStu** · 02/06/2009, 9:02 PM

another overrated player secures his ridiculously waged transfer to a soulless corporation.

I grow to dislike the premiership more and more each day that passes.

**OwlsFan** · 03/06/2009, 8:44 AM

Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

Barry to Man City?! I bet the Villa fans are not happy. He kept on moaning about wanting Champions League Football and then ends up going to a club who won't be competing in any European competition next season. I'm sure his �100k a week salary had something to do with it but will he even get in the side ahead of Ireland, De Jong and Kompany?

Apparently he's writing an open letter to the Villa fans explaining why he was leaving. That should make interesting reading (not). Obviously a money move no matter what he says. Could we end up with the two strongest EPL teams operating out of Manchester?

**Angus** · 03/06/2009, 8:55 AM

Don't understand the Barry / Citeh thing. Why would he move to a club 5 places beneath Villa especially when he had the second place team after him last year

Doesn't reconcile from a football perspective

**old git** · 03/06/2009, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by Angus

Don't understand the Barry / Citeh thing. Why would he move to a club 5 places beneath Villa especially when he had the second place team after him last year

Doesn't reconcile from a football perspective

plus he said earlier in season he would only leave villa for a team playing champions league football

**OwlsFan** · 03/06/2009, 11:54 AM

Just might have something to do with this and who can blame him:

**DeLorean** · 03/06/2009, 12:06 PM

Barry owes nothing to anybody. He's been a terrific player in a poor team for most of his career. He's had a great attitude and is moving to a club on the up, possibly from a club in demise. Nobody had a problem with Given leaving Newcastle to go to City so I don't see much difference here. If a guy would prefer to spend the remaining few seasons of his career with a club that have a good chance of making huge progress then why not, and getting 100,000 instead of 40,000 a week is a no-brainer when he wanted to leave anyway.

**lionelhutz** · 03/06/2009, 3:39 PM

Originally Posted by DeLorean

Barry owes nothing to anybody. He's been a terrific player in a poor team for most of his career. He's had a great attitude and is moving to a club on the up, possibly from a club in demise. Nobody had a problem with Given leaving Newcastle to go to City so I don't see much difference here. If a guy would prefer to spend the remaining few seasons of his career with a club that have a good chance of making huge progress then why not, and getting 100,000 instead of 40,000 a week is a no-brainer when he wanted to leave anyway.

Absolute rubbish, especially the part in bold. Firstly, Villa are no way a club in demise. O'Neill is one of the best managers in the game and has been for a long time and there's no chance Villa will be "in demise" while he's in charge.

Secondly, I like Mark Hughes but I still don't think they'll make the top 6 next season and Villa will finish ahead of them again. When you have players like Robinho and Elano who would prefer not to play away games the club is going nowhere fast.

As for the comparison to Given, he left the biggest laughing stock of a club in world football cause he knew they were going down and you're comparing his transfer to Barry's???

**DeLorean** · 03/06/2009, 3:52 PM

Originally Posted by lionelhutz

Absolute rubbish, especially the part in bold. Firstly, Villa are no way a club in demise. O'Neill is one of the best managers in the game and has been for a long time and there's no chance Villa will be "in demise" while he's in charge.

Obviously Villa weren't a team in demise last season and have made steady improvements every year under O'Neill. That being said it's hard to see them improving significantly on this season and with the like of City and Spurs likely to be better next season I can see them slipping down the table a bit. Sorry for spouting such absolute rubbish though

Originally Posted by lionelhutz

Secondly, I like Mark Hughes but I still don't think they'll make the top 6 next season and Villa will finish ahead of them again. When you have players like Robinho and Elano who would prefer not to play away games the club is going nowhere fast.

I'll have to wait and see who they buy first but they definitely have the potential to improve, and Barry in my opinion is a proper player who will add an awful lot.

Originally Posted by lionelhutz

As for the comparison to Given, he left the biggest laughing stock of a club in world football cause he knew they were going down and you're comparing his transfer to Barry's???

Wasn't comparing each players situations really just the money aspect. There was no talk of Given going for the money or anything like that whereas people were talking about Barry like he's Ashley Cole.

**OwlsFan** · 03/06/2009, 5:05 PM

Why the fuss? Would anyone of us turn down 100k a week compared to 40k? Absolutely not.

Footballers are mercenaries. That's a fact. It's only the fans who stay loyal (mostly).

**OwlsFan** · 04/06/2009, 8:28 AM

So Bruce to Sunderland. Usual sound bites about big fan base, large club, great potential etc etc. Certainly a bigger club than Wigan but not sure it is easy to bring success to the North East for some reason. The history of the clubs in that region shows constant under achievement despite the large fan base.

**oscar** · 04/06/2009, 11:16 AM

the diference between Sunderland and Newcastle is the Mackems don't think they have a divine right to win trophies,I suppose Boro would be the same,i think Bruce is a good manager but has a job on his hands there.A big clear out is whats needed,for awhile there it looked like Wearside was going to become the 5th province,if you were Irish and could kick a ball you were signed

**shakermaker1982** · 07/06/2009, 10:18 AM

I'd expect to see a few Central/South Americans moving to Sunderland. Bruce has a good couple of contacts over in that part of the world. I think he'll do a good job up there.