Gareth Barry

[john@staustell]

I am not a fan of Barry as I think that he is such an average player. But in fairness to him he has put in some decent performances of late!

But did you have to tell us 3 times?

I am a fan of Barry - 3 times.

[freshie]

Another excellent performance against Arsenal from a player who is a leading candidate for player of the season. Barry is unrecognisable from the player I often derided last season. Whether this is due to playing with better players or our new system I don't know but whatever it is he is now as influential for us as he was at Villa. Barry provides the platform from which the Silvas, Agueros and Nasris can take the game to the opposition. He is becoming one of my favourite City players and is probably one of the first names on the team sheet. I can finally see why Mancini is such a big fan of his

[Ted Hughes]

Barry, first half was fantastic.

I just watched a recording & noticed Souness said at half time that Barry had been the best player on the pitch which I said in the ground at half time. Lost track of him a bit 2nd half both live & on recording, due to general excitement, studying the team shape & being distracted by Zabba who caught my eye more. Still, what I noticed of him was pretty good though.

[Slim]

This time last year I was in a minority of fans who almost had to apologise to 'the great unwashed' for defending him.
I could see, though, by the quality of his passing in the Dublin Super-Cup that he, like James Milner, had clearly been working on his game over the Summer

So you said he wasn't shit when most thought he was, now most think he is and you think that makes you right back then? thank god footballers don't improve, have changing performances due to form, position and duties. That way we can just buy the 11 best players in the world and win everything every year, who cares that we'll be playing 0-7-3 formation.

What fucking school of logic did you attend?

[Jon London]

A steal at £12M. I think my player of the season so far. Great header of the ball too - always think we should try and get him in the box and pick him out at corners more as Kompany and Lescott will get all the attention.

[branny]

His pass to release Zabba for Aguero's first chance was dare I say it Silva-esque.

[Mingchester Mingy]

Im a big fan of slow white kids, and Barry fits that mold ! He played brilliant against Arsenal, and Im hoping he continues this form for the rest of the season. Now if we can just get Balotelli not to throw a hissy fit coming off the field we will look like a bunch of pro's out there. Waaaaaah , Im gonna throw my gloves when Coach takes me out to put in NIgel to secure the 1-0 lead...waaaaah!

[halnone]

Barry is quality.

I don't understand why supporters of other clubs always think he is our weak link.

[Mase]

David Silva is, so far, player of the year.

The end.

[s1ty m]

Silva has taken most of the plaudits this season, for obvious reasons. Barry is the most consistent player, though. Brilliant so far, just utterly dependable.

[Renato_CTID]

Garreth learnt a lot from Bobby Manc and now he's the best midfielder of England without no doubt!

[bernabias_right_boot]

Solid, no nonsense midfielder. Mr Dependable. It's true that his contribution can go unnoticed, however watch the match again and he breaks up so much of the opposition play and tracks players so well that players like Yaya could do worse than to try and learn from him.
Still, not pipping Silva to POY.

[freshie]

Solid, no nonsense midfielder. Mr Dependable. It's true that his contribution can go unnoticed, however watch the match again and he breaks up so much of the opposition play and tracks players so well that players like Yaya could do worse than to try and learn from him.
Still, not pipping Silva to POY.

I'm finding myself praising Barry more and more with every game that goes by, especially at home. That highlights for me just how much he has improved over the last year

[freshie]

Good article on Barry in the Mail (surprisingly)

All hail Barry: Why low-key Gareth is Manchester City's man for the big occasion

On being informed by a friend earlier this year that the increasingly peculiar Joey Barton had criticised him extravagantly in a magazine interview, Gareth Barry had only one question.

‘What time are we due on the first tee?’ he asked.

While those close to him advised Barry to defend himself or request an apology, the Manchester City player was concerned only about what time his weekly round at a Cheshire golf course was about to start.

Perhaps we should not be surprised. This was, after all, a case of the credentials of Gareth Barry of City and England being questioned by Joey Barton of QPR and, well, QPR. It was hardly going to be a fair fight.

Nevertheless, Barry’s reaction was typical of an unfussy, pragmatic individual who, almost without being noticed, has quietly become one of the most important players of Roberto Mancini’s time at the Etihad Stadium.

Players like David Silva, Sergio Aguero and, of course, Mario Balotelli, will always generate more headlines and demand more attention. They are extravagantly gifted.

Consider this remarkable fact, though. Since Mancini took over at City two years ago this week, his team have faced the Barclays Premier League super powers of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham on 19 occasions and Barry has started all but one of those games. Last May, against Tottenham at home, he missed out because he was injured.

It is a telling statistic, one that says everything for the way that Mancini has come to rely on a player who — along with Ivory Coast international Yaya Toure — has come to form the anchor of his midfield.
Playing against the big guns: Barry takes on Alex Song during City's 1-0 win over Arsenal

One former City player, the 1968 championship winner Mike Summerbee, is convinced of Barry’s significance.

‘He is so important to us,’ said Summerbee recently. ‘I would go as far as saying that he is one of our best players.

‘Look at the games he plays. When we need to win, he plays. That says everything. He is a fantastic and sometimes under-rated player.’

Signed from Aston Villa by Mancini’s predecessor Mark Hughes, Barry’s stock has risen and fallen with the English football public in the intervening months and years. Now it is on the rise again.

Considered indispensable to Fabio Capello’s England in advance of the 2010 World Cup, Barry ended up limping in to the tournament barely half-fit after suffering an ankle injury playing for City a month before things got underway in South Africa.

During a miserable four weeks for the national team, few suffered more than Barry. Clearly in no condition to play, he cut an embarrassed, shambling figure as Germany routed England 4-1 in Bloemfontein.

‘The bottom line is that Gareth shouldn’t have been there,’ said a source close to the 30-year-old. ‘He wasn’t fit and it showed. Gareth suffered during that World Cup and continued to suffer after it.’

Barry’s rehabilitation has been gradual but his stand-out showing in City’s 1-0 win at home to Arsenal at the weekend provided the most compelling evidence yet that he is ready to become a central figure in this season’s title race and indeed for his country in next summer’s European Championships in Poland and Ukraine.

On Sunday, the range and accuracy of Barry’s passing was exemplary. When City play fluently, tempo is everything and at the weekend it was Barry’s metronomic passing — more than Silva’s artistry or Toure’s blustering power — that eased Mancini’s team through what was a tight and important game.

Coaches at City believe that the presence of Balotelli and Aguero have helped Barry’s game this season. Whereas last season’s attacking focus Carlos Tevez would, more often than not, come short towards the midfield looking for the ball, City’s current attacking duo are more likely to run behind defences to give Barry a better range for his passes.

Certainly, Mancini’s coaching staff have long appreciated Barry, even if they would like to see more assists and goals. Low maintenance and reliable, the southerner is a throwback to the pre-Twitter and Facebook age.
Back on song: Barry netted England's 2000th international goal against Sweden

‘He hates all that stuff,’ said his friend. He doesn’t understand why anybody would want to tell people what they had for breakfast.

‘Gareth isn’t anti-social. He likes his mates but really he just wants to do his stuff on the pitch and go home.’

On a recent flight home from Champions League duty, one image perhaps summed Barry up well.

While his team-mates settled down to play interactive racing and war games on their personal computers, Barry and James Milner began a game of the traditional dice game Yahtzee.

It probably wouldn’t have been Joey Barton’s chosen way to pass time on a flight but City’s ‘teacher’s pet’ (Barton’s words) won’t care about that.

Next summer one of these men will be in Eastern Europe with an England shirt on. The other will be at home feeling angry.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... z1h7fxvErT

[Piccsnumberoneblue]

Yahtzee is a tremendous game.
Good man.

[Dubciteh]

Decent article about Barry, had forgotten what Sir Joey said about him, he is twice the player and ten times the man of Joey Barton. I think Barry could play a vital role in the next few years(whens his contract up?), not always starting as he gets older but been our old reliable talisman.

I notice the article doesnt mention the time him shay given, adam johnson and joe hart went on the piss with the students in scotland after there golfing outing!

[MR IMAINEROAD]

Two points stick out for me...

"Absence of Tevez coming short for the ball means Barry can pass long for the likes of Aguerro or Mario... "

He is keeping the world cup finalist, Nigel, out of the team

[freshie]

Another excellent game for Barry tonight. Him and Aguero were the best players on the pitch by a mile

[DoomMerchant]

Yahtzee is a tremendous game.
Good man.

agree about that...i've got the 6 yr old addicted to it.

Glad to see Barry getting the headlines he deserves.

Also, i think many folks are gutted for Nige's move down the pecking order as Barry's ascended into such a key role...i love Nige as a person, his conviction and his mentality. I think we'll need him to step up in January so i hope his head is on straight because he will be an important partner for Barry while Yaya is out i believe.

cheers

[john68]

As much as we maylove the guy, and as sad as it might seem, I have a feeling we may be seeing the end in sight for Nige.
Mancini is a perfectionist. He loves Johnnoto bits but as talented as Johnno is, it is not enough for Mancini, who wants him to develop his defensive awareness.

Nige is a master at breaking up play and getting the ball back but I thing Mancini sees his distribution as a weakness. Barry offers us both and seems to cope very well with feeding such mobile front runners as we have.

I reckon that the club are prevaricating about his contract and will try and get a replacement in.