If only we'd gotten to see that devastating partnership he'd have had with Robbie Keane down the left.
Gareth Barry - how important is he?
- Thread starter Pogue Mahone
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
If only we'd gotten to see that devastating partnership he'd have had with Robbie Keane down the left.
People should try watching some of City's CL games (any of them in fact), or the matches at Liverpool and Chelsea...even to a lesser degree at Old Trafford or the other night.
He's fine doing the job that any number of half bit, semi decent midfielders could do when the opposition are being given the run around by the players ahead of him.
In games where he actually HAS a job to do, he's positionally vulnerable...mainly because he wonders aimlessly over to the touchline with the ball and then plays a nothing pass which often results in conceding possession shortly afterwards. Decent teams just run through him...and when he's playing for England, half decent teams run through him, because England don't force teams back in the way City do.
He's the stereotypical average English midfielder, who's somehow made a career out of doing what he's told and having a sensible haircut, and he's not been doing anything different this season either. City have just assembled a better team around him.
Yep
He's fine doing the job that any number of half bit, semi decent midfielders could do when the opposition are being given the run around by the players ahead of him.
In games where he actually HAS a job to do, he's positionally vulnerable...mainly because he wonders aimlessly over to the touchline with the ball and then plays a nothing pass which often results in conceding possession shortly afterwards. Decent teams just run through him...and when he's playing for England, half decent teams run through him, because England don't force teams back in the way City do.
He's the stereotypical average English midfielder, who's somehow made a career out of doing what he's told and having a sensible haircut, and he's not been doing anything different this season either. City have just assembled a better team around him.
Yep
Yeah, a bit like Carrick. Until Carrick started being rated again.
I honestly don't think he's as good a player as Carrick.
Mentioned it in another thread. Hes underrated on here. This thread goes a bit over the top in the other direction again though..
The point in the article about him profiting from Balotelli and Aguero is bullshit though. When was the last time Barry played a through ball to either of them? He doesnt play that kind of passes. He gives the ball to Silva, who threads it through. Still a very important player for them - he makes himself available for passes at all times and isnt completely useless going forward.
With his replacement if injured being that poor excuse for a footballer De Jong its quite obvious they would suffer with Barry injured.
The point in the article about him profiting from Balotelli and Aguero is bullshit though. When was the last time Barry played a through ball to either of them? He doesnt play that kind of passes. He gives the ball to Silva, who threads it through. Still a very important player for them - he makes himself available for passes at all times and isnt completely useless going forward.
With his replacement if injured being that poor excuse for a footballer De Jong its quite obvious they would suffer with Barry injured.
Me neither...in fact I don't even think it's particularly close. Carrick does the job people seem to think Barry does.
Maybe I'm just going mad though. I thought Barton summed up Barry perfectly.
Hargreaves could easily replace him if fit. De Jong could also fill in pretty easily.
If pretty much any of their first choice players other than Barry get injured, they'll be more fecked than if Barry does, and that still wouldn't be very fecked...unless it was Aguero or Silva.
"fit" and "Hargreaves". Not gonna happen. Imo Barry is lot better than De Jong. De Jong has absolutely no positional sense - his entire game is built around "heroic tackles" which are a result of being terrible positioned in the first place. Barry, while not an excellent player, at least doesnt pick up an orange card every match or break someone's leg every other week.
I agree that hes not the most important player at City and that they would suffer a lot more if Silva was injured.
And Carrick is miles better than Barry. I dont really think Barry is a great player, just agreeing with Pogue that hes underrated on here to some extent.
This.
Did anyone actually describe Barry as City's most important player?
I still remember him having a ten yard headstart on him and chewing him for pace.
He does an important job in the City team and has done it well, but you could quite easily see any half-decent tactically disciplined player doing that job.
When he's played against top opposition for Villa and England he's anonymous. It's very fashionable to overrate a player doing such a role in a big team. The cult of Makelele, Fletcher got some of that in 2009 too.
He does an important job in the City team and has done it well, but you could quite easily see any half-decent tactically disciplined player doing that job.
When he's played against top opposition for Villa and England he's anonymous. It's very fashionable to overrate a player doing such a role in a big team. The cult of Makelele, Fletcher got some of that in 2009 too.
I just can't understand how he and Milner still get games for England ahead of Carrick. Barry is decent for City, nothing more, and could very easily be replaced or even upgraded given the amount of money City have.
Barry has been far more consistent than Carrick has
When he is at his best like recently Carrick is a superior player but Barry plays the same game pretty much every week. Solid job, handy for managers
He's a decent player who managers seem to love. Both Capello and Mancini have a soft spot for him simply because he's decent on the ball and does what he's told. Limited player with a good attitude.
Barry is their Carrick - a no nonsense, protection-based player, dependable and disciplined who's limited in technique, but makes up for it by reading the game. His best work is done off the telly screen.
He's extremely limited, but he does offer assurance and does allow others to push forward more. All great teams have players who aren't there to win personal awards and who are perfect at settling a team.
Although he's seen as a goat on these forums, you can't deny that two years ago he made the difference between a shite England and a semi-decent England.
We rave about the importance of Carrick and Park to our success, pointing to their team-based mentality, and then proceed to dismiss other clubs' version of those two players.
Barry = Carrick, Milner = Park
Not looking to defend City, but I do believe Barry gets worse for wear because he doesn't come with the same weight as Gerrard of Lampard.
He's extremely limited, but he does offer assurance and does allow others to push forward more. All great teams have players who aren't there to win personal awards and who are perfect at settling a team.
Although he's seen as a goat on these forums, you can't deny that two years ago he made the difference between a shite England and a semi-decent England.
We rave about the importance of Carrick and Park to our success, pointing to their team-based mentality, and then proceed to dismiss other clubs' version of those two players.
Barry = Carrick, Milner = Park
Not looking to defend City, but I do believe Barry gets worse for wear because he doesn't come with the same weight as Gerrard of Lampard.
Well he definitely doesn't match Lampard in that department anyway.
Consistently average. I guess you always know what you'll get out of Barry, but the upside of an in form Carrick is much better than it is for Barry.
I genuinely don't think that an off form Carrick is much worse than Barry on form anyway. Barry has no stand out talents, hes simply average at everything.
That's because he isn't, Carrick is a much better player at his best, the difference between Carrick and Barry is consistency. Barry plays to a similar level week in week out. Sometimes that level makes him look great, othertimes it is not good enough, but you know what he will give you 9 times out of ten. This is why he is picked for England and Carrick isn't.
If Carrick could play like he has the last few games, on a consistent basis, then he would be the first midfielder on the team sheet, both for us and for England. The problem he has had is that he does not perform to his capabilities often enough, hopefully he can put that inconsistency to bed and kick on from here.
If he can he will be a vital part of England's team at the Euros's, if he reverts back to the Carrick of the past 2 seasons, then he won't and Barry will be given his spot instead.
The guy who wrote the article in your OP?
Ian Ladyman ()
He didn't though.
Gareth Barry eh?
So what, he runs around and tackles and is positionally disciplined.
Who feckin cares.
He is terrible with the ball it his feet, can't pass and move, he is not creative whatsoever either.
Watch him for England. He is atrocious. Clueless going forward. Barry is what's wrong with England - zero creativity but physically strong and gets 'stuck in'.
Luckiest man in football.
And yes I have seen him play quite often.
So what, he runs around and tackles and is positionally disciplined.
Who feckin cares.
He is terrible with the ball it his feet, can't pass and move, he is not creative whatsoever either.
Watch him for England. He is atrocious. Clueless going forward. Barry is what's wrong with England - zero creativity but physically strong and gets 'stuck in'.
Luckiest man in football.
And yes I have seen him play quite often.
Which is an observation too important to overlook.
The internet provides a forum for thousands of back-seat managers to share their opinions on various different players, which often leads to a consensus that is a long way wide of the mark. It's a cheap shot but a truism that people who earn their living as an actual manager have forgotten more about football than most caftards will ever learn. When you get successful managers like Capello, Mancini and Benitez rating Barry as highly as they obviously do, chances are there's a good reason for this i.e. he's a good player
Which means that players like Barry who are loved by real managers yet scorned by random internet gimps, are the very definition of an under-rated footballer.
This.
And yet the average internet gimp wouldn't have started Heskey or played 442 in SA, the bloody fool.
He's not really a bad player, but I just don't think he's a particularly good one either. Some see him as the quiet one on the field who unsuspectingly pulls the strings, I just see him as the quiet guy on the pitch, who doesn't really do anything at all.
He's just not really got anything special about him as a player. He's not an excellent passer of the ball, his tackling is okay, but nothing special, while he isn't exactly a hard working engine on the pitch either.
Some may rate him, but I just don't see anything special in him as a football player. Maybe others do, however I just don't see much in him as a player. A major factor, for me, is that if he wasn't English, then I doubt anyone would mention him a lot.
He's just not really got anything special about him as a player. He's not an excellent passer of the ball, his tackling is okay, but nothing special, while he isn't exactly a hard working engine on the pitch either.
Some may rate him, but I just don't see anything special in him as a football player. Maybe others do, however I just don't see much in him as a player. A major factor, for me, is that if he wasn't English, then I doubt anyone would mention him a lot.
100%. He is criminally underrated on this forum. He has been a good player for some time. But the glee people had on here due to his one season of bad form last year was astounding.
Eh. He doesnt say it explicitly but its obviously implied in the article.
You obviously havent if you think he cannot pass the ball. He is quite a sensible passer
No it's not. The main thrust of the article is that he's a player whose importance is being overlooked. This is a long way short of implying he's their most important player.
He's a terrible passer of the ball, which is most glaringly obvious when he plays for England and gives the ball away pointlessly.
He says that its Barry, not the flair players like Silva and Aguero, that keeps the team flowing. He also makes a big point out of the fact that Barry is always chosen in the big matches.
Its not important anyway. I agree that Barry is underrated, I even said so in another thread before this was posted. But this article takes it too far in the other direction, suggesting that he is one of the more important players at City.
Hes a very useful and reliable midfield player that knows positioning and how to keep posession by keeping it simple. But not much more.
simply put he does a job, Toure Yaya and De Jong can't do it, neither can Milner. De Jong is very one dimensional whilst Yaya isn't that intelligent. What i get from Barry is that he's an intelligent player who lacks a bit of technical ability, so he keeps things steady. He is decent in most aspects and outstanding in non, his selflessness lends him well to the current side. He looks good in part because he fits the team, his role is cemented, he is a midfield anchor who keeps the ball moving and has good positioning to stop attacks.
MAny players can do this better than him but the fact that City are playing well makes him look better. I give him credit for not being as shit as i thought he was, he has actually looked quite good at times this season. I still dont rate him highly. He can be a decent attacking player in a shite team like Villa, he can be a decent steady defensive player in a good team like City. He'll never be great though.
MAny players can do this better than him but the fact that City are playing well makes him look better. I give him credit for not being as shit as i thought he was, he has actually looked quite good at times this season. I still dont rate him highly. He can be a decent attacking player in a shite team like Villa, he can be a decent steady defensive player in a good team like City. He'll never be great though.
I agree, he's very underrated by opposing supporters.
But the Carricks/Barrys/Milners/Fletchers of this world always get stick, I've been guilty of it myself many a time. But those names will play important roles for their clubs.
The standard of defensive CMs in the PL is very low at the moment, the likes of Vieira and Keane simply or even a Makelele or Xabi Alonso simply aren't there, hence nothing players like Barry and Parker get ridiculously hyped for doing the job barely adequately.
I said almost that exact thing to my mate last night. Where have the likes of the Keanes and Vieiras gone: players that could play football and kick you up and down the pitch.
Brophs, it's probably something to do with the fact that the art of tackling seems to be dissapearing from the game.
I'd say it perhaps reflects the rise in 4-2-3-1 formations where three in the middle means you can get away with more limited players holding the midfield. So what you're getting are specialists in the defensive aspects of midfield play - Parker*, De Jong, Barry - passing the creative buck to the likes of Silva and Modric. And there are very few left, on these shores at least, who combine the best of both.
*Haven't seen Spurs much so no idea what formation they play, but it's a general point.
All things equal, and bias aside, I would rate Barry as much as I'd rate Carrick. He's a good player without being outstanding.
I'd say Alex Song is one of the best in the league for defensive CMs.
I'd say Alex Song is one of the best in the league for defensive CMs.