Gareth Barry nailed his claret and blue colours firmly to the mast when he agreed a new four-year contract within days of Martin O'Neill's arrival at the club. He is a huge fans' favourite at Villa Park and despite a host of difficult seasonal games, he sees no reason why Villa shouldn't return to their early-season form sooner rather than later. Ian Clarkson caught up with Barry to talk exclusively to Givemefootball.com.
Q:YOU'VE GOT MAN UNITED AND CHELSEA COMING UP - NOT TO MENTION A DIFFICULT TRIP TO CHARLTON - SO NO HOLIDAY FOR YOU, THEN?
A:Not really. The holiday season is a very different proposition for a professional footballer. It will certainly be an eye-opener for some of the younger lads in our squad. You are not concentrating on the festive meal and a glass of wine because you are thinking about your games.
Q:WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY ELEMENTS OF THESE TOP TEAMS?
A:Personally, what I find is the top teams have a good mix of youth and experience and that's certainly the case at Old Trafford with the likes of Wayne Rooney at 21 and Ryan Giggs at 33. We play United three times in three weeks. We will certainly get to know them after that.
Q:IT LOOKS REALLY DIFFICULT ON PAPER, ARE YOU STILL CONFIDENT OF PICKING UP POINTS AND POSSIBLY PROGRESSING TO THE NEXT ROUND OF THE FA CUP?
A:Nobody expected us to draw at Arsenal or Chelsea earlier this season, did they? We didn't just want to make up the numbers at those grounds and it's the same wherever we play. We need to be ready for all the games. I know it's been said a thousand times before but with games coming thick and fast we can only concentrate on the next one. We need to be prepared for each one individually. Although we were well beaten in the Carling Cup at Stamford Bridge, we drew with them in the league and might even have sneaked it at the death.
Q:YOU COME FROM A FAMILY OF SPURS' FANS, HAVE YOU HAD A BIT OF STICK AFTER THE RECENT DEFEAT?
A:Well, two of my three brothers are die-hard Tottenham fans. But professional footballers don't take too kindly to losing any game, which I think they appreciate.
Q:HOW IS GABOR KIRALY SETTLING IN?
A:Gabor is a confident goalkeeper and also a confident guy, and that has helped him settle in with the rest of the squad. We have a lot of faith in him because he's an experienced goalkeeper who has played a lot of times for his country. We were expecting the grey trackie bottoms and he didn't disappoint when he arrived for his first day's training!
Q:YOU SIGNED A NEW CONTRACT AND WERE MADE CLUB CAPTAIN AT THE START OF THE SEASON, HOW DO YOU SEE THE ROLE?
A:If I was to pick one Villa skipper that impressed me the most, I'd say it was Gareth Southgate. When I broke into the team, he was brilliant with the younger players - encouraging them and offering them advice. He was a man who had the respect of his teammates. If there was someone to emulate, it would be him.
Q:YOU SEEM TO HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE NOW, WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS?
A:To be honest, I'm not sure. People have asked me whether I want to go into management game when I stop playing. I'm not sure and I haven't thought about it a great deal over the past few years. What I do believe is that there is an incredible amount of stress and pressure on a manager and it's certainly not a decision you can take lightly.
