Last week, news broke from Villa Park that Martin O'Neill had publicly dismissed Patrik Berger from the club for remarks the Czech star made encouraging Gareth Barry to join Liverpool.

Long gone are the days when Berger was a force around the Premier League. It's been over a decade since he rose to prominence at Euro '96. So it was no huge shock to see the ailing Berger on his bike. But it was the spin which O'Neill attached to his departure from Aston Villa which was the interesting part.

The boss  is desperately trying to convince the public that Villa are now serious contenders in the Premier League. They are no longer a selling club, but rather a club on the rise with lofty aspirations. Playing for Villa is no longer to be seen as a stop-gap until a so-called big club comes beckoning. Playing for Villa is an honour.

'After a re-jig in the summer, cutting away some of the dead wood and replacing it with new talent, Villa will have their best chance in years to launch an assault on the big boys in the division. And should Barry choose to stay, such ambitions may have some real credibility'


The need to assert this message has been intensified by Liverpool's courtship of Villa captain Gareth Barry. As the fulcrum of the Midlands side, O'Neill will be loathe to see Barry walk out the door to one of their closest rivals (in terms of league positioning). But does the Irishman really have a point, or are his efforts to hold onto his prized asset merely just a delusion of an over-inflated evaluation of his team?

In the context of the Barry sale in particular, O'Neill may have an argument. Of the four clubs in the Big Four, domestically at least, Liverpool pull up the rear. On the field there remains huge doubts whether Liverpool have the squad capable of winning the title, with in-favour players like Dirk Kuyt, Jermaine Pennant, Alvaro Arbeloa and Steve Finnan all susceptible at the highest level of competition.

Off the field, however, is where Liverpool's problems truly lie. With the season drawing to its conclusion, the debacle in the Reds' management hierarchy will have to be resolved. Any of the four protagonists – Tom Hicks, George Gillett, Rick Parry and Rafa Benitez – could walk out of the door at any moment, and such instability should be a cause for concern to Barry.

The contrast with Villa is stark. Behind the scenes Randy Lerner is constantly cited as the best example of how foreign investment can work successfully. Silent and supportive, Lerner has formed a very productive working relationship with his manager, as the team has benefited as a result.

Villa are ambitious and they have a good reason to be. They have a strong squad comprised of seasoned internationals with experience of football at the highest level (Martin Laursen, Wilfred Bouma, Stilian Petrov, John Carew and of course Barry himself) mixed with youthful exuberance (Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Nigel Reo-Coker).

After a re-jig in the summer, cutting away some of the dead wood and replacing it with new talent, Villa will have their best chance in years to launch an assault on the big boys in the division. Well, that’s O'Neill's plan anyway. And should Barry choose to stay, such ambitions may have some real credibility.