You've Done your Bit...

IF emails had never been invented I've a feeling our sports editor, Ken Montgomery, his assistant Mark Woodward and our secretary, known by her christian name alone, Grace, might be feeling a bit like John Noakes, Peter Purves and Valerie Singleton right now.

(I think I've been kind to Ken and Mark there although Grace looks more like Zoe Salmon and is infinitely better with sticky-back plastic)

That's because they would be having to plough through sackloads and sackloads and sackloads of letters and postcards just as the Blue Peter trio did whenever their annual appeals for lIfeboats, Joey Deacon or the blind gathered pace.

But emails have been invented. And Ken and Mark and a few sub-editors to boot, have simply had to hit the 'enter' button on a key-pad a few hundred times.

You see it was Ken's idea to launch the Don't Go Gareth campaign. Not designed as a tool to keep Gareth Barry at Villa, as more a chance for the supporters to tell him exactly what they think of him and to enable them to air their worries on the possibility- or should that be 'probability'- that the club's brilliant skipper could be leaving for Liverpool.

It was Ken who phoned me on Sunday afternoon with his battleplan, his brainwave.

I was just leaving the house with the family for a drive out Lichfield way to a pub garden with beer, swings and climbing frame. We would bump into Kevin Phillips, no less. I think my dog nipped his son's hand. (serves him right for pulling his navy Albion socks above his knees)

Anyway, I digress... just 48 hours later no one could have believed the response.

Hundreds, many hundreds of fans from the ages of six (I take it that Jake from Erdington's father gave him a helping computer literate hand) to eighty five (Doris from Perry Barr, you know who you are) have sent in their pleas.

I was sceptical, probably like the rest of the sports desk. What good would a campaign possibly do? Players are millionaires. They don't read papers unless they are wrapped around a Cartier watch, surely?

But we've been left in no doubt as to the mood of the people.

They say that Geordies are the most passionate supporters, but it's doubtful they would have reacted with quite the conviction had Alan Shearer, in his pomp, been prized away by the big four.

It says so much about Villa that the fans under Martin O'Neill and Randy Lerner have re-found their hearts.

There has been a real buzz around the club for two years.

Whether the campaign can convince Gareth to stay is another matter entirely. I still have my doubts. But it can't hurt to try.

And trust me, he is aware of the campaign.

I've read some comments on certain message boards over the past couple of days. Some fans are highly critical of my role in all of this, for 'stoking up' the whole issue.

I have to say that I came in at a pretty late stage where Barry's future is concerned.

Two years ago, whilst I was making my way to a pre-season friendly at Wolves, I remember being told that one national newspaper had printed that morning a story saying that Gareth had handed in a transfer request.

He hadn't, it later transpired. But the paper had got a sniff of real disilusionment from the player to which I had been previously unaware, despite the fact that at that time I had known him for eight years.

To cut a long story short... Gareth stayed and signed a new deal (I remember the flimsy typed press releases handed out at the home game against Newcastle- hardly the all-singing, all-dancing announcement it deserved).

Time passed and some Sunday papers started to get wind of 'supposed' interest from Chelsea and a series of articles appeared.

I left them alone.

Then David Platt came out with a story to another national paper that "it was time Gareth moved to a big club."

I remember telling Martin O'Neill at the time that Platt had, in fact, moved from Villa to Bari. He loved that one! And he delighted in replying to the effect that Platt should keep his nose out, through our paper.

It was around this time that I had the chance to quiz O'Neill about the Chelsea stories- probably two months or so ago- and the Villa boss let rip. "Chelsea aren't interested in Gareth", he said with the added effect of: "and never were."

I couldn't resist writing that one, but knew that with two years left on Barry's contract that the club would have to open negotiations pretty soon.

A few days later Martin announced at a Friday media briefing with the national newspapers, radios and TV's that that is exactly what he would be doing. They would be opening talks on a new deal. More headlines about Barry flowed.

A few weeks later and another national paper broke the story of Liverpool's interest in Barry. A back page splash. You couldn't miss it. (unless you were a certain press officer, who did just that).

Then there was the Patrik Berger interview.

Then a local paper write about a £10 million bid.

Then there was the story last week. Many people have picked up on the fact that whilst the rest of the written media were writing: "Villa Open Barry Talks", I was writing that the club would sell if Barry, as expected, told them he wanted to leave and then they would push for the very highest price.

I stand by that.

You see in my opinion it was quite wrong to say that Villa had "opened talks" as I had written as much after a meeting held at the training ground over a month ago.

Some critics have suggested I merely twisted quotes from the manager on the web-site.

Well, I sat with Martin O'Neill and had discussed the Barry matter, amid many other matters, the previous day.

It was an off-the-record discussion- no tapes or notes taken- and the basis of the discussion will remain private.

Time restraints meant that when my tape was eventually switched on- to enable me to fill some newspaper space- we had to skip the Barry topic as it was agreed that any quotes could be shared from the manager's interview given half an hour earlier to the club's own journalists.

All I will say, from a wide spectrum of sources, is that as things stand Barry will not be at Villa next season.

That could change. But I can understand the reasoning behind him wanting away.

Les Rogers, the coach who discovered him 17 years ago, has now reportedly said: "Yes I think he should go, how often will this opportunity come around?". Not to our paper I hasten to add.

I do not personally want him to go as a great contact, a great bloke and a great player would be walking out of the door.

And such is the strength of the response to the Mail's campaign that, to a man, woman and child, everyone of you seems to agree with me.