Barry was desperate to leave. The club had no choice but to sell him.
Spurs and Modric. There is always a choice. Who's got it right then? Maybe Barry with only a year left isn't as apt as Downing, but I think just selling players when they're unhappy is defeatist and counter productive. tell them to play or go in the reserves. Modric soon came to his senses.
But Barry tried to leave a year earlier remember, and like the Modric situation, Villa managed to keep Barry. There is no way Villa could have kept him for another season. He would of just sulked and played poorly. Remember Yorke at the start of 98/99?
I think because barry had only 1 year left I'll accept it's not a great comparison to Modric, but Milner and Downing should both have been treated the same as Modric.
Modric will be leaving spurs this summer anyway, footballers always seem to get things their own way in the end