Barry: I want to keep going

This guy is a class act by far the best midfielder we have at our club even at the age of 35 and having no pace he is still oozes quality and composure and never stop's working.

I only wish we had an attacking midfielder of the same ilk!

I say to GB..carry on lad. Was great last season, a class act

Great player and my only regret is that he never joined us 10 years ago.

I think he will be used quite a lot next season no matter who comes in as manager, Barry is well respected throughout the game, a thorough professional.

Not only should we not let him step down, we should have him well and truly "boxed off" for his badges and part of the team when he calls it a day.
Credit to Roberto for bringing Gareth here.

Keep on playing GB, you are needed.

Good season from Barry, well done, and a nod for experience.

He certainly shown up his younger midfield partner James McCarthy in the season just gone.

He's a class act and still has a big role to play next season.

Don't think he has the legs to screen the defence on his own nor to press the opposition when we don't have the ball and I'd rather not have to play 2 CDMs so that one covers his lack of pace.

Good to have in the squad for another year although his wages are certainly not small but I'd be disappointed if he was a regular starter next season, especially as he turns 36. Would be great to get a CDM who was decent all round - and 10 years younger!

So was RM actually good but having to manage some ass holes? And was he good with Barry types but crap at coaching others? Howard and Robles (Twitter apart) have made it clear they were in the Barry camp. Phil pointedly said the players were "50 percent to blame" rather than backing RM. Was this his actual view? Or the least controversial answer a weak leader can give without upsetting anyone too much?

None of this matters now in relation to RM but it does matter to the new manager who is seemingly inheriting a divided dressing room. We need to weed out bad apples as necessary but re-educate those who may have been merely mismanaged. Pienaar has been removed from the poisonous cocktail but Super Kev is another handful for the new man to deal with.

As regards the McCarthy - Barry axis being broken up I think we have bigger problems elsewhere in the team. Rather than changing the personnel in central midfield it may be we would benefit from changing what they are required to do. For example some thinking is required on the part of the new manager as to how the full backs are deployed. McCarthy showed towards the end of the season that when he is allowed to get forward he has the potential to score goals. Most of the past three seasons he and Barry have been required to hang back to cover the two full backs who were given license to gallop forward.

The shape of the team needs to be more flexible to allow one of the two holding midfielders to get forward more often. It would also help if the team became more compact to reduce the huge gaps between our attackers and our defenders.

Whoever the manager is, will have to keep a close eye on his form.

Pity some of the other players havent got his ability or attitude.

Barry is a good player but the game is played at a faster pace and, for that reason, we should be looking at that role in the team. Not sure Besic is that man. The new manager should address this fundamental weaknesses in the team as a priority.

Which reminds me of a Blackadder 4 moment, "a fate worse than a fate worse than death...you are setting the bar very high there Baron" {the fate turned out to be teaching German schoolgirls home economics until the end of the war}

True professional too. Watch and learn Romelu Lukaku.

Barry's another one I'd be looking to keep after his playing career, a great example of professionalism for younger players, I'd love him to stick around for years as part of the back room staff. He had the air of a future manager about him too if he wants to be.

In an ideal world I think we'd want a slightly younger, quicker version but at the moment he's definitely one of the first names on the team sheet.

I would like to see Stones move forward as well. He is a great defender, but his positional sense and anticipation are both suspect. The defensive midfield role could be perfect for him. Eric Dier from Spurs proved this, and Stones is better than him.

Would like Barry to stay but moving towards a player/coaching role; which doesn't appear to be what he wants right now.

"So was RM actually good"

No, he was utter shite as was evidenced on many many occasions in the 90 odd mins played once or twice a week irrespective of what happened behind closed doors in the dressing room.

All dressing rooms contain one, a few, or many "ass holes" but with good managers* you don't notice because either the team is winning or their man management keeps them in check or they get rid of them before well before they become a disruptive influence.

The fact that OFM - clearly - did none of the above is more evidence that he was just, well, utter shite.

*I'd say Mourinho may be an exception here because although he is clearly in the category of a "good manager" it is also quite clear that he himself is squarely also in the category of "ass hole"

They pour out their heavily processed factory MSG drivel, and then we........ go to the match with our mates, witness, absorb and occasionally the scales fall from our eyes as these "Unwritten Laws of The Game" are proven falsehoods.

Gareth Barry has and MUST remain part of Everton. Had Lukaku put away his chances then I believe that Gareth would be as revered as the so called "Over The Hill Mob" of '84.

This is a quality, intelligent footballer, a man eminently capable of leading a great club to glory as a manager when he is ready. He has been desperately undervalued before, I think this man is a future Everton King.

He has class and style on or off the pitch , but he "takes one for the team", a hero without a song. That, is unfair.

And if we don't ?
Then OUR failure Gareth, not yours, BOSS !

I couldn't agree more. Player of the season for both fans and players. Puts younger players to shame with his fitness and stamina. A cool skilful experienced player who is way ahead of the game in his head. A pleasure to watch in a crap season.

Like you I prefer the evidence of my own eyes

I had an interesting chat earlier today with an old football mate of mine who's father won a League medal with Everton and who himself played against Argentina and Maradona. He was adamant that Barry was the best player this season by far & praised his attitude and consistency no matter what the circumstance.

So, to be frank Frank (post#1), you haven't a calamine lotion what you're talking about!

Gareth Barry aged 35 put his younger team mates to shame time and time again last season with his performances. Others, like fist pumping Mo Besic, should watch and learn.