Davies wants fans to acknowledge Barry

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Davies is a close friend of Barry, who made the £12million move from Villa to Eastlands during the summer. Davies, currently recovering from shoulder surgery, admits "football is very fickle" and expects the Villa fans to give Barry a hard time.

Davies said: "I'd like to think the fans would clap Gareth but I've got a feeling it will be jeers."

He added: "He did this club a good service over the 10 years or more that he was here. But obviously football is very fickle and I think people see the short-term picture.

"I know Gareth has gone from saying he wanted to play Champions League football, when he nearly moved to Liverpool last summer, to moving to Manchester City.

"But maybe he's looked at his options and thought that long-term maybe Manchester City might have the structure to become a Champions League team more so than us.

"If he sees there's an opportunity to do that, then obviously that's Gareth's choice but we'll beg to differ."

Davies also believes Barry will be unfazed if he receives a hostile reception from the Villa fans.

He said: "Sometimes people will wilt under pressure. I think Gareth is one of those who might step up. We need to be aware of that and so do our fans.

"You see big players like Ronaldo who like getting booed because, when that happens, it makes him kick up a gear and he ends up scoring crazy goals against teams."