Patrick Berger's Villa career over after backing Gareth Barry'LFC move

May 7 2008

Patrik Berger (158)

PATRIK BERGER’S Aston Villa career is over after Martin O’Neill blasted his “ludicrous” comments urging Gareth Barry to sign for Liverpool.

Villa manager O’Neill is trying to persuade skipper Barry to remain at the club after Liverpool went public with their £10million player- exchange offer.

And O’Neill is fuming that former Liverpool player Berger has stated the England international should switch to Anfield.

In response to Liverpool making a bid for Barry, Berger had said: “If I was in Gareth’s position I would go tomorrow.”

O’Neill has responded by dropping the ex-Czech Republic international from the squad for Sunday’s crucial clash at West Ham United, which could earn Villa a UEFA Cup berth at Everton’s expense.

And although Berger has apologised for his remarks, it means the midfielder, who it out of contract in the summer and is not being offered a new deal at Villa Park, has played his last game for the club.

O’Neill said: “I was really disappointed and surprised that Patrik, with all his experience of dealing with the press, would make such an inappropriate comment.

“The sad aspect of it is that we are paying Patrik’s wages for him to recommend one of our players to another football club. It’s ludicrous.

“I think Pat realises that now and he’s apologised. He said he didn’t mean a great deal of harm but the harm’s been done and he won’t be playing any part in proceedings from here on in.”

O’Neill, meanwhile, has reassured Villa’s fans that the club’s pursuit of European football is far from over, despite their morale- sapping 2-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic last Saturday.

Victory for Villa would have increased the pressure on fifth-placed Everton in the battle for the UEFA Cup but the Latics completed only their second away win of the season – their first was at Derby County.

Everton, who remain three points ahead of Villa after losing to Arsenal the following day, hold the upper hand but if they slip up against Newcastle United and O’Neill leads his side to victory at West Ham, Villa would gain an automatic European spot for the first time in nearly a decade.

“We couldn’t have put it in our hands (against Wigan) but we could have put severe pressure on Everton and we failed to do that,” O’Neill said.

“But I wouldn’t be giving up. I think, looking at Everton’s matches, winning Premier League games remains as difficult this week as it was last week and the week before and the last couple of years before that.”

If Everton edge out the Midlands club, O’Neill is still upbeat about the possibility of his side’s involvement in the frequently maligned Intertoto Cup.

“We have put our names down for the Intertoto Cup and if we finish sixth we would be guaranteed that,” said the former Celtic manager. “If we win against West Ham, which is a tall order, we can’t be overhauled for sixth. The Intertoto is not as stringent or severe as it used to be, where it was a case of getting ready in June for games. It’s now one main game at a time when you would be playing pre-season anyway.”