Patrik Berger Has No Sense of Humour

The pre-match press conference was the stuff of Morecombe and Wise.

Marttin O'Neill took great delight in teasing the Czech journalists, particularly when they asked him if he could remember Slavia's last game against Villa.

The question was, after a pause, amended to did 'he remember them facing Tottenham?'

"I was going to say", O'Neill chirped. "I can't remember when Villa were last in Europe."

Brad Friedel took centre-stage as he sat between O'Neill and the interpreter.

"As a 37-year-old how much longer do you intend to carry on playing?", came one enquiry from the floor.

Friedel looked at O'Neill, who giggled like a schoolboy and answered the question for him: "One Month!"

It's a cracking modern stadium. New but with a touch of character, if that is possible.

Friedel likened it to Bayer Leverkusen's.

Built in May, the local journalists took great pride in pointing out to Friedel that no foreign er has yet scored here. It is their first UEFA Cup game after all.

"Do you agree with the Slavia coach that you are favourites?", O'Neill was asked.

"If there hasn't ever been a foreigner score a goal here, what has he to worry about?", O'Neill said.

Friedel mentioned looking forward to locking horns with former Liverpool team-mate Vladimir Smicer.

"Have the English public heard of Slavia Prague?", was probably as heated a question as was ever delivered.

"Yes, they've heard of Slavia and Sparta Prague", said O'Neill- perhaps forgetting the song about the Dukla Prague Away Kit by Half Man Half Biscuit.

"They've also heard of Patrik Berger- who was a fine player for Liverpool", said O'Neill who infamously fell out with, fined and banned Berger from his final match away at West Ham after comments about Gareth Barry joining Liverpool.

Another O'Neill one-liner then fell on hollow ground.

"The problem with you lot is that you have the same sense of humour as Patrik Berger", O'Neill added. "None at All!"

All very entertaining. A pity that underneath it all the row over Gabby Agbonlahor and Joey Barton rages on. That is the only thing the English media seem interested in here tonight.

It is a story that has grown arms and legs. I'm hoping to join it for a beer later.