You don't need a scouting staff to work out that Berbatov is a dazzlingly gifted player, the big question always was: can he do it at the top level when the chips are down? And the answer is 'no'.
Berbatov | Fulham player
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
Its always quite clearly been that, most of the time he went missing when we really needed him (end of 09/10 springs to mind), and once he went on a bad run of form it was almost impossible to get him out of it. He is a HUGE confidence player, and at a club like United you can't let it affect you the way it affects him which is why he isn't a starter for us, or on the bench any more.
You can see his talent when he gets the ball, or against smaller teams but very rarely he put in the effort to get into open space or to drag defenders out of position, which is a huge part of football as it creates openings for others. Having a brilliant touch and great technique on the ball alone isn't enough to be a big success at a club like ours, where we have other very talented players, maybe not as talented but who bust a gut to close down defenders or to get in better positions.
30 million, he should at least be on the bench. I'm baffled that he's not even given a spot on there. If he doesn't come on, fine, but he should at the very least be an option on the bench after spending 30 million on him...
He did well for the last two seasons, but 30 million was far too much for him, with hindsight of course. Its a real shame, it really is, that he's fallen so far down.
He did well for the last two seasons, but 30 million was far too much for him, with hindsight of course. Its a real shame, it really is, that he's fallen so far down.
the biggest issue with freezing him out completely is that surely he is being devalued? Im sure we could get more money for him if he was still playing now and again.
he will probably get a sub appearance in a game AFTER the title is decided as a farewell.
Thats about all he can expect
Thats about all he can expect
we'll sell him for 8mil
I can't for the life of me figure out what the hell happened. I've heard all the he doesn't suit our new style or whatever...but I would have rather had him against Blackburn than what Hernandez did during his time on the pitch.
But as with all things United, Fergie knows best...so I'll defer to his greater wisdom.
Maybe he's refused to play
who knows.
I personally don't see how Park starts on the bench ahead of him at this moment.
who knows.
I personally don't see how Park starts on the bench ahead of him at this moment.
Exactly the same can be said of Rooney, yet when he gets into a prolonged spell of poor form he is still one of the first names on the team sheet.
It's just plain odd what has happened with Berba over the last 12 months.
I think it is very easy to understand. Fergie simply doesn’t trust him in many situations except for handy home games.
But seeing as his players who have a future can also take care of sides in these handy games he may as well keep playing them for added experience which will help them in the long run.
Berbatov in Fergie's eyes became surplus to requirements, so playing him is of no benefit to Hernandez or Welbeck
But seeing as his players who have a future can also take care of sides in these handy games he may as well keep playing them for added experience which will help them in the long run.
Berbatov in Fergie's eyes became surplus to requirements, so playing him is of no benefit to Hernandez or Welbeck
Francis Jeffers and Sylvan Wiltord..........Glass houses Stones etc.
Jeffers for sure. Not so much Wiltord. He did quite well for them
Meh, 32 in 104, not that good for at thetime a record signing.
About as well as Berbatov did I would say
Wiltord was a decent player for them...more then goals he scored, he also created a LOT of opportunities for Henry either directly or via his movement.
Berba is still a class act, just doesn't suit our style of play, big shame it hasn't worked out..
Berba is still a class act, just doesn't suit our style of play, big shame it hasn't worked out..
48 goals in 106 appearances, I'd say it has worked out. The problem for Berbatov, especially in his latter seasons is he couldn't hold down a place in the starting lineup and given United's focus on youth, he was just the wrong end of his 20s to be able to make a legend-status impact for us. I respect him as a player for his ability and his professionalism and I would love it if he decided to give us another season or two but I can understand that he may want to play more often and moving away from us is probably going to be the best way he can achieve that.
It's not United's focus on youth that's Berbatov's problem. Had it been a perfect fit he would have been kept and played regularly - ahead of Welbeck and Hernandez. But the style we want to play is just different to what he offers.
I agree but were he younger, we would maybe have played more to his style to accommodate him a bit more, like we did with Ruud.
I still think he's fallen out of favour for some reason . He's almost been frozen out!!
He's not consistent enough for us to do so. He's been with us for four years now, there are no surprises. Had he been capable of producing what Fergie wants, we'd still play him regularly. Welbeck is still finding his feet, having good and bad days, Hernandez hasn't had the best of seasons. The spot was there for the right player. We tend to find places for older players, even when they have to change their styles as they age. Berbatov just isn't the right player.
Maybe Fergie feels he's not particularly interested in using a player everyone already knows is leaving.
Hard to say really, I don't think Fergie would have said he'd like him to stay if that were the case, I think he'd have kept quiet on it and Berbatov has been saying all the right things about wanting to work his way into the team so I think it's just a case of right player, wrong team for him now. I think what it comes down to is Welbeck and Hernandez fit our desired style of play more than he does and they have both been fairly consistent in front of the goal in the time they've been given on the pitch; Hernandez has 10 in 24, most of which I think are from the bench and Welbeck has 7 in 23. Actually Welbeck's strike rate hasn't been great but he's scored some pretty important goals and given us more energy than what Berbatov would give us up front, his form has been terrific in that respect this season.
Maybe its just me but I honestly don't feel Hernandez and Welbeck have been playing that well lately. Obviously I'm fine with continuing to start them as they'll hardly recover form on the bench, but its really disappointing Berba doesn't even get a chance. I'm going to miss this guy, classy as f on and off the field.
Ruud exploded onto the scene with us. I dont think our system or formation would have hindered his game at all
It would be really fascinating to one day get the in-depth analysis of Berbatov's time at United from SAF.
In his first season he was given every opportunity, even though his goal return was poor to start, a few Aalborg & Celtic goals aside, he was put into the team over Tevez who was playing better stuff in the context of our team. Berbatov especially struggled in the big games, and he only had one goal in his last 12 appearances, to where he wasn't starting and Ronaldo was up top on his own.
2009-10 Rooney was up top and Berbatov was playing in the hole, and while he didn't play in the big games he had a respectable 12 goals and 5 assists in 24 starts and 9 subs in the EPL. But he only started 1 CL game, where we went 433. Bayern got lucky I think that team was just as good as the ones who went to the CL finals before and after.
Then he goes and has his best season last year, but Chicharito has such a spectacular debut, averaging almost a goal a game, and we admittedly play better defensively with him out of the team.
You almost have to wonder why SAF kept him this year if he was always going to start Welbeck ahead of him too. He's not a great impact sub and we had Owen for the occasional start, theoretically.
But he's still a top player, and was well worth the money, he was just pushed out of the team by even better players. Again, I think Dortmund should do everything they can to get him.
In his first season he was given every opportunity, even though his goal return was poor to start, a few Aalborg & Celtic goals aside, he was put into the team over Tevez who was playing better stuff in the context of our team. Berbatov especially struggled in the big games, and he only had one goal in his last 12 appearances, to where he wasn't starting and Ronaldo was up top on his own.
2009-10 Rooney was up top and Berbatov was playing in the hole, and while he didn't play in the big games he had a respectable 12 goals and 5 assists in 24 starts and 9 subs in the EPL. But he only started 1 CL game, where we went 433. Bayern got lucky I think that team was just as good as the ones who went to the CL finals before and after.
Then he goes and has his best season last year, but Chicharito has such a spectacular debut, averaging almost a goal a game, and we admittedly play better defensively with him out of the team.
You almost have to wonder why SAF kept him this year if he was always going to start Welbeck ahead of him too. He's not a great impact sub and we had Owen for the occasional start, theoretically.
But he's still a top player, and was well worth the money, he was just pushed out of the team by even better players. Again, I think Dortmund should do everything they can to get him.
Welbeck's touch is probably one of the best I have seen of a player his age and his height, it's absolutely sublime, even when he's not doing to well in terms of chances, he's easily been one of our better players for holding up the ball and retaining possession high up the pitch this season. Hernandez hasn't had a great season but that could also be put down to the fact Nani, Valencia and Young have all had stop-start seasons in terms of injuries and form. Hernandez's movement off the ball is brilliant.
From the sound of Berbatov's agent's recent comments, both sides know the score and have accepted it with good grace. I don't think there's been a falling out, but Fergie sees Hernandez/Welbeck as the 'now' as well as the future. Berbatov could theoretically get injured playing for us and scupper a potential move, so perhaps it's for the best.
Ruud would score goals anywhere. I wish we had someone like him today.
I asked that question a while back. And I think the answer is that he was hedging his bets with Welbeck and Chicharito. Chicharito's second season might not equal his first - as has turned out to be the case - and there was no certainty that Welbeck could step up.
In the CL final Fergie gave Berbatov a broad hint that he wasn't in his plans; Berbatov chose to ignore this, and Fergie chose to let him.
I really don't think Berbatov has been worth £30 million. If that's what £30 million gets you then we need to start spending more.
When you take into consideration £35m gets you Andy Carroll, I'd say Berbatov's return is astronomical. Was he worth £30m? Probably not, but then he never was and no player is. Has he done his best to meet the expectations that have been born from his price tag? I think so, I think he's been a good influence on our team spirit and his goals last season did us well.
I seem to remember (though I might be wrong) that his price went up on the last day of the transfer window as City won the lottery and starting throwing around stupid bids on anyone they could think of - ending with them signing Robinho. I think the media were putting the value of the Berbatov transfer in the days before at around the £25million-ish level, which would still have been high but with Robbie Keane going for £20m then Berba was never going cheaper than that.
He should really get a chance, since Welbeck and Chicarito have been awful for a while now. But he barely played this year, so his match fitness is probably nowhere near good enough.
Would have been handy tonight. He's good at holding the ball up and keeping possession, which is something we needed.
For god's sake Fergie give him a chance, he deserves it ahead of Danny and Chico.
Berbatov has no mercy against the shite teams in the bottom half. Disappointing how he has been cast off.
Feel sorry for him, doesnt even make the bench anymore. Hernandez is playing like a sex offender and Welbecks been on and off and he still cant get a game. It's safe to say he'll probably never play for us again.
Yep, seeing him not even on the bench is baffling. Hernandez has played very poor for a good while now and Welbeck is just wildly inconsistent still.
My theory is that Rooney hates Berbs, and that this is the reason he's been frozen out. And I base this on absolutely nothing.
I said it in the match day thread, we have seemingly decided Berbatov is no longer a Manchester United player despite there being 2 months of the season left to play. We don't know the behind the scenes stuff but unless he has had a major bust up he should be making the bench at the minimum.
Oh and before any retard pops in with "So Berbatov being left out is the reason United left today, LOL". No, we're not saying that, however this guy should now be atleast on bench considering Hernandez and Danny have been awful.