Berbaton? The new transformer.berbatovs in disguise.
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.
He just looks so suave... in a non-filthy unwopish way.
He does. So cool !
Ah yes that reputable source givemefootball.com
Fergie feels Berba frustration | Sky Sports | Football | Premier League | News
That looks to me very much like he'd sell him if a decent-ish offer came in.
Confirmed: Berbatov will miss the next friendly due to a ankle injury Manchester United Official Web Site - Sir Alex Ferguson previews Seattle Sounders v Manchester United
i want him to stay but he is yet to receive an extension offer by the club, while the likes of park and chicharito are getting one.
maybe the board will activate this ""Berbatov has only a year to run on his contract, although United have a "one-way option" whereby they can extend it by another 12 months whenever they want."" clause (from the ^ article), although i am not sure whether we really have this kind of agreement in berba's contract.
we are unlikely to let him go for free next summer, so if he is still going to be our player for this season then surely he is going to get a new contract, which i believe is no where close to an agreement between the club and player at this moment.
maybe the board will activate this ""Berbatov has only a year to run on his contract, although United have a "one-way option" whereby they can extend it by another 12 months whenever they want."" clause (from the ^ article), although i am not sure whether we really have this kind of agreement in berba's contract.
we are unlikely to let him go for free next summer, so if he is still going to be our player for this season then surely he is going to get a new contract, which i believe is no where close to an agreement between the club and player at this moment.
Is he reading The Economist?
I'm not so sure, the only thing there is 'I'd understand that (if he wanted to leave) but you could say that about them all.'
Also going by what Berbatov has said recently, and just after the CL Final, I wouldn't expect him to want to go anywhere, and by the sounds of it, we aren't looking to sell him either, I think this is a non-story.
Also going by what Berbatov has said recently, and just after the CL Final, I wouldn't expect him to want to go anywhere, and by the sounds of it, we aren't looking to sell him either, I think this is a non-story.
Q and A with Mancherster United's Dimitar Berbatov - Man Utd FC - Sport News - Daily Post North Wales
Q and A with Mancherster United's Dimitar Berbatov
Dimitar Berbatov very rarely speaks in public. It is an attitude that has contributed to the air of mystique surrounding the 30-year-old Bulgarian, who remains Sir Alex Ferguson’s record purchase.
However SIMON STONE, with United on their tour of the US, was granted an exclusive interview with one of the most talked about players of his generation.
Q Last season you won Golden Boot but were left out of European Cup squad. How do you assess that?
A I don’t want to go back to that. What it is, it was - does that make any sense? Now I am looking to the future. I was pretty happy we did the historical thing about the 19th title. I was part of it. I was the top goalscorer of the team. For me, the personal thing was great. I come from a small country and I always dreamt big. I was pretty happy when we did all these things.
Q You think a lot about things and their wider meaning. Was it the hardest blow you have had to overcome in your career? Everything else has seemed so easy.
A I still have time. Sometimes in the future it happens I am sure.
Q You scored a hat-trick against Liverpool, the first time anyone had done it for 64 years. What did that mean to you?
A You didn’t see that one coming, eh? It was a good game for me obviously. I didn’t know scoring three goals against Liverpool would mean so much to so many people. It was just a game for me. Even if it had finished 1-0 and I had scored the goal, it would have been fine. Obviously three goals - and the second one was a bit special - it will stay in my memory for ever. When they see me, people always ask about that day and that goal. It is nice.
Q Would you like to think if someone else does it in 64 years’ time people will remember you and say Dimitar Berbatov was a good player for Manchester United?
A Who would not like that? Most players play with a dream that some day, when they have finished, people will tell their grandchildren that they were a good player. I am the same. But I don’t think it will be 64 years before someone does it again. Maybe the next one will be next year. Football is changing. There are so many great players. It is not easy to do but it is not as difficult. I always kept believing in myself - and after that I scored five goals!
Q It was only the fourth time for that – that is what I mean about last season, there were so many magnificent highs for you.
A It was. Five goals was great.
Q What did you think as they were all going in?
A When I scored my second I thought probably here is another hat-trick for me. But five? Probably after the fourth, I was thinking about five. Surprisingly, people ask me why I didn’t get a sixth. I would have been the only one to do that. First of all, I never thought about it. I never think about things like this. I just try to enjoy. Secondly, Andy Cole and Alan Shearer would be mad at me if I scored six goals. To be in their company is nice. And what makes me really proud is that there have been so many foreigners playing in English football, I am the only one with five goals.
Q Quite an achievement?
A Yes. But it is something I have to push to the back of my mind. For me, the thing is about the team. As you said, last season I had highs in my career. But what if we didn’t win the title? Then these things wouldn’t matter so much. But we won it. That is it. It was great.
Q From a team perspective, trying to win title number 20, making up for what happened against Barcelona – are they the things that will drive you on?
A We are not afraid of the challenge. Of course it will drive me on. The good thing about football is that there is always next year. You can make things right. Obviously, Barcelona and Manchester United are the top teams in the world right now. Title number 20 and the Champions League are the main priorities. That is what we want to win. This is what we will try to do. In the end, what is Manchester United about, winning everything there is to win. It is normal.
Q As someone who can play and control the ball, what do you think about Barcelona?
A I am not going to say anything different from other players. They play great football probably because they keep it simple. One or two touches all the time. Movement all over the pitch. Playing in the spaces. That is it.
Q Some people look at their style and reach conclusions, other people look at your style and reach conclusions and say you don’t care enough. Does that bother you?
A Yes. You are not going to see me puffing around the pitch. There is a saying in Bulgaria that great quality doesn’t require much effort.
Q Is that your natural way of playing?
A I always play like this. That is what got me here. Last season was proof that even if you have some downs in your career, if you believe in the way you play, in your style of play, you can do it as well.
Q You have a year left on contract. Would you like to stay beyond that?
A That is a personal thing that we only discuss with the boss and the chairman.
Q You have said anyone who leaves Manchester United is taking a step down. Do you still believe that?
A Of course. Manchester United is the top. Smaller clubs might be able to match Manchester United with the way they play, with their organisation, everything. But Manchester United are at the top. Where can you go from there? Only down. Maybe Barcelona. At the moment, I don’t see anything else. If you go somewhere it is a big step down. For me, I always went up, up, up in my career. I am happy.
Q How would you like to be remembered by the Manchester United supporters?
A As a good player, trying to do good things on the pitch. Just doing things the fans enjoyed. I always tend to think my goals are beautiful goals. That is what I want to score; beautiful goals, and create beautiful chances for my team-mates. The things that every player will tell you if they ask you that question.
Q But not every player does say that. Not every player says they want to do beautiful things.
A Every player is different probably. Like I told you, you are not going to see me puffing around the pitch.
Q That is not your way?
A No.
Q There are seven strikers on this tour, does the challenge of getting into the team, playing regularly, winning the Golden Boot, excite you, or is there something else that drives you on?
A I am not 21 any more. There are many young and talented players now, including some from the academy. You can see that if you watch games on TV. All my life I have tried to prove myself. I have worked hard. Given a chance, I have tried to show what I can do. The last season is in the past. The goals I scored, what I did, I have done it. This is a new season. It starts all over again.
Q Does the process of proving yourself start all over again? Not just because of the European Cup. Is it the same at the start of every season?
A Yes. Probably this thinking keeps me motivated and concentrated, not to allow myself to be satisfied with what I have already achieved. Next season I will have new goals to score as many as possible, probably more than last season. Win everything there is to win. That is it. I look at myself. I look at Ryan Giggs. He has so many titles. In the time I have at Manchester United, if I win as many as possible, it would be good for me.
Q I am fascinated by that attitude. How can someone like Ryan win 12 titles and still want more?
A That is what keeps him hungry. He is older than me. You see that motivation in training. He wants to show he is still capable of doing things like he did when he was 25. It is still there. If I was him, I would do the same – stay at one club, Manchester United. Why would you want to go anywhere else? But for me it is different. I come from a small country. I have the good fortune to play for Manchester United. For the time I am here I try to do my best and win everything there is to win. There is no other way I can play.
Q That drive is still there in your mind? People don’t associate you with fierce determination.
A I am a very proud person. I don’t like to show my weaknesses in public. I don’t want to show my emotions in public. That is why people probably sometimes misjudge me. But that is ok.
Q It is misjudgement of your character?
A Yes.
Q and A with Mancherster United's Dimitar Berbatov
Dimitar Berbatov very rarely speaks in public. It is an attitude that has contributed to the air of mystique surrounding the 30-year-old Bulgarian, who remains Sir Alex Ferguson’s record purchase.
However SIMON STONE, with United on their tour of the US, was granted an exclusive interview with one of the most talked about players of his generation.
Q Last season you won Golden Boot but were left out of European Cup squad. How do you assess that?
A I don’t want to go back to that. What it is, it was - does that make any sense? Now I am looking to the future. I was pretty happy we did the historical thing about the 19th title. I was part of it. I was the top goalscorer of the team. For me, the personal thing was great. I come from a small country and I always dreamt big. I was pretty happy when we did all these things.
Q You think a lot about things and their wider meaning. Was it the hardest blow you have had to overcome in your career? Everything else has seemed so easy.
A I still have time. Sometimes in the future it happens I am sure.
Q You scored a hat-trick against Liverpool, the first time anyone had done it for 64 years. What did that mean to you?
A You didn’t see that one coming, eh? It was a good game for me obviously. I didn’t know scoring three goals against Liverpool would mean so much to so many people. It was just a game for me. Even if it had finished 1-0 and I had scored the goal, it would have been fine. Obviously three goals - and the second one was a bit special - it will stay in my memory for ever. When they see me, people always ask about that day and that goal. It is nice.
Q Would you like to think if someone else does it in 64 years’ time people will remember you and say Dimitar Berbatov was a good player for Manchester United?
A Who would not like that? Most players play with a dream that some day, when they have finished, people will tell their grandchildren that they were a good player. I am the same. But I don’t think it will be 64 years before someone does it again. Maybe the next one will be next year. Football is changing. There are so many great players. It is not easy to do but it is not as difficult. I always kept believing in myself - and after that I scored five goals!
Q It was only the fourth time for that – that is what I mean about last season, there were so many magnificent highs for you.
A It was. Five goals was great.
Q What did you think as they were all going in?
A When I scored my second I thought probably here is another hat-trick for me. But five? Probably after the fourth, I was thinking about five. Surprisingly, people ask me why I didn’t get a sixth. I would have been the only one to do that. First of all, I never thought about it. I never think about things like this. I just try to enjoy. Secondly, Andy Cole and Alan Shearer would be mad at me if I scored six goals. To be in their company is nice. And what makes me really proud is that there have been so many foreigners playing in English football, I am the only one with five goals.
Q Quite an achievement?
A Yes. But it is something I have to push to the back of my mind. For me, the thing is about the team. As you said, last season I had highs in my career. But what if we didn’t win the title? Then these things wouldn’t matter so much. But we won it. That is it. It was great.
Q From a team perspective, trying to win title number 20, making up for what happened against Barcelona – are they the things that will drive you on?
A We are not afraid of the challenge. Of course it will drive me on. The good thing about football is that there is always next year. You can make things right. Obviously, Barcelona and Manchester United are the top teams in the world right now. Title number 20 and the Champions League are the main priorities. That is what we want to win. This is what we will try to do. In the end, what is Manchester United about, winning everything there is to win. It is normal.
Q As someone who can play and control the ball, what do you think about Barcelona?
A I am not going to say anything different from other players. They play great football probably because they keep it simple. One or two touches all the time. Movement all over the pitch. Playing in the spaces. That is it.
Q Some people look at their style and reach conclusions, other people look at your style and reach conclusions and say you don’t care enough. Does that bother you?
A Yes. You are not going to see me puffing around the pitch. There is a saying in Bulgaria that great quality doesn’t require much effort.
Q Is that your natural way of playing?
A I always play like this. That is what got me here. Last season was proof that even if you have some downs in your career, if you believe in the way you play, in your style of play, you can do it as well.
Q You have a year left on contract. Would you like to stay beyond that?
A That is a personal thing that we only discuss with the boss and the chairman.
Q You have said anyone who leaves Manchester United is taking a step down. Do you still believe that?
A Of course. Manchester United is the top. Smaller clubs might be able to match Manchester United with the way they play, with their organisation, everything. But Manchester United are at the top. Where can you go from there? Only down. Maybe Barcelona. At the moment, I don’t see anything else. If you go somewhere it is a big step down. For me, I always went up, up, up in my career. I am happy.
Q How would you like to be remembered by the Manchester United supporters?
A As a good player, trying to do good things on the pitch. Just doing things the fans enjoyed. I always tend to think my goals are beautiful goals. That is what I want to score; beautiful goals, and create beautiful chances for my team-mates. The things that every player will tell you if they ask you that question.
Q But not every player does say that. Not every player says they want to do beautiful things.
A Every player is different probably. Like I told you, you are not going to see me puffing around the pitch.
Q That is not your way?
A No.
Q There are seven strikers on this tour, does the challenge of getting into the team, playing regularly, winning the Golden Boot, excite you, or is there something else that drives you on?
A I am not 21 any more. There are many young and talented players now, including some from the academy. You can see that if you watch games on TV. All my life I have tried to prove myself. I have worked hard. Given a chance, I have tried to show what I can do. The last season is in the past. The goals I scored, what I did, I have done it. This is a new season. It starts all over again.
Q Does the process of proving yourself start all over again? Not just because of the European Cup. Is it the same at the start of every season?
A Yes. Probably this thinking keeps me motivated and concentrated, not to allow myself to be satisfied with what I have already achieved. Next season I will have new goals to score as many as possible, probably more than last season. Win everything there is to win. That is it. I look at myself. I look at Ryan Giggs. He has so many titles. In the time I have at Manchester United, if I win as many as possible, it would be good for me.
Q I am fascinated by that attitude. How can someone like Ryan win 12 titles and still want more?
A That is what keeps him hungry. He is older than me. You see that motivation in training. He wants to show he is still capable of doing things like he did when he was 25. It is still there. If I was him, I would do the same – stay at one club, Manchester United. Why would you want to go anywhere else? But for me it is different. I come from a small country. I have the good fortune to play for Manchester United. For the time I am here I try to do my best and win everything there is to win. There is no other way I can play.
Q That drive is still there in your mind? People don’t associate you with fierce determination.
A I am a very proud person. I don’t like to show my weaknesses in public. I don’t want to show my emotions in public. That is why people probably sometimes misjudge me. But that is ok.
Q It is misjudgement of your character?
A Yes.
The Languid One. Class act, on and off the pitch.
i agree that Berbatov is a classy guy, i do like and respect him. I just don't think he and United are a good match, cracking footballer though.
Still bother me that people think he will be replaced somehow. There's no way he'd want to leave. He's a better player than Hernandez, different player. Why would we sell him? Would be a big step down for us.
better than Hernadez? maybe. But United player better with Hernandez than with Berbs. Team is not a sum of parts.
Very debatable point, as it has always been. Based on his last season, he scored the most goals and helped us win the title. So why isn't he a good match?
Obvious answer for many, is that he does not fit the United style of play. But then, would he have scored so many goals and played well in most matches if he didn't?
And what is the United style of play? If in general terms, it is fast-flowing, attacking and counter-attacking, he may be too slow for this but he makes up for it with his control, passing ability and hold-up play.
Anyway, depending on who we play, his style comes in very handy. imho, the United style of playing is something that has to be flexible depending on the opposition and on the performers that SAF has at his disposal.
Good interview.It's rare to see good questions asked to footballers
all good points, i assume it's my personal preference - i prefer United without Berbatov but with Hernandez.
smartly spoted
United don't always play better with Hernandez. If he doesn't score in a match he does seem a bit lost and invisible.
Berba can make up for the lack of midfield creativity.
you are tight buddy, Hernandez do get lost in some games.
i do however think that Berbatov is also gulity of going AWOL in big games. it depends on the opponent really.
He wants to stay and if SAF wants him to stay pretty much will be done. We still have till the end of August to sort it out.
Hernandez was brilliant last season, don't get me wrong, but Berbatov was also brilliant. He just got lost in the praising because Hernandez was new and younger.
I mean he had better minute per goal ratio than Hernandez yet Hernandez played half of his game as a substitute.
I think it's rubbish that he doesn't fit. Got a golden boot. There's nothing more you can ask from a striker. He won us some games last season. Should get more respect. Hernandez has gotten huge attention and praises for his attitude, rightfully, but Berbatov has been the same and gets criticism
I mean he had better minute per goal ratio than Hernandez yet Hernandez played half of his game as a substitute.
I think it's rubbish that he doesn't fit. Got a golden boot. There's nothing more you can ask from a striker. He won us some games last season. Should get more respect. Hernandez has gotten huge attention and praises for his attitude, rightfully, but Berbatov has been the same and gets criticism
Berba is Berba, when he's in the mood he is a joy to watch. When he's in a mood, you know it isn't his day.
Marvellous interview - he says all the right things certainly. It's obvious United are in his heart and after last season's heroics, I really don't know what he has to do to win everyone over. I love him.
Still hasnt signed a new contract or to the best of my knowledge been offered one. Therefore nothing to see here.
Ball is firmly in his court and I am positive he will be happy to play out his remaining year. But I would be surprised if the club allows him to do so.
A decision must be made sooner rather than later
Ball is firmly in his court and I am positive he will be happy to play out his remaining year. But I would be surprised if the club allows him to do so.
A decision must be made sooner rather than later
I've always like Berba. He has a class attitude, he never moans when left out and he's willing to fight for his place in this team because he loves the club.
looked better linking with our younger players rather than with rooney
His agent said he will stay till the end of the contract
Berba is saying all the right things but are both parties doing the right things?
Why has it been left so late? What happens if he does not sign an extension by the end of August. Come the next window he can legally sign pre-contracts and his bargaining position is strengthened.
If we had this one way clause why haven't we not exercised it? Berba has said he wants to stay at United -so why all the delay?
Why has it been left so late? What happens if he does not sign an extension by the end of August. Come the next window he can legally sign pre-contracts and his bargaining position is strengthened.
If we had this one way clause why haven't we not exercised it? Berba has said he wants to stay at United -so why all the delay?
Indeed I think the coolness of Berbatov is at work Is at work here too, not a bad word to say to anyone and under no pressure at all. And why should he be? He can remain at the club for another season. Probably pick up a medal or two. And then next summer will have a pick of a few good clubs and whoever offers the nicest signing on fee he can sign for.
This is not a slight against Berbatov. But this is what footballers do. And why shouldn’t they?
Come mid to late August the club will be the ones under pressure to make a decision on this
This is not a slight against Berbatov. But this is what footballers do. And why shouldn’t they?
Come mid to late August the club will be the ones under pressure to make a decision on this
Think about it as a business decision. If you had the option to buy something at a set price at a given date wouldn't you wait until near the deadline to make a decison? If we agree to another year now and Berbatov gets a Hargreavesesque injury or suddenly develops the first touch of Leon Best in the meantime then we've screwed ourself unneccessarily. I would argue that it makes no sense whatsoever to activate this clause until we're about a month away from the deadline.
What a performance against the All Stars, terrific game from Berba.
I just saw his goal. He played well overall, I take it from your post, mate? I also heard that Rooney and him did a nice one-two for Anderson's goal?
I don't think he played well overall at all. Good goal though.
He was effective. Nice goal and link up for Anderson's goal but was a bit lazy and sulky. 7.5/10