Berbatov warcry!

Stuart Mathieson

July 21, 2008

Dimitar Berbatov

UNITED will ride the tapping-up storm over Dimitar Berbatov and continue to pursue Sir Alex Ferguson's priority summer transfer target.

The Reds' chase for Tottenham's 27-year-old Bulgarian striker has erupted into a war of words between Old Trafford and White Hart Lane.

The row began innocuously as United left for South Africa last Thursday at Manchester Airport when Fergie claimed the Reds were pursuing a transfer target but didn't name the player.

"We have made a bid for one player who would enhance us a great deal," said Ferguson before flying to Cape Town.

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By the time he had landed in South Africa on Friday, a newspaper was carrying further quotes attributed to the United boss.

"We have made Tottenham an offer on Berbatov and we have good expectations that this deal will go through," Sir Alex had allegedly said.

"Berbatov would be a great addition to our attack. I think time will work for us more than against us. We will not stress this situation.

"We are hoping to have a constructive conversation with Tottenham in the near future."

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was outraged and an outburst on Friday saw him accuse Fergie of arrogance and hypocrisy and the tap-up row gathered momentum.

Furious

While the Reds have been furious over Real Madrid's conduct in the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer saga, Levy claimed the European champions were acting in a similar manner in the Berbatov chase.

"It is one of the worst offences by any manager in the Premier League," he said. "As a result we have made an official complaint about the conduct of Manchester United.

"Comments made by their manager announcing he is confident a deal will go through is a blatant example of sheer arrogance and interference with one of our players."

A Tottenham spokesman added: "We have confirmed the comments came from Sir Alex talking at a supporters' meeting. Our evidence will be submitted to the Premier League and checked by our lawyers. We would not have said what we have said without substantial evidence.

"And it is worth asking Alex Ferguson if he is happy to confirm that at no point has anyone from Old Trafford ever spoken to the player or his agent given that Tottenham has never given permission."

But in South Africa Fergie was adamant he had never named Berbatov and threatened legal action against Spurs.

"I don't know where they got those quotes from but it wasn't from me. The complaint appears to be on the basis of a story in a paper."

Fergie had an interview with United's Scandinavian Supporters' Club branch last week but the Reds have checked the tape and there is nothing untoward in the transcript. The Reds remain puzzled but nevertheless those words infuriated Tottenham and the situation exploded into all-out war. Asked about potential legal action, Fergie added: "I'm sure our legal people will be looking at it." Back in Manchester, United's lawyers are expected to start putting together the Reds case when they have received a letter from the Premier League.

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Billiospur, torquay (21/07/2008 at 09:31)

Hi .Man U.....I think you are right to get compensation etc
for Ronaldo and Real madrids behaviour after your complaint was reported etc..........and because of Fergies Hypocrisy
as you have acted the same way as Real madrid re Berbatov! you are subject to the same rules and penalties........
as are liverpool......levy is right in protecting his asset for the club as you are......im afraid fergie and co arrogance has been caught out.....tap.tap....tap
as your 1st offer was rejected
use the media ?

all in all unsettling, bad protocols and against the rules and illegal.

poor show Sir Alex ,better to have said nothing...

Billiospur fan

Red Rob, Fifth Quadrant (21/07/2008 at 09:46)

If United are in for Berbatov, and IF they have made a preliminary inquiry, they should drop it now.

That would call Tottenham's bluff - after all, aren't they supposed to be buying players left, right and centre and will need the cash from somewhere. I felt the caveat towards the end of Daniel Levy's statement was quite revealing.

And it's rich Levy getting all precious about scruples, Spurs themselves having been the very model of dignity and discretion in their pursuit of Juande Ramos and disposal of Martin Jol.

Should this bring an end to the Berbatov-for-United speculation, we could do worse than turning out thoughts back to Benzema of Lyon, who looks a better long-term prospect. If that means being patient, then so be it.

Mrs Fullaway`s lodger (21/07/2008 at 09:46)

Glad he`s our manager, makes the rest look real stupid!

Chris,, Ireland (21/07/2008 at 11:31)

Billiospur, torquaym Spurs are going to look foolish when they find that Ferguson didnt even mention Berbatov! In no way is this similar to Real Madrid, anyone who says it is has a serious problem!

SIMON., DERRY, N. IRELAND. (21/07/2008 at 12:07)

Billiospur, torquay - What utter nonsense you talk mate. To compare what has happened with Berbatov and what has been going on with Ronaldo is like comparing apples and oranges.

Real Madrid have NEVER made a bid to buy Ronaldo, United on the other hand made an OPENING OFFER of an estimated £18m. This is how all transfers should start but Real Madrid haven't made any offer so how can you insist that this is the same thing!!!

Then you try and pin a single so-called "quote" from SAF on Berbatov and Spurs even though this quote has been rubbished by SAF and indeed the AUTHENTIC quote made by SAF never mentions either player or club. Real Madrid have been using both of their own newspapers (AS and Marca) as well as everyone from Calderon to Schuster to Blatter to bring out quote after quote that our player Ronaldo wants to join them and should be allowed to do so otherwise he's just a slave. Where exactly is the comparision there mate?

Lastly and most importantly if Spurs don't want to sell Berbatov to United then thats fine, turn the offer down flat and be clear that Berbatov is NOT for sale. Its that simple yet your own chairman comes out barking like a mad dog at SAF then finishes by saying that he'll probably have to do business now cause the players head has been turned. Utter rubbish mate, SAF has stated Ronaldo is NOT for sale, Gill has stated Ronaldo is NOT for Sale and the Glazers have stated that Ronaldo is NOT for sale. No if's or buts, no worries if Ronaldo's head has been turned just a simple "NOT FOR SALE" every single time. Not much of a comparision there either mate, is there?!!

Then again I suppose it makes sense when you realise that Levy's the one who's trying to increase the transfer fee he wants by using the media while throwing the blame at SAF and trying to appease you Spurs fans but the fact of the matter is if Berbatov wasn't for sale then Levy would have said that. Personally I would like to see Berbatov at United but not for crazy money. If Spurs don't want to sell then simply contact United and tell them so and United will move on to their next transfer target and Spurs can keep him. Thing is though Levy hasn't done that at all has he?!! Nope he's left the down open for United to increase their offer and to do business because it suits Spurs as much as it does United and Berbatov.

APPLES AND ORANGES MATE!!!

Support the Team and Live the Dream.....

Utd4Ever (21/07/2008 at 12:15)

Billiospur, and in turn rather rich from Mr Levy given Spurs' badgering in their pursuit of John Bostock from Crystal Palace. May be mistaken but didn't this result in some unkind comments about Spurs being made by Simon Jordan. Guess its always a different story when it involves Utd, isn't it?

chunkey76, london (21/07/2008 at 12:26)

Pay the £30 million and you can have the lazy bloody berbatov, Fergie can have him but lets hope Ron sticks one up you a goes to Real Madrid, you dirty bunch of cheats!

Sonny Cheema (21/07/2008 at 12:38)

So what is the diff between this and the Ronaldo situation. Utd have been sweet on berba for a while and have not denied it and stated several times they would be interested in signing him.

So if Real came in and actually Bid for Ronaldo, again what would the difference be between Utd going for Berba and Real going for Roanldo. NOTHING.

Hypocrisy at its best. Utd have been doing this for years and when someone does it to them they throw their dummy out ans start crying to fifa saying "sumwon is after r bestest pwayer" NOT FAIR NOT FAIR.

Get a grip and get real, what goes around comes around.

Oh MUEN have you heard of the freedom of speech .. print this instead of editing and not allowing as usual ..

squirebrown, manchester (21/07/2008 at 13:01)

dont want himanyway hopefuly this means ties are cut between mu and spurs and the deal falls through.

better off red (21/07/2008 at 13:06)

according to the papers: "Tottenham Hotspur are ready to splash out £57million on four new signings, if they lose Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane. Spurs' targets are Roman Pavlyuchenko, Diego Capel, David Bentley and Diego Milito. Would these players help to offset the loss of Berbatov and Keane?"

according to ramos: "There are many rumours, but the majority are not true. We have a clear idea who we want and what other people say is not our problem. Since I came here we have been linked with 40 players and none have come,"

so the same stuff happens to spurs as happens to every other club.
Should all the clubs spurs are linked with, report spurs to the FA also?

grow up levy.

Johnny The Truthful One Smith (21/07/2008 at 13:09)

Dear oh dear City supporters reincarnated as Spurs fans. lmao wow that must be horrible. The ultimate bitter

Since66, Amersham (21/07/2008 at 13:25)

If he didn't say it then there isn't too much to complain about here - it's a bit different to the everyday a new sound bite from Real Madrid about Ronaldo.

On the other hand, where is the line between 'good' and 'evil' in this area? If a journo asks Fergie "Do you think Berba is a great player" and Fergie says "Yes" there's an obvious conclusion to be drawn. Is that tapping up? Even if an offer isn't in Fergie's mind at the time, Berba reads the soundbite and thinks "Hmmm, United would be nicer than Tottingham.." and all of a sudden his head is turned.

Talking directly to the player / agent without his club's knowledge and agreement is tapping up. The rest is unavoidable in this day and age and isn't.

The only exception to that is Marca's daily feed on Ronaldo and Real, which is just paper talk if it has no Real Madrid official comments and if Marca has no official or under the counter relationship with Real. Ahem, I think I'm getting long-winded....

Bryan83, Chorlton (21/07/2008 at 13:49)

What a bunch of small timers!

Roy (21/07/2008 at 13:54)

This has to be one of the longest summers and that includes having the Euros to watch.

There has almost been no tranfers of note except for Chelsea. Maybe it needs a monster transfer from them to inject some cash in the system.

Liverpool have improved their team and a Keane will certainly help. Arsenal fans must be worried that all their best youngsters are targets. This is another reason why a Berbatov is a good idea - it is not always wise to buy only youngsters and nurture them.

The only team that worry me are Chelsea. I think they will spend with abandon like they did the first year of Jose.

And I agree with Rio - the Ronaldo affair has put a damper on Utd's glorious achievements last season. Ronny will either knuckle down or continue to throw his toys out of the pram. But such actions demean football.

One reason the transfer market is so dull is because money worldwide is tight. Do footballers realise they are on another planet to fans. Maybe Ronaldo should read Nobby Stiles' autobiography to realise how lucky he is in terms of reward compared to Utd's greats only one two generations ago.

PS Pele and Lippi are right about Rooney. Excellent drive but he has lost his edge. Maybe the new no.2 will be the spark he needs, maybe Berbatov.

mufc4eva, champions (21/07/2008 at 14:22)

Billiospur what papers do you really beleive??????
Next you will think that viz and zit are real.
God man fergie has said nothing,he mearly said we are looking at (A)player no names mentioned,thats why he said spurs are going to look very silly.
I cant wait.
PMSL

warlock, Toronto (21/07/2008 at 14:30)

There is a huge difference here between CR7/Real and Berba/Man U...Man U atleast made a bid...plus we dont use a mouthpeice like Marca to spread propoganda...

edinburgh red, edinburgh (21/07/2008 at 14:49)

Just wish we would hurry up and strengthen the squad, if saha goes hopefully we should get one or two strikers in or buy one then promote a youngster. Would also love rb cover as well as an attacking midfielder as I still think we are woefully short in this dept, fletcher is our only midfielder who runs into the box which isn't good enough when we need to break teams down, remember that scholes and giggs are another season on.

Chris,, Ireland (21/07/2008 at 15:44)

Sonny Cheema, your post was pathetic. You have nothing to back your claim up. Have you read the comments by various people regarding Ronaldo? United said he's not for sale, that should have been the end but no, Caulderon, Blatter, Scholari etc all stick their noses in making comments saying he wants to go to Madrid and he should be allowed walk out of his contract. All along united said not for sale!

Ramos on the other hand has said a few times that Berbatov and Keane may be sold. If he came out and said he wasn't for sale, fair enough, but he hasn't said that! Therefore United have put in a bid, which Madrid STILL haven't done. Ferguson didn't mention Berbatov either in any interviews. Levy believed what he read in the papers, and will look very foolish when the truth comes out and when United prove (they have the evidence) that at no time did Ferguson mention Berbatov. Like I said in the beginning, pathetic post.

Sonny Cheema (21/07/2008 at 16:20)

Chris

Look at the facts again. Utd have been tapping up Berba for a long time now. Since January. Real have been tapping up Ronaldo since just before the season ended.

Real have not put a bid, but if they did as you guys have allegedly, then what is the difference.

The point is neither party in both transfers have given permission to either club to hold talks with the player in question. Spurs re Berba. Utd re Ronlado. Therefore agaisnt the rules and is considered tapping up.

Just because it has been differently doesn't mean it is anything less. Utd have just done it in a way so they look like they mean business, If a club comes in forany player .. say for example you come in and put in a bid for Micah Richards without the clubs consent or having spoken to the player, what would you construe that as. Its plain and simple .. TAPPING UP .. It gets the players interest up leading to a transfer request being handed in.

So get your facts right and read into what is going on. Your club has been doing it for years and now because they created such a storm over Ronaldo other clubs are coming out and making a stance against you.

CaptainPark (21/07/2008 at 18:22)

Sonny Cheema, "Utd have been sweet on berba for a while and have not denied it and stated several times they would be interested in signing him", Hmm, where's proof of that may I ask. If that had been true, Spuds would have complained a long time ago wouldn't they. In fact, United had categorically denied that they had were bidding for Berba in the Jan transfer window.

CaptainPark (21/07/2008 at 18:28)

Besides, United have been linked with all sorts of players all the time, like Joao Moutinho or Miguel Veloso, as well as Berba by the press, so does that mean that we've been tapping them up as well.

bobbydazzler (21/07/2008 at 18:31)

roy rooneys lost edge????. last season he missed a third of the season scored 19 and made 15. played left back at times left wing a lot of the time and up front as a lone striker a fair amount of the time. we didnt buy him because he was outstanding in any of these roles. the lad was fantastic taking the ball in deep positions and running at defences. that just about the only thing he does'nt get to do anymore. get him back there doing what he does best and we will soon the roooney we know and love.

A Mancunian, Manchester (21/07/2008 at 18:42)

Sonny Cheema, you're extremely naive if you don't think City check to see if a potential signing is interested before approaching his club. Every club does it.

John Briscoe (21/07/2008 at 19:01)

If I were Sir Alex, i'd drop the Berbatov chase right now, he's really not worth this. For crying out loud, Huntelaar clearly wants to come to OT and i'm sure Ajax can be persuaded to sell. That sulky, whinny player isn't good enough to have to go through being reported to the FA.

After Calderon's comments today, anyone who can still compare the Berbatov and Ronaldo case with a straight face must seriously have a problem.

Chris,, Ireland (21/07/2008 at 19:16)

Sonny Cheema, are you trying to say putting in a bid is tapping up? United have never came out in the press ans said that Berbatov wants to join United and that Spurs should let him go. And they havent approached Berbatov. They have approached spurs in the correct manner and put a bid in for the player. There is nothing wrong with that.

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