MANCHESTER United have shrugged off the Blue revolution – and claim that the signing of Dimitar Berbatov proves they are still top dogs.

Reds chief executive David Gill was unfazed at City’s remarkable deadline day capture of Robinho for a British transfer record fee.

He says that Berbatov’s decision to join United for £30.75million, despite the Blues’ audacious bid to gazump the deal with a £34million offer to Tottenham on Monday, was more significant.

And he says that at no stage of a harum-scarum deadline day was he concerned that the Blues might hijack United’s only major summer signing.

There is little doubt that the prospective takeover by the mega-rich Abu Dhabi United Group has the potential to propel City into the elite group of the world’s top clubs.

But Gill (pictured) made it plain that there are considerations other than money when it comes to signing players.
“The takeover at City and the subsequent release of funds meant they were always going to be pretty active on the last day,” said Gill.

“Were we worried? No, not really. The very fact Dimitar had made it clear throughout the summer that he wanted to leave Tottenham to join Manchester United for playing ambitions was enough for us.

“He’d talked about his desire to play in the Champions League and to join a club challenging for major trophies. So we were quite relaxed about it.”

It is believed City also offered to almost double the Bulgaria international’s wage offer from United, but 27-year-old Berbatov was more interested in playing Champions League football in the coming season.

The January transfer window will be a clearer indicator of City’s true pulling power, but the real test will come next summer, especially if the Blues have failed to land a top four finish and hence a Champions League spot.

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squeeky bum time
Or is safe hands gill trying to cover up the fact the debt is increasing whilst other clubs are financially eclipsing OT?

It's no secret the 'product' sales are dropping off the ticket office is even phoning former season ticket holders like myself asking if I want to buy a season ticket even though I asked to be taken off the mailing list 3 years ago. Perhaps gill would care to explanation why exclusive corporate hospitality packages are now on general sale to the public.
We are still top dogs obviously,but we should have sorted berbatov's transfer sooner,when we bid 20 then they said 26/28 how did we then end up paying 31 plus a player on loan on the last day. The biggest problem city now present us with is like chelsea does shows no imagination and just wait till we bid for players then up our bid, like mikel with chelsea ditto essien amd robben, now we have two instead of one competing and derailing our bids, so our transfers have to go smoother in the future,last's years were handled brilliantly bar paying over the odds for injury prone hargreaves.
Would still have liked another midfielder and defender drafted in, but you never know in january.
why do you have to come out and say this...who said you are not......cant be worried about ikle old city can we...na liverpools your big rivals...pmsl
The very fact that Steptoe & Sons puppet is commenting on MCFC says everything.
You are sadly deluded Gill.Nearly a Billion in debt & City a debt free club with upto £500m to invest in the short term watch your back lad.Tevez to City in January.
David Gill is merely responding to Citeehs owners jibes. Oh yeah, Bertie Bellybutton, you din't get Berbatov because he wanted to play for a big club you muppet.
The number of bitter responses from the Bitters proves taht we are still the top dogs because they are still on our pages, obsessed!
I can only assume that all the City fans talking of United's debt are wasting their money paying rent or living in a council house. They obviously don't have mortgages. You bitter fools!
Squeeky bum time? Now? Google the phrase so you'll know to use it!
Of course were still top dogs maybe the arabs may want to come and have a look at our silverware maybe then they will think that they made a massive mistake.
Oh no all the silverware is in man utds throphy room abandon ship sell sell sell buy liverpool of gillet and hicks instead citeh are a doomed club with or with out billions.
Oh its not billions any more maybe 500 million and dropping with success.xxxxxx my bitter friends,i bet you hated us more watching us win the premiership and champs league didnt you just,now pop off and see how your two dr are proposing buying all the worlds top stars that actually want to play in the champs league and not just a pay day as im sure youll understand that most players want silverware and trophies not just vast amounts of cash.
We're Double Champions. End of. The pitch is the pitch, the business is the business. The US is 9 trillion dollars in debt, but you don't see Saint Kitts and Nevis ( its a country by the way ) proclaiming they're better off than them as a result. As long as debt can be serviced it ia good. If you can afford your mortgage then its a good thing to have one. City obviously don't make enough to considered secure enough to lend to by the big banks, that's the way it is! Man city used to belong to its 'mancunian' fans, now its the plaything of a few Arabs. Good on you!
The fact that you had hijacked him from the airport, had to pay 10.7 mill more than you originally wanted to, loaned a player in the other direction & asked not to be reported to the FA speaks volumes for you present & future worries !. We shall see in the coming season/s how much of an impact MCFC owners & the current financial climate has will have on MUFC's future !
City may be rich,may win the league and become champions of Europe but with all their money they will not be famous or popoular as United I doubt there will get 76000 fans inside the ground or play in a foreign place with a packed stadium as United did, you can ask Chelsea or Liverpool if you do not believe this
I see the astute Bitter businessmen are out in effect. Man U has debt like most companies do. They are called bonds and is another normal way of raising capital. Now all is fine and serviceable with the wad of money we make. This is why Man U is valued at around a billion quid whereas city was valued at approximately the same as one of ronaldo's feet. Any of you buy a house in the last 2-3 years? You will not be laughing about debt issues in a year down the line.

Now if we dropped to mid-table medicraty - where city will probably be at the end of the season - then the debt might be more of a burden and several other billionaires will be in fighting to buy us - most likely a rival arab who will naturally want to buy the Red team and try to gazump the Blue one. But the fact is we aren't. More likely is that the arabs get upset at having spent 150m to be in 8th place. Then they will be wondering why they are paying the likes of SWP 100k per week.
Who was that bloke on telly who laughed at suggestions that britain was going to be hit by by a hurricane while he did the weather!
Patzo or whatever your name is:
I don't care how many fans are in the stadium, personally I face the pitch at a match not stand there counting people. Is the football really that bad at the swamp that you play count the supporter rather than watch the game. I also don't care if we win the trebble and it's not reported in any papers at all, couldn't give a monkeys! Beating you and dumping you out of some competitions on the way to winning them will do us city fans!
Despite the euphoria coming out of the Council House I'm not the slightest bit concerned about City's new status. It's one thing having a bottomless pit of cash and another entirely attracting players to your club for the right reasons.
Berbatov came to OT because he wanted to join United despite being offered shedloads of cash more to go to City. Robinho has joined the Blues for one reason and one reason only. Spot the contrast.

Which of those two players is going to bust a gut for his team when the chips are down and you're after a result? It's not a difficult to answer for even the most blinkered Blue, with or without a tea towel on his head.
Steve in Brussels. You forgot to mention that the glazers cannot get backing for their proposed second refinancing package to reduce the 14.25% interest on the remaining PIK notes due to the credit crunch.

I think there is a strong possibility that the glazers will now start looking for partners or buyers and clear off all together because the writing is on the wall. In fact IMO it's not a case of if but when will they make their move. Lets hope for United's sake they don't leave it too long as it seems to me its becoming vogue with REAL billionaires to pick up a less fashionable Prem clubs for say £100m, spend say £300m on players to get the toy they want whilst gaining adulation of the fans and without the baggage of a hostile takeover.
Good luck to City, despite the hundreds of crass comments they've posted over here in the last few days, I hope their new-found wealth brings them some success because that will be good for Manchester. However, talk of Champions League football next season seems a little far-fetched regardless of who they buy in January.

A sensible approach would be to shun the temptation to sign "galacticos" and instead go for top quality upcoming players, with a plan to break into the top four (by picking off Liverpool or Arsenal) within say three seasons. Demanding Champions League football as a minimum leads to the possibility of a merry-go-round of manager changes, money wasted on players by each successive incumbent etc.

Chelsea were/are successful partly because there was room for the big three to become a big four. But we can never have five CL spaces so there's no more room at the top table. However, we have seen some cracks in the Chelsea strategy - for example, the departure of Mourinho was a big mistake. City's new owners would do well to pay heed.

Whatever happens, City fans better hope that the cash buys them some success pretty quickly or they will yet again be the laughing stock - especially as many of their fans are prematurely proclaiming themselves as a big/great club. And at least they can never again claim that we are glory hunters or that we buy our success - our spending is after all generated by the club's own activities rather than sugar daddies.
Steve in Brussels, what a fantastic post. These Bitters need educating. It's a shame that they are too thick to take it in though!
Joey say something enough times & you'll start believing it. Gill is as mercenary as Kenyon !! Was n't he against the Glazers at one point - as was old Red Nose.
Can the bitters coming on this site ( I do not object to it ) please answer me the following questions 1 ) What do the three stars on your shirts represent ?, is it 30 odd years of failure ?, 2 ) why over the last couple of days did some of you bring up The Munich Air Disaster ?. 3) Are your new owners throwing another party in Albert Sq ? this time will we see half a dozen CAMELS ? or will the manager keep the PLAYERS back for extra training ?.
Well said Alias Smith, I take my hat of to you sir. Top post!
Oh the bitters are so funny - these comments came from an MUTV interview where the interviewer asked him was he worried about City's bid for Berba - it was an answer to a question not a press conference just because of events at City - he's a busy man and wouldn't have time for such trifling affairs.
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