Sugar on Berbatov

[Hoowl]

The full Sun article Sugar fears for future of footie.

Here's the extract about Berbs

What chance does a club like Tottenham or others have to ever grow a squad to make a serious challenge for the top flight? These clubs spend record amounts to try to build a team and if they happen to find a gem — as Spurs did in Berbatov — The Man From Delmonte at Old Trafford takes a look and say yes — and that’s it, he’s away. I share the frustration of Daniel Levy, the chairman at Spurs. He did the right thing in dragging the transfer out to get as much out of Man U as possible. It seems Man U feel they have the divine right to take who they want, when they want. The frustration is they always succeed. The only thing you can do is make them pay through the nose.

Let’s face it, the allegations of tapping up and threats of reporting clubs to the league are a waste of time, not least because the officials at the league will most probably be away on a swan in Monaco on urgent matters — deciding what shade of white the lines should be painted this season. It is almost impossible to prove that a club or any of its officials have induced a player away. There are too many people, including sleazebag agents, in the chain to make it simple to get a message to a player. Once they get the nod, it’s a lost cause. Berbatov says his dream has come true, at last he is where he always dreamed. I seem to recall when we at Spurs signed him that his dream was to play for us. All I can say is this bloke must eat a lot of cheese at night as he doesn’t stop dreaming. I suggest Sir Alex cuts the late-night paella from the staff canteen as Didums Dimi may have some Real Madrid nightmares next year.

I saw Sam Allardyce on TV criticising the Tottenham board for causing a poor spirit in the dressing room by not getting rid of the player sooner. This makes me laugh. I would like to see if he would take less wages for the sake of spirit, no bloody chance. The first offer made by Man U was in the low £20millions, Levy got them up to £30million for the sake of a few weeks. He got the club another £10million. As far as low spirit is concerned over Berbatov leaving or not, can you imagine Jonathan Woodgate and Aaron Lennon discussing the poor spirit in the dressing room: “Well guvnor, our worry is the EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxation, Depreciation and Amortization) of the club, we just can’t concentrate.” What a lot of b******s that is.

With the odd exception seen mostly in past years, these days players are heartless, disloyal and greedy. They are given a chance to display their skills in clubs like Spurs, but realistically, they are putting themselves on display. We wonder why we can’t put out a good England team. The reason is the Premier League attracts all the imports — as I put it 15 years ago, the Carlos Kickaballs who have no interest in the UK club they play for. They are playing for themselves. This is stopping young English players getting a chance to enhance their skills and learn their trade in the teams that they really love and admire. Teams they really did follow as a boy. I am afraid to say that 15 or so of the clubs who make up the Premier League are simply cannon fodder for the five others owned by billionaires. It makes you think that the league is split in two. Maybe the other 15 should not spend a penny, play all English players and just fight for the League Cup, the FA Cup and 6th position downwards and avoid relegation. Let’s all face it, they have no chance to win the league, why waste the money. Give the English players and kids a run out and challenge them to beat the billionaire brigade. This will generate a winning, giantkiller spirit. The good news is that the 15 clubs will have loads of money to build better facilities, reduce gate prices and offer the local community a service in having academies of excellence. And we will flush out some good players for the England team.

 

[LinekersToe]

Agree totally with the last paragraph. Why not, do what he suggests? At least then we would have a team of individuals we could - man for man - be proud of because they would be giving everything and furthering the cause of English football in the process.

 

[TrueYid]

I love the way he refers to Spurs as US!

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

Nice comments.

I particularly liked, 'All I can say is this bloke must eat a lot of cheese at night as he doesn’t stop dreaming'

He does have a point with a lot of it, but sadly I doubt we will ever see a day where the other 15 clubs decide they should play english players and youngsters for the sake of developing young English players rather than winning as many matches as possible.

 

[Dr Know]

Well as BT says "Its good to talk" the problem here is its not going to make any difference at all, these guys are calling for the PL to look at the transfer and to see if its all above board but its never going to happen.

I think the best thing we can do now is get our head down and deal with what we have and not what we had!

 

[van_Pommel]

Loved that article. The all English thing is not a bad idea at all. The only team outside the top 4 with a chance of winning the league in the next 10 years is City and whoever else is brought by billionnaires.

 

[Petyr]

The problem of the top 4 exists in Italy and Spain, too, maybe not to that extent though. But it's virtually impossible teams outside Milan, Inter, Juve and Roma to win the title in Seria A. And the same holds for Primera where it goes to Real and Barca or rarely to Valencia and Atletico.

Spurs have the money to compete with Liverpool and Arsenal. The current squad isn't far below those teams talent wise. A great DM and a great striker would make it equal to Liverpool and Arsenal. It's very difficult to sign such players because of the CL problem but the money are there and Spurs can throw £40m to strenghten those positions in January/next summer.

 

[Azrael]

I love the way he refers to Spurs as US!

That's what we fans do. The fact that he's no longer in chrage doesn't mean he's not still a fan.

Oh, and "the man from Delmonte".....love it...:grin:

 

[Azrael]

The problem of the top 4 exists in Italy and Spain, too, maybe not to that extent though. But it's virtually impossible teams outside Milan, Inter, Juve and Roma to win the title in Seria A. And the same holds for Primera where it goes to Real and Barca or rarely to Valencia and Atletico.

Spurs have the money to compete with Liverpool and Arsenal. The current squad isn't far below those teams talent wise. A great DM and a great striker would make it equal to Liverpool and Arsenal. It's very difficult to sign such players because of the CL problem but the money are there and Spurs can throw £40m to strenghten those positions in January/next summer.

I think it depends. I firmly believe in the CL threshold to the best players. However, Man City's aquisition of Robinho has made me stop and think about whether or not that's always the case if you spend enough and demonstrate to the big players that there is more ambition and more money to come for other big players.

 

[guiltyparty]

Nice comments.

I particularly liked, 'All I can say is this bloke must eat a lot of cheese at night as he doesn’t stop dreaming'

Ha ha, me too, that had me in stitches

Nice article, can't disagree. Will never happen, but a nice thought

 

[Petyr]

I think it depends. I firmly believe in the CL threshold to the best players. However, Man City's aquisition of Robinho has made me stop and think about whether or not that's always the case if you spend enough and demonstrate to the big players that there is more ambition and more money to come for other big players.

Yes, I only said that it's very difficult to buy the best players because of the CL threshold but not that it would be impossible. If January Real and City don't bid for Huntelaar, he will be a Spurs player IMO.

 

[Petyr]

Nice comments.

I particularly liked, 'All I can say is this bloke must eat a lot of cheese at night as he doesn’t stop dreaming'

He does have a point with a lot of it, but sadly I doubt we will ever see a day where the other 15 clubs decide they should play english players and youngsters for the sake of developing young English players rather than winning as many matches as possible.

I don't remember Berbatov saying that it was his dream to play for Spurs when he was signed 2006. That part was wide off the mark IMO.

 

[DC_Boy]

absolutely great stuff from Sugar - he like Levy are Spurs men proud to fight our corner

in a media world (led by the shameful Sky circus) dominated by big 4 (soon to be big 5?) kow towers - some people are prepared to make a stand (and yes I know we are not without agendas) - would be great if some of the football media had the courage and bravery of Levy & Sugar to stand up to the bully boys

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I like Sugar alot, he saved our club etc. And some of the above is true but I don't agree with all of it. Like foreign players are any more mercenary or hungry for glory than English ones. It was him who sold Sheringham to ManU after all.

 

[Mr Gamgee]

Everyone talks about it but no one is prepared to do anything about it, so we may as well just get on with it

 

[SpurSince57]

I like Sugar alot, he saved our club etc. And some of the above is true but I don't agree with all of it. Like foreign players are any more mercenary or hungry for glory than English ones. It was him who sold Sheringham to ManU after all.

I can remember a certain Steve Bruce going on strike at Norwich to force his move to United.

 

[don1]

sugar is dead right

 

[spursfan1991]

His made a lot of good points but i didn't like the fact that he made all foreigners look greedy and the english non greedy. You only have to look at Ashley Cole and their are others too.

 

[dirky88]

didums didi!!!! QUALITY

 

[DC_Boy]

Everyone talks about it but no one is prepared to do anything about it, so we may as well just get on with it

That's true enough Tom and we are - by getting £50m for our wantaways - it's all we can do under the current system and with our model

but that doesn't mean to say amidst all the Sky adoration of Man U we can't register a protest however feeble it is in face of the Sky dollar

and yes the only honourable thing really is to tell them to **** their money but realistically we can't do that - ultimately we are part of the problem I have to admit