Nice to see some of you reds have noticed the log in your own eyes. As a Spurs fan, I’m getting sick of hearing how we should just let you have Berba for whatever it is you offer – the way you’ve all bemoaned the ‘Naldo situation (and he’s been much more vocal about wanting away than Dimi, who obviously just wants Champions League ASAP) makes the whole situation rather baffling.

I’ve nothing in particular against United, but i would rather we sold Berba at a cut price to Barca than let him play for a Premiership team and be reminded every week of what we lost. That may sound like cutting off your nose to spite your face, but just imagine if Chelsea were offering you £80mil – selling to Real wouldn’t seem such a bad idea.

Personally, I think your squad needs either a striker or another attacking midfielder/winger (so Roo or Tevez can step up to strike more), and maybe some more cover at both full-back spots. Other than that, you’re sorted.

if i was Fergie, i’d wait til January – by that time you’ll know if Ronnie’s “injury” is going to stop him playing in red (i suspect itll last him til just after he gets the move he wants), and Berba will be all the more desperate to switch to Old Trafford.

In the meantime, I’d buy Ashley Young, an amazing young English talent with the ability to fill a Ronaldo-esque role (not in his league yet, obviously, but he’d also put some pressure on Nani to perform to his potential) as well as being an option up front. Add to that a couple of backup defenders and you’re all set to win a lot more trophies.

As for all this whining about you not having a proper replacement for Ruud, you dont need one. And if you did, Berba wouldn’t be your man – he’s more of a target man than an all-out goalscorer. That said, he would be an excellent addition to your squad because he can put the ball on a pin head, in space, from the most ludicrous angles. With all the running your attacking midfield do, that would suit you fine… Just bear in mind Fergie and Queiroz spent a lot of time adapting the squad to a different style of play for last season – SAF is hardly about to revert to tradition and throw all that work away just because he’s bought a striker.

Sorry for the lecture, but seemed important. Oh and I agree with Bertie’s version of the 4231 more than others – Anderson really is more of a AMC or at a stretch a MC than DMC, and why make him DMC when you have Owen Hargreaves!?! I’d use Anderson surging forward alongside Hargie against the weaker teams, and Carrick in his place where you needed a more robust counter attacking system.

Brown Rio Vidic Evra

Hargreaves Carrick/Anderson

Ronaldo Rooney Tevez

Berbatov

Foster to be #1 keeper by season end.

Gotta have hargreaves in as a DM I think, so Carrick and Anderson could be used interchangeably depending on opponnents / course of game etc.

If Ronaldo leaves then maybe:

VDS/Foster

Brown Rio Vidic Evra

Hargreaves Carrick

Tevez Rooney Anderson

Berbatov

with Nani maybe sometimes playing left wing and Anderson sometimes playing instead of Carrick in those situations.
Thought Hargreaves played well on right wing once or twice last year. Good player – He can play well anywhere but I do like to see him as DM – Inspires a bit of confidence

HARGO RIO VIDA EVRA

CARRICK ANDERSON

RONALDO ROONEY TEVEZ

BERBA

Absolutely frightening i reckon

on another note – agree with nagraj
Quote – “It would be nice to think that this same respect could be shown in return, now that he has spent two years at the club, scoring 23 goals a season, but football doesn’t work like that, not anymore.”
Scott , all the haters can just shove this in our faces and accuse us of being hypocrites .
i for one would love Berbatov to join us but absolutely do not think spurs owe him a desired transfer . he is under contract , we should respect that . if that means paying over the odds , so be it , he is definitely worth 30 million . it would be a shame if we are willing to pay 25 and they block the transfer just because we cant cough up 5 more . considering what we made via champs league earnings last yr , thats definitely affordable . dont want a ‘missing out on ronaldinho’ situation all over !

To ‘Vader’..

I do like your surname but I think you need to become a little more educated in the world of football. Anderson is one of the best ATTACKING midfielders on the planet. At Gremio and Porto he played as an AMC, Support Striker, Left Winger. Sure he has the energy to stifle gerrard and the gay boy fabregas in big games.. but that is because he has a job to do. We need to see him attacking and eventually phase out Scholes. Believe me when I say you couldn’t get it more wrong than trying to make Anderson into Steve Sidwell. You must be mad.

Though it will probably be Tevez and Rooney rotating around Berbatov.. however depending on the game I’m sure all three, if berba ever arrives, will rotate throughout the season.

Who knows.. either way.. we need to sign a right back still! Neville was awful yesterday and Brown still doesn’t inspire confidence!

Drew Vader’s suggestion that Wayne Rooney be given a freer, deeper role is a good one and it seems to be the way he likes to play the game, too.

The fluidity/interchangeability of the “3″ can be both amazing for us to watch and deadly for opponents. to try to defend. Berbatov – if he’s the “1″ – will think he has died and gone to heaven
when he plays with those guys.

Yep, I’m bored too.

I think we could make a 4-2-3-1 work…Assuming we have a fully fit side to chose from

———Foster———-

Wes—-Rio—-Vida—-Evra

—-Carrick—–Ando——

Carlos—-Rooney—-Ronaldo

———Berba——-

Explanation…

I would try and bleed Foster in this season as much as possible just to try and keep him around at the club. I would be devastated if he got frustrated and moved on due to lack of playing itme. VdS can obviously still do the job, but Foster showed at Derby that he is more than able to step up. Kuz, is a good shot stopper, but never inspires confidence.

The three of carlos/wayne/ronaldo would be able to move around and interchange and be fluid, but i would like if Rooney stayed mainly in the middle so he can drop deep and create, as he showed against barca and for long periods against Roma, he just isnt really an attacking wide man. Carlos on the other hand can do that job. It might be narrow and congested a tad, so width would need to come from evra and wes bombing up the wings, but with the stability of rio and vidic at the back, with carrick and ando filling in the spaces left open, they should feel free to do that. And hell, they do it naturally anyway.

The two in the center could obviously come from any of the group of Carrick, Hargo, Scholes, Ando, or Fletch, and with almost any pairing i think we would be covered. I personally just think that Ando is special enough where we need to find a place for him on the pitch somewhere. And i think he has the pace and energy and work rate to do a tad more defensive job, or even a more box to box CM job.

Sorry for the novel, but I’m bored. Any thoughts?

Manchester United is a HUGE commercial enterprise with HUGE revenues and HUGE financial responsibilities/outlays. The key to this little game of keepiy-uppy is winning. And, it doesn’t hurt to entertain as well.

So far, the expenditures of player salaries and (most of the recent) transfers has kept the team abreast of a very difficult situation when Roman Abramovich has changed the landscape of expenditures with his bottomless money bags. To have beaten the RentBoyz in successive EPL seasons might very well be SAF”s greatest achievement. And, if he thinks that adding Dimitar Berbatov will enable the team to win a third on the trot then I’m behind him – absolutely and completely.

IN the big scheme-of-things, a few million quid is chicken feed – winning has its own rewards: didn’t UTD get something like 80 million quid for their EPL/CL double last year.

IF Berbatiov can raise the games of Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez then it’s just small-mindedness to worry about the cost – think about the benefits !