Teddy Sheringham knows how Dimitar Berbatov will be feeling today, after he made the move from Tottenham to United after also believing Spurs didn’t match his personal ambitions as a player.
“Ohhh Teddy, Teddy, went to Man United and he won fuck all!” were the chants after Sheringham’s first season with United. The following season he won it all as part of United’s historic Treble winning side, scoring a goal in the European Cup final.
He was booed and jeered when he returned to White Hart Lane, but as if he could give a shit less. Sheringham had won nothing in his five years at Spurs, yet just after his second season at United he had three winners medals in his pocket. That is why players leave Spurs for United.
Ahead of today’s match between Tottenham and United, Sheringham has given his opinion on Berbatov’s situation.
“The Spurs fans won’t be very happy with Berbatov and won’t be treating his return lightly,” said Sheringham. “I understand it. Football fans are very passionate and loyal to their team and Berbatov will just have to deal with it. The spotlight is on Tottenham because of the homophobic abuse dished out to their former player Sol Campbell at Portsmouth. But Sheringham believes verbals from the crowd are just part of football life. It’s been going on for years, this is not the first time it’s happened. I don’t really see why the authorities are suddenly clamping down on it now. Fans do it to put players off and I don’t think Spurs are any worse than any other club. They show their feelings like everyone else.”
Teddy then reflected on the treatment he got upon returning, but says Berbatov should take it as a compliment.
“Berbatov is a brilliant player and the fans didn’t want him to go,” he added. “They didn’t want me to go either and I got hammered. But if supporters are abusing you that means you must be a threat to their team. You can’t get upset about it. You could say I got a bit of abuse. But that was okay, I didn’t mind it and I took it as a compliment. As players you just have to get on with the job. I signed for Spurs again four years later and they welcomed me back with open arms.”
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what a class teddy is! come on berbs show us why we bought you for 30 quid man! do a hat trick to shut doubters up! you can do it, its only ledley “soft joints” king and jonathan “fuckin” woodgate!
win or lose its united we choose
Teddy’s wrong. The abuse won’t have anything to do with how big a threat Berbatov is. The abuse will be entirely the consquence of the manner in which Berbatov left. He sulked and moaned and moped and scowled his way through last season. And he cranked up that behaviour throughout this past pre season – to the point that he refused to play when he was desperately needed at the beginning of this season. It was unprofessional and it was disrespectful to his team mates and to the fans who paid his wages.
Compare and contrast to Jermain Defoe, who will be no less of a threat when he returns with Portsmouth. Defoe was a model professional throughout his time at Spurs – even when he wasn’t given a fair run in the first team. He never sulked and he certainly never refused to play. He never said a bad word about the club. Consequently, he was given a rapturous reception by Spurs fans at Fratton Park earlier this season – even after he scored the penalty that won the game for Pompey – and he will be given an equally generous reception when he returns to the Lane later this season.
If Berbatov had behaved in a similar manner, he too could have expected such a welcome.
If Berbatov had behaved in a similar manner he would still be challenging for Mickey Mouse Cups at Tottenham instead of being among the biggest contenders in each and every competition United enters.
i recall teddy imitating the lifting of three trophies in front of the gooner fans…class!
JimB – let’s be honest, Berbatov probably doesn’t give a shit less about his welcome. He plays for the best team in the country now, why would he be arsed about your lot? He only played there for two years. You were his stepping stone, just like you were for Sol and Carrick.
Scott – I’m sure you’re right. Berbatov won’t give much thought to the reception that he got from Spurs fans. But that’s not what we were talking about. We were discussing the REASONS for the reception and not the EFFECT of the reception.
el insaciable – you seem to be suggesting that Berbatov deliberately behaved like a twat around the training ground and sulked moped, scowled and moaned for over a year and then refused to play in crucial games while still being paid by Spurs…..specifically in order to make a move to Man Utd inevitable. I think you’re right.
In which case, neither he nor you nor any Man Utd fan can really complain if he received a few boos on his return. You know perfectly well that you would do the same to any player who had behaved in such a manner towards your club.