Berbatov Deserves Better Than Fulham

[FFC1987]

Where would we have been without Berba's goals?

Either talking about somebody else's goals, or talking about a highly successful top half campaign where we were playing fast attacking football rather than the 4-7-0 rubbish we had this season when Berba kept dropping back into midfield "to preserve his energy"

Not that you're not entitled to that opinion but what utter drivvle and hugely disrespectful to a man who scored the goals to keep us out of trouble. Good use of stats. I'll stick to mine. Berbatov 15 goals, no hypotheticals. Petric 5. No hypotheticals. There was a reason he rarely started, however I liked the guy but he hasn't showered himself in glory.

[cmg]

We are all entitled to our opinion, and differences in opinion add some spice to the daily grind.
In a season not short on disappointments, one of the biggest has been, for me, the failure of some of our most committed supporters to recognize what we have got in Berbatov. And yet it was entirely predictable as he has caused the same diversity of opinion at the other English clubs he has been with. I guess it is an English thing for some to value sweat above skill (it is tempting for me to suggest that this is responsible for some wider failures in the English game.)

Nothing I can say is likely to change people's minds. I merely say that, for me, he is the finest footballer I have seen in a Fulham shirt since George Best's little cameo ended.

This reminds me of this clip from my favourite movie (for those who have not been around as long as me [I was going to say, 'Those who have only been supporting Fulham for ten years,' but that would be a bit bitchy, wouldn't it?] Kareem Abdul Jabar was considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and still holds the NBA total points scoring record.):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2igwohrh_s#ws

[SaltfordWhite]

Put Berbatov in a team with pace around him and he shows that he still has the skills. Stick him isolated up front, he goes offside too often and looks lazy and grumpy. Put Petric alongside him and we might as well have a player sent off.

Pace with Berbatov and we have a great player. Isolated up front with no midfield or pace and he looks his age.

I agree with this.

[SaltfordWhite]

I'm sure that everybody will be pleased about that.

[FFC1987]

Definitly need some pace up there, 100% agree with that!

[madffc]

Stats: Petric 5 goals in 955 minutes - 1 every 191 minutes
Berba 15 goals (including 4 penalties) in 3027 minutes - 1 every 201 minutes (or 275 minutes excluding penalties)

if you're going to include pens, remember on of petrics goals was a pen...

[Max Headroom]

I'd love to have us play in a way which means we take advantage of the great parts of Berbatov, and nullify the less attractive parts.

If we got that right and it probably is having another good goal scorer who has pace (as opposed to Rodellega, who has pace but is not a goal scorer) then I'd happily take back everything I have said on this threat.

My issue is that berba slows everything down to a pace which suits him and not the rest of the team, meaning our overall level of play goes down, we lose confidence and we go into a death spiral, as happened twice this year..... In Oct/Nov and April

[JackyFulham90]

Berbatov is quality he should be our man upfront I wonder if a pacey front 3 behind him would make a difference how about

Dejagah............Frei...........Kacaniklic........

...........................Berbatov................

[Forever Fulham]

Berbatov is the only player on the team for which the word "artist" can be affixed with a straight face.  Artists are often quirky, a little odd, march to their own drummer.  No one paints a masterpiece on a full stomach.  Having acknowledged that, it's also fair comment to suggest he isn't the team's leader.  Posters have commented on his melodramatic reactions when balls aren't played to his liking, his exactitude.  Some have labeled his behaviour "whining" (which I think is a bit over the top).  Whatever the word for it, his behaviour must be off-putting to teammates.  I know I'd get tired of being so visibly chastised if he made a habit of publicly remonstrated me during a game with expressions of exasperation.  That's a real problem, I think, for the team.  It kills team chemistry, team unity.  Most often, the star player is also the team leader.  But I don't think Berbatov is perceived that way by his teammates.  I'm just speculating, of course.  But I don't think, for all of his great skills, that he leads the team, inspires them, whips them on when they are tired or down.  His histrionics might actually make his teammates more tentative and cautious.  And that might work to  diminish the effect of having him on the pitch.   The team has no natural leader.  Team chemistry--I don't see it. 
Murphy was a leader. 

[Texas White]

Lazy?

Or economical with his movements, able to read the game better than others, and ends up being in the right place at the right time?

What is beyond doubt is that he is frequently on a different wavelength than some of his team mates, and you do see the frustration showing through. More often than not this happens when he wants an early ball played forward to his feet, and instead the ball is played sideways or backwards to someone else, and all of a sudden any momentum has slowed right down.

I just hope that overall he senses that he is better off being a big fish in a small pool, rather than a bench-warming little fish in a larger pool.

I for one would be sorry if he chooses to go elsewhere as I can't see where the goals would come from.

Exactly.... saves me writing the same.

[ScalleysDad]

Berbatov is the only player on the team for which the word "artist" can be affixed with a straight face.  Artists are often quirky, a little odd, march to their own drummer.  No one paints a masterpiece on a full stomach.  Having acknowledged that, it's also fair comment to suggest he isn't the team's leader.  Posters have commented on his melodramatic reactions when balls aren't played to his liking, his exactitude.  Some have labeled his behaviour "whining" (which I think is a bit over the top).  Whatever the word for it, his behaviour must be off-putting to teammates.  I know I'd get tired of being so visibly chastised if he made a habit of publicly remonstrated me during a game with expressions of exasperation.  That's a real problem, I think, for the team.  It kills team chemistry, team unity.  Most often, the star player is also the team leader.  But I don't think Berbatov is perceived that way by his teammates.  I'm just speculating, of course.  But I don't think, for all of his great skills, that he leads the team, inspires them, whips them on when they are tired or down.  His histrionics might actually make his teammates more tentative and cautious.  And that might work to  diminish the effect of having him on the pitch.   The team has no natural leader.  Team chemistry--I don't see it. 
Murphy was a leader. 



Chemistry and leadership were missing all season long so summer has to address that otherwise all the new names will be just a cluster of players in the same place at the same time. Avoiding any conspiracy theories here but I really didn't get why or indeed how Hangaland kept the arm band,

[zschwartz]

Bit sappy but...there is no one better suited to be captain of this team than Brede Hangeland. He leads by example and is, excepting for the fluke red card, ever-present on the field.  He is personable and exceptionally level headed. He embodies what appear to be ffc's values. i am proud to have him representing the team.

"team chemistry" means very little if we don't have enough quality players in the right positions.  When things really got painfully stagnant we even saw him wander up the field a few times to try and push pressure forward. Pinning the blame on Brede's is pretty far off the mark.

[Forever Fulham]

Not knocking Brede.  He's level headed and personable.  He goes about his job.  But is he a leader?  Does he inspire?  Motivate? Push, cajole, grab by the collar when necessary, get in teammates' faces when need be?  No. This team needs a field marshall at times.  "Come on, boys, there's still time."  Brede isn't that guy.

[ScalleysDad]

Bit sappy but...there is no one better suited to be captain of this team than Brede Hangeland. He leads by example and is, excepting for the fluke red card, ever-present on the field.  He is personable and exceptionally level headed. He embodies what appear to be ffc's values. i am proud to have him representing the team.

"team chemistry" means very little if we don't have enough quality players in the right positions.  When things really got painfully stagnant we even saw him wander up the field a few times to try and push pressure forward. Pinning the blame on Brede's is pretty far off the mark.

I get your point and yes Brede has been consistent in the good patches but when the team were all over the place and playing woeful football he was invisible and as the back four and midfield trudged back into position after conceding another shocker he looked lost, sometimes possibly due to carrying some of the blame. The team have not been getting lightning bolts from the dug out and desperately needed something  on the field. I suppose there is room for debate on who and what the options would have and could have been but that would only highlight some of the problems we have had this season with a rather lame squad from what was once a half decent team. As Club Captain absolutely first choice but on the pitch a few more lightning bolts are needed.

[zschwartz]

i agree that it would be interesting to see if it would help. martin is very quiet, it is true.

But i am not sure the players would respond positively to such commands. the vast majority of our Xi are either current or former first team internationals. it is different here and, aside from the city and martin himself, i believe that plays some part in continuing to attract players like berbatov, karagounis and amorebieta.

Dimitar himself you would think would carry some clout when he starts grumbling and the players simply ignore him or at best discreetly empathize...

Any team is lucky to have more than a handful of players with engines on them. And even if they get one at the right time he can be burnt out pretty fast (remember Mcclean at the end of the previous season?).  Bale is a freak. But here Riether is the most salient example. at any given time we've fielded multiple engines more than pulling their weight: Riether, Dejagah, Sidwell, Karagounis, (at times) Kacaniklic.

Also i do not think the importance of a competent creative midfield duo could be overstated, lightning-wise. Dembele/Diarra combined to make Pogrebyniak, Zamora and Andy Johnson look like legitimate attacking threats... they all now reside in the championship at present.

The CDM situation and an overlapping left back that could combine with Kacaniklic the way Dejagah combines with Riether should be the first variables that get tampered with.  it'd add a number more dimensions to a team that sorely lacks them. 

--It's a big window, could happen.