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Venables hits out at "poisonous" Berbatov

30/09/2008

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Terry Venables has launched a scathing attack on Dimitar Berbatov, blaming the striker for his old club's disastrous start to the season.

Spurs have not won in six Premier League games so far and sit rock bottom of the table with just two points so far.

Venables, who recently turned down the chance to manage Newcastle United, has hit out at Berbatov - whose protracted transfer saga this summer eventually saw him join Manchester United for £30.75 million on transfer deadline day.

The former England boss branded the Bulgarian 'greedy' and 'selfish', as well as accusing the Spurs board of "mismanagement" in waiting until the last minute to sell the striker.

"Berbatov kept telling us he had a 'dream'," Venables wrote in his column in the Sun newspaper.

"Well, good for you Dimi, you had a dream with a few extra noughts added to your bank balance.

"But don't you think Spurs had a dream too? Don't you think that when they bought you and helped you blossom into one of the best strikers in the world, you had a duty to reward them by helping them fulfil their dream?

"You got your way but your poisonous presence at the start of this season - the pouting, the brooding and the reluctance to play - has cost the club that believed in you.

"And what about the team-mates you left behind, how do you reckon they feel now?"

As part of the Berbatov deal, Spurs have taken Fraizer Campbell on a season-long loan in a bid to ease their forwards crisis following the departure of Berbatov to United and Robbie Keane to Liverpool.

The club's other frontline strikers - Darren Bent and Roman Pavlyuchenko - have combined for only four goals so far this season, with just two of Bent's three coming in league fixtures.