It is usually best to be tentative in one's assessment of the preseason [unless of course the subject is Mario Balotelli, in which case a casual backheel is definitely the end of his Manchester City career, if not the end of soccer as we know it]. Remember Tottenham Hotspur's abysmal start to the 2008-09 season? In the summer weeks before they lost to Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Hull and virtually everyone else on their way to the bottom of the table, Juande Ramos' side had gone unbeaten and racked up a plus-28 goal difference.
Manchester United's hopes of winning a treble this season ended on Saturday with a 1-0 defeat to arch-rivals Manchester City in the semifinals of the English FA Cup at Wembley Stadium.
Manchester United extended their lead at the top of the English Premier League to ten points on Saturday after a comfortable 2-0 win over Fulham at Old Trafford.
Manchester United moved five points clear in the English Premier League after snatching a 1-0 win against Bolton on Saturday despite having a player sent off.
Manchester United's 24-match unbeaten run this season came crashing to a halt in an extraordinary, record-breaking schedule of English Premier League fixtures on Saturday.
A three-goal blitz in 17 minutes preserved Manchester United's unbeaten record in the English Premier League and saved them from an embarrassing defeat at Blackpool.
Wayne Rooney didn't score on Saturday. He did help set up three of Manchester United's five goals against Birmingham City and generally looked as though he may at last be approaching his best, but he didn't net himself. So a sub-plot in most of the reviews of the game was the fact that Rooney failed to score, and that he has managed just one goal from open play for his club since March. He is in a "goal-drought," and no matter what he does between now and scoring half a dozen goals, that will always be the first thing that is mentioned about him after games.
Manchester United stayed top of the English Premier League as two goals from Dimitar Berbatov secured a 2-0 home win for the Red Devils over Sunderland on Boxing Day.
Five goals from Dimitar Berbatov helped Manchester United move to the top of the English Premier League on Saturday as Alex Ferguson's team thrashed Blackburn Rovers 7-1 at Old Trafford.
LONDON -- It's more than an hour since the whistle was blown on Tottenham Hotspur's Champions League victory over FC Twente on Wednesday. As the stewards make their final checks of the stands and the last remaining hospitality suite revelers are coaxed to exits, Gareth Bale makes his way around the pitch toward the players' car park, the last man out of the home dressing room again.
When Dimitar Berbatov was a child, he idolized Robert De Niro, so it perhaps isn't surprising he plays the cold-eyed assassin well. There is a coldness about him, a sense of calculation that fits uneasily into a Premier League environment in which "passion" remains the foremost of all virtues. If anything, though, he probably resembles less De Niro than Clint Eastwood, laconic and unfussy, almost everything he does performed with an ironic glint.
Dimitar Berbatov scored a stunning hat-trick as Manchester United recovered from throwing away a two-goal lead to defeat Liverpool 3-2 in a thrilling English Premier League game at Old Trafford.
Wayne Rooney may finally have ended his drought, but his boyhood club can't buy a goal at the moment. Three games into the Premier League season, Everton has scored a single goal and notched a single point. That return amounts to the club's worst start since 1999, but the biggest worry for Everton is that it has been unable to convert possession, often in dangerous areas, into goals.
Manchester United got their Premier League campaign off to a winning start with a 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Newcastle United at Old Trafford.
Manchester United and Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov has announced his retirement from international football with immediate effect.
Chelsea struck a major blow in the English Premier League title race with a controversial 2-1 victory over champions Manchester United on Saturday that put the London club two points clear at the top of the table with five matches to play.
Chelsea visits Manchester United on Saturday for what is being billed as the critical match in this year's Premiership title race. And though both teams have at least one game to follow that will further test their mettle -- United has yet to visit neighbor City; Chelsea travels to Tottenham in two weeks and goes to Anfield to face Liverpool on the penultimate weekend of the season -- this is certainly the game that could put some daylight between the two.
On-fire England striker Wayne Rooney scored two more goals as Manchester United beat Fulham 3-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday to return to the top of the English Premier League table.
On-form Wayne Rooney came off the bench to score the winner as Manchester United beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the English League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.
English Premier League leaders Chelsea smashed seven goals past hapless Sunderland on Saturday, while second-placed Manchester United kept up the pressure with a 3-0 victory at home to Burnley.
English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have announced record profits as a result of large gains from player transfers, despite difficult economic conditions.
Deadly, lethal, prolific -- just a few adjectives often used to describe Team Limey's nightclub performances on a Saturday night. Back in the real world, these are apt descriptions of the elite goal-scorers discussed in this week's column. More specifically, we're looking at who we think will be donning the Golden Boot as the English Premier League's top scorer this season.
Wayne Rooney showed his determination to fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo as Manchester United began their English Premier League title defense with a 1-0 victory at home to promoted Birmingham on Sunday.
Manchester United came from two goals down to beat a stunned Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 at Old Trafford and move ever closer to retaining the Premier League title.
Manchester United go into Sunday's Premier League match against fifth-placed Aston Villa facing a striker shortage after Dimitar Berbatov was ruled out for a further two weeks.
The Berlin Wall came down 20 years ago and in that time the world game has opened its arms to a tidal wave of talent from behind the former Iron Curtain.
Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has been ruled out of Bulgaria's forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Republic of Ireland and Cyprus with an ankle injury.
Goals from Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov saw Manchester United come from behind to win 2-1 at Newcastle, a result that restores their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Wayne Rooney scored with his first touch after a seven-match injury absence to help send Manchester United five points clear in the Premier League with a 3-0 win over Fulham at Old Trafford.
Dimitar Berbatov scored a last-minute goal to give Manchester United a 1-0 win at Bolton to put them top of the Premier League table for the first time this season.
Manchester United scored a potentially decisive victory in the Premier League title race as goals from Nemanja Vidic, Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov gave the reigning champions a 3-0 win over Chelsea.
Dimitar Berbatov scored the only goal as Manchester United beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at Old Trafford on Monday to move to within seven points of Premier League leaders Liverpool -- with two vital games in hand.
Manchester United stepped up their title challenge with a 1-0 win over Stoke City as Carlos Tevez scored the only goal of the match with just seven minutes remaining at the Britannia Stadium on Boxing Day.
Ryan Giggs scored in the 84th minute to salvage a 1-1 draw for Manchester United in their Champions League Group E clash at Celtic.
Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov dealt Celtic a double blow as holders Manchester United won their all-British clash 3-0 to stay top of their Champions League group at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Dimitar Berbatov scored twice to lead Manchester United to a 3-0 win over Aalborg in Denmark on Tuesday and put the defending champions back on track in the Champions League.
Ladies and gentlemen, raise the curtain and welcome Manchester City Football Club onto the world stage.
Manchester City have completed a sensational transfer deadline-day swoop for Brazilian forward Robinho in an estimated £32.5 million ($58 million) deal with Real Madrid, following the English Premier League club's takeover by an Abu Dhabi group on Monday.
Manchester United won the deadline day race to sign Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov, despite rivals Manchester City having a British record fee of £34 million ($60.56m) accepted for the Bulgarian international.
The takeover of Manchester City by an Abu Dhabi group is further evidence that soccer clubs have become a hot buy
Steven Gerrard scored a superb injury-time winner to lift Liverpool to the top of English Premier League while title rivals Arsenal suffered an early setback as they lost 1-0 at Fulham in Saturday's late game.
Team Limey, along with everyone else over in Blightly, has been riding the rare wave of British sporting success that the Olympics have brought. We were brought crashing back to reality watching the drab 2-2 draw between England and the Czech Republic, and contemplated turning your favorite net-based soccer column into a fortnightly update on the happenings of the U.K. cycling, swimming and rowing scenes.
CNN.com's Football Fan Zone looks ahead to the new season in the English Premier League, which kicks off August 16.
It's been a slow summer in the Premier League, with no England in Euro 2008 and a transfer market that has been moving slower than 92-year-old Great Uncle Limey after several hours at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Probably something to do with the tightening finances in the football world and the soccernomics issues we wrote about last time around.
Fulham hauled themselves out of the relegation zone in the English Premier League with a 2-0 home victory over Birmingham City, who slipped to second from bottom.
Coach Juande Ramos' dream of a UEFA Cup hat-trick ended as Tottenham suffered European heartbreak 6-5 on penalties against PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
Jonathan Woodgate's header in extra time gave Tottenham a well deserved 2-1 League Cup final victory over Chelsea at Wembley.
Tottenham edged towards the last-16 of the UEFA Cup with 2-1 victory over Slavia Prague but Radek Cerny gifted his former club a lifeline with a second-half blunder in the first-leg clash.
Manchester United came from behind against 10-man Tottenham to reach the last 16 of the English FA Cup with a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Tottenham ended more than eight years of failure against bitter rivals Arsenal in some style with a resounding 5-1 victory at White Hart Lane to book a trip to Wembley in the League Cup final -- where they will play either Chelsea or Everton.
Tottenham Hotspur look poised to sign Brazilian international Gilberto from German club Hertha Berlin.
Like most English Premier League managers, Team Limey has been working off the excesses of Christmas and New Year to battle with a horde of like-minded bargain-hungry individuals perusing the January sales.
Playing sports is good for your health. Playing professional sport often isn't.
Tottenham manager Juande Ramos says that any club wanting to sign striker Dimitar Berbatov must be prepared to pay a British record transfer fee -- more than £30 million ($59.38 million).
The last time Spurs' Dimitar Berbatov featured in these pages was back at the end of September.
Dimitar Berbatov has told Tottenham he would like to quit the club if an acceptable offer materialises during the January transfer window, the Bulgarian striker's agent claimed on Monday.
Bulgarian international Dimitar Berbatov is not for sale say Tottenham Hotspur after his four-goal super display against Reading fueled speculation that he would be a transfer target in the January window.
Substitute Nicklas Bendtner headed home the winner with his first touch as Arsenal beat north London rivals Tottenham 2-1 to move four points clear at the top of the English Premier League.
Dimitar Berbatov came off the bench to score the goal which guaranteed Tottenham a place in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup after they had trailed to a Bart Goor's goal for Anderlecht in Belgium.
The recent dismissal of Tottenham manager Martin Jol was no surprise. Although he had not lost the support of the fans, the same could not be said of his immediate bosses, who had already been caught red-handed meeting eventual successor Juande Ramos.
Dimitar Berbatov marked his return to Tottenham's starting line-up with a goal as the English club put their UEFA Cup Group G campaign back on track with a lackluster 2-0 win away to Hapoel Tel-Aviv on Thursday.
Dimitar Berbatov has gone public to dampen speculation that he will be leaving Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window.
Robin van Persie fired two superb goals to send Arsenal back to the top of the English Premier League with a 3-2 victory at home to 10-man Sunderland on Sunday.
Younes Kaboul scored in injury time to earn Tottenham a remarkable 4-4 Premier League home draw with Aston Villa, sealing a remarkable fightback after trailing 4-1 and possibly saving manager Martin Jol from the sack.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov has confirmed he is staying at the north London club, ending recent speculation about the Bulgarian's future.
Portugal star Nani kickstarted Manchester United's Premier League title defense with a spectacular winning goal to see off Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Premier League champions Manchester United are interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov, the player's agent said on Friday.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is doubtful for England's friendly with Germany on Wednesday after suffering a hairline fracture of the toe in the Champions League qualifier against Toulouse.
Ronaldinho scored twice as Barcelona wrapped up their Scottish pre-season tour with a convincing 3-1 win over Hearts before a record 57,857 home crowd on Saturday.
Did I miss something? What's going on? It's the third week in June and the transfer market is lifeless. Take away Manchester United (which moved swiftly and effectively to lock up Owen Hargreaves, Anderson and Nani before the end of May) and things look positively dead.
Tottenham Hotspur's Bulgarian international striker Dimitar Berbatov insists he wants to stay at White Hart Lane next season despite reports linking him with a move to one of the "Big Four" in England.
Frederic Kanoute returned to White Hart Lane and helped UEFA Cup holders Sevilla to reach the semifinals of this season's tournament with a 2-2 draw against Tottenham, which gave them a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur booked a UEFA Cup quarterfinal place 6-4 on aggregate after a 3-2 home win over Braga on Wednesday.
Chelsea stormed back from two goals down to snatch a 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in an electrifying FA Cup quarterfinal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Tottenham Hotspur re-discovered their form in spectacular style on Sunday as two goals apiece from Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov gave them a 4-0 win at Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round.
Striker Dimitar Berbatov scored twice as Bulgaria beat hosts Cyprus 3-0 in the final of an international tournament in Nicosia on Wednesday.
Julio Baptista scored twice as Arsenal staged a superb fightback to earn a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their League Cup semifinal at Tottenham on Wednesday.
Tottenham Hotspur sealed a place in the knockout phase of the UEFA Cup on Thursday after a tap-in from Dimitar Berbatov gave them a 1-0 success at Bayer Leverkusen.
Dimitar Berbatov scored two and Robbie Keane got the other as Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to beat Bruges and all but secure their place in the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup.
Tim Matthijs scored a hat-trick as modest Belgian side Zulte Waregem recovered from a goal down to crush Austria Vienna 4-1 away in their opening UEFA Cup Group F game on Thursday.
Bulgarian international striker Dimitar Berbatov has suffered an injury setback and is highly unlikley to play against the Netherlands or Luxembourg in his country's Euro 2008 qualifiers next month.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov will miss Bulgaria's Euro 2008 qualifier against Slovenia on Wednesday due to a groin injury that could keep him out for two weeks.
Dimitar Berbatov scored his first goal for Tottenham Hotspur when the Londoners beat Sheffield United 2-0 in the Premier League on Tuesday.
Tottenham Hotspur have signed Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov from Bayer Leverkusen for 16 million euros ($20.49 million), subject to approval of a work permit.
Premier League Tottenham are on the brink of signing Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov from Bayer Leverkusen, the German club have confirmed.
Bayer Leverkusen striker Dimitar Berbatov has been named Bulgaria's player of the year for the second year in a row after a poll of sports writers.
Croatia maintained their lead at the top of World Cup qualifying Group 8 with an impressive 3-1 victory over Bulgaria.
Real Madrid's Spain striker Raul scored his 48th Champions League goal on Wednesday to move within one of the all-time European scoring record held by Alfredo Di Stefano.
Dimitar Berbatov and Franca scored twice each as Bayer Leverkusen stormed to the top of the German Bundesliga with a 4-1 win over Bayern Munich.
In-form striker Dimitar Berbatov scored twice to help Bulgaria ease to a 3-0 victory over 10-man Cameroon.
German Bundesliga leaders Werder Bremen were held to a goalless draw at Schalke 04, but they still lead defending champions Bayern Munich by seven points.
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