Originally Posted by Devilton

It's not a theory mate. It's facht. SAF has not started Berbatov in any of our tough games this season, and I doubt he will do so against the likes of Milan, Liverpool, or Chelsea in our upcoming games either.

I agree with most of what you say but have reservations regarding the last part. When you pay 30 million for a striker you expect him to start every game. You don't pay that kind of money for an off the bench impact player or someone who only plays against teams that park the bus. Now don't get me wrong, I like Berbatov and appreciate his skill set but unless he scores in big games, and comes through with match winning performances I won't accept that he's been worth 30 million pounds.

I'm not saying he's not a good addition to our squad - Of course he is. But for 30 million pounds, you have to be more then just a good player. You need to be influential. You need to be a match winner, and I can only think of a handful of games where Berbatov can lay claim to that title and even those weren't against top quality teams. Had he cost us 12-15 million (as he did when Spurs got him) this wouldn't be an issue. If he had cost us half of what we paid for him we'd all be backslapping each other talking about what a bargain he is and how much we love his flicks, tricks and everything in between - but he didn't cost us 15 million, he cost more then twice that. And yes, I do know it's harsh to judge a player on the price agreed between two clubs because the player has no say in the matter, but ultimately when you weigh up if someone has been good 'value' for money you have to take into consideration the alternative use for that money and make a judgment based on what else you could have potentially bought. You also have to ask yourself a fundamental question all buyers who experience cognitive dissonance do; if you had a second chance to buy him, would you do it?

I know if SAF had to pay the 20 million he did for Ruud, he'd do it.. The same goes for the 30 million it cost for Rooney. But 5 years from now, I don't think SAF would feel the 30 mil spent on Berba was one of his best decisions. He may well go onto help us win titles, but my personal feeling is that if Fergie had a chance to do it all over again he would have loved to spend that money somewhere else. The way I perceive it, the cognitive dissonance with the Berba purchase has been very high. I believe we overpaid by at least 10 million, and with our finances the way they are, I don't think it's a stretch to imagine SAF feeling a certain degree of regret over the purchase.