Former Tottenham Hotspur and England manager Terry Venables has blamed Bulgarian International Dimitar Berbatov for the North London sides poor start to the Premier League season, with Venables claiming that Berbatov was a “poisonous presence” at White Hart Lane at the start of the campaign.

27-year-old Berbatov started this Premiership season at Spurs before signing with Manchester United for £30.75million on transfer deadline day. In what had been a long drawn out affair, with Tottenham reluctant to let Berbatov leave for Old Trafford and the Bulgarian reportedly refusing to play for Tottenham manager Juande Ramos at the start of the campaign.

Berbatov got his dream move to the Champions League winners, but Venables believes his presence at Spurs at the start of the season is the cause for Tottenham having their worst start to a season for 53 years.

Spurs are bottom of the league with just two points from six games, with Ramos coming under increased pressure at White Hart Lane after less than a year in charge at Tottenham.

“Berbatov kept telling us he had 'a dream'. Well, good for you Dimi. You had a dream with a few extra noughts added to your bank balance,” Venables told The Sun.

“But did Spurs have a dream too? You got your way but your poisonous presence at the start of the season - the brooding and the reluctance to play - has cost the club that believed in you.”

Venables also claims that Ramos along with Tottenham’s board made a huge mistake in allowing Berbatov and Robbie Keane to leave Spurs before they had signed suitable replacements.

“They thought they were going to get Andrei Arshavin,” said Venables.

“This was a massive managerial blunder by Spurs, especially when they had allowed Keane to leave. But letting Berbatov and Keane go without having Arshavin in the bag was a boardroom blunder.”