Stoichkov bullish about Bulgaria

After his deflating experiences over the past few days, Hristo Stoichkov wanted no beef with the English. Disparaging, if not downright insulting, about our game and its players, including one Paul Gascoigne, in the past, the Bulgarian maestro was in more diplomatic mood yesterday.

Mobile phone in one hand, autograph pen in the other, Stoichkov cut a familiar figure as a modern-day professional footballer - even eastern European ones. Having arrived straight from Milan in advance of the rump of the Bulgarian party, he suddenly went through the motions for a posse of autograph hunters at the team's St Albans hotel, although not all seemed satisfied. "Stoichkov's signature wasn't very tidy, was it?" said one anorak to another.

At least he managed to get more out of the moody Bulgarian than the press initially did. A welcome in Spanish from one Italian journalist was met with a frosty glare from the Parma player, which probably had more to do with recent events than any long-term disenchantment with his former Barcelona employers. Never mind English roast beef, Parma ham has not been particularly digestible of late for inhabitants of that northern Italian city.

Unexpectedly knocked out of the Cup-Winners' Cup quarter finals by Paris St-Germain last Thursday, thereby bringing to an end a run of three consecutive years as European finalists, Parma then bid arrivederci to any lingering hopes of success in Serie A with a 3-0 defeat at Milan on Sunday.

In both games Stoichkov was, apparently, a peripheral figure, giving rise to further speculation that he might now try his luck in France with Marseille. His form, however, did not prevent Parma from off-loading Faustino Asprilla to Newcastle rather than Stoichkov.

Not that the Bulgarian would have gone down too well on Tyneside after remarks he made earlier this season regarding its favourite son. Prior to Rangers' European Cup game against Juventus, Stoichkov said: "Gascoigne will never be the player he once was, I'm afraid. After so many injuries it is virtually impossible to get back to your best. He'll never see glory like the 1990 World Cup again."

Stoichkov was also scathing of Manchester United's defence after he and his Barcelona team-mate, Romario, humbled them at the Nou Camp in last season's European Cup tie, describing it as "a mess". Even though Gary Neville played no part in that debacle in Spain, he too might feel there is a question of honour at stake tonight.

If it is motivation the English need, the Bulgarians have placed plenty on record to suffice. Try this one: "Ryan Giggs is a superstar in England only because Premier League defenders are very fat," the defender Tsanko Tsvetanov said, although the quote may have lost something in translation.

Leaving aside such flippant matters, it will be interesting to observe the quality of Bulgaria post USA '94. The World Cup semi-finalists reaffirmed their emergence as a leading nation during the European Championship qualifiers, but there is a suggestion that they are past their peak. Their player of the year, the midfielder Krasimir Balakov, of VfB Stuttgart, may be absent with flu, but otherwise it appears to be a full-strength side, with players arriving last night from all corners of Europe - including Reading.

The Royals' goalkeeper, Borislav Mikhailov, he of the toupee, was there first to welcome his countrymen with a kiss and a handshake, including Yordan Lechkov, whose balding pate claimed victory with a header against Germany in 1994 and who looks long overdue a transplant of his own.

Stoichkov, re-emerging from his room to join the welcoming party, eventually condescended to speak to the press and suddenly appeared in more bullish mood: "With 14 or 15 players playing abroad in good leagues, and after such an excellent World Cup and European Championship, we are not afraid of anyone, either tomorrow or in the coming finals," he said. "They should be afraid of us. As for England, they have a lot of good players in their side, but I believe their best player is Terry Venables."