When we signed Bebe we knew we were taking a risk. For a player with his background we were always leaving ourselves open to scrutiny and the fee didn’t help. When Sir Alex confessed he hadn’t even seen the 20 year old play that was all the ammunition the papers needed, Bebe had a target on his back.
Last week there were rumblings from a well known Guardian journo that the Portuguese player had looked less than impressive in training. Now where this journalist got this info from is still up in the air and whilst I doubt it’s validity let’s assume it’s true. Aged 20 at a new club and in a new country unable to speak the language, he could be forgiven for being slightly over awed by the new and unfamiliar situation he faced but this didn’t seem to matter to whoever made these discouraging comments.
The fact he joined with Smalling and Hernandez was also going to count against him as both appeared to fit seamlessly into the team and thus the same standard would be expected of him, despite the fact that all 3 came from different backgrounds and this probably wasn’t be taken into account by those who were quick to slate him.
Well without bothering to check the legitimacy of this, it appears other news sources are running with this story too and today The Daily Mail stated:
And it now appears that the former Vitoria Guimaraes player is taking so much time to settle that United reserve team boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided not to include him in the 16-man squad to face local rivals Manchester City in Hyde last night.
Whilst the Irish Times, although offering a little more, followed stating,
The Guardian has established that the first impressions of Bebe have been below expectations. In particular, his touch and control has not been of the standard the club demands.
The problem with both is that they set up the opposition in themselves. In the Daily Mail quote they talk about him taking so much time to settle in. Do they not realise this is a player who was signed just 14 DAYS AGO!? Even worse the Irish Times unashamedly confirm that their piece is based off the hear-say of this Guardian journalist.
I will confess I had heard he would play against City last night but this too was hear say and there are a number of reasons as to why he didn’t, saying that he has been unimpressive in training just seems like the easiest way to get reads or shift a couple of copies.
It was known that Bebe was not anywhere near the complete article when we signed him but his attributes meant that he would definitely be one for the future. It’s just a shame that for some his future appears to have come 14 days after it was announced that he would be joining the club. He hasn’t even kicked a ball in anger in United’s colours yet so here is an idea, lets judge him after he plays rather than before?
Sounds reasonable right?
Well said! And if there is a real source the club should try to identify it and have a word. The lad doesn’t need this sort of discouragement.
I think media reaction isn’t really the point here.
All we hear is how the interest rate goes up, how the PIK debts are swelling. Meanwhile, the first team squad is clearly not good enough, especially in midfield, at a time when Champions League qualification is absolutely crucial, considering our financial situation, and in a league where we have the champions Chelsea – a superior team -, an improving Arsenal and a Citeh team spending hundreds of millions.
So, in this climate, we’ve signed an unkown 20-year-old player on an impulse, on instinct for £7.4m – without our manager ever having watched him in action. And it turns out he can’t even be trusted to play for the reserves two weeks after he signed. This is pure MADNESS. A reckless gamble which we cannot afford at the moment.
It’s all mindless paper drivel cos it’s a slow news day… when was the last time any focus was placed on a reserves match for any team? Just a ridiculous story…
Bebe will be fine. It’ll take him a few months to learn English and we won’t see a great deal of him until he does, that’s my expectation. I’m not expecting to see anything of him until around Christmas time.
Bebe doesnt understand our language yet so why risk playin a kid who wouldnt be able to understand the tactical plans or indeed his fellow teammates, its just typical scum throwing toys out pram coz their deperate see him play and he didnt so in true sensationalism form, they write an insulting ill-informed piece on the lad.
“why risk playin a kid who wouldnt be able to understand the tactical plans or indeed his fellow teammates”
Why have we even signed him, then? United need players who can do a job NOW, not sometimes in the vague and distant future. This “building for the future” with unknown youngsters thing really worked out with Djemba-Djemba, Bellion, Tosic, Miller etc., didn’t it?
I still can’t understand this signing in the current financial climate, with the first team squad clearly insufficient for a serious title challenge.
I agree with the thrust of your piece, but just one correction – you keep putting in ‘hear say’ as separate wording. It’s ‘hearsay’. Obviously your spell checker didn’t pick up the error because each word, separately, is spelt correctly. One to file away for future reference.
Zae everything you write is so negative mate. Give it a rest will you. You sound like you’re starting to believe the complete and utter crap you read in the media about our empire crumbling yet again, we are about to go pop blah blah blah blah. Honestly im actually ashamed of United fans at the moment as the way most of you are going on youd think we were finishing in the bottom half of the table and literally not having a pot to p*ss in. I cant wait till we win the title this year as i expect all of you to come on here and apologise for talking so much knee jerk over the top negative rubbish about the worlds greatest clubs.
I don’t think the papers realise that Manchester Utd had to sign this player.
http://www.realmadridzone.com/manchester-united-sign-real-madrid-target-bebe/2806
Give the man some time. Ridculous bet he has barely just about learnt the names of his team-mates.
Coleman.
club
Danny Salford Red, I do envy your optimism, really, just can’t share it. It’s not media crap that Paul Scholes will turn 36 this November yet he’s still a key player. It’s not media crap that our debt is above 700m now, the interest rates on the PIK loans are going up; and it’s not media crap that we haven’t strengthened a squad that fell short on every front bar the Carling Cup last season. Smalling and Hernandez are both for the future but neither represents anything more right now than a little more depth when what we need is a little more quality. Especially in central midfield where, I repeat, we still haven’t signed anyone.
If we win the title, I’ll definitely 1) get drunk, 2)do something really stupid, 3) apologise to you and everyone. But right now I’d be more than pleased with a 3rd place finish.