I almost didn’t post this because I didn’t want to give any attention to some of the idiots in the press, but I decided it was important to remind everyone that as Manchester United fans we always support our own. Our newest signing – Bebe – needs our support now as the press continues their unjust attacks against him. Playing for the Portugal U-21 squad against England, Bebe finally had a chance to perform and prove his doubters wrong. And while I thought he looked promising, certain journalists, such as The Sun’s Steve Brenner and The Daily Mail’s Leo Spall, were quick to attack the Portuguese winger’s performance.
The Daily Mail ran a recap of the match including “new Manchester United striker Bebe flops debut” in the headline. Sir Alex has made it clear that Bebe is a winger; if you’re going to criticize Bebe at least do enough research to get his position right. Also, as one fan on Twitter pointed out, if you’re going to criticize him in the headline, you should probably write more than just one sentence about him in the actual article.
Meanwhile, by the 30th minute The Sun’s Steve Brenner had tweeted this: “Bebe sensational so far. Sensationally ineffective.” He didn’t even given him a full 90 minutes to prove himself before passing such harsh judgement. It’s as if the press wants to see him fail. Anything less than a hat-trick and they were bound to criticize him, and even then I think they might have found a way to label him a flop. I know he’s signed for Manchester United for a fairly big transfer fee, especially for an unknown, but this was his first taste of international action; give him a break!
These aren’t the first attacks against Bebe, though. Almost since he arrived at Old Trafford he has been harassed by the media. Before even seeing a second of action in either the first team or reserves, he was being labeled a flop. I struggle to see how you can judge a player you’ve never seen in a competitive match. When Bebe wasn’t involved in the reserves match two weeks ago, the press immediately came to the conclusion that it must be because Bebe had been poor in training. Sir Alex quickly jumped to the defense of his newest signing saying that Bebe had not yet achieved an acceptable level of fitness to be involved.
And when Bebe finally featured in a competitive match, he actually gave us some very promising glimpses of his potential. He didn’t see a lot of the ball, but when he was in possession he looked quite good. The moment that stands out in my mind came in the second half, when Bebe picked up the ball out on the right wing, outran one defender before tricking a second and then unleashing a powerful shot at the England goalkeeper. We also got a look at his imposing physique; standing very tall and clearly packing some muscle. And, not to forget, that he was brilliantly quick; his speed will be a massive asset as he continues to develop.
The one criticism I’ve read that I can agree with is that he seems to lack much tactical intelligence. I’ll agree he needs to work on his movement and understanding of the game, but let’s not forget where he came from. Having been raised in a homeless shelter in Portugal playing on a dusty field, I doubt he had much coaching. I’m not trying to make excuses for him, rather provide explanation for his faults. The tactics of the game are probably still something he needs to work on, but what he did develop while at the homeless shelter were the physical skills to play the game. With time, the United staff will instill within Bebe the footballing knowledge he needs to become truly successful.
What makes these attacks by the press even worse is that Bebe appears to have a heart of gold. When returning to Portugal to meet up with the U-21 squad, Bebe spent the night at the homeless shelter where he was raised and took the time to thank the staff and people in the shelter for all they had done for him. Despite moving from the homeless shelter to the Portuguese first division to a £12,000 a week salary at Manchester United, Bebe has remained incredibly humble and aware of his roots. But despite his strong character and the fact that he’s yet to play competitively for United, the media still seem drawn to criticizing him.
This is an important stage of his development, and I hope all the negative press won’t have a crippling effect on his psychology. It is crucial that we United fans give him our full support and back him whenever we can. Bebe needs to know he has fans around the world rooting for him to succeed at Old Trafford. We’ve always stood by our players, and I have no doubt we can counteract all these unjust attacks on Bebe. Our newest signing needs us now, I’m sure he’ll repay us later on the pitch as he continues to develop.
Discuss all our newest signing – Bebe – in the forum.
You can follow Kyle on Twitter at KDill_MUFC.