Fergie comments on transfer disappointments

Very interesting.

The kleberson comment though:

"Kleberson just did not have the personality to be a United player - he never opened his mouth. It wasn't his physique that was the problem. Again, he had good ability and again he could run all day. Too quiet."

I'm not having that. He's saying he was talented and was willing to work hard for Man Utd. So what if he was quiet. I can only presume he thought he was crap, and is trying to be diplomatic. If he currently had Ronaldhino and he was also mute in the dressing room, could you imagine him offloading him. Exactly.

 

It's about having the personality to stake you claim for a place. Paul is quiet but he also has an authority that is evident.

 

Maybe the Kleberson comment relates to the old "United-type" discussion. Sometimes a player has the skills but not the temperment. Maybe that was the case with Klebs.

Also, its not like Klebs is lighting the football world on fire since his departure.

 

I'm not saying Kleberson was good enough for Man Utd.

I just think the quote is unfair on the guy. He was new to the country/culture, probably didn't speak a word of English, it's not a surprise he didn't speak much.

 

Maybe Fergie said what he said instead of saying, "The guy just wasn't good enough."

 

Re. Kleberson comments

i read Carrick is not very loud either, hopefully he doesn't turn out the same..

 

Carrick > Kleberson

 

He could very well be referring to Kleberson being quiet out on the pitch. As VR said, the 'United-type' thing could come into this, and it is something that Fergie has adhered to strictly throughout his career. A player like Ronaldinho can afford to be quiet on the pitch, as is true to an extent of Giggs - these are wide players and as such are not nearly as 'in the thick of it' as CMs. Look at the CMs that have had the most prolonged and/or successful stays here under Fergie: Robson, Ince, Keane, Scholes, Butt. While Scholes may be as camera-shy off the pitch (we don't know what he is like in the dressing room), he is quite vocal on it... not in a Keane/Butt/Robson fashion, nor like Ince's arrogance, but if you watch he is very good at communicating with his teammates - it's near impossible to play his role effectively without this communication. The language barrier is close to irrelevant on the pitch; body language, hand signals, etc will get any player who does not know the language by for the most part. It is also telling that (iirc) even when Kleberson left us his English was still all but nonexistent.

 

Really? He was here for 3 seasons, right? How do you live in the country for that long and don't learn to speak English? Hard to have any understanding on the pitch if you don't (or can't) talk to your teammates off the pitch.

 

No, Fergie is talking about players he was disappointed with which means he rated them to begin with. Kleberson imo was a really really good footballer, but he suffered the same plight as Veron. He wasn't given the midfield and as a result never got a chance to shine. Not saying he deserved it, but that's what it would have taken for him to be successful. He's a good passer of the ball and very creative but you can't pass the ball if you don't have it.

 

That's just off memory tbh, but I have a vague recollection of that. Besides, he spent so much of his time here with our Brazilian-based medical that it could well be possible. I'm sure he had to have picked up the bare essentials, mind.

 

Don't forget that I was Kleberson fan. My point is that Fergie was probably being at least at little diplomatic about Klebs. For me, the reason he never shone was that Keane was still here.

 

[unfair dig at the KFC] It take's a big man to admit that... [/unfair dig at the KFC]

 

I think its fair to say Fergie was very disappointed but I don't see why he'd be hiding the fact that he thought Klebs wasn't good enough if he wasn't. Perhaps maybe if he did/does feel that way only Klebs willingness to move on and not be a nuissance kept him in Fergie's good books. I will never forget Klebs 2nd start for United when he covered more ground than both opposing CMs.

 

Hell, I still think that in an alternate universe Kleberson is an effective midfield force for United - and we bought Hargreaves pre-World Cup for 14m instead of Carrick .

 

I don't know why, but I'm reading "Klebs wasn't loud enough" as "Klebs wasn't passionate enough". Passion, commitment, unity with the team -- these things can be inferred by Fergie's comment, and make alot more sense as deciding factors than his not being vocal enough.