Soccernet joins Kirovski-bashing

I don't know about the other 2 players mentioned in the same sentence as Kirovski, but the article is a bit harsh.

It's not as if Kirovski languished in the reserves with ManU for years and eventually left and never played a match anywhere for any team of any consequence. My understanding is that he did quite well at ManU but could not get a work permit. Thus, he left, but not because of unfulfilled expectations. He did make it to the Bundesliga and got some (albeit not a lot) of playing time. I'm not saying he has lit up the world with his talents, but to imply that he is what any young ManU hopeful should avoid is way too harsh.

 

I would have to agree with your assessment of Jovan. He played with ManU's youth teams with Giggs & Beckham and did quite well. He scored like 19 goals in 20 games. When he tried to make the transition to the Sr. team he failed to gain a work permit (lacking caps with national teams). From what I read, Ferguson tried to lobby for him, but it was no help.

From there he went to Germany (where it's much easier to get a work permit) and had a difficult time gaining an opportunity to play. I think his problem is very similar to a lot of other American's playing in Europe...if the coach isn't intimately familiar with you, he won't risk his reputation by betting on a US player. Most successful US players in Europe have came up through their youth system, were with the team as it was promoted or have been around for the better part of a decade with a well established reputation.

We don't need to go into all of the details of Jovan's career...it's a story that's beaten to death on BS. I think the greatest testimony to his success at ManU or his potential is Bruce's belief in him...seeing how he was there when Jovan was playing in the youth system and he knows what he can do.