The mancityfans.net football forum

I was going to post this yesterday and couldn't be arsed thinking of the full list of players but just had a shuftie at f365 and someone has written an email on exactly what I was going to write so i shall just copy it and we can all start debating this...

I was shocked to listen to Wasshisface Duarte on the Football Weekly pod yesterday run through all the (high profile) Brazilian exports who will likely be back in their homeland. Many are past their sell by date (Real Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos etc) but others should surely still be in the top leagues in world football.....Adriano, Robinho, Wagner Love and the like. It is a damning indictment IMO of the temperament of many of these top Brazilians that they seem to not be able to hack it for long overseas....if at all.

Thing is, I've met loads of Brazilians and I find them top people, really easygoing, smart and pretty diligent (I've worked with a few). I find the stories that come out of football clubs that employ them (sulky, petulant, troublemakers....etc) quite difficult to reconcile with my experiences. A bit like the Dutch in that respect who I have always found really cool, quite easy going....but everytime they go to a tournament their squad is de-stabilised by a major ruckus/incident/falling out. Odd IMO

Anyway, here's the list....(he'd missed our own Jo...so I added him in!)

Do Brazilians Ever Work In England?
All the Robinho talk got me thinking, do they ever succeed in our harsh environment....?!

Gilberto Silva - Hit [off to a good start]
Kléberson - Miss
Juninho - Hit [Probably the best]
Robinho - Miss
Roque Junior - Missed by a mile and into row Z
Anderson - Probably a miss based on potential, I think Fergie has tried to change him as a player and has perhaps ruined him.
Denilson - Hit [Growing up at Arsenal slowly but surely - remember he's young]
Giovanni - Intermittent Hit
Julio Baptista - Miss [Surprisingly] - Apparently wasn't happy at Bolton's defenders not allowing his 'beautiful game'.....pish
Afonso Alves - Miss
Jo - fucking lanky sideshow Bob fall over, clap, smile waste of twatting space...........beyond wank

Now I'm struggling to think of anymore Samba boys that have graced our muddy Januarys with any craftiness/brilliance or on the other hand, flopped more often than a chunky man jumping off a diving board.

Who else can rustle up a few?
Simon [Newcastle, watch out its time for a LCFC backlash] Headley

Glauber Berti - Major major hit.

Gilberto the former left back at Tottingham - Mega gash!
Elano - Hit and miss
Lucas - Mega shit!
Gomes at Tottingham - See above.

Emerson. Miss.

Sylvinho and Gilberto did very well for the gooners as is the young holding mid that plays there now?

edit - oops gilberto is top of your list !

Juliano Beletti - Chelsea - hmmmm, hot and cold so far, looked wank in past looks better now but, wants to go fucking home to Flamengo

Eduardo (Arsenal) - Had a lot of bad luck with injury and that horrendous tackle but I think he's been a success.

Good Times wrote:Eduardo (Arsenal) - Had a lot of bad luck with injury and that horrendous tackle but I think he's been a success.

do you mean the croatian brazilian eduardo?

Alex at Chelski

Rag_hater wrote:Alex at Chelski

Very underrated imo.

Scatman wrote:Emerson. Miss.

Emerson as in the black midfielder who was at Boro in the nineties? I seem to remember him being pretty good but I might be wrong.

Alioune DVToure wrote:

Scatman wrote:Emerson. Miss.

Emerson as in the black midfielder who was at Boro in the nineties? I seem to remember him being pretty good but I might be wrong.

He looked good and probably was good, but not there

Wasn't there a brazilian in Toon back in those days, when a regular defender in the top flight wer'e having sideburns, called Mirandinha or something lika that? Mid 80'ies. - Miss and hit ?
CTID!!

I've come to the conclusion that Brazilian footballers can only focus their minds for very short periods, 2 to 3 months tops and are not suited to 9 month seasons.

They seem to do really well when they first start at clubs and then gradually go downhill from that point onwards, (normally from November).

Would also explain why they are so good at World Cups, they only need to concentrate for 1 month.

They all seem to have some kind of homing beacon hardcoded into their brains too and end up back there on a whim, exception to the rule been Juninho who had a few wires loose thinking that Middlesborough was beautiful!

Alioune DVToure wrote:

Scatman wrote:Emerson. Miss.

Emerson as in the black midfielder who was at Boro in the nineties? I seem to remember him being pretty good but I might be wrong.

The guy was a style icon

Wonderwall wrote:

Alioune DVToure wrote:

Scatman wrote:Emerson. Miss.

Emerson as in the black midfielder who was at Boro in the nineties? I seem to remember him being pretty good but I might be wrong.

The guy was a style icon

Yeah that's the guy. Was in the same team as the likes of Ravanelli, Juninho and Hamilton Ricard. I could've sworn he was decent, even there. That was a funny team though - loads of talent, loads of names, a few cup finals and....... relegation.

Edu did ok at Arse i think

Redna wrote:Wasn't there a brazilian in Toon back in those days, when a regular defender in the top flight wer'e having sideburns, called Mirandinha or something lika that? Mid 80'ies. - Miss and hit ?
CTID!!

Have they still got that Capaca guy now?,...he's Brazilian and crap

*edit, just googled him and what a surprise to see he's currently playing for................Cruzeiro

Alfonso Alves: The worst Brazilian since David Blunkett tried shaving his wife's fanny.

I'd forgotten that joke - it now also works for Jo.

I think, if you look at that list, none of the truly great Brazillians have played here. Robinho is the biggest 'star' to come here but much as I enjoy watching Robbie at his best, he's not even in the 3rd tier of class compared to the real greats. Neither is Kaka for that matter although he's close but more because of his added athleticism than pure raw talent.

The present Brazillian squad is one of the weakest ever skillwise imo but has been formed into a harder working, more physical team than the traditional Brazil by Dunga. The only out & out lazyish 'flair' players are Elano & Robinho. The rest, including Fabiano & Kaka are fairly hard workers, reasonably skilled; but not the traditional ball playing genius types we associate with Brazil.

Ronaldinho was the last truly great Brazil player imo & is still better than Elano or Robbie. I haven't seen any potential greats coming through so far either; talent yes, genius, no but surely they must exist? I hope so, it'll be sad if they've stopped producing worldbeaters.