It has only been five days since David Beckham signed the contract with the LA Galaxy but in that time millions of words have already been spoken and written about the deal. I felt that columns by Gary Lineker and Ian Plenderleith were both reasoned, informative and sober comments on the move.
Columns such as these were very much in the minority as "journalists" all round the world set new "standards" while opting to reinforce stereotype views of the game in North America. The worst example was from a US based writer who wrote that if Beckham wants to watch the Premiership the only option he will have is a pub in Santa Monica!!
Perhaps there is a chance that at some point the soccer implications of Beckham's move will take precedent, although I doubt it. Even so it will be interesting to see who else the Galaxy after and who will be expected to finish the opportunities that Beckham creates from set pieces and raking passes.
It is looking increasingly likely that Beckham will arrive in time for the start of MLS season rather than midway through - although this morning the MLS Commisioner issued a statement "clarifying" certain statements attributed to him over the last day or so.
Fabio Capello’s reaction to Beckham signing appears petty to the extreme and may in the short term proved to be ill-advised. After all, managers are unable to choose when injury crisises hit and it would certainly be egg on Capello's face if he suddenly needed to turn to Beckham for help in the next couple of months.
Capello is under fire at the Bernabéu although the win over Real Zaragoza will have eased the pressure. With Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich acting more and more like a couple heading to the divorce court, speculation is rapidly growing that Mourinho will be packing up his ego and heading to Madrid.
The situations at Chelsea and Real Madrid brought to mind a wonderful description that Phil Ball wrote in his book “Morbo - The story of Spanish football.” Given Chelsea's stated intention to become the biggest club in the world it also contains words of warning for the Stanford Bridge club.
He wrote, “Nevertheless, there have been periods in Real Madrid's history when such ruthlessness has tended to exacerbate the internal problems of a club whose vaulting ambition has always ensured a state of “crisis” is never too far away.”
Amy Lawrence takes a look at Jose Mourinho’s battle with Abramovich, while Peter Jenson speculates on a move to the Bernabeu
Finally Jonathan Northcroft wrote an extremely interesting piece on the players who have not made the grade at Arsenal and Manchester United but who are considered by other clubs as extremely valuable properties.
I sincerely hope the US media will at some point note the quality of Beckham's game and not solely his fashion sence. I'm not a particular fan, but it must be said that he outclasses nearly everyone in the league.
And Bobby...If you read this...ask Jeremy about meeting Charlie Cooke at the convention. I introduced them and I'm sure Charlie would gladly be interviewed for the show (particularly by a countryman). He is a regular viewer.
Bobby l will have to disagree with you about the beckham, issue , people forget that madrid wanted him to stay and he refused, so l feel cappelo had to start to prepare for life without beckham, and l feel that as much as wenger did with cole before the move to chelsea l feel capello should do the same way , due to the commitment reasons.as for the chelsea crisis it it too close to call because wheather jose will be there , but l feel that in what ever happens whether jt goes to roman and whether the crowd sings their voices out there is always going to be one winner , abromovich.it is wierd that for the past three years we have not heard anything from abromovich and then three weeks ago his gives an interview and say his relations with jose are not warm and l feel sheva is a big part of the issue,l read where it is believed jose went to roman asking for money for a striker because he thougt dider was doing the bussiness alone, roman will win this one.the post would not end without a mention of the gunners , as l thought they were supreme this weekend and gilberto deserved a red card, it seems harsh when you think that kevin davies was given a yellow for pushing eboue to the ground, so there is a lot of inconsistence with the referees.Bobby could you give us your weekly predictions from the premier leauge games, l think that would add fun to an already five star blog
Given that Arsenal and Man U turn over their youth talents quickly--bringing in new ones, selling others, developing a bunch--are there any players who it surprises you do not get shipped off?
I wouldn't put Arsenal down as much as Man U here, because even ordinary (albeit useful) players like Flamini can look good when they play Wenger's system. Ferguson, though to a much lesser extent this year, sticks with the rather unimpressive Richardson, O'Shea and Fletcher. Are they really much better than some of the ones they've cast off, or could potentially buy for low sums?
yes alexmorph, those three are better than others who have come out of the academy. with no scientific backing to this argument i believe those three would be guaranteed spots in many mid-low table premiership teams.
but my real comment is about fernando torres. i've seen him play a many times this season for atleti. his pace, defensive work, and ability to hold up play are very good. but i think there is a little cutting edge lacking in some of his movement with the ball. personally i think Sir Alex would develop him into a world class player as he has done with ronaldo. Ronnie too lacked a cutting edge when he started out but has developed into a very good goal scorer under Sir Alex's guidance.
and credit to arsenal, in two years the premiership will be a three horse race. well done arsene.
Bobby, how can you say Capello's reaction appears petty. First of all it wasn't Capello's sole decision, but that of the technical committee, and I'm sure the decision was made carefully. Beckham announced this deal publicly before even informing Real Madrid, who had already tabled a two year extension offer. I think Capello and Mijatovic have displayed considerable restraint given the circumstances. How do you think Sir Alex or Jose would've reacted? Beckham is a shirt salesman at Real, and it's going to be hard for him to sell Real shirts now, so his services are no longer required.
As you know Madrid have quite a collection of midfielders in their first team (16 or 17 I think), including some great youngsters who need all the playing time they can get. I don't think Capello will face that magnitude of an injury crisis.
Also, the size of Beckhma's contract seems to be in line win any other major entertainment deals in this country. His new best pal Tom Cruise made an estimated $67M last year. For crying out loud if '50 cent' can make $41M and Howard Stern can collect a $225M bonus, Becks can rightfully collect his $50M, and be worth every cent. Dr Phil made a whopping $45M last year and he doesn't even have to break a sweat.
However I really don't see Beckham having a huge impact on the field. The MLS seems to a be a fairly physical league, and I think Beckham will struggle, unless he gets 'special' protection. He will have to deal with opponents marking him very tightly, and work hard to stay in shape for another few years.
VVV-
You are spot on re: Beckham. Real and Fabio made the proper decision in benching him. When DB got to big for his britches and his wife's meddling antics soured ManU, AF got rid of him (a massive transfer fee) and it looks like they wore out their welcome in Madrid even though it was floated that RM offered him a 2 year deal.
Although he may have led La Liga in assists last year, he is just not that valuable of a player anymore at RM. He should have gone back to the UK as that's where his skills can possibly still shine.
This move to the MLS is purely about Beckham as a brand and becoming a celebrity/actor. IMHO his impact on the pitch will be neglible. He will probably get "drilled" frequently by less talented and envious opponents.
Back to footie: it's a bit surprising to me that Villa haven't been involved in any major transfers so far. Someone told me that O'Neill was known for his last-minute transfers at Celtic, which unnerved many supporters. Is anyone familiar with Celtic to confirm this?
Last edited by atleti_female on January 15th at 8:11 PM.
Well, Los Beckhams made the first story here on page 1 of the LA times on Friday, where it was claimed that Galaxy's new galactico had generated 2000 season tickets in a few hours.
When was the last time soccer made the top story in LA or got a full page article plus another front page and a half in the sports section? .. probably not even the world cup. MLS' Don Garber said they'd got more publicity in the last 24 hours, than any time in the last 11 years. Gee I might go watch them actually play. Wait a minute, where do they play?
Bobby - I think the impact of Beckham will be felt more off the pitch than on - as in the Linekar article. He DOES present himself as a recognizable soccer role model for US youth, but with he and his wife's entertainment profile, it provides for fans of other sports, as well as non-sports fans (read: women) some sort of storyline to follow - which is just as important as the on-field contributions.
Case and point - when Ricky Williams went to the CFL after being suspended for drugs by the NFL, every game he played was covered on ESPN. After he got hurt and his team eliminated, no one even knows who played in the Grey Cup. Beckham will provide a similar storyline while hopefully raising the profiles of rising American MLS talent who will then go on to represent the country in competitions that Americans will more readily follow.
The other point that no one has mentioned yet is that the demographics of this country are becoming more soccer-friendly through immigration. There is a reason that soccer ratings records are coming down with each successive Champions League and Mexican League season. Just look at rights fees being paid including Euro 2008. Then watch an OTA nightly spanish sports newscast and you'll notice that they don't skimp on the soccer highlights.
I for one can't wait for the first Beckham reality show that shows Posh living it up as well as David out there playing in the MLS and teaching soccer to kids. And you know AEG and all his other sponsors are going to be all over this and other "product placement" opportuinities.
Last edited by MeanSucka on January 16th at 12:56 AM.
WRT Arsenal's youth, I'm glad to see them coming around recently. It seems that Cesc is on the fast track to becoming the best ball distributor in the Prem - even if his finishing leaves something to be desired.
It's going to be tough to see Gilberto out for 3 matches esp. with the big game on Sunday, and with the Jose circus swirling at The Bridge, I'd venture to say that next year will be a 2 horse race - featuring Man U and Arsenal.
But the questions that still dog the Gunners will have to be answered starting with their visit to Bolton for the FA Cup.
Bobby i agree very much with Henry14, it would add tremendously to this blog if you posted predictions for EPL matches. Just as long as no one tries to argue with you about them in an annoying fashion ( you bloggers know who you are .)
Bobby my questions is regarding Ronaldo (el gordo) to Milan. It's clear they need goals but do you think he still has some phenom left in him?
Im with Atleti.... Bobby unless u have stock in a n aspirin company save yourself the headache. You get enough "monday morning quarterbacking" as it is with your analysis, and your predictions for the epl done in august have been brought up a couple times too. But if your a glutton for punishment... ill be there to read em.,
l think bobby is also an expert in his own right and , this is not about mark who ever but it about bobby sharing his thought about how the game will shape up in terms of his understanding, and l do not see any harm in that.l am going for a 3 - 0 gunners victory
Last edited by henry14 on January 16th at 11:45 AM.
Just wanted to say what a shame it is about Seb Deissler. Looked really promising at some times in his career, even after his last injury return he showed some lovely play down the wings. He isn't, perhaps, Harry Kewel's half brother, is he?
Can we please move past this Beckham thing? It is what it is and thankfully not what too many of you make it up to be.
Let's look forward to some surprises from the mid week FA Cup replays and of course this coming weekends battles royal at Anfield and Ashburton Grove. Recent form would suggest the home sides have a very slight advantage. The atmosphere will be electric for certain.
Rio: Your ManU / Arsenal match spread would be a shocker but indicative of a cracking wide open match. I thing Bmax may be closer to the reality.
Other bits:
No; Liverpool do not get special dispensation regarding Mascherano.
Which Blackburn hospital do I send a get well card to for Robbie Savage? Seeing he went down like a sack of spuds with a probable broken leg and all. What a disgrace. Referee Styles as usual was much too quick with the red.
The Tottenham vs. Newcastle match was a thriller. Martins goal was a rocket and easily the best of the week.
The new FSW focus is a welcome relief from the other sports do it all coverage. The Friday night match previews are sufficient for most viewers to draw their own conclusions regarding possible outcome. Let’s not do a weekly predictions piece.
Cheers
PS: Any recommendations on how to update my blog avatar would be appreciated.
V3,
I agree with you that Beckham should have let RM know first he wouldn’t be signing with them, and how Capello won’t need him if RM have some injury crisis. However, I agree with Bobby about Capello being petty. No one will know, except for Capello, if David would have played if he signed the two year contract. And if this was always Capello’s plan, then it’s quite deceiving and de####able on Capello’s part. Capello isn’t the only one attacking Beckham. Calderon attacked Beckham again, calling him “an average cinema actor.” I don’t think what Beckham did justifies the treatment he is receiving at RM. To me, RM are a bunch of cry babies.
henry14,
How can you compare this to the Cole incident? Cole went behind Arsenal’s back to set up a deal with Chelsea. Cole didn’t want to play for the Gunners. Even after the scandal, the Gunners were looking to forgive and forget. Wenger had all the right to blast Cole. On the other hand, Beckham waited to the last minute, to me, sounds like he was still considering his options. I think there were a lot of factors in his move, but one the key ones was the playing time. He wasn’t getting any at RM and most likely wasn’t going to change. He could have signed for two more years at RM and finished off in the MLS. But why waste two years on the bench?
- Chelsie gets a result at ANfield which puts the pressure on Man Ure.
- Both Arsenal and Man Ure play the most entertaining, fluid, attacking game in the EPL
- Both squads are right on form as they head into the home strecth of the EPL and the start of the CL knock out phase
With only a couple of defenders for arsenal, gallas and holding midfielder Gilberto, out all the big guns r gonna be out there for both sides.
Arsenals pace is too much for the back for of Man Ure!
Speaking of manure, Liverpool remind me so much of the English National team in the way they spank around minnows and then just look like rust buckets against teams of quality.
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