What do Shaun Wright-Phillips, Aaron Lennon, David Bentley, James Milner and Theo Walcott have in common?
All of them play in the Barclays English Premier League, currently considered the best league in the world - all of them are under the age of twenty-six - all of them are amongst the brightest prospects in world football - all of them play on the right hand side of midfield – all of them wish they were England manager, Steve McClaren’s, best mate – and all of them have never been mistaken for David Beckham.
Up until last week, the chances of Beckham being on the short list to make McClaren’s latest England squad for the upcoming friendly versus Euro 2008 host, Austria, and the potential career defining match against current Group E leaders, Croatia, were about as good as you and me hitting the Super Lotto. I mean slim and none had more chance of representing the Three Lions but then…we had the lost weekend!
Most England managers spend the time between internationals in the lap of luxury. You’ll see them in the director’s boxes at Anfield, Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge. Like mother hens they’ll be watching their charges punish themselves through ninety minutes of grueling football. Last Sunday was a perfect example and should’ve been prime McClaren viewing. Potentially six England players were on display at the Emirates as Arsenal and Manchester United played out the biggest match in the world.
Instead of being in North London though our national coach was by some reports sipping Pellegrino, nibbling a vegan salad and catching up with all the latest Hollywood gossip at the Ivy in La-La Land as he had lunch with his new best mate, David Beckham. That’s right, Steve McClaren, a man on the verge of losing his job decided to fly clear across the world to check on the fitness of a player who has not played ninety minutes since August 23rd.
Is he insulting our intelligence!
Listen, I’m a huge Beckham fan and one of his biggest cheer leaders when it comes to this wild American experience but why an earth is the top man in English football wasting his time and FA money schlepping over here to check on the fitness of a player whom he discarded eighteen months ago – it’s not like we’re thin of players in that position (see above).
McClaren’s line when he arrived back in England consisted of the following bites.
“We need big-game players like David”.
“I went to Los Angeles because it was important to check him out and do my job”.
“David is a very important player to us. He proved his importance when he came back into the squad in the summer. His performances warranted inclusion.”
He is insulting our intelligence!
Beckham as not had a match defining game since October 2001 and Greece during World Cup qualifying.
The game that McClaren supposedly attended (we couldn’t find him anywhere in the Home Depot Center) was a charity match against Hollywood United that has ex-Sex Pistol, Steve Jones, age 52 and Without A Trace star, Anthony La Paglia, age 48 in their squad. If this is the criterion for playing Euro 2008 qualifiers, he should pick me because I’ve scored against Hollywood and La Paglia in the past eighteen months!
David may have been great in the summer against Brazil (friendly) & Estonia (FIFA ranking 130) but 252 minutes in Major League Soccer and a kick-about in Canada followed by a six week injury lay off hardly warrant inclusion into a match that if Israel do the right thing against Russia next Saturday is worth a potential $150 million plus to the European and English economy next summer.
My colleague on Fox Football Fone-In, Steven Cohen, was convinced that McClaren was in LA to interview for the vacated, Galaxy job however not with the GM, Alexi Lalas but with Beckham himself. This has turned out to be incorrect with the signing of Ruud Gullit however one can’t help but wonder what an earth he was doing here.
With Beckham just three caps shy of 100 appearances for England I can imagine that he was on the phone to McClaren lobbying for a place in the squad and if I were in his boots I do the same thing. What I can quite get my head around is McClaren listening to Becks and believing that this is the preparation needed for playing top-level football. I can’t help but feel that McClaren is somehow prepping for his LAE…life after England. A ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours arrangement’.
Also what is the message that is being sent to the players I named at the top of this piece. Yes, Wright-Phillips and Bentley are in the squad but what about the efforts of Lennon, Milner and Walcott. These players are the future of England busting their guts every week and they don’t get a sniff – its madness or perhaps it’s a Hollywood ending more fantastical than any of us can possibly imagine.
Russia ties Israel. England beat Austria. England beat Croatia. Beckham is superlative. McClaren gets to keep his job. We qualify for Euro 2008. McClaren then picks Beckham next summer who goes on to win his 100th cap for the Three Lions while helping them win their first major trophy since 1966.
Webster, you’ve lived here too long. Lets get real…
Russia beats Israel. Beckham wins 99 caps. McClaren get sacked. His successor looks at Beckham playing MLS and says nah!
The last time I saw David Beckham in an England shirt, the tears were streaming down his face. The captain had just hobbled to the bench in Gelsenkirchen, injured, substituted and unable to help his country any further as they lost to Portugal on penalties – the road to international glory was finally over – or so we thought!
The next day in Germany, Beckham resigned the captaincy saying, “It has been an honor and privilege to captain my country but, having been captain for 58 of my 95 caps, I feel the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter a new era under Steve McClaren." McClaren probably couldn’t believe his luck. Instead of a highly publicized stripping of the captaincy and all that that would have involved, Beck’s had done him a massive favor. With the smell of blood in the air, McClaren pressed home his advantage by dropping Beckham completely from his first squad claiming that he was ‘looking in a new direction’ and ‘Beckham wasn’t included in that.’ Cue the David Beckham obituaries of which there were many.
Nine months later though the tune of the piper has changed - the bumbling McClaren who resembles either Pinocchio or Inspector Clouseau depending on which press conference you catch has been forced on bended knee to recall the discarded David Beckham.
You couldn’t script it any better really – all that remains is for current England captain, John Terry to pick up a knock in training as the national team prepares to take on Brazil in a friendly on Friday followed by Estonia in the Euro’s on Wednesday and we’ll be right back where we started in July ‘06.
For a second it’s almost possible to feel some sympathy for McClaren because as we all know managing England is ‘the impossible job’ (If you don’t believe me watch this documentary about Graham Taylor…http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=794 1330900744785719) but given how he’s cocked practically everything up and in the process made Sven Goran Eriksson look like a genius, well, the knives are out and are currently being sharpened.
But enough of the future ‘turnip, carrot or whatever vegetable the English hacks will label him – what about our hero?
To be fair even by his lofty standards of implausible comebacks this last one has been a beauty but where did it all start?
Down in 1998: Red carded against Argentina in the World Cup and vilified by the Sun headline “10 heroes and 1 stupid boy”.
Up in 1999: Wins the ‘treble’ with Manchester United with one dominating performance after another.
Down in 2000: Red carded during the World Club Cup in Brazil and then giving England fans the ‘one-fingered’ salute as England crash out of Euro 2000.
Up in 2001: Wins a 5th EPL title with United and almost single handedly carries England to the 2002 World Cup with ‘THAT’ free kick versus Greece.
Down in 2002: Blatantly unfit for the World Cup Finals after metatarsal injury, England crash out despite Beckham gaining some revenge against Argentina.
Up in 2003: Secures a multi-million dollar move to Real Madrid after a massive fall out with Sir Alex Ferguson and becomes part of the ‘Galácticos’
Down in 2004: Trouble with the ‘missus’ Victoria and from 12 yards out. Strife on the home front and from the penalty spot as England again crash out of a major tournament, this time in Portugal.
Down in 2005: Becomes the first player to be sent off twice while playing for England and the first ever captain to see red versus Austria.
Up & Down 2006: Opens the David Beckham Academy in Los Angeles but more World Cup heartache despite becoming the first English player to score in three successive finals.
It's enough to make you dizzy isn’t!
I think what all this shows is that David Beckham is a man of incredible character. We all like to be on top and it's certainly ‘hunky-dory when everything goes our way but its how you respond to adversity that really sets you apart. Beckham has show again and again that adversity inspires him.
So how will 2007 play out – looking at his career it has to go as follows:
June: Makes international comeback and inspires England to victory while winning La Liga title with Real Madrid.
July: Scores on his LA Galaxy debut with a stunning free kick.
August: Leads the Galaxy to the top of the Western Conference.
September: Helps England get six points in Euro qualifying while jetting back and forth from LA.
October: Ditto September
November: Celebrates the MLS Cup with the Galaxy before celebrating England’s qualification to Euro 2008 with a man-of-the-match display against Croatia in a do-or-die game at Wembley.
For any other player you’d have to say that this would be almost impossible but this isn’t any other player, it’s David Beckham, the Prince of Football.
A million words have been written and spoken about David Beckham since I broke the story on Sky Sports News on Wednesday so I figure I’ll have the last word as the hullabaloo dies down...for now!
Football in the United States changed forever on Thursday afternoon with the announcement that David Beckham would be leaving the Galacticos in Madrid to become a Galaxian, right here in Los Angeles. The deal is worth reportedly $250 million dollars for five years…’not bad money’ said his new teammate, Cobi Jones, in the understatement of the 21st century.
To be honest though, this move didn’t exactly come as a shock. Ever since Beckham opened his DB Academy at the Home Depot Center, I just had a feeling he would come to MLS sooner rather than later and I’m so pleased it is the former because at thirty one he still has so much to offer the sport. Some critics especially in England though have been quick to slag him off for this momentous decision claiming that he’s finished as a footballer and that he’s just cashing in on his celebrity and notoriety. I say to this charge…you’re just jealous.
Who in their right mind would turn down the following opportunities…?
Earn close to a million dollars a week…
Be the biggest star in American soccer and one of the biggest stars in American sport…
Become an ambassador for the world’s most popular game in the last, great untapped market…
Change the way non-believers view the sport while raising the profile of a league still in its embryonic stages…
Live in one of the world’s most desirable cities with fantastic year round weather…
Become a hero and role model to millions of young kids who are desperate for a soccer icon that they can call their own…
And finally party with TomKat every other weekend.
Sounds pretty good eh!
Why the critics argue would ‘Golden Balls’ risk the ridicule of his peers who claim that this move to the States finishes him as a top class player and puts the final nail in any attempt to add to his 94 England caps. A legitimate question I suppose and here is my answer.
David Beckham has an ego…but guess what, we all do and you can’t tell me that there is not one of us who wouldn’t do everything in their power top feed our own respective egos. Beckham’s ego would never let him go back to England to play for anyone else but Manchester United and I completely agree with this logic. Why eat canned tuna when you’ve had caviar.
As for this massive contract, well, I believe it’s just Beckham’s way of telling the world that he’s still the man and regardless of how you feel about him, you cannot deny that the team behind him are marketing geniuses…Entertainment 19, CAA and Simon Fuller take a bow.
$250 million for an ex-international and current bench warmer does seem madness when you contrast it to the salaries current members of MLS make but when compared to stars of the NFL, NBA or MLB, it’s in line with what the top players expect to earn and I think we all know that Beckham isn’t a bench warmer in the true sense of the phrase.
His current boss at Real Madrid, Fabio Capello just doesn’t fancy him as a player and to be fair, that’s the Italians right as coach however one could honestly say that he didn’t give Beck’s a fair crack in an ageing, dysfunctional team. Let’s not forget that Beckham led La Liga in assists last season, so he’s hardly past his sell-by-date. With the announcement on Saturday that Capello will refuse to play the Englishman again this season, it’ll add fuel to the fire that he has it in for the former England captain and hopefully hasten his early departure to us in March/April instead of July/August.
So is Beckham coming to America a gamble?
For Beckham no…he has hit the mother-load and if someone is willing to pay him then surely he deserves whatever he can get however for AEG it represents a serious outlay. I can’t help but wonder who is carrying the insurance policy and just HOW much it’s costing. You can bet that employees around the HDC are not allowed to even think the word…INJURY! Thankfully Beck’s has been fairly durable during his career.
But let’s get back to AEG for a second and the owner Phil Anschutz along with President & CEO Tim Leiweke...you guys rock the house. It takes brave men with huge stones to even contemplate such a move, let alone pull it off. If there is one thing soccer needs in this country, it is visionaries and with the recent passing of Lamar Hunt, you two men represent the last realistic chance for the world’s greatest sport to succeed. I applaud you both and hope that your gamble pays off in everyway you envision.
As for Beckham and whether he will succeed here in LA, I think there is no question that he’ll take the Galaxy and the league to a new level along with paving the way for other players of his stature. You know I was talking to Galaxy GM, Alexi Lalas, recently and he told me the most important quality that he, Leiweke and coach Frank Yallop looked for in a player was a good character and that is a quality that Leiweke has constantly stated that he admires in Beckham.
I can’t really attest for Beckham’s character having only met him briefly twice however the vibe I picked up from him was very cool. On both occasions he looked me in the eye despite being surrounded by loads of other notable journalists and gave me his complete attention. He’s obviously a great family man and loves his kids. It sounds like he’s had trouble in the past with his wife, Victoria, but then again who doesn’t go through rocky periods with the more important half. It’s how you come out the other side that shows your true character and I believe that his integrity will be the defining characteristic of his stay in America.
From Leytonstone to Red Devil, the England captaincy, Galactico and now Galaxian, ambassador for Major League Soccer, Beckham has always had something of a pied piper about him. Let’s hope he can now help lead the non-believers to the Promised Land.
Getting out of the blocks fast is a term usually reserved for athletics however it applies just as well to the English Premiership. Chelsea have proven to be the undisputed masters of this technique over the past couple of campaigns exploding into action as soon as the first whistle blows leaving challengers eating their dust.
This opening weekend the Blues once again showed that they have the class and the killer instinct as Manchester City were toyed with despite Jose Mourinho fielding a below strength team. Heaven knows how they’ll look once Michael Ballack, Joe Cole and maybe even William Gallas rejoin the team.
The only sour note for the Stamford Bridge mob must be the continued loss of confidence and form of Shaun Wright-Phillips. The adopted son of Arsenal legend, Ian Wright, looked a world-beater when playing for Sunday’s opponents, Manchester City, a few seasons ago but since his $46 million dollar move to the Blues the kid’s got two left feet. It was painful watching his every attempt to make something happen explode in his face and when Mourinho changed him for Salomon Kalou, you felt it was to save him from further embarrassment. I have a feeling we’ll not be seeing too much of SWP this year and wouldn’t be surprised if he moved on to a less pressured environment.
Other than the Blues clinical dismantling of City, the other aspect of the game that interested me was Mourinho’s body language. With City’s rivals, Manchester United having played earlier in the morning you could sense that the ‘Special One’ wanted to throw down a marker of sorts. There was a hint of impatience about the Chelsea gaffer that even Didier Drogba’s wonderful goal could not dispel such are his high standards.
In a way the reaction of Mourinho reminded me of Sir Alex Ferguson when the Scotsman was riding high in the late 90’s. Ferguson’s displeasure when his side displayed anything less than the absolute killer instinct was legendary – and that is what has been missing from the Red Devils over the last four years.
With losses and ties littering their 1st ten EPL matches over the last two seasons, United have left themselves too much to do in the closing stretch, which is why I believe the performance against Fulham was of vital importance to the momentum of the team. Remember this side will be missing Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes in the coming weeks and unlike Chelsea they do not have a squad filled with as many impact players.
In a league filled with huge egos’, one-upmanship is the name of the game and SAF will be secretly pleased that in this opening weekend that United scored five while Chelsea ONLY got three.
On the other side of the ego train, Mourinho and Ferguson’s two biggest rivals were left moaning and scratching their heads.
Arsenal and Arsene Wenger laid the big egg at the opening EPL fixture at Emirates Stadium. In all honesty the smart money should’ve been all over the tie because the pressure to get the win was just too much for the Gunners youngsters – while the Villains were desperate to impress the new boss, Martin O’Neill, with a performance of character and will.
This was achieved in startling fashion with the end result being two massive points dropped by Arsenal to a side that they have not failed to beat in their last 16 Premiership encounters.
The final member of the established challenging quartet, Liverpool, also had their own problems and like United will be missing key players for a number of weeks after crucial opening day injuries. John Arne Riise and Jamie Carragher will have given Rafa Benitez gray hair as the Reds boss saw both players depart in the space of eight minutes before even a half of football had been played.
One can’t be sure if these knocks unsettled what is an experienced team but to drop points to new boys, Sheffield United is unthinkable when their stated goal is to win the title.
Top teams just do not let this sort of thing happen. Cast your minds back to the opening match of last season and Chelsea eking out a decision against Wigan in the 93rd minute. That’s what Championship teams do against the rookies.
Every game in the Premiership is precious and a fast start has become the key to success and failure at both ends of the table. Will Arsenal and Liverpool regret these dropped points – we’ll revisit this in a couple of weeks and find out.
..has got to be John Terry. He's built for the job. It's high time we had a vocal warrior out on the park who get's stuck in, English style instead of a marketing tool!
Wayne Rooney probably isn’t feeling too clever this morning.
His name is dirt after allowing the red mist of frustration to descend upon him in Gelsenkirchen yesterday evening. The English media are in some quarters comparing him to his captain, David Beckham who also felt the 4th estates sting after ‘letting’ his country down during France ’98 against Argentina. I agree there are similarities but the comparison is wrong!
Twenty-four years ago today, a young twenty-one-year-old footballer was also aggravated, angry and full of #### and vinegar – and just like Rooney, this explosive talent carried the hopes of his team and a expectant nation…this players name was, Diego Armando Maradona.
July 2nd 1982 and Argentina, the holders of the World Cup are playing Brazil in the 2nd phase of the tournament in the city of Barcelona, the very city where Maradona played his club football. Argentina though is not the same side that triumphed four years earlier in Buenos Aries. They are aging and tired but in Maradona they have a match winner.
However Maradona has had to play with little support from his teammates and like Rooney he has received some ugly and physical attention from Brazilian defenders – sounds familiar, yes!
In the 85th minute, he snapped and kicked Batista full on as my colleague, Max Bretos likes to say ‘in the capital of Thailand’ – result, red card.
Fast forward four years to Mexico ‘86 and that same player has now matured and is widely regard as the greatest player in the world – a force of nature at the peak of his powers. It is also an acknowledged fact that almost single-handedly, Maradona won the World Cup for Argentina with one virtuoso performance after another. He had mastered the sport of football.
In a way I think it is possible for Rooney to achieve this same greatness because he is almost a clone of the Argentine great. Both players possess incredible balance, power and the unique ability to make surging, mesmeric runs that opponents cannot contain. Both men could score and assist goals from almost impossible situations. Both of them were the focal point of their teams and both of them had a passion and will to win that led them to play on the edge of genius and yet at the same time tip towards the scale of madness.
In 2010, Wayne Rooney will be almost the same age as Maradona was when he won the World Cup. No doubt by then he will have matured and learned to contain the rage that is often his driving force – because make no mistake Rooney has all the characteristics to become the best player on the planet. As we all should know by now, history, especially sporting history has an eerie way of repeating itself.
So forget the comparisons with David Beckham, for Beck’s was sent off for petulance against Argentina in St. Etienne. Rooney on the other hand saw red because of his will to win, his desire for the ball, his need to prove himself the best.
Ultimately if Rooney matches the achievements of Maradona, the expulsion in Gelsenkirchen at the AufSchalke Arena will be considered nothing but a learning curve for England’s greatest talent in the last 10 years.
For all the hype, we're simply not good enough to be considered part of the world's footballing elite. Defending like Lions is great but there wasn't enough quality when it counted.
On the bright side at least Sven is gone but on the downside 'mini Sven' takes over. If we could ever learn to take penalties. Three misses is shockingly bad and to think we took the #### out of Switzerland!
I hope there is no aggro, the mood of the punters was pretty ugly as they left.
It is seroiusly hot here in Gelsenkirchen. I'm guessing close to 90 degrees but there is good news for England. The roof on the Schalke Arena will be closed so the temperature should be comfortable for the players.
As is the case at every England match the fans have taken over and reports are estimating that 70,000 supporters will be in the area. 30,000 in the stadium and another 40,000 at the Fan Fest.
Check out my preview of the match over at foxsoccer.com. The general feeling of the fans is will win with ease. I think it will be a lot tighter than that with perhaps, extra-time and even the dreaded spectre of penalties.
Many of you are posting that Germany got all the calls versus Argentina. To be honest, in World Cup history the host nation always seems to get more than their fair share of decisions. I'm trying to think of the most blatant...
2002: South Korea, 1990: Italy, 1982: Spain, 1978: Argentina (karma baby), 1966: England to name a few.
I believe in World Cup play against the hosts you almost have to think in boxing terms. If it goes to points, the holder usually keeps his belt so the challenger knows that his best chance of the victory is the knockout. Argentina didn't finish 'em off.
Italy, England, and France but all have failed to do anything than bore us to tears. Maybe we sould play the WC on FIFA 2006. Surely we could get more entertainment out of them then!
How can a team that on paper looks sensational be so poor out on the pitch?
Individually, the England team is loaded with world class players who perform majestically week in and week out for their respective club teams. However when they put on the shirt of the Three Lions they seemingly lose all that confidence, brashness and ability that makes them such famous names in the Premiership.
It’s not as though the players don’t get along though because you can see by their reactions to each other that they do have positive relationships together.
What the England team does lack is playing chemistry and the ability to bring out the best in each other against supposedly lesser opposition. Whether this is the fault of the players or the man in charge of setting tactics, Sven Goran Eriksson – I’m sure we’ll find out in the weeks to come when the expected ‘tell-all’ World Cup diaries hit the bookstands.
Player ratings v Ecuador
Robinson 4: He doesn’t exactly inspire confidence does he?
Hargreaves 5: Mr. ‘Do it all’ had another solid game but I like him better as the holding general.
Terry 4: How it got the man of the match award defies belief.
Ferdinand 4: Mr. Casual’s passing from the back was very poor.
A Cole 5: One brilliant tackle to save Terry but he’s still showing rustiness.
Beckham 4: The only goal of the game but does he really deserve his place in the side.
Lampard 3: Pants…misses far too many opportunities.
Carrick 5: Began well but faded badly.
Gerrard 5: A couple of driving runs but no finished product.
J Cole 4: A quiet game for a player we now rely on heavily.
Rooney 6: England’s top man from a pure effort basis.
It doesn’t make pleasant reading and neither should it because a performance like this will always leave a bad taste in the mouth? The two pluses are the clean sheet and that we’re in the quarter-finals however another display of this nature will send us packing epecially as we now face our nemisis, Big Phil Scolari.
I can't believe I've travelled for almost 12 hours, had no sleep, hardly anything to eat and now I'm watching one of the most boring games in history. What's going on...are both teams playing for penalties. Actually that's unfair on Ecuador who have had the better chances. Over $150 million of talent on the pitch...what are the instructions from the coach. Do they even have any. Whacking long balls up to Rooney...please! The boy wants it at his feet...aw I give up, just pull my teeth out without painkillers anything just don't force me to ever watch that 45 minutes ever again.
Who will break into the 'B4' and who will avoid the drop. So many questions will be answered over the next nine months because it's back - the greatest show on earth - The Barclays Premier League.
It is seroiusly hot here in Gelsenkirchen. I'm guessing close to 90 degrees but there is good news for England. The roof on the 
