Comments on: So Is Beckham Really Coming?

By: Ian

Ian — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 22:13:01 +0000

Frankly, I very much doubt Euro 2008 is going to be an issue. With or without Beckham, England has a long climb to get into the finals with their recent form.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 20:36:00 +0000

I don’t doubt Beckham would give 100% on the field for L.A.. My point was rather that when he was signed, those who felt it was more than a marketing-gimmick made the point that Beckham did seem truly to care about developing U.S. soccer, and seems to have some kind of fascination with America and its sports.

But if he has a bitter taste for being denied one last year in Europe by the Galaxy, IF he requests a transfer and is denied – potentially costing him a spot at EURO 2008, a final chance to win a major trophy – it’s hard to see him working as hard for the American game off the field as he might otherwise have.

By: graham

graham — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 20:17:33 +0000

The Premier League is overrated. I would only bother to watch Man Utd, Arsenal & Spurs.

True English football exists in the football league (sponsored by Coca Cola).

As for any Beckham knighthood, if it happens it will be the last act of that publicity-hungry, bandwagon-jumping, liar, war-criminal and charlatan Tony Blair courting one last fling with public popularity.

Personally I believe that when Beckham joins galaxy you will see nothing less than the 100% effort he has given to every game he has played in over the last 10 years or so.

good luck to him, just don’t let him get involved in a penalty shoot-out.

His England re-call was the last-ditch attempt of the desparate and useless steve mclaren to try and keep his job. His England future is guaranteed as long as mclaren is there.

By: Diane

Diane — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 17:43:22 +0000

Laurie and Tom, I missed your posts while I was typing. Laurie, I completely agree about quality of La Liga, and particularly breathtaking these weeks (I made need life support for last two matches).

Tom, Beckham is enthusiastic on any pitch, he seems almost to have blinders on as soon as he laces up his boots. Look at all the stuff that’s been written, by anyone who’s shared a dressing room with him, about his ability to leave all craziness at the door and almost become a kid again in training and at matches. He may not be a rocket scientist, but he’s a big boy and there’s not much he doesn’t know about the world of football. He’s been doing this professionally since he was 16, and I’m pretty sure he was well aware of the pros and cons (real and potential) of his decision before he made it.

Until I hear a quote from Beckham to the contrary, I’m assuming he’s sad as anyone to leave teammates, club and home cities, but as excited to come to the U.S. as he ever was. Of course, I’ve been waiting to see what that will mean to the world since January 12th and hoping for the best, I just don’t think that’s changed any.

By: Diane

Diane — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 17:19:14 +0000

Becks is the only one who HASN’T mentioned the possibility. As a matter of fact the closest he got was in response to a question at Friday night’s post-match press conference when he said, “it’s never going to happen.” Obviously we never say never in sports but…
I like this column by Gary Lineker (48 goals in 80 appearances for England) who knows Beckham and has had some similar experiences, there a bunch about the match but also the most sensible comment about Beckham outlook on going West:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1YourView&xml=/sport/2007/06/03/sfnlin03.xml

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 17:11:54 +0000

There’s no way Becks gets out of his contract, I agree. On the other hand, a patently unenthusiastic Becks would be a big problem for MLS, so it’s conceivable he could force a transfer. Wasn’t the whole point that he was excited about developing American soccer, etc? What good would a jaded Beckham away on international duty half the time even do?

This is getting ugly, fast.

By: Longshoe

Longshoe — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 16:57:12 +0000

I would be shocked if he doesn’t show up in a Gals uniform this summer. A lot of the comments coming out sound really similar to the comments Capello and the Real Madrid staff were making when he made the initial decision. They sound like jilted exes, complaining that the new girlfriend isn’t as pretty, cool, or popular.

I enjoy watching the EPL, but La Liga is far ahead of it for overall quality. I’d still much rather watch Toronto-Colorado than Bolton-Man. City. MLS is doing fine, and will continue to get better.

By: Ian

Ian — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 16:07:22 +0000

I do hope Becks makes it over the pond, but I hope he does it (a) without a knighthood (Come on, there’s no way he deserves it, not yet), and (b) if possible, without his wife. How much crazier would be media craze be for a newly single Becks? The US celebrity market is pretty much based around 16-year-old girls, so this would be ideal for MLS ticket sales in that somewhat underrepresented demographic. Either way, if he tries to get out of his contract, he will show that he is entirely undeserving of a knighthood – isn’t there something in the fine print about honoring your commitments? – and he’ll lose the respect I have, at long last, begun to have for him.

Don’t do it, Becks.