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David Beckham?

Beckham the history man
By Matt Dickinson, Chief Football Correspondent

DAVID BECKHAM declined to announce his retirement from international football yesterday, but Steve McClaren had already done that for him. While the Real Madrid midfield player talked of fighting to regain his England place, head coach and player know that their conversation this week was not au revoir but adieu.
Beckham will not play for his country again � certainly not if McClaren sees out his four-year contract � and the former captain knows as much. It is a subdued end, and a sad one, for a player who has dominated English football for so long, but McClaren was only being polite when he said that the door was still ajar.



�We spoke on Monday and I said I was planning for the future, looking to go in a different direction, and David was not included in that,� McClaren said. He now has three right-wing options in Aaron Lennon, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Steven Gerrard in his squad to face Greece at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Beckham, 31, would argue that he remains one of the best 23 English footballers and certainly deserving of a place ahead of Wright-Phillips, but his omission is not down simply to age or his disappointing World Cup form.

McClaren denied that he was �sending out any statement�, but there were always going to be wider, symbolic implications. Having decided that he could do without Beckham in his starting XI, he took the decision to omit the player entirely and, in doing so, make a very clear break with the Sven-G�ran Eriksson era.

�It was always going to be a difficult and big decision, but I felt it was one I had to make,� McClaren said. �It was the sort of conversation that happens in football quite a few times. Of course it was difficult because of the player David is and the working relationship we�ve always had over many years, the respect I�ve got for him and he�s got for me. Things do move on and that�s basically what I said and he accepted it.�

Beckham released a statement in which he claimed that �my passion for representing my country remains as strong as ever�, but he is not expecting to add to his 94 caps.

His absence inevitably overshadowed the selection of Dean Ashton, the West Ham United striker, and the omissions of David James and Sol Campbell in a squad that contains only one player, Gary Neville, over 30. Wayne Rooney, who has a groin injury, was also left out.


wtf ?!? why is this happenin??
we dont really get much indepth news about football here in the states so english natl. team fans respond to this.

Either one of two reasons:

1) Mclaren is not as dumb as we thought and realized that there are younger and more promising players than beckham who can do more than just stick in a good free kick.

2) Mclaren is dumber than we thought and is just omitting Beckham to hog the headlines and make it look like he realizes that there are better and more promising players than beckham who can do more than just stick in a good free kick.

quote:

Originally posted by raveed Either one of two reasons: 1) Mclaren is not as dumb as we thought and realized that there are younger and more promising players than beckham who can do more than just stick in a good free kick. 2) Mclaren is dumber than we thought and is just omitting Beckham to hog the headlines and make it look like he realizes that there are better and more promising players than beckham who can do more than just stick in a good free kick.

football games are won when the ball is stopped that dimension of the game cannot be ignored at all and whos better then playing a stopped ball then beckham..

quote:

Originally posted by chach football games are won when the ball is stopped that dimension of the game cannot be ignored at all and whos better then playing a stopped ball then beckham..

If you watch football religiously, you'l notice that it is usually the weaker teams that make a habit out of winning games through free kicks and especially corner kicks.

Beckham was probably the best in dead ball situations but his overall contribution as a player and a leader were well below what is expected of you when you play for England but because he was david beckham - the golden boy of the media who had the manager by the balls, he kept starting and as a result other players such as SWP and recently Aaron Lennon suffered.

Personally, I feel bad for Beckham because I love him for what he did at Manchester United but for the future of the English team, I think it is a very good move.

I don't really give a shit about this, and Steve McClaren is going to ruin England.

quote:

Originally posted by zoric I don't really give a shit about this, and Steve McClaren is going to ruin England.

+1

beckham didnt realy excell in the world cup 2006 nor the euro 2004 or 2002 world cup..

quote:

Originally posted by chach football games are won when the ball is stopped

thats ridiculous, you clearly know fuck all about football

quote:

Originally posted by Az thats ridiculous, you clearly know fuck all about football

I think he meant that they can be won quite well if you have a good foot like Beckham, but as he hasn't scored from a free kick for england in 3 years until the world cup I think the thing that got him famous really wasn't to scratch.

We Have great potential with Lennon, and I think he could be as good, if not better than Beckham, and holding him back to make Beckham feel better and get his 100caps would be wrong.

McClaren will ruin England though, its like salt on a wound Sven left.

Phil neville and Kieran Richardson?

McClaren is making a mistake.

This is a publicity stunt and Beckham is the sacrificial lamb. McClaren wasn't anyone's favourite for the England job, he won the job by default and he is desperate to stamp his "authority" on the England squad. He has tried to do this by dropping one of the world's most famous players. I believe it's his first mistake as England manager, he's on an ego-trip. Beckham is past his best, nobody denies this, and he will be worse by the time Euro 2008 comes around. But G.Neville is in the squad and he will not be good enough by 2008 either, it smacks of double standards. Now is a good time to start blooding their long-term replacements. But to see players like Jenas, P.Neville and Richardson in the England squad while Beckham is dropped is utterly ridiculous, these players aren't fit to lace his boots. We're talking about a player who has vast amounts of international experience, someone who plays week in, week out for one of the world's biggest clubs. Beckham can do a much better job than any of these players and we may come to need him. When the shit hits the fan, will you be looking to Kieron Richardson to dig us out of trouble? I seriously fucking hope not.

I'm also very sceptical about Aaron Lennon, for me he has done nothing to deserve his place in the England team. That's a spot you must earn, and Gerrard, Wright-Phillips, even Pennant and Milner have shown more to earn that place than him. I just don't see Lennon filling Beckham's boots. Personally I would play Gerrard on the right wing (where he was excellent for Liverpool last season) with Lampard and Carrick in the middle.

Beckham still has a lot to offer, like most of the England side he was very restricted under Eriksson's unfamiliar so-called "tactics". As Lineker points out, it may not be long before England fans are praying for him to come back, as they did with Alan Shearer. Beckham has been the victim of a media hate-campaign and much of the country has turned against him. If they do ask him to come back, I hope he tells them to shove it up their arse. Like Shearer and Lineker before him, Beckham will be more respected as a former player than he ever was as a player.

Sometimes you don't realise what you've got until it's gone...

Lennon ftw

Pennant will be 1st choice right winger by the time the Euro comes around.

Spot on post there Evil_bastard. Considering beckham scored crucial goals in the world cup from free kicks and help set another ones up against T&T its amazing how he can be dropped.

Probaly not good enough for starting 11, but definitly should be in the squad.

I honestly believe we'll score more from dead ball situations without him. In his last two years at united they only scored from one corner! Gerrard, Lampard, Joe Cole, Rooney etc... are all perfectly capable free kick takers, and having a player that will actually take defenders on playing on the right wing will open up defences more often than the (very) occasional 50 yard pass that comes off.

I respect Beckham and wanted to love him but it never happened during his tenure. He's 31 plus, can't beat a man and doesn't have much pace. His heart is there but his time has come perhaps. I don't see what's wrong with having him on the bench but it's time to give the younger boys a shot at starting. SWP deserves a chance and Lennon more than proved himself capable.

I like how McClaren has a rebuilding focus and is going for youth. We'll see soon enough if he's on the right track.

He never could beat a man though could he. We've been watching him for years and it's never been a part of his game.

We all know what Beckham can and can't do and I don't think his game has changed at all, he's still a very hard working wide player with a great engine who will rarely ever concede possession and who will provide quality consistent balls from deep. He's also adept at switching the play, spraying passes from one flank to the other to open up different options.

England played way too deep in the world cup, as they did in Euro 2004. We should have been 15 yards further up the pitch. Eriksson plied his trade in the Italian league and tried to get the English to play the same way, it never worked. It didn't just restrict Beckham, it restricted the rest of the midfield and espescially the strikers. Beckham is at his most dangerous when there are men in the box or attacking the box, this has always been the way. Of course he doesn't have the pace to burn up the flanks on the counter attack, he's not Thierry Henry.

Use him properly and he's still a major asset to have in the squad. He plays for Real Madrid week in week out but apparently isn't good enough for the England squad. McClaren has dropped the first bollock of his England tenure.

I expect McClaren to make a decent start with England, but ultimately to fuck it up. The players know with a new manager coming in that changes will be made and there will be massive competition for places, with players busting a gut to impress. As Alan Hansen said, England beating Germany 5-1 was the worst thing that could have happened, everyone suddenly thought Eriksson was a genius and the FA handed him a massive contract. Ultimately when the chips are down you look to your experienced players, Italy turned to older heads like Materazzi, Gattuso and Cannavaro when the going got tough, France turned to Zidane, Vieira, Henry. When they had to dig deep those players were there for them. I think Beckham's absence is going to be leave a hole in the England squad, he's going to be a harder act to follow than many people think.

quote:

Originally posted by Az I honestly believe we'll score more from dead ball situations without him. In his last two years at united they only scored from one corner! Gerrard, Lampard, Joe Cole, Rooney etc... are all perfectly capable free kick takers, and having a player that will actually take defenders on playing on the right wing will open up defences more often than the (very) occasional 50 yard pass that comes off.

Off the top of my head I can think of a few moments when he's been there for us in recent times, when we needed someone to step up and produce. England-France two years ago, the game is very finely balanced, we need something special. Beckham whips in a perfect free kick and Lampard steers a header it into the top corner. 1-0. Against Portugal, and England are losing 2-1 in extra-time with time running out. Beckham swings in a corner and Lampard is there at the near post to smack it in. Ultimately we lost both games, Zidane scored twice at the death to defeat us and Portugal beat us on penalties, but the point is that when the pressure was on and we needed someone to produce for us, Beckham was there. (I don't include his penalties in this!). The World Cup, and England are on the verge of an embarrassing draw against Trinidad and Tobago. Beckham swings in a cross and Crouch is left with a comfortable header, our blushes are spared. It's a vital goal, as England avoid a tricky tie with Germany in the last 16. Against Ecuador and England are being frustrated. Ecuador have already hit the bar and the game is not going well for us. Beckham steers in a beautiful free kick and England are through to the quarter finals.

Can you see Lennon producing these moments for us, when the chips are down and we're battling it out with Germany, Italy, Brazil, Spain or Argentina? Is he going to make the difference for us?

quote:

Originally posted by evil_bastard Can you see Lennon producing these moments for us, when the chips are down and we're battling it out with Germany, Italy, Brazil, Spain or Argentina? Is he going to make the difference for us?

Lennon was pretty much an unknown at the start of the last season and even mid way through the season but suddenly matured into a good player very quickly. Its still to soon to say what a difference he will make but his skills and playing style seem very similar to Arjen Robben and if anyone can use pace in their team right now, it has to be england.

I'd prefer Wright-Phillips or Kieron Dyer (if he proves his fitness).

I can see these players not having to rely on stepping up and producing at a vital moment. Wright - Phillips, Lennon, Dyer etc.... all unlock defences with their pace, an option England have needed for a number of years now. I'm sure if we do need someone to step up and produce against the big teams, Gerrard, Rooney, Lampard, Cole etc... will be the ones to do it.

Well, I hope you're right, because we'll need more than pace against the best defences in the world.

indeed we will, but Beckham hasn't been the one to unlock them in the past has he?

I agree with your sentiments, Beckham hasn't set the world alight in the last few years but I put this down more to poor tactics than his own inadequacies. Lampard and Gerrard have struggled too yet they are supposed to be world class players in the peak of their careers.

Something's not right and I don't think removing Beckham is going to solve the problem. We need better tactics and better coaching, we need a well drilled unit, every man must know his role and responsibilities, the midfielders must know each other inside out and they must be very familiar with the type of runs the strikers make and the type of balls they like to receive. We have the players to win a European Championship, we have the players to win a World Cup, but to do so we must achieve these tasks. 11 disjointed individuals will not bring home the world cup, no matter how hard they try. Eriksson was rubbish at this, I think McClaren will be a slight improvement but ultimately we need better, we need much better. I can't stand Venables but he did have us playing some decent football in Euro 96, we haven't played like that for a long time.

I would say Beckham has been disappointing in recent years because of the high standards that he set, but the same can be said of Lampard and Gerrard. Removing Beckham does not remove the problem.

I'ld say he was one of the better ones of the english squad during thr WC but still deserved to be dropped, that pretty much says everyting bout english national football atm.

quote:

Originally posted by The_G0dfather I'ld say he was one of the better ones of the english squad during thr WC but still deserved to be dropped, that pretty much says everyting bout english national football atm.

lol, and yet many of those same players are the best players on their clubs in the season. England's problem is psychological, tactical and adjusting to the international game, which is a large bit LESS physical and MORE pussy.

England have the parts but they have yet to find a manager who can assemble them all together for all the world to see how brilliant they can be. But I honestly don't know if I"ll ever see that result.

When they do have it all together, like in 90, 96, 2002, etc, something stupid happens like a blown call or they lose on penalties.

Point is...Beckham was Sven's poster boy. Sven is gone. Time for a change. Beckham can always be brought back in to save the day once again if things go ill for McClaren next month.

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