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-Göran 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?

___________________
Liverpool Champions of Europe 2005!


TA's NFL survival League winner 2006!

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...

Last edited by evil_bastard on Aug-14-2006 at 09:58

Lennon ftw

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