It's funny how a bit of time and distance can put a bit of perspective on a players merits.
I used to feel like a voice in the wilderness for holding the opinion that he was a very good footballer, perhaps even exceptional in some respects, but IMO he has never been anything approaching world class or worthy of some of the accolades he is getting on here and the media. Let's get this in perspective, fine player though he was I don't think he had ever been the best player at his club let alone among the best in his generation.
Anyway it's churlish to dwell on the negatives, let's focus on his many positives both as player and as a person and for that reason I hope he stays involved in football and the FA in particular.
Total and utter respect for him as a player and a person, a fantastic ambassador for British Football and probably one of the most inspirational players the world over, who is responsible for many of the youth players of today -aspiring to be a Beckham and thus got- involved in the game. I sincerely hope this fast-failing country recognises his contribution to sport and a. rewards him - knighthood - yea why not ! and b. ensure he remains involved in the game...although I suspect DB will do this of his own accord
Well done Mr Beckham, I for one, think you have conducted yourself admirably through you career.
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Think you'll find that most comments towards Beckham aren't based on ability, but more admiration for the character and the icon that he is.
Infact, the more digs at his ability that are cropping up - the more underrated he is becoming. Especially considering he has won more in the game than 99% of other footballers who plied their trade at the top level.
As for not achieving anything with England......Sorry, but that is an absurd comment. Ok he may not have won the World Cup or European Championship, but he became the most capped outfield player in the history of the nation where Football was born. I'd call that one of the greatest, if not, THE greatest achievement we've seen from an England player since 1966.
So shirt sales and using him in adverts and the like would never have swayed anyone's decision to sign him? They're also 4 big clubs with more money to invest than most.
At his peak, I'd also say Juninho and Marcos Assuncao were better free kick takers.
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Think you'll find that most comments towards Beckham aren't based on ability, but more admiration for the character and the icon that he is.
Infact, the more digs at his ability that are cropping up - the more underrated he is becoming. Especially considering he has won more in the game than 99% of other footballers who plied their trade at the top level.
As for not achieving anything with England......Sorry, but that is an absurd comment. Ok he may not have won the World Cup or European Championship, but he became the most capped outfield player in the history of the nation where Football was born. I'd call that one of the greatest, if not, THE greatest achievement we've seen from an England player since 1966.
You say that reaching 100 caps is the greatest achievement. Hardly littered with achievements anyway. The teams of 90 and 96 achieved more than Beckham by playing in semi finals and they did it with far less talent in the team.
Its not absurd to say he achieved nothing. The nation have constantly slated the england team for years because of damning failure after failure. Beckham has had the same amount of involvement as the rest. Apart from the argie game i can't remember us beating anyone of note or Beckham standing out. But it seems he is well above the rest and you daré not say otherwise or you get shouted at by his fanatics.
Good luck becks (not like you need it), and thats me done on this subject. *cowers *
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Think you'll find that most comments towards Beckham aren't based on ability, but more admiration for the character and the icon that he is.
Just to follow up on something Tom highlighted there.
Can anyone name a better right midfielder this country has produced over the last 40 years ?
I'm struggling to think of one. So if the best player in his position over a 40 year period is not classed as a great player, then i think you know very very little about football.
Great players do not start and end with Ronaldo and Messi.
Was having the discussion at work earlier about whether Beckham is the most famous man in the world. I was arguing that he was. Others said Barack Obama or tiger woods.
My point was that i can imagine kids in Asia or Africa knowing who Beckham is, but they might not know who Obama is.
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Think you'll find that most comments towards Beckham aren't based on ability, but more admiration for the character and the icon that he is.
Infact, the more digs at his ability that are cropping up - the more underrated he is becoming. Especially considering he has won more in the game than 99% of other footballers who plied their trade at the top level.
As for not achieving anything with England......Sorry, but that is an absurd comment. Ok he may not have won the World Cup or European Championship, but he became the most capped outfield player in the history of the nation where Football was born. I'd call that one of the greatest, if not, THE greatest achievement we've seen from an England player since 1966.
You say that reaching 100 caps is the greatest achievement. Hardly littered with achievements anyway. The teams of 90 and 96 achieved more than Beckham by playing in semi finals and they did it with far less talent in the team.
Its not absurd to say he achieved nothing. The nation have constantly slated the england team for years because of damning failure after failure. Beckham has had the same amount of involvement as the rest. Apart from the argie game i can't remember us beating anyone of note or Beckham standing out. But it seems he is well above the rest and you daré not say otherwise or you get shouted at by his fanatics.
Good luck becks (not like you need it), and thats me done on this subject. *cowers *
With respect, the 1990 team had some top class players, Shilton, Walker, Pearce, Gascoigne, Platt, Waddle and Lineker were fantastic players and would have got into most teams.
The 1996 team was useful too but for me the 1990 was the best England team of my lifetime and far better than the show ponies of the Golden Generation who - the win against the Argies apart - never did it in the big games.
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Think you'll find that most comments towards Beckham aren't based on ability, but more admiration for the character and the icon that he is.
Just to follow up on something Tom highlighted there.
Can anyone name a better right midfielder this country has produced over the last 40 years ?
I'm struggling to think of one. So if the best player in his position over a 40 year period is not classed as a great player, then i think you know very very little about football.
Great players do not start and end with Ronaldo and Messi.
If you were to say "the best brazilian striker" over a 40 year period then yes, greatness would be mentioned but " best english right midfielder"? Do me a favour.
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Think you'll find that most comments towards Beckham aren't based on ability, but more admiration for the character and the icon that he is.
Just to follow up on something Tom highlighted there.
Can anyone name a better right midfielder this country has produced over the last 40 years ?
I'm struggling to think of one. So if the best player in his position over a 40 year period is not classed as a great player, then i think you know very very little about football.
Great players do not start and end with Ronaldo and Messi.
If you were to say "the best brazilian striker" over a 40 year period then yes, greatness would be mentioned but " best english right midfielder"? Do me a favour.
He would get into an England XI for the last 40 years by being the best right midfielder.
I personally would go one further and say he would probably get into an all time England XI.
But some will always have an agenda against him. Like previously stated on here, jealousy often has a lot to do with it.
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Think you'll find that most comments towards Beckham aren't based on ability, but more admiration for the character and the icon that he is.
Just to follow up on something Tom highlighted there.
Can anyone name a better right midfielder this country has produced over the last 40 years ?
I'm struggling to think of one. So if the best player in his position over a 40 year period is not classed as a great player, then i think you know very very little about football.
Great players do not start and end with Ronaldo and Messi.
If you were to say "the best brazilian striker" over a 40 year period then yes, greatness would be mentioned but " best english right midfielder"? Do me a favour.
He would get into an England XI for the last 40 years by being the best right midfielder.
I personally would go one further and say he would probably get into an all time England XI.
But some will always have an agenda against him. Like previously stated on here, jealousy often has a lot to do with it.
How is it jealousy? Yeah I'd prefer to have his life than be stuck behind a desk, but if it was jealousy I'd talk down anyone who's considered very good or great.
I lot of it is a dislike of the media hype, and that's easily confused with a dislike of the person. For example, when he won the title with Madrid. I think they needed to win but were struggling, Beckham came off for Guti and they scored a couple. Cue 'Beckham leads Madrid to title glory' headlines.
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Think you'll find that most comments towards Beckham aren't based on ability, but more admiration for the character and the icon that he is.
Just to follow up on something Tom highlighted there.
Can anyone name a better right midfielder this country has produced over the last 40 years ?
I'm struggling to think of one. So if the best player in his position over a 40 year period is not classed as a great player, then i think you know very very little about football.
Great players do not start and end with Ronaldo and Messi.
If you were to say "the best brazilian striker" over a 40 year period then yes, greatness would be mentioned but " best english right midfielder"? Do me a favour.
He would get into an England XI for the last 40 years by being the best right midfielder.
I personally would go one further and say he would probably get into an all time England XI.
But some will always have an agenda against him. Like previously stated on here, jealousy often has a lot to do with it.
How is it jealousy? Yeah I'd prefer to have his life than be stuck behind a desk, but if it was jealousy I'd talk down anyone who's considered very good or great.
I lot of it is a dislike of the media hype, and that's easily confused with a dislike of the person. For example, when he won the title with Madrid. I think they needed to win but were struggling, Beckham came off for Guti and they scored a couple. Cue 'Beckham leads Madrid to title glory' headlines.
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Think you'll find that most comments towards Beckham aren't based on ability, but more admiration for the character and the icon that he is.
Just to follow up on something Tom highlighted there.
Can anyone name a better right midfielder this country has produced over the last 40 years ?
I'm struggling to think of one. So if the best player in his position over a 40 year period is not classed as a great player, then i think you know very very little about football.
Great players do not start and end with Ronaldo and Messi.
If you were to say "the best brazilian striker" over a 40 year period then yes, greatness would be mentioned but " best english right midfielder"? Do me a favour.
He would get into an England XI for the last 40 years by being the best right midfielder.
I personally would go one further and say he would probably get into an all time England XI.
But some will always have an agenda against him. Like previously stated on here, jealousy often has a lot to do with it.
Just because i disagree it doesn't mean i have an agenda. You show me a man who isn't jealous of becks or any footballer to that end.
You obviously have good knowledge of football but making assumptions about people and getting personal does your argument no good at all.
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Think you'll find that most comments towards Beckham aren't based on ability, but more admiration for the character and the icon that he is.
Just to follow up on something Tom highlighted there.
Can anyone name a better right midfielder this country has produced over the last 40 years ?
I'm struggling to think of one. So if the best player in his position over a 40 year period is not classed as a great player, then i think you know very very little about football.
Great players do not start and end with Ronaldo and Messi.
If you were to say "the best brazilian striker" over a 40 year period then yes, greatness would be mentioned but " best english right midfielder"? Do me a favour.
He would get into an England XI for the last 40 years by being the best right midfielder.
I personally would go one further and say he would probably get into an all time England XI.
But some will always have an agenda against him. Like previously stated on here, jealousy often has a lot to do with it.
How is it jealousy? Yeah I'd prefer to have his life than be stuck behind a desk, but if it was jealousy I'd talk down anyone who's considered very good or great.
I lot of it is a dislike of the media hype, and that's easily confused with a dislike of the person. For example, when he won the title with Madrid. I think they needed to win but were struggling, Beckham came off for Guti and they scored a couple. Cue 'Beckham leads Madrid to title glory' headlines.
Yeah, you are right, he was absolute shit..
Where did I say he was shit? A page or two back I said he was very good and unlike most English players, showed real ambition by moving abroad. I even said it was more a dislike of the media than Beckham.
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Think you'll find that most comments towards Beckham aren't based on ability, but more admiration for the character and the icon that he is.
Just to follow up on something Tom highlighted there.
Can anyone name a better right midfielder this country has produced over the last 40 years ?
I'm struggling to think of one. So if the best player in his position over a 40 year period is not classed as a great player, then i think you know very very little about football.
Great players do not start and end with Ronaldo and Messi.
If you were to say "the best brazilian striker" over a 40 year period then yes, greatness would be mentioned but " best english right midfielder"? Do me a favour.
He would get into an England XI for the last 40 years by being the best right midfielder.
I personally would go one further and say he would probably get into an all time England XI.
But some will always have an agenda against him. Like previously stated on here, jealousy often has a lot to do with it.
How is it jealousy? Yeah I'd prefer to have his life than be stuck behind a desk, but if it was jealousy I'd talk down anyone who's considered very good or great.
I lot of it is a dislike of the media hype, and that's easily confused with a dislike of the person. For example, when he won the title with Madrid. I think they needed to win but were struggling, Beckham came off for Guti and they scored a couple. Cue 'Beckham leads Madrid to title glory' headlines.
When he won the title with Madrid.... He was the team leader for assists!
So yeah could be seen that Beckham lead them to glory.
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Think you'll find that most comments towards Beckham aren't based on ability, but more admiration for the character and the icon that he is.
Just to follow up on something Tom highlighted there.
Can anyone name a better right midfielder this country has produced over the last 40 years ?
I'm struggling to think of one. So if the best player in his position over a 40 year period is not classed as a great player, then i think you know very very little about football.
Great players do not start and end with Ronaldo and Messi.
If you were to say "the best brazilian striker" over a 40 year period then yes, greatness would be mentioned but " best english right midfielder"? Do me a favour.
He would get into an England XI for the last 40 years by being the best right midfielder.
I personally would go one further and say he would probably get into an all time England XI.
But some will always have an agenda against him. Like previously stated on here, jealousy often has a lot to do with it.
How is it jealousy? Yeah I'd prefer to have his life than be stuck behind a desk, but if it was jealousy I'd talk down anyone who's considered very good or great.
I lot of it is a dislike of the media hype, and that's easily confused with a dislike of the person. For example, when he won the title with Madrid. I think they needed to win but were struggling, Beckham came off for Guti and they scored a couple. Cue 'Beckham leads Madrid to title glory' headlines.
When he won the title with Madrid.... He was the team leader for assists!
So yeah could be seen that Beckham lead them to glory.
Just checked and Van Nistelrooy got 25 goals, can't see any Madrid players in the top 10 for assists. It would have therefore been 7 or below, which suggests a lot of people chipped in. Again though, my point is/was more so about the media and that was just one example of unnecessary sensationalism.
National hate figure after France 98. Certainly turned that around.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Think you'll find that most comments towards Beckham aren't based on ability, but more admiration for the character and the icon that he is.
Just to follow up on something Tom highlighted there.
Can anyone name a better right midfielder this country has produced over the last 40 years ?
I'm struggling to think of one. So if the best player in his position over a 40 year period is not classed as a great player, then i think you know very very little about football.
Great players do not start and end with Ronaldo and Messi.
If you were to say "the best brazilian striker" over a 40 year period then yes, greatness would be mentioned but " best english right midfielder"? Do me a favour.
He would get into an England XI for the last 40 years by being the best right midfielder.
I personally would go one further and say he would probably get into an all time England XI.
But some will always have an agenda against him. Like previously stated on here, jealousy often has a lot to do with it.
How is it jealousy? Yeah I'd prefer to have his life than be stuck behind a desk, but if it was jealousy I'd talk down anyone who's considered very good or great.
I lot of it is a dislike of the media hype, and that's easily confused with a dislike of the person. For example, when he won the title with Madrid. I think they needed to win but were struggling, Beckham came off for Guti and they scored a couple. Cue 'Beckham leads Madrid to title glory' headlines.
When he won the title with Madrid.... He was the team leader for assists!
So yeah could be seen that Beckham lead them to glory.
Just checked and Van Nistelrooy got 25 goals, can't see any Madrid players in the top 10 for assists. It would have therefore been 7 or below, which suggests a lot of people chipped in. Again though, my point is/was more so about the media and that was just one example of unnecessary sensationalism.
Comments
I used to feel like a voice in the wilderness for holding the opinion that he was a very good footballer, perhaps even exceptional in some respects, but IMO he has never been anything approaching world class or worthy of some of the accolades he is getting on here and the media. Let's get this in perspective, fine player though he was I don't think he had ever been the best player at his club let alone among the best in his generation.
Anyway it's churlish to dwell on the negatives, let's focus on his many positives both as player and as a person and for that reason I hope he stays involved in football and the FA in particular.
Would you rather be slow but a brilliant crosser or a lightning fast player like Walcott or Lennon with poor crossing ability?
a. rewards him - knighthood - yea why not !
and
b. ensure he remains involved in the game...although I suspect DB will do this of his own accord
Well done Mr Beckham, I for one, think you have conducted yourself admirably through you career.
I think his best england days was the early 2000s. We relied on him then. A lot of attention was put on his set pieces.
As that young squad developed i.e Terry, Ferdinand, Owen, Gerrard, lampard it was clear he was not the best leader on the pitch.
Euro 2004 was a disaster tournament for him. Missed a crucial penalty against France which later proved to shape the group as we then had to play the hosts.I believe he missed another penalty in the shoot out in that game as well but I might be wrong.
This is the time he should stepped down as captain imo.
2006 he done alright. Scored in the round of 16. Same old, same old in the qf.
He was treated badly by McLaren. Never drop a good player to make a statement. Brolly wally made a lot mistakes though. Beckham showed he was a class act off the pitch by remaining silent about McLaren despite probably resenting him. Every time he was asked he made it clear he wanted to play for england if they ever called. This for me is why he got so much Respect from football fans.
I know i sounded critical and troll-like but I believe he is massively over rated for his skills on the pitch. He achieved at international level What pretty much the rest of the golden generation did. Nothing. He had all the charisma and style like Bobby Moore but unlike the World cup winning captain never had the skill on the pitch to Match it.
Real madrid
Ac milan
PSG
World class teams
Employing world class players
becks was world class
Infact, the more digs at his ability that are cropping up - the more underrated he is becoming. Especially considering he has won more in the game than 99% of other footballers who plied their trade at the top level.
As for not achieving anything with England......Sorry, but that is an absurd comment. Ok he may not have won the World Cup or European Championship, but he became the most capped outfield player in the history of the nation where Football was born. I'd call that one of the greatest, if not, THE greatest achievement we've seen from an England player since 1966.
At his peak, I'd also say Juninho and Marcos Assuncao were better free kick takers.
Its not absurd to say he achieved nothing. The nation have constantly slated the england team for years because of damning failure after failure. Beckham has had the same amount of involvement as the rest. Apart from the argie game i can't remember us beating anyone of note or Beckham standing out. But it seems he is well above the rest and you daré not say otherwise or you get shouted at by his fanatics.
Good luck becks (not like you need it), and thats me done on this subject. *cowers *
Can anyone name a better right midfielder this country has produced over the last 40 years ?
I'm struggling to think of one. So if the best player in his position over a 40 year period is not classed as a great player, then i think you know very very little about football.
Great players do not start and end with Ronaldo and Messi.
My point was that i can imagine kids in Asia or Africa knowing who Beckham is, but they might not know who Obama is.
What do we think?
The 1996 team was useful too but for me the 1990 was the best England team of my lifetime and far better than the show ponies of the Golden Generation who - the win against the Argies apart - never did it in the big games.
I personally would go one further and say he would probably get into an all time England XI.
But some will always have an agenda against him. Like previously stated on here, jealousy often has a lot to do with it.
I love the argument that madrid, PSG, AC, man u sign players for shirt sales
Nothing to do with the fact that the reason these players come to the top is based on football and their ability
; )
I lot of it is a dislike of the media hype, and that's easily confused with a dislike of the person. For example, when he won the title with Madrid. I think they needed to win but were struggling, Beckham came off for Guti and they scored a couple. Cue 'Beckham leads Madrid to title glory' headlines.
You obviously have good knowledge of football but making assumptions about people and getting personal does your argument no good at all.
By the way, this is the game I meant: http://www.rediff.com/sports/2007/jun/18real.htm
So yeah could be seen that Beckham lead them to glory.
the bloke talks geordie shite always has
Another great footballer who shouldve retired into background