david beckham

[Robbie Quaid]

Haha! Some of you that don't live in America are in the dark in more ways' than one! You keep saying Beckham playing in America will cause & inspire more kids' there to play soccer well I have news for you! ... Soccer at the youth level is already in a very healthy state & has been for decades. There are more kids' playing soccer here than in any country in the world! More than in Europe! South America! Even more than England! Will more kids' start playing the game here as the result of Beckham playing in the MLS? Of course they will but the problem with soccer in America has nothing to do with the youth level. The problem with soccer in America is where it's always been! ... At the adult level. You see if you were to walk up to the average middle of the road American sports' fan they would tell you the main reason they don't care for soccer is because it's boring to watch because most games end with low scores! Yes! That sounds silly but it's the truth! A true soccer fan can go to a match & see two good teams' battle it out with the end result being a low score or even a tie & walk away feeling good as they understand the tactics & have respect for two teams' going out playing a good match with players' that have good skills! Most people here that have kids' that play soccer never grew up playing the game themselves so on a personal level they don't find much value in it. American adult sports' fans' for the most part like large numbers! Large scoring games like American football & basketball & even baseball where lot's of points' are put up on the board & soccer will never overtake these sports here as far as popularity goes. It's just not a sport that is grained into the culture here & never will be! As for how I feel about Beckham well, most of you already know so I'm not going to go on like a broken record, always stuck on the same track! Haha! That being said I think Beckham's best quality in the sport has nothing to do with the sport at all. His best quality is he's very media savy! He knows how to get his face out there & like it or not he's always in the publics' eye! Beckham in America will change soccer for the better short term, not long term. There are many, many really great players' that came here before him to try & they all failed! Way I see it is though I don't find Beckham to be a world class player if he can come here & command & get the kind of money he's getting well good for him! The league here cannot afford to play other players' anywhere near what he's getting & that's where the problem lies! No player on top of his game from Europe or South America would agree to come here for anything less then what Beckham is getting & like I said this league, the MLS doesn't have that kind of cash to throw around. It can't compare with the sellout crowds they get week in, week out in the EPL, the German league or La Liga in Spain. In Europe & South America soccer is almost a religion. Here in America it's looked upon as a cheap sport for people to get their kids' into. Come to think of it more girls play the sport here than guys!:D

[dor02]

Your knowledge of football is dreadful and shows you have never played the game before. David Beckham is one of the greatest players England have produced. For football purists it is isnt about razzledazzle skills which are nice to watch but the beauty of the game is watching sides pass the ball so effectively that the other team dont gain possesion for ten minutes or to score the perfect goal from goal to goal with every player having a touch. To say Beckham is overrated is harsh, yes he does recieve a lot more attention than other players but to dismiss his talent is disrespectful. Beckham is the best crosser of a football the world has ever seen, his passing is immaculate and shows how world class a player he is to play right wing and to never have relied on tricks and pace. Also you say the England teams look bright, does it? Our best goalscorer is crocked, our best players are ageing and persist on playing a midfield which hasnt worked for the last 8 years and im english.Beckham is the most overrated player ever. Sure, he was good and sometimes he was very good but he was never great. The media hype around him is too big. Compared to the greats, he is an average player. If you want to talk about English players, he isn't Matthews, Finney, Gascoigne, Charlton, Haynes or anyone like that. I wouldn't rate him higher than Chris Waddle. Speaking about "Bend it like Beckham", there were many people who were bending balls a long time before Beckham came onto the scene.

[Pakalolo]

just a question: but, how can Beckham be overrated, when the majority of soccer fans think that he IS overrated?

[German Ham]

I don't think Beckham is overrated. Is he one of the best all around midfielders of all time? No. You would never want to put him on an all-time, "all-star" best XI team.

However, he's one of those players who in his prime, any team would kill to have. Because while you wouldn't find him in any "all-time superstars XI" type teams, he deserves consideration IMO in an all-time XI that is actually designed to be a cohesive, functioning, and winning team. As his crosses and incredible free kicks would be invaluable to any team.

I do think though, trhough a mixture of his own ability and because of media coverage that he'll end up being remembered throughout history as maybe the best freekick taker ever.

[Robbie Quaid]

Haha! Beckham, best free kicker ever? I don't think so. In this era there have been many players' from all over the world who are at his level, or above it. Yes of course he takes good free kicks for the most part & his passing is above average as well but that's not enough to be considered a great player. If you think about it he's been lucky enough through his career to be with clubs that were loaded with great players'. In particular his time with Manchester United. His time with United was in a era that United had some very girfted & great players'. When you have a team with a great player, or a number of them they have the ability to make the average one's like Beckham stand out. Let's see how well he does in Los Angeles. He's not going to have anywhere near the quality of players' to work with like he did at United or Madrid. Beckham's best quality related to the sport is he' s very media savy & he has the ability to reinvent himself over & over again. Beckham might not be a world class player but nobody could ever say he's a fool either. I live in Los Angeles & I have to tell you though all the Beckham hype & hoopla has already started to die down! I think people were expecting him to come out in his first match & score a dozen goals & lot's of those people fail to understand something like that doesn't happen. Even with a player who is a striker that is known to have the ability to put the ball in the back of the net often which Beckham clearly is not. These American sports' fans' here just don't for the most part understand the tactics of the game & want to see huge numbers on the scoreboard regardless what sport they are watching & if they leave a sporting event that ended with a low score they feel cheated. I know that sounds silly but that's how the adult sports' fans' see things here. With all the hype & build up for Beckham coming here they were expecting him to score loads of goals every game & we all know that's unrealistic to expect that from any player but that's the problem with sports' fans' here. The only people here that really understand the game are the Europeans' & South American Fan's. They are not the one's that need to be reached ... It's the American sports' fans' that need to be reached!:D

[Leedsunited]

Haha! Beckham, best free kicker ever? I don't think so. In this era there have been many players' from all over the world who are at his level, or above it. Yes of course he takes good free kicks for the most part & his passing is above average as well but that's not enough to be considered a great player. If you think about it he's been lucky enough through his career to be with clubs that were loaded with great players'. In particular his time with Manchester United. His time with United was in a era that United had some very girfted & great players'. When you have a team with a great player, or a number of them they have the ability to make the average one's like Beckham stand out. Let's see how well he does in Los Angeles. He's not going to have anywhere near the quality of players' to work with like he did at United or Madrid. Beckham's best quality related to the sport is he' s very media savy & he has the ability to reinvent himself over & over again. Beckham might not be a world class player but nobody could ever say he's a fool either. I live in Los Angeles & I have to tell you though all the Beckham hype & hoopla has already started to die down! I think people were expecting him to come out in his first match & score a dozen goals & lot's of those people fail to understand something like that doesn't happen. Even with a player who is a striker that is known to have the ability to put the ball in the back of the net often which Beckham clearly is not. These American sports' fans' here just don't for the most part understand the tactics of the game & want to see huge numbers on the scoreboard regardless what sport they are watching & if they leave a sporting event that ended with a low score they feel cheated. I know that sounds silly but that's how the adult sports' fans' see things here. With all the hype & build up for Beckham coming here they were expecting him to score loads of goals every game & we all know that's unrealistic to expect that from any player but that's the problem with sports' fans' here. The only people here that really understand the game are the Europeans' & South American Fan's. They are not the one's that need to be reached ... It's the American sports' fans' that need to be reached!:D

All re-hashed shite.

NEXT!.................


Stereotypes, seriously you don't know what the f*ck you are talking about do you?

Go back to your daily life and take you bell-end posts with you. If you live in LA then it follows from your stupid way of seeing life, that you know f*ck-all about football too.

Seriously fella get out of your bedroom and meet some real people. Duly neg-repped.

[Robbie Quaid]

Haha! What's wrong with you? I'm willing to bet you do not live in America & in particular Los Angeles. Out here Los Angeles/Hollywierd has it's own odd little sub-culture within the American culture. It's a fastfood culture so to say! ... Get them in, take their money, get them out! It's that way with everything here. What I said about the average adult American sports' fan was not to insult them. It was to bring up a point as to how they view soccer here which is the root of the problem. They find the game boring unless there is a high number of goals scored & that's just not the case. As for Beckham well the way he's been hyped up prior to his first game with Los Angeles most people here were expecting the guy to come out & score loads upon loads of goals which as far as I'm concerned is unrealistic but he didn't score loads of goals so lot's of these people will drift off & latch onto the latest hype & craze that rolls into town! So who's the winner, or winners with Beckham in the MLS ... Beckham of course as he's made his money! The owners of the Galaxy of course as they sure have made their money along with the primary investers of the Galaxy & the MLS. That was the game plan all along. Short term gains ... Of Course! Long term gains ... No way! It's not going to happen with soccer here! ... Not in your or my lifetimes anyway sorry to say. Try not being so angry all the time ... Life is far too short!:D

[argentine soccer fan]

I think what this thread needs is this picture:

http://soccernet-akamai.espn.go.com/design05/images/domr/beckham_empics_250x180.jpg

:D

[Robbie Quaid]

Haha! Ole! Argentina guy! That's a good picture! Problem is though in here it's like ... The Cult of David Beckham here & if you speak up about the truth well then ... You end up catching major stick like I do! Haha! Some people don't like to hear the truth I guess:D

[German Ham]

Why is there so much anti-Beckham feeling? The facts are that he IS going to be remembered among the great players of his generation, and he definetly deserves it. Twice runner up in World Player of the Year, and a player who, in his prime, any team would kill to have because of the added dimension of his crosses and free kicks.

And yes, I do believe he's one of the best free kick takers of all time, easily top 5 and maybe higher. Other players have scored just as spectacular or more amazing free kicks (Roberto Carlos' amazing one that curved sharply to the left) but as far as I have seen, nobody has been able to produce so many incredible and high quality free kick goals on a consistant basis as Beckham could.

[Robbie Quaid]

Haha! Hey German Ham not to argue with you but it comes down to the fact we are all differnt & that being said we all have different opinions. Beckham has always been lucky as with his career he has always played on great club sides loaded with great players'. When one is an average player with a team of great teammates of course that player will seem better than he actualy is. Yes David Beckham is fine at crossing & yes he's also very good at free kick's but that doesn't make him a great player! I said it before & I'll say it again his best quality as a player is not the skills he has for playing but more important he's very clever with reinventing himself! He's very media savy & knows' how to keep his name & face in the publics' eye. As a professional playing in Europe even at his peak he was average at best! If you want to talk about great Emglish players' names like Scholes, Gerrard, Rooney, Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton Johnny Haynes & Stanley Matthews should be mentioned in particular the older ones' I've mentioned as just look at their careers & what they did as players' in the game speaks volumes. Beckham is not anywhere near the level of these players' I've just mentioned & never will be but like I said he reinvents himself & if he could go to off all places, out here in Los Angeles & command the kind of money he's getting well like him or not you have to admire the fact that even as an average nothing special player he is able to pull it off!:D

[Pakalolo]

Why is there so much anti-Beckham feeling? The facts are that he IS going to be remembered among the great players of his generation, and he definetly deserves it. Twice runner up in World Player of the Year, and a player who, in his prime, any team would kill to have because of the added dimension of his crosses and free kicks.

And yes, I do believe he's one of the best free kick takers of all time, easily top 5 and maybe higher. Other players have scored just as spectacular or more amazing free kicks (Roberto Carlos' amazing one that curved sharply to the left) but as far as I have seen, nobody has been able to produce so many incredible and high quality free kick goals on a consistant basis as Beckham could.

Juninho in my opinion is better, I think he has a much better ratio [goals/attempts]. But after that it's hard to name a better free kick taker in the last years.

[Leedsunited]

Juninho in my opinion is better, I think he has a much better ratio [goals/attempts]. But after that it's hard to name a better free kick taker in the last years.

I think that David Beckham has a better all round game, though I don't think anyone would complain with Juninho on their team. Roberto Carlos' weakness is that occassionally he scores spectacular goals, but largely he skies them or puts them ten yards wide. Ian Harte had a better free-kick ratio, and I imagine Ronaldinho does, but for importance and class some of the goals Beckham has scored has been amazing. (lobbing our former keeper Neil Sullivan from inside his own half against Wimbledon for example).

Beckham would still be a key player for almost any team in Europe, and I doubt anybody would turn him down. Yes his wages are enormous, but that is largely down to the money the club will make from his image and merchandise. RM made the biggest profits in their history on his back.

[dor02]

I do think though, trhough a mixture of his own ability and because of media coverage that he'll end up being remembered throughout history as maybe the best freekick taker ever.That's why I think he is overrated. He is not the best free-kick taker ever. In his prime, he was great at those but this "Bend it like Beckham" phrase is thrown around too lightly. In nations where football/soccer isn't big, Beckham is made to look like he is the only guy who can bend a ball. Bending balls was an art way before he emerged. It's a shame that newbies can't better acquainted with names like Didi, Rivelino, Zico, Platini, Del Piero and co.

[German Ham]

That's why I think he is overrated. He is not the best free-kick taker ever. In his prime, he was great at those but this "Bend it like Beckham" phrase is thrown around too lightly. In nations where football/soccer isn't big, Beckham is made to look like he is the only guy who can bend a ball. Bending balls was an art way before he emerged. It's a shame that newbies can't better acquainted with names like Didi, Rivelino, Zico, Platini, Del Piero and co.

I know of those players you mentioned and Beckham was still just as good if not a better free-kick taker than they were.

[Robbie Quaid]

Haha! Yeah I heard on the news David ...(Cruise) ... Beckham actually played for Los Angeles thr other night & they still lost so I guess it's safe to say he wasn't able to bend one in that game! Haha! Like I've already said Beckham will help draw a few more people to games here in the states in the MLS for maybe a year tops but that's about it! It's already starting to die down here with all the hype in the press but that's to be expected! He's an above average player here, in the MLS but that's not really saying much! There were many very good players' before him & many now that are much better than he is when it comes to free kicks & passing so German Ham I can't agree with you as no way could Beckham ever be rated one of the best in the world!:D

[Leedsunited]

Haha! Yeah I heard on the news David ...(Cruise) ... Beckham actually played for Los Angeles thr other night & they still lost so I guess it's safe to say he wasn't able to bend one in that game! Haha! Like I've already said Beckham will help draw a few more people to games here in the states in the MLS for maybe a year tops but that's about it! It's already starting to die down here with all the hype in the press but that's to be expected! He's an above average player here, in the MLS but that's not really saying much! There were many very good players' before him & many now that are much better than he is when it comes to free kicks & passing so German Ham I can't agree with you as no way could Beckham ever be rated one of the best in the world!:D

Sorry-you can't rate his effectiveness when he came on, clearly still injured, for less than twenty minutes. Don't rate games you didn't see.

[Robbie Quaid]

Haha! Hey Leeds! I see you have taken your med's as usually you curse me! Anyways your right! I didn't see the game as I have better things to do than watch Beckham in a match in this kickball league they are trying to pass off as a proper soccer league out here ... The MLS! I've seen Beckham play in the past & that's enough for me thank you! Like I said ... Beckham's made his money, so have the owners of that kickball team he play's for & so has the MLS. A year's time from now it will all die down. It's not going to change anything here long term for soccer!:D

[nicephoras]

Lets relax on the personal stuff, mmmmmkay?

[Robbie Quaid]

Haha! It's not actually personal stuff it comes down to personal opinions! Sad to say though some here like to come down on others' who's opinions might differ from their own & then cry foul & run to the Mods' when it's fed back to them! Back on topic ... Los Angeles lost once again & is now near the bottom of the standings in the MLS West! Like I said Beckham really won't make a big impact out here. At least long term anyway!:D