But now he is one of ours! "Becks still the best..."

[Zitor]

Mirror.co.uk "Becks still the best to cap it all (http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2007/11/17/becks-still-the-best-to-cap-it-all-89520-20120795/)"

Beckham should be judged on talent and contribution alone, not on his critics' view of his lifestyle or on the merits of America's Major League Soccer.

If he's still holding his own, it doesn't matter where he plays, who he lives with or how hot it is in Los Angeles this time of year.

[Stan Collins]

Go Bex . . .

http://www.chivalry.net/wordpress/images/2007/05/15/karate-kid.jpg

You're the best. . . around!

[CardinalSM79]

It was nice of Steve McClaren to recall him from his Californian vacation. Hopefully it will be short-lived because I want to see what younger right sided midfielders like Shaun Wright-Phillips, David Bentley and Aaron Lennon can do in the national team.

However, at the moment we're desperate and Beckham is, well, Beckham. We will just be scoring goals from set pieces rather than open play. Hopefully.

[1nverness Demon]

Becks still the best ???


Best at what? Maybe selling shirts & having the ability of thrusting himself into the media spotlight but that's about it really! He was an average player at best while playing in Europe & maybe an above average player now in the MLS but that's really not saying much as the MLS is the AYSO of professional soccer leagues. As for playing for England's national side well if they need him on the field it just shows how weak of a side they have. Even if England makes it into Euro 08 they won't go far so look for an early exit. The only element of English soccer that deems respect is the EPL & that's because the EPL is loaded with the cream of the crop of imported players'. As for Becks well he's an image built on false hype. He's not a world class player that's for sure!:eek:

[flippin269]

Becks still the best ???


Best at what? Maybe selling shirts & having the ability of thrusting himself into the media spotlight but that's about it really! He was an average player at best while playing in Europe & maybe an above average player now in the MLS but that's really not saying much as the MLS is the AYSO of professional soccer leagues. As for playing for England's national side well if they need him on the field it just shows how weak of a side they have. Even if England makes it into Euro 08 they won't go far so look for an early exit. The only element of English soccer that deems respect is the EPL & that's because the EPL is loaded with the cream of the crop of imported players'. As for Becks well he's an image built on false hype. He's not a world class player that's for sure!:eek:

You obviously didn't see England/Croatia. He's back in his prime. You could see how much better England is with him when he's not on the field and when he's on it and healthy.

I think Beckham is the exact opposite of your statement. I think it's because of his off-the-field fame that makes people totally ignore his strengths and weakness on the pitch. The truth is that Beckham is still one of the best in the world at right-midfield, his crosses are beyond accurate, and he's dangerous when given room.

[1nverness Demon]

You obviously didn't see England/Croatia. He's back in his prime. You could see how much better England is with him when he's not on the field and when he's on it and healthy.

I think Beckham is the exact opposite of your statement. I think it's because of his off-the-field fame that makes people totally ignore his strengths and weakness on the pitch. The truth is that Beckham is still one of the best in the world at right-midfield, his crosses are beyond accurate, and he's dangerous when given room.



Let me pull you from your Beckham wet dreams for a moment. First of all as a pro he's average at best. Yes of course he can cross the ball well & his good at dead ball situations but guess what!!! There are hundreds of professional players' playing all over Europe & South America that do these things better than he. Two of his old teammates from United Gigg's & Scholes both are far better midfield players' than he could ever hope to be & these are just a few names. Like I said Beckham is an above average player in the MLS but that's not saying much as the MLS is the AYSO of professional leagues. It's the only league in the world where he can strut about like King David & that's why he's there. He just couldn't cut in in Europe any longer as he was no longer the key player there. His ego couldn't handle that reality. His time is done! Now he's playing in a rest home of a league where he belongs & he still has a hard time!:eek:

[flippin269]

Let me pull you from your Beckham wet dreams for a moment. First of all as a pro he's average at best. Yes of course he can cross the ball well & his good at dead ball situations but guess what!!! There are hundreds of professional players' playing all over Europe & South America that do these things better than he. Two of his old teammates from United Gigg's & Scholes both are far better midfield players' than he could ever hope to be & these are just a few names. Like I said Beckham is an above average player in the MLS but that's not saying much as the MLS is the AYSO of professional leagues. It's the only league in the world where he can strut about like King David & that's why he's there. He just couldn't cut in in Europe any longer as he was no longer the key player there. His ego couldn't handle that reality. His time is done! Now he's playing in a rest home of a league where he belongs & he still has a hard time!:eek:

If it were January 2007, I'd agree with you. But IMO, Beckham was England's best player today against Croatia, with an honorable mention to Crouch. If anyone's time is done for England, it isn't Becks; it England's horrible defenders. That, and the GK they had isn't ready for the big stage yet. Becks was an asset today more than any other for England. If he's healthy, playing at his current level, and isn't on the roster for World Cup 2010, England would be giving themselves an injustice.

The secret is that Beckham and Crouch are probably the two best role players in England (right midfield and forward). Neither should be a central mid. You have those two in those positions together, and the chances of scoring are much higher at this point than if one's not there, as evident the past two games.

[MLS1FAN]

Let me pull you from your Beckham wet dreams for a moment. First of all as a pro he's average at best. Yes of course he can cross the ball well & his good at dead ball situations but guess what!!! There are hundreds of professional players' playing all over Europe & South America that do these things better than he. Two of his old teammates from United Gigg's & Scholes both are far better midfield players' than he could ever hope to be & these are just a few names. Like I said Beckham is an above average player in the MLS but that's not saying much as the MLS is the AYSO of professional leagues. It's the only league in the world where he can strut about like King David & that's why he's there. He just couldn't cut in in Europe any longer as he was no longer the key player there. His ego couldn't handle that reality. His time is done! Now he's playing in a rest home of a league where he belongs & he still has a hard time!:eek:

This may pain you to hear the truth, but I've listened to the British people and media do nothing but bash (rubbish talk) David Beckham in the past few days, saying he plays for a rubbish league in America and he should be left of the England squad...very disrespectful attacks!
Beckham have done nothing but handled the criticism with class, he has always come through for England and he has never let his country down, but his country men have always let him down...you all should be shamed of the behavior given to Beckham! The most ungrateful set of people on the entire planet, that's how I see it! Beckham, should have started this game and I feel the manager made a bad call in leaving him out the starting line up and England paid for it in the end.
The problem isn't Beckham, it's your domestic league allowing so many foreign Internationals in the Premiership. Even in the American rest home of a league (MLS), we control the amount of foreign Internationals playing on each club so that our domestic players can develop better. You guys will always have a tremendous problem with your Nation team, because your domestic league has foreign talent that's far more superior than your domestic players. You guys talk so much rubbish and believe so greatly into your false realities and that's going to be your down fall. Because while you are thinking your domestic league and National team are the greatest in the world, the rest of the world will be passing you by and becoming much better, example in Croatia an Nation of only 4 million. You can rubbish talk the MLS and call it a rest home of a league, but your harshest realities are with out those foreign players that make your Premiership the best in the world, it's no better than at best a mid level Championship league and below MLS standards. :rolleyes:

[1nverness Demon]

This may pain you to hear the truth, but I've listened to the British people and media do nothing but bash (rubbish talk) David Beckham in the past few days, saying he plays for a rubbish league in America and he should be left of the England squad...very disrespectful attacks!
Beckham have done nothing but handled the criticism with class, he has always come through for England and he has never let his country down, but his country men have always let him down...you all should be shamed of the behavior given to Beckham! The most ungrateful set of people on the entire planet, that's how I see it! Beckham, should have started this game and I feel the manager made a bad call in leaving him out the starting line up and England paid for it in the end.
The problem isn't Beckham, it's your domestic league allowing so many foreign Internationals in the Premiership. Even in the American rest home of a league (MLS), we control the amount of foreign Internationals playing on each club so that our domestic players can develop better. You guys will always have a tremendous problem with your Nation team, because your domestic league has foreign talent that's far more superior than your domestic players. You guys talk so much rubbish and believe so greatly into your false realities and that's going to be your down fall. Because while you are thinking your domestic league and National team are the greatest in the world, the rest of the world will be passing you by and becoming much better, example in Croatia an Nation of only 4 million. You can rubbish talk the MLS and call it a rest home of a league, but your harshest realities are with out those foreign players that make your Premiership the best in the world, it's no better than at best a mid level Championship league and below MLS standards. :rolleyes:


Well the MLS is the AYSO of professional leagues & I think it's safe to the Queen Beck's might have played his last game for England. The English national team is about to be rooted & the old bugger of young boys' bungs old Beck's!

[flippin269]

Well the MLS is the AYSO of professional leagues & I think it's safe to the Queen Beck's might have played his last game for England. The English national team is about to be rooted & the old bugger of young boys' bungs old Beck's!

Then it looks like England won't be seen for 2010 then if that's the case.

Their problem isn't lack of talent; it's lack of tactic from the coaching staffs. And Beckham didn't lose any talent after joining LA Galaxy either. They don't need a player overhaul; they need to hire the best available coach IN THE WORLD, not just in England, and that coach should not give a damn where Beckham or any other player is playing. If they're the best at that position regardless of club, age, etc., they should be on the starting 11. Beckham is currently England's best right midfielder. Don't keep him, and you'll replace him with the 2nd best in England, and they can't afford to have the 2nd best in ANY position if they want to qualify for the next World Cup.

[MLS1FAN]

Then it looks like England won't be seen for 2010 then if that's the case.

Their problem isn't lack of talent; it's lack of tactic from the coaching staffs. And Beckham didn't lose any talent after joining LA Galaxy either. They don't need a player overhaul; they need to hire the best available coach IN THE WORLD, not just in England, and that coach should not give a damn where Beckham or any other player is playing. If they're the best at that position regardless of club, age, etc., they should be on the starting 11. Beckham is currently England's best right midfielder. Don't keep him, and you'll replace him with the 2nd best in England, and they can't afford to have the 2nd best in ANY position if they want to qualify for the next World Cup.

Flippin269, that's also a very good point, but the Brits will never understand that or any other point here due to the fact they are blinded by their own arrogance. Just let them keep thinking they are the worlds best because they invented the game and when reality finally hits them in the next 5 to 10 years the MLS will be one of the world's top leagues. Spain also suffers from the same problem, sign all the world's best players and their National team suffers, when was the last time Spain done anything worth remembering? Britain and Spain lack the junior structure to build their domestic leagues, the competitive pressure for success in the Premiership and La Liga are eminence and spending the money for talent is the easiest and quickest fix at the expense of their junior structures. You can't buy the world's best talent for your National team, you have to pull from your domestic clubs talent pools. So let them keep talking about how pub and rubbish the MLS is and we'll say nothing and just worry about becoming better.
This arrogance reminds me of our NBA and Team USA, we were also very arrogant in thinking until teams like Brazil, Italy, Turkey and China showed us due to our lack of effort and our arrogance, the rest of the basketball world was starting to catching up to us.
American soccer is a sleeping giant and the rest of the world knows that, they remembered Pele and the NASL and so does the MLS, this is the reason for the single entity financial structure. If the MLS should decide tomorrow to abandon their financial structure, with the kind of big money owner/investors in the MLS today, what is it to stop them from becoming a world top league? The MLS is making tons of money every season and this past season was their most lucrative season ever in league history and we all know it's money that makes the Premiership or La Liga the worlds best leagues. The Brits aren't stupid and they are also aware of that, that's why they bash our league so much when we are no threat to them at this point. By signing Beckham, we gave them a taste of what money could do for a new league like MLS, and the reality today is that every Brit knows the MLS regardless of what they my think of our new league. Time is on the MLS side, and time is against them!

[1nverness Demon]

Flippin269, that's also a very good point, but the Brits will never understand that or any other point here due to the fact they are blinded by their own arrogance. Just let them keep thinking they are the worlds best because they invented the game and when reality finally hits them in the next 5 to 10 years the MLS will be one of the world's top leagues. Spain also suffers from the same problem, sign all the world's best players and their National team suffers, when was the last time Spain done anything worth remembering? Britain and Spain lack the junior structure to build their domestic leagues, the competitive pressure for success in the Premiership and La Liga are eminence and spending the money for talent is the easiest and quickest fix at the expense of their junior structures. You can't buy the world's best talent for your National team, you have to pull from your domestic clubs talent pools. So let them keep talking about how pub and rubbish the MLS is and we'll say nothing and just worry about becoming better.
This arrogance reminds me of our NBA and Team USA, we were also very arrogant in thinking until teams like Brazil, Italy, Turkey and China showed us due to our lack of effort and our arrogance, the rest of the basketball world was starting to catching up to us.
American soccer is a sleeping giant and the rest of the world knows that, they remembered Pele and the NASL and so does the MLS, this is the reason for the single entity financial structure. If the MLS should decide tomorrow to abandon their financial structure, with the kind of big money owner/investors in the MLS today, what is it to stop them from becoming a world top league? The MLS is making tons of money every season and this past season was their most lucrative season ever in league history and we all know it's money that makes the Premiership or La Liga the worlds best leagues. The Brits aren't stupid and they are also aware of that, that's why they bash our league so much when we are no threat to them at this point. By signing Beckham, we gave them a taste of what money could do for a new league like MLS, and the reality today is that every Brit knows the MLS regardless of what they my think of our new league. Time is on the MLS side, and time is against them!


You have both shot blanks in more ways than one...


First of all Beckham is done. It's over for him. Second you can go on & on about how England needs to find the best coach out there that will bring in better tactics to the national side. Are you two daft? The national side is built up of quality & talented players' that play great for their club teams. The problem is the majority of this senior side do not play well together. Too many egos' & big heads'. The English FA needs to take a long look at the younger players' already on the senior side & root the rest & start to draw from the under 21 national side as that's where the future is.


You can only blame a manager/managers' for so long but games are won & los on the pitch. It's just as much the players' fault. The facts' are England are a very average national side that have not done anything of substance in over 40 years.:eek:


& by the way Beckham wasn't even picked for the MLS all team. They don't even consider him to be a first rate player here. Most people here think he's here to sell shirts!

[MLS1FAN]

You have both shot blanks in more ways than one...


First of all Beckham is done. It's over for him. Second you can go on & on about how England needs to find the best coach out there that will bring in better tactics to the national side. Are you two daft? The national side is built up of quality & talented players' that play great for their club teams. The problem is the majority of this senior side do not play well together. Too many egos' & big heads'. The English FA needs to take a long look at the younger players' already on the senior side & root the rest & start to draw from the under 21 national side as that's where the future is.


You can only blame a manager/managers' for so long but games are won & los on the pitch. It's just as much the players' fault. The facts' are England are a very average national side that have not done anything of substance in over 40 years.:eek:


& by the way Beckham wasn't even picked for the MLS all team. They don't even consider him to be a first rate player here. Most people here think he's here to sell shirts!

Ok first, the coach thing wasn't my argument, it was Flippin269's argument, you are a little confused and I see his points there with that argument. I strongly agree with you on a few things, the first is too many egos' & big heads', but it's not the players of your National side as much as your society and they are just a product of that. The other thing I agree with you on is the fact that ' England are a very average national side that have not done anything of substance in over 40 years. But unlike the British, us Americans would never knock a man when he is down and call his National team rubbish! Remember small boys grow up and becomes smarter and stronger, always remember that when you are ready to talk rubbish about the MLS again... The upside to England being knocked out of Euro 08, you guys will see more MLS games and actually learn something about the league before you go shooting your mouths off with rubbish. As for Beckham, if he can still be an affective member of that squad, he'll be there still playing and you'll be cheering with the rest of England.

[flippin269]

This deserves a breakdown. Check it...


First of all Beckham is done. It's over for him.


How you figure? England without Beckham against Croatia; 0-2. England with Beckham against Croatia; 2-1. He's one of the very few players who's solid when it comes to playing on the national team. A lot of the other starters on that team are still trying to find confidence when on the national stage.


Second you can go on & on about how England needs to find the best coach out there that will bring in better tactics to the national side. Are you two daft? The national side is built up of quality & talented players' that play great for their club teams. The problem is the majority of this senior side do not play well together. Too many egos' & big heads'.

You just proved why it's all on England's national team coach. If they're quality and talented players that play great for their club teams, why wouldn't they be that good for England? They're all playing for teams like Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea, yet a player for LA Galaxy was England's best player against Croatia. If they don't have a coach who can lead their egos and big heads into dominance, they will never get anywhere. They need a coach who can handle them.


The English FA needs to take a long look at the younger players' already on the senior side & root the rest & start to draw from the under 21 national side as that's where the future is.


McClaren's mistake was when he did exactly what you just said. Carson as goalkeeper is your result.

What they need is to have their best 11, REGARDLESS of age, representing England, and need to have a coach who has good tactics AND can handle their egos. The under-21s should use the friendlies to practice on the national team, but they shouldn't use qualifying matches for practice; they should use qualifying matches to prove how strong their best 11 are.


& by the way Beckham wasn't even picked for the MLS all team. They don't even consider him to be a first rate player here.

This is the only part where you're right. Beckham didn't deserve to be on the MLS all team, and he didn't. That's for two reasons: 1) Beckham was injured half the season and didn't recover until the season was almost over, and 2) There were at least 11 players who honestly played better than Beckham at their positions even when he was playing. That's not a knock on how bad Becks is, that's props to how good MLS is getting. 11 players in MLS had a better season than the best player for England against Croatia. Stop living in the past; American soccer isn't a joke compared to 20 years ago.

[1nverness Demon]

Well I'm not English but I've always admired English soccer. The only true Golden Generation of English soccer was the national team of 1966. The group they have now dispite being made up of some very talented & gifted players' are far from being the Golden Generation as the English media has from time to time pumped them up to be. If anything this English senior national side reminds me a great deal of the present Dutch senior national side which is also loaded to the gills with talent but also loaded with huge egos' as well as big heads' with loads' of in fighting going on & that's why the English & Dutch national sides always seem to come up short when it matters' most.


My point is the English national side it built up of players' that are older & experienced & younger players' that if are under the wings' of a good manager can shine. The older ones' ... Late 20's & above had their shot, had their chance & they should be given their walking papers'. Regardless of who the new national side manager is he needs to focus & draw from the under 21 national program as that's where the future of the program is. Those youngsters' are on par with the best national sides' of that age bracket of the world. They are hungry & loaded with talent so out with the old & in with the new & in the long run England with get much better results at the senior national level.


As for my comments about Beckham well it's just my opinion. He's an above average player in the MLS but far from being one of the leagues best players'. The reason I refer to the MLS being the AYSO of professioanl leagues is that's the reality of the situation there. Though there are some good teams in that league as a whole they cannot go out & splash cash at transfer time like the big clubs' of Europe & that's why they are behind. On a results' level, meaning on the field where games' are won & lost the Galaxy paying all that money for Beckham was total failure. On a corperate level it was a slam dunk as it made the people who put the deal together a huge profit money wise but that's about it.


Beckham is here for only one reason ... To make a huge amout of money & he could care less if the game here grows' or fails' as a result of he being here. That's reality people. Blanco, on the other hand is also here to make money but at least this past season he earned it where it matters' the most ... On the field. It will be an interesting situation with the Galaxy next season as the new manager will not be a puppet for that clown Lalas. Most important he will not kiss up & cater to Beckham's huge all hype & no bite ego. If Beckham doesn't produce on the field where it matters' he will be benched mark my words' on that.


As for all the idiotic Beckham hype that was drummed up some months' back when he came here it's over & done with which is a good thing as it was childish & all the trend & hype following a$$hole lookie loos' that flocked to MLS games this past season to see the Beckham freak show will be MIA this coming season as they will be off to chase the next fad or stupid trend so the real fans' of soccer here in the states can get back to following the game & not have to be subjected to being caught up in a media hyped freak show that is Beckham!:eek:

[flippin269]

Well I'm not English but I've always admired English soccer.


I'm not English either, but I think we both can agree that the FA's arrogance is cripling their national team.



Beckham is here for only one reason ... To make a huge amout of money & he could care less if the game here grows' or fails' as a result of he being here.


I highly disagree here. It's in Beckham's best interest to see the game grow in America, including and especially for financial reasons. $250 Million in salary and endorsements are just a projected number, but him actually making that money is highly dependant on if soccer and MLS grow on the American sports landscape or not. In other words, if he's injured for the next four years like he was this year, he'd be earning far less than if he were able to play well, fill up stadiums, and maintain popularity in the states. Same goes with any other popular athlete here stateside.



As for all the idiotic Beckham hype that was drummed up some months' back when he came here it's over & done with which is a good thing as it was childish & all the trend & hype following a$$hole lookie loos' that flocked to MLS games this past season to see the Beckham freak show will be MIA this coming season as they will be off to chase the next fad or stupid trend so the real fans' of soccer here in the states can get back to following the game & not have to be subjected to being caught up in a media hyped freak show that is Beckham!:eek:

I'm not sure if you heard, but Beckham is healthy again and England is no longer in Euro 2008, so you'll be seeing a LOT more from Beckham in MLS 2008. If anything, the hype will be much bigger because Beckham will actually be at more than five MLS games next year. But it's great for MLS because they need the media hype, and having sellout crowds of 60K doesn't hurt MLS one bit. And if anything, there will be more high-profile signings in MLS this offseason. The fad has just begun, and will probably last until 2010 when soccer will reach it's peak in America (even if Becks were not playing for England at that time)

[1nverness Demon]

I'm not English either, but I think we both can agree that the FA's arrogance is cripling their national team.




I highly disagree here. It's in Beckham's best interest to see the game grow in America, including and especially for financial reasons. $250 Million in salary and endorsements are just a projected number, but him actually making that money is highly dependant on if soccer and MLS grow on the American sports landscape or not. In other words, if he's injured for the next four years like he was this year, he'd be earning far less than if he were able to play well, fill up stadiums, and maintain popularity in the states. Same goes with any other popular athlete here stateside.




I'm not sure if you heard, but Beckham is healthy again and England is no longer in Euro 2008, so you'll be seeing a LOT more from Beckham in MLS 2008. If anything, the hype will be much bigger because Beckham will actually be at more than five MLS games next year. But it's great for MLS because they need the media hype, and having sellout crowds of 60K doesn't hurt MLS one bit. And if anything, there will be more high-profile signings in MLS this offseason. The fad has just begun, and will probably last until 2010 when soccer will reach it's peak in America (even if Becks were not playing for England at that time)


Again not to insult you or argue with you but I still think your missing my point. Here in America we live in a fast food culture. The motto in the corperate world here is ... Create a hype, cause a stir, get them in, take their money, get they out & laugh all the way to the bank counting your profits'! That's it in a nutshell really. Regardless if this Beckham deal suceeds or fails in the long run he's already made his money. He's much more of a businessman than a soccer player. He's here because of the money & that's it. In Europe he was no longer considered top flight. He knew it. Europe sure knew it & he had the perfect ... Exit stage left so to say. Here he's drummed up to be King David. Of course there will be some Beckham hype next season here but nowhere near the level we experienced here this past season. Americans' in general have a very short attention span & become bored easy. I'm not saying Americans' are stupid but the short attention span is just part of the overall culture here.


In corperate America it's all about perfect timing. They take their cue from the Government. It's all about gains & making the most money they can in the shortest amount of time. They have already did this with the Beckham deal & they are not concerned if it last long term or not. If it fails in the long run, the big picture, which it will, it matters' not. They will just bring aboard another European or South American outcast to drum up sales like always. This is why American professioanl soccer sides are so far behind there European & South American counterparts. Here it's all abot making the deal & making a profit where in Europe it's about signing the best players' that will get them good results year in year out which creates a long term fan base which of course creates long term profits.


Just take a long hard look at American culture in general & you will see what I mean. The only people that gain from the system as a whole are the Government & corperate people at the top. As for people like us, meaning you & I & other average people well they sold our a$$ down the road a long time ago. This formula sad to say is also fused into professional sports' & in particular the sport we follow ... Soccer! As for Beckham well, he's here for other reasons'. Other reason than soccer sad to say.:(

[flippin269]

Again not to insult you or argue with you but I still think your missing my point. Here in America we live in a fast food culture. The motto in the corperate world here is ... Create a hype, cause a stir, get them in, take their money, get they out & laugh all the way to the bank counting your profits'! That's it in a nutshell really. Regardless if this Beckham deal suceeds or fails in the long run he's already made his money. He's much more of a businessman than a soccer player. He's here because of the money & that's it. In Europe he was no longer considered top flight. He knew it. Europe sure knew it & he had the perfect ... Exit stage left so to say. Here he's drummed up to be King David. Of course there will be some Beckham hype next season here but nowhere near the level we experienced here this past season. Americans' in general have a very short attention span & become bored easy. I'm not saying Americans' are stupid but the short attention span is just part of the overall culture here.


With the exception of what I have bolded, everything you said is correct. If Beckham fails to succeed in making soccer bigger in America, he'll get money. If he succeeds though, he'll make a lot MORE money because he'd be more marketable.

And you're right, Beckham WAS no longer considered to be top flight when he first signed on to LA Galaxy. But since then, he bounced back (during the 2nd half of the Real Madrid season), and proved he was top flight again the past few games he played for England. He's much better now than he was in January of this year.

And in terms of the American media, they follow money when it comes to sports. Beckham is the 6th highest paid athlete in the world and will be healthy next season; that's going to be enough to create his hype in MLS in 2008.

[Zitor]

Good job you guys! keeping the argument sane and focused on what I expected, when I started this thread. Thank you.
I remember how Maradona was left aside in 1994 South American qualifiers. They thought that he was done, but he still had game. He did it alright and Argentina came to USA 94 despites his personal problems he was still a good (but over the hill) play maker and the ones surround him make el Diego look fabulous.
I believe Beckham can deliver if whoever is surround him can do his part. I hope Capello for the gets the English Job and this time give the lad enough chance to prove himself.

[1nverness Demon]

All in all everyone has good points here. At least it hasn't turned into a name calling match. I'm rather blunt & straight to the point & never sugar coat my opinions or views & sometimes I'm labeled a heritic for my beliefs but such is life. Even though I might not alway agree with you I do respect you as you guys' have enough respect to at least hear me out. Anyways it's been a long day & I just came home from doing my weekend soccer academy so enjoy the weekend. It's time to eat!:D