Didn't see this posted in any of the Beckham threads. Mods, please cut and paste as needed. Cause for celebration! We've been promoted to a 2nd rate league in the eyes of Sir Bobby Robson. Beckham must buy into the Real World Keep in mind, this is the same Bobby Robson that once said, "The first ninety minutes of a football match are the most important."
exactly, second rate is surely better than 3rd or 4th rate. Robson makes some points I agree with, and others that I think aren't very accurate: -- playing in a second-rate league in America was no way to prepare for going to the World Cup with England. it is a way to prepare. is it the best way? no. would it be an ok fit for Beckham, an aging player who doesn't need to be playing 50 some club matches a year? I'd argue it would be (but then you'd need to throw in those 10-12 games Beckham can get in with AC Milan or whomever during the winter loan period). And since Capello is the English coach now, I'm not too worried about Robson's thoughts on the best way "to prepare for going to the World Cup with England" (of course, assuming they qualify.) -- One of my good friends, John Carver, is a coach in the MLS and tells me the standard there is higher than you would think. But it's still no substitute for top-class European football. agreed. it is not a worthy substitute for top-class football that is available in some other leagues, but it is a substitute in some sense. -- It's too slow, predictable and there aren't enough good players on the pitch to maintain the sharpness you need to be a top player. agree with him about the lack of good players, but I do think Beckham's recent success (short term as it may be) at AC Milan does indicate that being in MLS for 18 months has in no way really limited his ability "to maintain the sharpness" to "be a top player" -- or at least one who can significantly contribute to a strong side.
Hey, second rate is way ahead of where the english talking heads were putting us 18 months ago! I'll take it.
What's more amusing. Bobby Robson saying this or the fact that we still start threads whenever someone dares say we are not a top league. Yawn, either way.
Somewhat true...You can't compare MLS with EPL, Serie A or La Liga because falls way behind. MLS is more Serie B class.
It's funny how people say things like this so often as if it isn't obvious. No one [sane and realistic] claims MLS is a top-class league in the vein of the Premier League, Serie A, or La Liga. Second rate is a damn good rate for MLS to be.
I see it as a compliment, and one that may or may not be warranted. 1st Rate: EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga 2nd Rate: France, Netherlands, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Russia. 3rd Rate: Scotland, Belgium, Denmark, Romania, Turkey, Greece, Ukraine 4th Rate: Switzerland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Sweden, Norway, Austria I don't know enough to put the other SA leagues in their places, but 3rd-4th for Columbia and Uruguay for sure. If you go by pay scale, we aren't even in the picture yet. I'd say 3rd-4th rate, if you ask me. Probably 3rd.
Define 2nd rate. Eredivisie? Danish League? Portuaguese league? Russian? SPL? Brazilian? Argentinian? J-League? I think we're as good as some these leagues, but certainly not all of them. Third rate seems more accurate. Bigger payrolls, higher salary cap, sold out SSS and more MLS players playing AND starting Europe. We're really a young league.
Maybe it's just me, but when I got to this part... ...I knew it was going to be gold. John Carver? Really? Bobby Houghton wouldn't return your call? How about Ruud Gullit? Carlos Alberto Parreira? Not that it has any effect on my self-esteem or anything like that, but why is it that every former MLS coach that gets quoted in a British fishwrap is always one whose teams got slapped around like Tina got slapped around by Ike? Take the aforementioned Mr. Carver for example. So far, it would appear that he's woefully underqualified to do anything more at BMO Field than sell beer, but somehow, he's allowed to coach the team and run off talented players. ...and to give plum quotes to Sir Bobby Robson about how MLS is second-rate, including presumably, a certain coach in Toronto.
And exactly how have England's finest teams done against our all-stars? How many former and current "stars" have come over here and found they couldn't cut it? (Dr. Goals, anyone?) It cracks me up how snobby some of these Brits are, when it turns out the teams they love to cheer for are all made up of foreign imports. Sure, we've got a ways to go, but MLS is one hell of a lot better than this idiot is giving us credit for.
Everything he said was true. I think many would consider MLS more of a third tier league then second. Second tier leagues are leagues like Norway, Denmark and Belgium. MLS players regularly move there for an upgrade in pay and play.
MLS prepared a significant part of a certain team in 2002 for the World Cup, and that turned out ok. England, of course, with their squad full of players playing against top flight competition, fared much better.
Woah, woah, woah. Where do you get off making sense at a time like this!?! You keep this up and you might get red carded.
Yeah, I laughed out loud when I read that part about his buddy John Carver. Sir Bobby's got a point though. Becks isn't getting any younger. It's too bad he couldn't add another one of his famous quotes to the article: