I'm not convinced he can do anything for this team other than score on the occasional set peice. Clearly he's frustrated with the players around him and his expressions on the field are damning. Galaxy confidence is at an all time low, and Beckhams negativity really isn't helping. He doesn't believe in any of his teamates and it shows. Who can blame him? Maybe. But don't go feeling sorry for this guy because he's a "world class" player embarrassing himself on a pub team. He's getting paid to embarrass himself. Thank god for Ruud and forcing this guy to play 90 minutes. Beckham needs to live up to his hype. He's not yet been a difference maker. He may be the best player on the Galaxy but he's not the best in the MLS by a country mile. He needs to get over himself and start finding ways to encourage the players around him.
to be fair, he was playing with mostly reserves last night. i think we should wait and see if his demeanor changes when the better galaxy players play (ruiz, donovan, babayaro)
I for one and thankful he doesn't try to kid himself into thinking things are just dandy. I like the fact he gets aggravated, at least someone on this f**kin team's got some kind of passion, it seemed like he was the only one out there last night that actually wanted to be on the field. These are pro athletes, they get paid to play, that is their job, this isn't AYSO where little Junior SOB is digging in the middle of the field instead of playing, they don't need encouragement, they are adults, paid adults. They need to get their sh*t together is what they need.
KingsRule is right on! I'm tired of other players on this team who have the touch of a brick wall and no soccer sense whatsoever! I'm frustrated beyond all get out watching the team, WHY SHOULDN'T Beckham be frustrated? Hey, Edson Buddle...pay the freak attention in practice and get better for crying out loud! Hey, defenders, stop banging the ball forward like you're under attack from Pele's Brazil teams! Hey, Josh Tudela, stop running like a chicken with your head cut off so you are sop far out of position, there is absolutely no shape left to the mid!!!! See, I'm more frustrated just typing all that. Keep on playing with passion, Becks!!!!!!
I don't blame him at all. It is frusturating. There is only so much encouragement you can give your teammates after their tenth blown chance from a perfect ball by you. Beckham should have had 3 or 4 assists yesterday. Ruud playing him 90 minutes was pretty insane, if you ask me. But I think it was driven more by marketing and AEG than from a tactical standpoint. And I agree with what those above me have said, its good to show passion, to get upset, to be frusturated. It shows that Beckham really cares. He is not just here for the glamour and money, he really wants to win. And finally, i wouldn't go so far as to say he doesn't trust any of his teammates, he was playing with scrubs and rookies last night.
I'd be pretending to pull out my hair if I was Beckham. He played on the wing -- nobody would give him the ball. He started making runs behind the defense (maybe the first time I'd ever seen him try that consistently) -- passes were skidded into the boards. He dropped back to sweeper and started dishing out long balls -- nobody could receive his perfect passes. He even had to play his own enforcer. Not that he should be above that (and I'm glad he isn't) but c'mon -- somebody takes a cheap shot at any of our guys and that needs a response. The purchase of Beckham may prove to be a disaster for LA -- in terms of players sacrificed, salaries, egos, role confusion, a mental crutch, whatever. I'm not voting one way or the other until at least mid-season when he and Gullit have had some time to truly adjust. But there's no way he's at fault for last night. If I were him, I'd be giving those hacks the Ferguson hair dryer treatment on camera until they represented the shirt properly.
IMO his impact on the field hasn't been what it should be. But it's hardly his fault. It seems that the majority of the Galaxy players, much like all the fans, stop playing and watch what Becks does with the ball. Sorta like stage fright, they stand around like deer caught in headlights. Then when Becks tries to do it all himself, he's found lacking, and everyone jumps on him. The role-players on this team need to step up and answer the call of opportunity
No offense, but I'm not convinced you have any clue what you're talking about. This game is a TEAM game, and one man can't do everything on his own. I lost count of how many great passes he made that were RIGHT ON THE MONEY and the players around him couldn't control them. He's a human being that has emotions and you can tell he absolutely loves this game. He wants to win and seeing the lack of quality around him last night probably got the better of him emotionally. Hell, I know I would be screaming at the top of my lungs everytime one of my teammates mispassed the ball or couldn't control it. I'm surprised he was able to actually control himself as much as he did. So yeah, give the guy a break. He's not Superman. Get back to us mid-season after we've played more than just one game and we'll see if you feel the same way.
From what I saw everyone was trying to give him the ball. Just that those balls were either 5 feet above his head, 7 feet in front of him, or straight to him when he has 2 markers waiting to pounce.
Beckham, and the role he plays, is not one that makes a difference unless the players around him can play the same game. I'm convinced, you, as a self professed Beckham sniffer, don't understand the dynamics of the league he plays in. I truly feel he'll be the death of his team. Surely no fault of his own. No blame given here for last night. He's still the most capable player. Just too big for the team he plays on. Hopefully Ruud can right that. Help him understand that his visible frustration is contributing to the lack of confidence.
Last night's game was pathetic. Beckham was the best player on the field by a country mile. Beckham is not the kind of player that can take over a game ala Riquelme or Zidane. He is a piece to the puzzle and clearly there wasn't enough talent on the pitch last night. He should be pissed. What I liked was his movement, running freely 100% fit. I was so depressed with yesterday's performance, but Ruud needs to see what's he got to work with and for that I give him kudos. My main concern, like everyone's is our centerbacks. Watching Roberts get burned time and time again on simple through balls made me want to vomit. We need defensive help and we need it fast or I hope Ruud has a plan to shore the swiss cheese defense.
1. The title of this thread "David Beckham: A plague in disguise" implies that Beckham is the problem. I don't see anyone making this argument anywhere here. If Beckham is "a plague", how about demonstrating it with some facts and/or plausible arguments that show how we were better off before he got here, and he has destroyed the Galaxy for the forseeable future. I can see how those arguments could be made, I just don't see anyone making them in this thread. 2. The point of this thread seems to be "LA Sucked in last nights game", which I think everyone can agree on. However, as many other posters have already pointed out, the team on the pitch last night consisted of at least 5 guys that we may never see again. In addition, if anyone read any of the press reports, you'd know that Ruud was treating this as a pre-season run-up where he wanted to blood a bunch of young guys and make sure none of his other guys got hurt. Therefore, you can't take much away from this game. The 2008 Galaxy may, in fact, be the worst team in the history of MLS. However, what we have seen so far does nothing to prove or disprove this statement.
While I don't agree that Beckham is a "plague in disguise" I will agree that Beckham hasn't changed the way we play since he has been here. If we were going to drop the money we did for him he should be a game changer,a guy that can change the flow of the game and make or break other games. But last night I saw what is Beckhams problem, he will always be one of the most prolific role players in football. He will never be a certified "star" on the pitch, he is very good with his pinpoint passes and his vision but what good is that if no one is at a level to do anything serviceable with those balls? Many Beckham defendants say he is the kind of player that makes players around him better and from what I have seen last year, in Australia, and now in Hawaii that he is not. Donovan, even with his tendency to dissapear is a player who makes players around him better. People say that I am a Beckham hater but really I want him do something for our team before I say he is our marquee player and up until now he has not done anything. If Beckham leads the league in assists or goals or whatever, great, but remember who we cheer for and that is for the L.A Galaxy and while Becks is here I want this team turned circus to play to its upmost potential and to prove the nay-sayers wrong. The point of this rant was basically that we sucked before Becks got here and we still suck now that he is here. Hopefully, we can pull it all together this season because if we end up playing the same way with beckham than we did without him I will have serious doubts that we can ever make it work with him.
Very true, we need to keep cool heads and get ready for '08. I mean even the rookies will get better so letting them get a solid game under their belts will do nothing but good for our team.
The Disease Beckhamitis - (beh-cum-I-tis) A plauge, disease of the central importance system. This disease takes many forms in which the host disease contaminates the cells that directly effect the areas of the brain that make one think they are more important than they actually are. In certain cases studied by the New England Journal of Medicine in the last few years it has found that people who have contracted this disease usually exhibit lame and earnumbling british accents who display often bouts of idiocy (see britney spears, a case study) Typically those people who contract beckhamitis are douche' bags of the highest human order and exhibit profound fits of egotism by spending $5000 dollars for a stick figure tattoo of their talentless bugeyed bulimic wife, or so the research scientists have discovered. In all there is no known cure for beckhamitis and is usually treated by doctors or family of the contaminated patients with kit gloves, and typically ignored because the patient usually displays vast ammounts of wealth that has most care-givers the ability to overlook their afflicition. -- End Definition --
I think a bigger issue should be why Ruud played him 90 mins. I understand Becks has to make an appearance but c'mon, take him out on 60 or 70 mins. I can only fathom the level of frustration he was feeling. I swear Scunthorpe's reserve team would have done better with Beckhams passes last night. The guy is a model professional because a tosser like myself would have spent all night b*tchin at Ruud to sub me out and if that was refused i would have walked the rest of the match while making no runs. (That's why I don't play pro soccer and Becks does). Anyway, I feel he does make the players around him better but there is very little a midfielder can do with a bunch of scrubs like the ones out on the pitch yesterday. If we were talking about a striker then yeah, a wicked player like Ronaldo circa 95-97, Eto'o in his mallorca days and first couple of seasons at Barca and a few other strikers could make a team of scrubs seem decent, but its difficult for a midfielder or winger to do so. Even Zidane couldnt make the Galaxy team of yesterday look any better. The Galaxy players would have played Zizous passes as badly as they did Becks. But hopefully we get to see the Galaxy full squad out there soon enough and hopefully Lalas and Ruud can bring in some solid players to round out the weak spots on the team. Good luck to y'all this season.
I've only seen the highlights (if you can call them that) but was that Roberts who got burned in the 6th minute?
I think this experiment shows just how much of a team game soccer is and that just because a player can excel at this highest level, he can also look mediocre at a lower level. I for the record am still as impressed with Becks (as much as I ever have been). I really hope the Galaxy can kick some ass with the rest of the regular starters in the fold.
What i noticed alot of guys in this thread dont understand, is beckham isnt a number 10. He isnt the central machine that drive's a team, he is a DF mid, or a Winger. Neither are the generals that run the team, he does nice passes, crosses, ground passes, but never holds the ball like a gomez, etcheverry, tab ramos, De Rosario. He's not that offensive either, hes all aobut crosses and free kicks. Thats about it, his hustle is awsome though, but you cant expect him to play that type of role, he isnt a number 10! IMO Galaxy bought him first to sell jerseys, number 2 to do good on the team. Just like real, they didnt really have a spot for him on the team when they bought him, they just threw all these guys on the field and expected them to do good.
I don't remember the 6th minute. But I'm sure it was. He was getting burned all night long. Why would the 6th minute be any different?