Yahoo Article - Lalas To Keep Becks On a Tight Leash

Discussion in 'LA Galaxy' started by El Paisa, Sep 25, 2007.

  1. dbfo

    dbfo New Member

    Jan 24, 2007
    New Zealand
    These are new quotes it's just Lalas says similar things repeatedly lol Talk is cheap and largely pointless just make the right decisions and execute them correctly. I don't need to hear about how they are going to handle Beckham's fitness going forward I just want them to actually do the right thing and shut up already.
     
  2. flippin269

    flippin269 Member+

    Aug 3, 2003
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I agree with this post. I also think Lalas has good and reasonable intentions with Galaxy from his position as GM. His problem though is that there's too many things needed for Lalas or AEG to accomplish their goals for next season. Here's the four that stand out....



    1. They need a new coach. Not just any coach; a superstar coach. Capello, Mourinho, Klinsmann caliber. A name that would make the entire soccer world go "how on earth did LA Galaxy pull that off?". One that's already known and thrives under pressure as a coach, and one that the top clubs in Europe are also pursuing.

    Particularly, they need a coach that can coach Beckham and not get coached by Beckham. A dude that can take Beckham's game to another level with the proper training so he could be at an England-starter level all the way to 2010, and the only thing that would stop him from the World Cup would be England's coach instead of Beckham's fitness.

    2. They need MLS to give every team more DP. Simple as that. If they trade and get another DP spot to get some European star, and they lose Donovan in the process, then that would defeat the purpose. That roster needs more than two stars if they want to remain marketable for overseas tours and call themselves a "superclub" like they say they want to be. Donovan can become a stronger force IMO if he gets that world-class coach to lead his training. But it would help Galaxy more if they gained a star or two alongside Becks and Donovan rather than give up Donovan for someone to replace him.

    In the process, they can move some of the current starters to the bench to bolster up their much-needed depth.

    3. They need a forward who can take advantage of the passes. From the looks of that article, it seems like Lalas is already planning to address that. Let's see what he and the team come up with.

    4. They need a healthy defense around Xavier and Cannon. Since everyone might be healthy to start next season, they may need just one powerful addition to beef up their depth at that position.
     
  3. twotenmom

    twotenmom New Member

    Apr 27, 2007
    Can no one make Lalas just stop speaking? Once again shooting self and one of his players in the foot in one go. After years of following big business sports, and considering myself jaded, this guy can still drive me batty. The Galaxy not only have a medical staff, but an insurance company; as do Adidas, MLS, and probably ESPN for that matter. Beckham's self-evaluations would never have been taken at face value. Players are asked how they feel, not to read their own MRI's, and players that valuable to team and sponsors aren't even allowed to decide what recreational activities they can take part in--let alone which risks they can take that might jeopardize their careers (and investors' returns).

    I'm surprised that Lalas has the nerve, especially as an ex-player, to try to lay off responsibility for when and how long Beckham appeared on the pitch at his feet. Whether he begged to be put in or stay in (and competitive players ALWAYS beg to do both) is completely irrelevant. Making the final decision is not the player's job and if the Galaxy dodged it, they are even more responsible for the results. As to Beckham's coachability, he's played for a lot of coaches since he was 17, many of whom don't even chat with players before making decisions and, happy about it or not, he been bound by those decisions most of his life (see England and Real Madrid this past year).

    Clearly the club made some serious mistakes, the other stake-holders involved allowed (or pressured) them to do so, it happens, they should FINALLY just say so and move on in a less ill-advised manner. Something they seemed to be doing, until Lalas once again wastes time attempting to reverse previous remarks, and disparaging his player along the way...two things that should not surprise me.

    I liked the request in an earlier post for a GM that can handle the pressure without making panicked decisions. This guy not only messes with his players by tossing them around like he's blindfolded and hoping to hit a lucky bullseye, but he trashes them regularly (sorry, the accompanying smile doesn't hide it). However anyone played at the beginning of the season, and whoever deserves to stay in the team on merit in the long run, any player that's walked onto the pitch for the Galaxy during the past several weeks can handle pressure. That's the least of Lalas' worries at this point (and whether the players can handle him is another story).
     
  4. TrickHog

    TrickHog Moderator
    Staff Member

    Oct 14, 2002
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Once again, I think people are reading the journalist's commentary and attributing that to Lalas. Hey, I'll be the first to concede that Lalas has put his foot in his mouth on many occasions, but let's look at the only direct quote from Lalas in the entire article re: Beckham.

    That's it. Everything else in the article concerning Beckham is the writer's thoughts, with no further quotes to back it up. I don't see anything disparaging in those remarks against Beckham, and my guess is it was in direct response to a question about when Beckham would be ready to return. What I see in that quote is an acknowledegment that they did handle this wrong previously and have learned from their mistakes.

    Trash Lalas all you want, but please do it for the right reasons. Like the crappy trades and players he's brought in to this team...
     
  5. flippin269

    flippin269 Member+

    Aug 3, 2003
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You're blaming the wrong person there. Lalas doesn't decide who comes in and who gets subbed at game-time. That was all Yallop. Beckham SHOULDN'T decide when he can and can't play; the coach is. But the coach let Beckham play as long as he wanted, knowing he'd want to tough out anything thrown at him, knowing he had an ankle injury, and knowing he just finished playing 90+ minutes in a game against Germany 5000 miles away less than 24 hours before. He cared more about pleasing Beckham than protecting him.

    Lalas has every right to blast his players. They put up bad results. What is he supposed to say? Nothing? The only thing that doesn't make sense is the fact that he's blasting the players more than the coach (unless if he's saving that because of an impending coaching change)
     

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