Poor chap. The sheer cruelty of having to pretend to support England for his entertaining book Union Jock: Sleeping with the Auld Enemy seems to have produced a sad mental confusion in dear Scotland on Sunday journo Aidan Smith. On STV last night he was talking tosh. “David Beckham’s PR and hype far outweighs anything he has achieved on the field,” he declared. Which apart from being wrong kind of misses the point. It's a bit like saying Buckingham Palace is rubbish because the Neverland ranch beats it on Googlefight.In contrast to this strange denial, and to the whingers down here who peddle the same kind of stuff, A.C. Milan general manager Adriano Galliani points to the quality and commitment Beckham has brought with him. Fabio Capello still rates him after being persuaded by his Real Madrid experience. And so does Arsene Wenger after his time at Shenley. Then there's Ancelotti: “The scudetto race would be much easier for us if he stays. Beckham has given us a boost in quality and enthusiasm. He has given this team an added extra, in the way he plays, his focus, his quality of assist and in the goals that he has scored. He has made a great contribution.”
But what do they know, eh, Adrian? They must just all be PR dupes... as
You have to sympathise with LA Galaxy, mind. They have behaved with great propriety, and yet they could well lose their star investment in the next few weeks, to judge from comments he made after A.C.'s 2-2 draw against Rangers in Glasgow. But the idea of a world class player ending his days in MLS rather than competing in Serie A, given the choice, is frankly ridiculous.
Yes, I know Beckham's obscenely rich and famous. I wouldn't defend someone for that. But he's a decent guy, incredibly hard working on the field, he still has class, and he really does want to play football. Which is more than you can say for a lot of his daft detractors. Actually I don't think they really believe their own dismissals. They just don't want to eat their words.
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6 comments:
Well he is overhyped.
As a footballer he has made the most of his gifts by hard work and practice - much the same way Kevin Keegan did.
But he only rarely took a game by the scruff of the neck the way real greats do regularly.
I reckon Mrs B prefers the fashion in Milan, and the fact that she can't quite cut it in LA. Or am I just being cynical?
Thought you might like this link:
http://frkenny.blog.co.uk/2009/02/04/nice-link-for-my-team-in-the-gambia-5506984/
Maybe due a post on its own?
I agree with you Simon.
Beckham is a fine footballer and has worked damned hard to achieve his (fame and) fortune.
Overhyped? Probably. But I like him!
Perfect summary, Alan.
I have always said that Becks was born on the wrong side of the border and that the english have never appreciated him properly
too much emphasis was put on his sending off in the world cup if I remember he single handedly got the team through to world cup in the game against Greece
Up here we dont give a shit about what his wife does but would he be half the player without her
If he ever changes his mind and gets special dispensation from FIFA he can go straight into our squad against Holland
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