Circus Beckham set for criticism

therecklessone

http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/angry-la-teammate-questions-beckhams-commitment-417071.html

David Beckham has come under a blistering attack from Los Angeles Galaxy team-mate Landon Donovan just as he prepares to return for action with the Major League Soccer team.

In a new book due out later this month, Donovan claims Beckham has demonstrated little commitment to the Galaxy cause and been a negative influence on the team since the ousting of former coach Ruud Gullit.

“All that we care about at a minimum is that he committed himself to us,” Donovan says in ’The Beckham Experiment’, authored by Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl.

“As time has gone on, that has not proven to be the case in many ways – on the field, off the field.

“Does the fact that he earns that much more money come into it? Yeah. If someone’s paying you more than anybody in the league, more than double anybody in the league, the least we expect is that you show up to every game, whether you are suspended or not. Show up and train hard, show up and play hard.”

Donovan, who is the United States captain and wears the Galaxy armband in Beckham’s absence, also questioned the former England skipper’s leadership abilities, claiming he is too often silent in team meetings.

“Maybe he’s not a leader, maybe he’s not a captain,” he said. “Fair enough. But at a minimum, you should bust your ass every day. That hasn’t happened. And I don’t think that’s too much for us to expect. Especially when he’s brought all this on us.”

Beckham’s first season in MLS was a largely miserable experience as an unbalanced Galaxy team struggled all year and missed out on the play-offs, with Gullit quitting before the end of the campaign.

Gullit’s departure, which came a little over a month after Beckham’s Galaxy debut, is the moment Donovan believes the light went out for the club’s marquee player.

“When David first came, I believed he was committed to what he was doing,” Donovan said. “He cared. He wanted to do well. He wanted the team and the league to do well.

“Somewhere along the way – and in my mind it coincides with Ruud being let go - he just flipped a switch and said: ’Uh-huh, I’m not doing it anymore’.”

Donovan went on to claim Beckham is a bad team-mate, because of his lack of commitment.

“He’s not shown (he’s a good team-mate),” he said. “I can’t think of another guy where I’d say he wasn’t a good team-mate, he didn’t give everything through all this, he didn’t still care. But with (Beckham), I’d say no, he wasn’t committed.”

Evidence of Beckham’s lack of commitment to the Galaxy cause ultimately came when he aggressively pushed for a loan move to AC Milan in January, and then extended it to the point that he missed half of the 2009 MLS season.

That is evidence that he does not care for the league, according to Donovan, who gave up his chance to play in Europe early in his career in order to stay at home.

“My sense is that David’s clearly frustrated, that he’s unhappy and, honestly, that he thinks it’s a joke,” he said.

“I also kind of feel (he has taken the team) for granted. I don’t see dedication or commitment to this team, and that’s troubling.”

Beckham is due to make his return for the Galaxy against the New York Red Bulls on July 16, two days after Wahl’s book is due to be published.

He will line up alongside Donovan in that game, but the striker does not want that to be the case for much longer.

“Let’s say he does stay here for three more years,” Donovan said. “I’m not going to spend the next three years of my life doing it this way. This is f****** miserable. I don’t want to have soccer be this way.”

Sports Illustrated carry an excerpt from the book this month:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/the_bonus/06/29/beckham.book/index.html?eref=T1

There's a lot of petty stuff in the excerpt IMO, but the extent to which Beckham's signature for the Galaxy was a PR move as much a football move, and the influence of his personal manager Terry Byrne is revealing.

Worth a read.

Het-Field

Its a fair point. Beckam has been a marketing ploy that went wrong. His presence in a league like that is of no benefit anymore. After 2 years there he has achieved nothing, and im sure the Galaxy are regretting the investment. Some of the lads who are playing for Galaxy, it is the pinnicle of their career. For Beckham, this would be his footballing downtime. They deserve some level of commitment. Or else he should return to Europe.

SectionF

It's MLS. Outside of the Beckham factor, does anyone really care?

LuckyLloyd

SectionF wrote: »

It's MLS. Outside of the Beckham factor, does anyone really care?

I'd say their fans do. I tend to keep up with it, have gone to a couple of games before, etc.

---

Donovan has a point of course. The Milan saga was just a huge **** you to what they are trying to do there in LA. And must have been massively deflating for his teammates. Plus, a lot of the American pros in that league and at that club are all about their workrate and general application to their profession. Plus, his expressed belief that the MLS isn't sufficient preparation for next year's world cup must be particularly galling to guys who will get selected / not selected for the US squad in South Africa on the basis of what they achieve in that competition.

It is true that sporting culture in the states likes its big money stars. But, there have been plenty of previous examples of those stars getting chewed out by 'lessor' teammates when they become a disruptive influence (Owens, Rodriquez, Ramirez, etc).

Dozen Wicked Words

Galaxy only really got a short term boost from Beckham, as soon as he left for Serie A the average attendance dropped by 7,000 (possibly made up, I cant find the site where this is quoted so could be wrong:o).

Landon Donovan's comments smack a bit of the green eyed monster. Even if what he says is true, I think that going from being the biggest draw at Galaxy and probably in MLS to an also ran would put most peoples nose out of joint.

How many players that don't get on with another player, in a European league, lay into a team mate to that extent? He is talking about professionalism while being ridiculously amateurish with his comments.

Instant Karma

dooferoaks wrote: »

Galaxy only really got a short term boost from Beckham, as soon as he left for Serie A the average attendance dropped by 7,000 (possibly made up, I cant find the site where this is quoted so could be wrong:o).

Landon Donovan's comments smack a bit of the green eyed monster. Even if what he says is true, I think that going from being the biggest draw at Galaxy and probably in MLS to an also ran would put most peoples nose out of joint.

How many players that don't get on with another player, in a European league, lay into a team mate to that extent? He is talking about professionalism while being ridiculously amateurish with his comments.

I disagree, let's not forget that it was Beckham's decision to sign for an MLS team then last season he up's and leaves his team for half a season. The guys already in that team have every right to feel aggrieved.

In my opinion Beckham long ago sold his football soul for celebrity status, he should never have gone to the MLS but once he made that choice he should have had a bit of integrity.

Dozen Wicked Words

Instant Karma wrote: »

I disagree, let's not forget that it was Beckham's decision to sign for an MLS team then last season he up's and leaves his team for half a season. The guys already in that team have every right to feel aggrieved.

In my opinion Beckham long ago sold his football soul for celebrity status, he should never have gone to the MLS but once he made that choice he should have had a bit of integrity.

I'm not saying Beckham was right, I am saying slaggin off another footballer who you are going to have to play with is pure amateur. He can feel aggrieved as he likes, maybe rightly, but what do his comments achieve in the short term? Will Galaxy be a happier place after he has said that? Will it make the coaches job any easier? Will it be good PR for Galaxy?

If he wants to call Beckham the biggest tool in the world in a book when he finishes his career good luck to him, I think that would be a totally different thing.

FatherTed

I can't blame Donovan and the way he was treated. The Galaxy is HIS team, he has dragged them to 2 MLS Championships. He was the captain.

Then Beckham comes along, he agrees to give the captaincy to Beckham. Beckham doesn't give 100% like he is supposed to, doesn't turn up to the team's most important game of the season, preferring to stay in England and finally wants out to go to Milan to save his precious England career so he can get his 125 caps. This after Beckham proclaimed, by himself, that he wanted to help the sport grow in the US.

We all know Beckham is a phoney and a fraud, at least Donovan has the balls to call him out on it.

pablomakaveli

For the amount of money Beckhams getting it would be reasonable to assume he'd put in a lot of effort and commitment.

His desire to join AC milan on loan a few months ago would have been a bit of a slap in the face to the players and staff at LA as well as the fans.

mink_man

landon seems jealous of other players like rememebr after the confed cup final he was like "its no wonder they play for the clubs they do!" said depressingly!