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Pretty Shambolic
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Yorkshire Post Slate McLarenA writer for the YEP has written the following...
| Quote: | David Beckham is back in the England squad. Is it a bold move by Steve McClaren or the actions of a desperate man?
JUST as it is in life, timing is everything in football.
By recalling David Beckham to the England set-up for the friendly with Brazil and the Euro 2008 qualifier in Estonia, Steve McClaren has proved, once again, just why he is not an international manager.
Not only did the England chief get it horribly wrong last autumn by choosing to jettison a player with plenty still to offer in a transparent attempt to distance himself from the much-criticised reign of Sven Goran Eriksson.
But by bringing the Real Madrid midfield man back into the international fold just a couple of months before the 32-year-old goes into semi-retirement in the Hollywood hills, McClaren has merely compounded that initial mistake.
Two wrongs do not make a right.
The decision smacks of a man beset by doubts. Last August, McClaren explained away Beckham's axing with bold words. "I told David I was looking to bring in new faces, looking to go in a different direction, and he (Beckham) wasn't included within that. I am a great believer in the development of young talent."
After a season spent not so much striding towards a bright new future as stumbling backwards towards the nadir of the mid to late Seventies when major finals went ahead without England, it is now patently clear McClaren has no idea in what direction both he and his team should be heading.
Just what is the point in bringing back Beckham at this stage in his career? Okay, he has had a decent end to the season and could, next month, be rewarded with a first La Liga title triumph at the fourth attempt.
But let's not get carried away. He has started just 11 games all season and if the title does return to the Bernabeu for the first time since 2003, surely there will be others who have played bigger parts with Ruud van Nistelrooy, for instance, having netted 22 goals in his debut year in Spain.
The picture has not been helped, either, by the media in this country exaggerating Beckham's contribution with Sky crediting him with an assist even if his involvement in a move had actually come four or five passes before the goal was scored.
Last weekend, for instance, Beckham was credited with two assists in the 3-1 victory over Deportivo la Coruna by Sky Sports News even though it was van Nistelrooy who actually headed the ball into the path of Sergio Ramos for the opening goal.
No, I am afraid the decision to recall Beckham to the England fold is one that smacks of desperation and muddled thinking, especially when the opposition in both games is taken into account.
Brazil are a fitting side for new Wembley to start life as an international venue but it will be little more than an exhibition match. Four of the last seven friendlies between the two countries have finished as 1-1 draws and a repeat would not be a huge surprise at the end of a long and tiring season for both sets of players.
England then move on to Estonia to take on a side who have not managed to claim a point in the qualifiers. A team with David Cameron on the right wing would be capable of winning in Talinn a week tonight, never mind David Beckham.
After the Estonia game has been negotiated, England will not return to competitive action again until September when the qualifiers resume.
By then, Beckham will have spent a couple of months playing in the less than arduous 'soccer' league of the United States and, at 32, it is highly unlikely his fitness and conditioning will match those still playing in the Premiership.
The upshot of that will surely see the, by then, LA Galaxy man again overlooked when McClaren comes to name his squad for the Wembley double-header against Israel and Russia.
That is why the timing of Beckham's recall this week has been so wrong with it likely to do little but further undermine a manager already considered to be out of his depth. |
Couldn't agree more. Haven't liked McLaren from day one, I think he's an absolute liabilty and the richest footballing nation in the world (outdoing everyone by more than double) shouldn't have to settle for this kind of incompetence.
Nothing against Becks, I didn't agree with him being dropped to start with as alot of you will know... But I think Becks shoulda told McLaren to **** off and dig himself outta this mess.
Here's hoping Brazil put 10 by us and the **** is sacked.
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wewantourdarbyback
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i called for him to be sacked before they announced his appointment 
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Pretty Shambolic
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| wewantourdarbyback wrote: | | i called for him to be sacked before they announced his appointment |
Yep... Same here
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lil eva
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I didn't think that he was the one when he got the job.Nothing has changed my opinion on this
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