Showing posts with label David Beckham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Beckham. Show all posts

Jul 20, 2010

David Beckham to Replace Fabio Capello as England Manager in 2012?

Fabio Capello has announced that a new English coach will be added to his England backroom team before September. The man to take the job and succeed the Italian in 2012 could be David Beckham, for a number of reasons.

Despite the 115 cap international star stating on July 14 that he had "no interest in being a coach or becoming a manager" speculation has begun to grow that Beckham will be talked around by Trevor Brooking into taking the job.

Newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch, who in turn owns NewsCorp and Sky TV, have begun to print articles stating that Beckham would be the ideal successor to the Italian because of his experience and Diego Maradona like celebrity.

News Corporation are the second largest media conglomorate in the world behind Walt Disney, and are the third largest in terms of entertainment.

And when an organisation with the kind of money and resources NewsCorp have at their disposal start to run with Beckham for manager stories you know that somewhere there is a benefactor that would like to see it through.

Trevor Brooking's Coach Search:

Indeed, the FA have charged Fabio Capello and Trevor Brooking, the FA's Director of Football Development, with bringing a young Englishman into the set up for the Autumn internationals with a view for future development.

After England's abysmal showing in South Africa the FA have decided to shake things up at the highest level by introducing an assistant to the Italian, who would be given the chance to learn from him before succeeding him.

It is a model that has been used successfully in other countries and with the FA's insistence that Capello is a short term answer to a long term problem, they have moved to install an early candidate.

So why David Beckham over Stuart Pearce or Ray Clemence?

For the media and for the promotion of England he would be a dream. He is one of the most recognisable men on the planet, and while he may not be the footballing ideal, he is. without doubt, the most well known English footballer of all time.

This is something that the FA will be eager to capitalise on, hence the need to install an apprentice two to four years before he actually takes over. One train of thought on why the FA is willing to gamble on a young coach is the lack of right-aged English managers in the game.

Harry Redknapp and Roy Hodgeson are the two stand out candidates at the moment, but both are in their 60's.

Beckham has absolutely no coaching badges, other than those afforded to players who have plied their trade at the highest level and would need time to earn his UEFA badges before taking over from Capello. As such, There would be no better place than as assistant to one of the most thorough managers in Europe.

Perhaps, the most important reason for installing Beckham into Capello's team is England's World Cup bid for 2018 or 2022.

In years gone by, countries like France, Germany, Portugal, and Brazil have been able to wheel out great thinkers on the game like Michel Platini, Franz Beckenbauer, Eusebio, and Pele to promote their bids to hold the tournament and a David Beckham / Sebastian Coe led assault on FIFA does look very appealing.

Apart from being one of, if not the, major influence for London gaining the Olympics in 2012, Sebastian Coe is recognised the world over for being one of the best sporting politicians on the planet.

FIFA recognised this back in 2006 when they made Coe the Chairman of their Ethics Committee. He has since stepped down to help lead the charge for 2018/22.

With Coe as the face meeting and greeting around the world and Beckham as the face of the team, the England bid would surely have an upper hand on it's rivals.

On May 14 Beckham travelled to FIFA headquarters in Zurich to hand over England's bid to host the World Cup, a mammoth 1,752 page document. So the FA have already seen what an influence the midfielder can be.

On a negative side for Beckham, Pearce would be the current squads undoubted favourite to take over as manager after the injured midfielder publicly blamed the players for their poor performances in South Africa, further stating that Capello had prepared each player meticulously.

He has also alienated certain senior players who felt his appearance at the World Cup was not needed and that he served no purpose other than to increase his own celebrity.

However, Pearce would not command the same attention media that Beckham would guarantee.

FA orders a shake up at the highest level:

The shake up at senior level in Fabio Capello's team comes on the back of a disastrous World Cup where England only won one game from four.

There has been much finger pointing, from Capello seemingly over training the squad during their six week recuperation period from the end of the English season to the start of the World Cup, to players attitudes, the 4-4-2 being outdated, and altitude.

However, the main reason for England continually failing at major tournaments is their management structure.
When each and every manager starts off in the England hot seat he is doing it from square one. Thus meaning that every regime goes back to the start every time there is a changeover
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No previous manager is ever sought and questioned or asked for advice on what he did right, even though things invariably went wrong in the end.

From Graeme Taylor to Terry Venables, past managers are always ignored by the FA. While some of you may scoff at Taylor's name being mentioned, he is currently spearheading Watford new philosophy as they become the template for player development throughout Europe.

When clubs like Ajax, Valencia, and even Barcelona are sending representatives over to see the Hornets pioneering coaching and schooling methods you know that it is definitely time that the English FA also go to see what is transforming the way football will be coached in years to come.

At it's most basic, Watford have integrated their academy players into a mainstream school, guaranteeing the players an education and the club at least three times more coaching time with aspiring 11 to 16 years than any other club in Britain.

Every manager does something right, and it is on this aspect of the game that countries like Germany, Italy, Brazil, and Spain have moved away from England. They are not afraid of introspection and using previous ideas from ill fated reigns, thus benefiting from a wisdom of crowds type approach.

If England had used a similar ideal then Fabio Capello would not have trained his team so hard after a long tough season, and they would not have been as tired.

In placing an apprentice with Capello the FA seem to be acknowledging this is someway but they have once again fallen short of what is really wrong with English football.

In English football there is a belief that kids are now receiving too much coaching and that the football is being coached out of the player, that's akin to saying there is too much education in school.

The facts speak for themselves; there are 2,769 UEFA qualified coaches in England.

Compare this with 23,995 in Spain, 29,420 in Germany, and 34,970 in Italy.

That means the ratio of coaches to players in England is 1:812 while in Spain it is 1:17.

The future of English football is in the hands of the FA.

Club football dominates the structures of English football to such an extent that teams often defy the FA when they are requesting young players for underage international squads. Whereas in Europe conventional wisdom is that the international teams come first and that experience at underage levels is vital for player development.

Just look at the trouble Noel Blake ad recently when clubs like Arsenal, Blackburn, and Everton all refused to release players for England's assault on the U19 European Championship Final's in France.

During the last World Cup in South Africa we read almost daily of how English players were bored with being stuck together for so long when in actual fact the German side of Jogi Loew had been together even longer. Five of Loew's first XI had been directly promoted from their successful U21 team where they gained invaluable experience when they won the UEFA U21 European Championships in 2009. Only one player from England's 2009 U21 squad made Capello's final 23, James Milner.

England is relying on 2018:

Quite simply, they will not win the World Cup in 2014.

And with every indication thus far that they will figure in the running for the almost certainly Europe-bound competition in 2018, the FA have moved to promote the game early.

If England do not win the competition on home soil then the game runs the risk of moving backwards in the country of it's birth, to such an extent that club football would almost certainly take over from international football completely.

The pieces are beginning to fall into place. John Peacock's U17's are probably the best passing team England has ever produced and in May they beat Spain in the final of the UEFA U17 European Championships. In 2018 they will all be at their peak and need an English manager to lead them.

The English FA recognise this and are moving to have an Englishman in charge for the World Cup. David Beckham?

The hearts and footballing minds of the country is at stake.

Feb 25, 2010

Landon Donovan-Inspired Everton Exposes Manchester United's Soft Underbelly

After AC Milan came close to beating the Red Devils on Tuesday, Everton picked up where the Italian outfit left off and cruelly exposed all that is bad about this current Manchester United team.

The 3-1 defeat at Goodison means that United are now four points adrift of Chelsea with 11 games remaining. It puts the Pensioners firmly in the driving seat with the Red Devils now requiring snookers to catch the Blues.

It was the Blue half of Merseyside who were smiling after the lunchtime kickoff produced yet another turn in this strangest of seasons.

United had taken the lead through an early Dimitar Berbatov strike that was quickly cancelled out by the improving Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.

David Moyes then brought on his two stars of the future, Dan Gosling and Jack Rodwell, who added a goal each to leave the current Premiership Champions scratching their heads.

It was a thoroughly deserved victory by an Everton side who have now beaten both United and Chelsea at Goodison this season.

Before the match many had felt that the Toffees would dearly miss their inspirational midfield duo of Tim Cahill and Maruoane Felliani.

But the five players thrown in at the deep end by David Moyes (Landon Donovan, Steven Pienaar, Leon Osman, Bilyaletdinov, and a returning Mikael Arteta) took the game to their more illustrious opponents and gave them a real lesson on how to keep possession and then turn that into incisive attacking play.

United, quite simply, were not at the races. Their midfield was anonymous while their defence without the "continued absence" of Nemanja Vidic looks a pale shadow of itself.

Add that to the Red Devils now having too many players who cannot play three games in the space of a week and Alex Ferguson faces a period of rebuilding.

Everton snapped into every tackle and showed none of the fear that United have become accustomed to when playing teams outside the top four.

Although it was only the Toffees' third victory in 35 games against the Red Devils, you can see the improvements that Moyes has made at the club.

For much of this season, Alex Ferguson has chosen to use a 4-5-1 formation. Yesterday against Everton he went 4-4-2, after underestimating the Toffees strength in midfield following the withdrawal of their two best players.

It was a tactic that backfired as United's four in the middle, led by the increasingly moving backwards Michael Carrick, were out-fought, out-thought, and thoroughly over run by the marauding Everton midfield.

With the vital battleground of midfield conceded, Everton went on to dominate all aspects of the game. And the only real surprise was that United managed to score and take an early lead.

It was a similarly insipid display to that of the first half against AC Milan, before Wayne Rooney decided to take the game by the scruff of the neck and turn the tide in his team's favour.

This time there was to be no repeat. Facing the club and manager that introduced him to the game, the best player in the world at the moment, was strangely mute.

On Tuesday, a David Beckham-led AC Milan were put to the sword with the ex-LA Galaxy player being exposed for exactly what he is, a player with a huge reputation who is only playing to maintain an image.

It is ironic that the LA Galaxy team-mate Beckham is famous for putting down was one of the best players on the pitch yesterday, running United's midfield and defence ragged with pinpoint passing and penetrating runs.

Since moving to Everton, Landon Donovan has enjoyed a great run of form and it would come as no surprise to see the American move back to Europe after the World Cup.

Ferguson would have known that the trip to Goodison was going to be tough, so it is extremely strange that he chose to go with four in midfield, especially when you consider that Johnny Evans and Wes Brown were his anchors in defence, and that Moyes always uses a five-man midfield, too.

Both players enjoyed a torrid time against Louis Saha. Ferguson must take his fair share of the blame in fielding the wrong side, but on greater inspection, this United team are far from being of the required standard.

United are fighting fires in every part of their squad. Van Der Sar is rumoured to be considering retiring this coming summer, leaving Ferguson with a massive problem as neither Kuszczak or Foster are of top four quality.

In defence, he faces losing Vidic to either Real Madrid or Barcelona. Ferdinand's injury problems mean he is in virtually the same position as Ledley King and cannot play games in quick succession.

As good a servant for the club that Wes Brown is, his pace and positional play seem to have deserted him.

Rafael, Fabio, and De Laet are still learning the trade, meaning there is a huge gap between players of the verge of retirement and players breaking into the team.

Only the injured John O'Shea, Fabrice Evra, and the want-away Vidic bridge this gap at the moment.

In midfield, Alex Ferguson has been walking a tightrope for sometime now. Giggs and Scholes are still his most consistent performers, but their best years are well behind them. They too are considering retirement this summer.

The Anderson experiment has failed. The young Brazilian must be moved on as soon as possible. Nani will join him on the way out of Old Trafford unless his form improves dramatically between now and May.

Michael Carrick is getting worse with every passing week to such an extent that he is in real danger of not making Fabio Capello's World Cup squad. Darren Fletcher is ploughing a lone furrow at Old Trafford at the moment and he needs a partner badly.

The forward line is probably the only area that has covered itself in glory this season, but then again, it is only one player. Wayne Rooney. This season, he has carried the team. Yesterday was a day when he needed help, and no one was up to the task.

Berbatov and Owen have been unmitigated disasters this year, and both will in all probability be moved on come June.

In short, United need a massive facelift to win the league. But how will they afford it? Make no changes and they will still be good enough to finish in the top four, but is that good enough?

It is no disgrace to lose to David Moyes' team. On their day, Everton are a match for any team in the Premiership.

They have an extremely hard working midfield, a reliable back four, and a decent strike force. Yesterday, they showed Manchester United what standard they are expected to reach. Ferguson has to act sooner rather than later.

And for Moyes? All he has to do is get his best team on the pitch at the same time...

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Jul 20, 2009

David Beckham vs. MLS : American Soccer Comes Of Age




US soccer came of age in a big way this summer.


Most will point out to the fact that Team USA took a huge step when losing 3-2 to Brazil in the final of the Confederations Cup, and they would be right to a point. But the display given to David Beckham by his own fans, shows that US soccer fans have taken a massive stride and grown up too.

Feb 12, 2009

Spain 2-0 England: David Beckham and The Three Lions Get Exactly What They Deserve

England were comprehensively beaten by a rampant Spanish side on a historic night for "Brand Beckham" as David Beckham claimed his 108th cap to join the great Bobby Moore as England's most capped outfield player.

Spain won 2-0 thanks to goals from David Villa and Fernando Llorente, bringing Fabio Capello's unbeaten run to an end. In truth, England were outplayed from start to finish, and although the team was a much weakened side, Capello will have to do much soul searching as he analyses his squad...