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Post by webm@ster on Jul 4, 2009 3:00:58 GMT -5
Donovan: Beckham has become a bad teammate
NEW YORK (AP) -- David Beckham has become a bad teammate on the Los Angeles Galaxy, according to Landon Donovan.
“All that we care about at a minimum is that he committed himself to us,” Donovan was quoted as saying in an excerpt of Grant Wahl’s “The Beckham Experiment,” scheduled for publication July 14. “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 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’re suspended or not. Show up and train hard. Show up and play hard.”
Beckham joined the Galaxy in July 2007 from Real Madrid and has a $6.5 million average annual income from the team, twice the $2.94 million Cuauhtemoc Blanco earns from the Chicago Fire. Donovan was fifth at $900,000 at the start of the season.
Beckham was loaned to AC Milan last winter and the 34-year-old midfielder is to rejoin Los Angeles for its July 16 match at the New York Red Bulls.
Donovan was angry that when Beckham was suspended for a game at Houston last year, he didn’t attend the match.
“I can’t think of another guy where I’d say he wasn’t a good teammate, he didn’t give everything through all this, he didn’t still care,” Donovan said. “But with (Beckham) I’d say no, he wasn’t committed.”
An excerpt of the book was published in this week’s Sports Illustrated. It portrays Beckham as stingy, saying he wouldn’t pick up meal checks for teammates who earn as little as $12,900 annually. It states Terry Byrne, Beckham’s best friend and personal manager, pressed for the Galaxy to strip Donovan of the captain’s armband and give it to Beckham. Donovan went along with the move.
It says that at a dinner at Morton’s steak house in Arlington, Va., Beckham initially wasn’t served wine because he didn’t have ID, and needed the intervention of the maitre d’.
Byrne, according to the excerpt, was hired as a Galaxy consultant and conducted the search that led to the hiring of Ruud Gullit to replace Frank Yallop as coach—even though general manager Alexi Lalas advised against hiring the 1987 European player of the year.
“My sense is that David’s clearly frustrated, that he’s unhappy and, honestly, that he thinks it’s a joke,” Donovan said last August.
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Post by matt on Jul 5, 2009 11:41:18 GMT -5
Well, how does a player motivate himself when the team around him his utter bullshit?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2009 11:46:54 GMT -5
the book wouldn't sell if these kind of comments weren't in it, not that many are gonna bother reading it anyway.
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Post by webm@ster on Jul 12, 2009 0:35:48 GMT -5
Donovan "unprofessional" for speaking out, Beckham says
David Beckham criticized Landon Donovan for calling him out in public
Beckham said he had not spoken to Donovan, but planned to soon
He was making his first public appearance in So. Calif. in five months
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -- David Beckham said Los Angeles Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan was "unprofessional" for speaking out without confronting him first.
Beckham, who was making his first public appearance in Southern California since returning from his five-month loan with Italian club AC Milan, said he had not spoken to Donovan, who called him a bad captain and portrayed him as stingy in an upcoming book "The Beckham Experiment," written by Grant Wahl.
"It's unprofessional in my eyes. In every soccer player's eyes throughout the world it would be unprofessional to speak out about a teammate especially in the press and not to your face," Beckham said.
"But I'm going to turn it on a positive spin because that's what this needs. But in 17 years, I have played with the biggest teams in the world and the biggest players and not once have I been criticized for my professionalism. It's important to get this cleared up and I will be speaking to Landon either this evening or over the next couple of days."
The Galaxy plays Chivas USA on Saturday, with Beckham returning to his first practice with the team on Monday.
And even though the level of play in MLS isn't as high as in Italy's top league the forward thinks the adjustment will be just fine.
"It's not going to be difficult because we've got talent on our team. It's just about confidence. It will be different coming back, but I don't see any problems."
The Galaxy could use a boost. Los Angeles is fifth in the Western Conference standings and could miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.
"That's the important part," Beckham said. "Now we want to move forward and there have been some good results in the last few weeks."
Being in Italy helped Beckham keep his game sharp. And even though it involved a month-long saga of negotations involving MLS, Milan, and the Galaxy, Beckham said it was for the best.
He also said he would do it again in 2010 if given the opportunity, so he can make one last World Cup appearance with England.
"To be involved in the World Cup and to be involved with this England squad, I have to give myself the chance to be at that top level. I'll do that personally and anything to do that. It's just saying that for the moment, this is what I need to do. It doesn't mean I'm running away from a project I believe in."
"I think the experiences I've had can only help this team," Beckham said.
And what about playing with Donovan?
"I'm personally very professional when I am on the field. I don't care what people say about me off the field, once I'm on the field I'm professional and if there is a chance for him to score, I will be giving him the ball. Me and Landon will talk, but that will be a private conversation."
Beckham joined former France star Zinedine Zidane in El Segundo to help the MLS kick off its footprint fields community program, which will help develop new soccer fields across the country.
He arrived in Los Angeles on Friday night and visited with his family for the first time in six months, staying up with wife Victoria until 5 a.m. to just "catch up."
On Saturday, he played in a short scrimmage with 13 and 14 year-olds with Zidane.
Wahl's book is due out on July 14, two days before the Galaxy play against the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium.
So will he be reading the book?
"No," Beckham said. "This is an unofficial book that I have not participated in. I haven't sat down one to one or spoken about the book, so there is not comment where I have sat down with the journalist and gone through. There are many unofficial books that have been published about me, so this is just another one on the shelf."
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Post by halftheworld on Jul 12, 2009 8:22:23 GMT -5
a really childish dispute, isn't it?
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Post by NYR on Jul 12, 2009 12:01:55 GMT -5
i'm siding with donovan on this one.
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Post by webm@ster on Jul 15, 2009 19:04:19 GMT -5
awww the made up  |
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Post by Beady’s Here Now on Jul 15, 2009 23:40:21 GMT -5
Didn't read the article, just want to give my opinion on Becks lol
I do think Becks is over rated....good, but over rated. Amazing at crossing and set pieces, of course. But even in his prime he wasn't the fastest, nor the trickiest - which ultimately a very good winger needs to be.
Sadly, I think he's one of the many cases of footballers growing egos and it affecting them.
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Post by halftheworld on Jul 16, 2009 6:36:00 GMT -5
e. But even in his prime he wasn't the fastest, nor the trickiest - which ultimately a very good winger needs to be. his teams were playing a bit different in those days. not 4-3-3 but rather 4-4-2. you didn't need those fast wingers like walcott or messi. beckham defo was one of the best right midfielders in the world. his long passes were a wheapon together with andy cole and dwight yorke. but some coaches made the mistake and put him into the centre - where he just didn't belong. |
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Nov 4, 2024 5:04:30 GMT -5
Nov 4, 2024 5:04:30 GMT -5