Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

[QUOTE=cricketman;10525891][QUOTE=Dick Dasterdly;10525860]Why am I not surprised to find comments like this on this forum. So, irrespective of the PR aspect of it, a charity has benefited tremendously by the gesture.

But still he cant do right :lol:

And as for being one of the most overrated footballers of all time
Because he spent 10s of millions grooming his own image???

Give me a break :rofl:

He was a huge part of the Manchester United Team and made somewhat of a difference to the England team iirc ..... in fact England wouldn't have got to the World Cup one year without his golden boot :);)

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

[QUOTE=Mitzyboy;10534974][QUOTE=cricketman;10525891]
........and so says a totally unbiased Manchester United fan. ;) :rofl:


His football ability is a separate issue, though I gave my reasons why I think he was very good at some aspects of the game and little more than a liability at others, .....which he eventually learned to mostly avoid.

In other words nowhere close to being a complete footballer such as the others I mentioned, but very useful in a side which could adapt to playing only to his strengths.

Oh, and as for getting England to the World cup, you seem to have conveniently forgotten how he helped to get England knocked out of the World cup with his stupid red card against the Argies,....... which in turn kind of reminds me about how just how stupid was Rooneys last red for England,........ oh sorry forgot, I believe he's a Man U. player also. ;)

Ah well, on the plus side, at least you once had Bobby Charlton. :thumbup:

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

[QUOTE=Dick Dasterdly;10535056][QUOTE=Mitzyboy;10534974]I would say the same about any footballer that actually makes an effort to make a difference in any way. One name that has been left out of previous comments is Didier Droghba. Often painted badly in the media. Google it.

The Beckham sending off did not necessarily cause Englands exit on that occasion, whereas the goal I spoke of certainly without doubt sent them to the world cup that particular year.

Single out Man U players by all means .... but please dont forget all the other England players that have been sent off will you ... Oh, Stephen Gerard was the last iirc

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

He was one of the better players in the England Team but he was still masively overated - you had other better midfielders in Manchester when he was playing.

Classic example of strengths and weaknesses he was brought on in the Croatia game and provided a sublime cross from which the Giraffe scored. England are qualifying...then Beckham goes walkabout we lose the ball and the Croats go 3 on 1 with Richards and score - no summer tournament for us, cancel the hotel booking.

DD is not singling out MU players but providing some balance..

He is not the messiah.........just a very good player with some weaknesses!!!

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

Has he given the money to charity or not ?
Could he have pocketed it and carried on with the rest of the P & B circus without get any extra abuse ?
Of course he sells himself well and gets the marketing / pubblicity right , neither is a crime is it ?
wait until the new H & M advert hits the screens , half his fans don't know what MU is ....

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

That is the $64 000 question Hadenough - or would he have lost the vast majority in tax anyway? No one is arguing he doesn't do good charity stuff but the way he is marketed as the Messiah is a little tedious given his best footballing years are 5 years behind him.

The devotion he inspires is incredible. I was at Wemberlee for one of his last cameo appearances to rack up caps - England were pretty average, Beckham comes on and with his first touch hits a cross - the guy next to me leaps to his feet shouting brilliant with both arms raised - unfortunately a defender blocks the ball 18 inches after the Messiah kicks it. This bloke was convinced Beckham was a god and every touch was brilliant even defying the evidence of his own eyes. I thought he was going to punch me for daring to mention losing the ball, lack of pace and not bothering to track back. The fellow could not see it as it was his God out there and that's what I find distateful about the whole P&B thing - I am maybe to literal and expect someone called aworld class player to be world class.

PS to Mitzyboy - I never criticised him as an MU player, he was at his peak then and was excellent for England then: however, his last 15-20 caps were a bit of a joke. Moreover, when he said he would know when to retire even when it was obvious to pretty much everyone that he should have gone 2 years before.

I for one probably overreact to the deiification of a nice bloke, really good footballer with world class image makers. He is now a shirt salesman pure and simple - sorry if that offends you but i am not an ABU!

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

Yes I totally agree, but thats not the point here is it. As I said, a guy gives to charity and everyone jumps on him and his motives.

I agree ... and of course he hasnt been a MU player for many many years because he offended he who must be obeyed. So I'm not offended, nor should I be. I just dont understand why £3 million to a charity results in him being slagged off again :D

Going to the States imho was a mistake in the first place, and tbh he should give it up now. He is a draw for the teams he goes to, but I'm guessing if he goes up these days against major decent players he will be shown as the 37 year old he is

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

I recall when he who must be obeyed was so frustrated with Beckhams antics that he smacked him on the head with a football boot.

It was said at the time that even then Beckham was more obsessed with his celeb status than with his football and no doubt the plaster that the aggrieved Beckham proudly displayed over the scratch above his eye didn't to do him much harm in that respect.

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

if he just gave to charity fine but deliberately hijacking the last day of the transfer window to sell Brand Beckham is what is annoying

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

I bet he's not annoyed though
Its a win / win situation

The Charity wins because they get 3 million
He wins because he gets some free publicity (well, free if you take off the three million less tax)

So whats to get upset about :D Everyone is happy ..... well, apart from a number of people on here of course :rofl:

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

I for one am not upset just trying to add balance to the he's the messiah piece.

Only thing that mildly annoyed me was the numpty who called people sad for daring to criticise the messiah :D

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

But of course, not everyone is happy, lots of the UK and French press have called it a blatant tax dodge.

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

I suggest you try googling "Beckham tax", Mitzy, and prepare yourself for a terrible shock.

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

In one UK paper yesterday it stated that he has not yet chosen a charity.:confused: As for the H&M ad....a body double was used for some of the shots.

I do admire the guy, he has been a good Ambassador for the UK. However, nothin would suprise me about celebs and charity, nothing is as it seems:(

Re: A Briton to be proud of?
 

I think most of us here agree with that, it's just that we don't buy into this incredible, altruistic gesture. He's certainly not the most gifted player to ever pull on an England shirt, but he's one the best at maximising his talent. Good luck to him.