Trite but true – won’t someone show Beckham the door?
It is interesting to note that Harry Redknapp is reconsidering David Beckham’s short term loan move to Spurs fearing it could prove counter productive. He seems to indicate he prefers a longer stay.
That won’t sit well with the LA Galaxy. This is a club that can make the same argument against Beckham. The overwhelming feeling is that he is on loan to the MLS while his larger ambitions and fealty to his global iconic status show up the league as doormats. It was left to fans showing a spirited dissatisfaction forcing Beckham into a megaphone of commitment but the league itself did not take concrete steps to stop this guilt free binge. It’s no surprise he’s doing it again.
Beckham has played just 48 out of the 106 regular season games since arriving at the Galaxy in 2007- the second season with 25 appearances accounts for more than half of that productivity. He was absconding for most of the third season when he extended his 2009 Milan move to six months and then his appearances in the fourth season was curtailed to just 10 games (7 regular season + 3 playoff matches) after rupturing his Achilles heel while on loan to Milan for his second time. Clearly, he is not even a bragging point any more when all those European super clubs come into town for the summer friendlies. More practically, his move has done nothing to end the Galaxy’s trophy drought.
By now, these loan moves have become du jour. Ostensibly, it is to keep him in the hunt for a spot in the English national squad. This endeavour is beginning to look Sarah Palinesque – as capricious as her presidential ambitions. His presence makes a virtual mockery of Fabio Capello’s purported change in direction towards younger and fresher blood rejuvenating an old and stale English squad. Beckham’s time machine has been stuck for a while while his body ages. The more likely consequence will be yet another devastating injury and more angst for the Galaxy fans.
There is some speculation that Beckham’s move is an effort on the part of Phillip Anschutz, the owner of the LA Galaxy to strengthen his association with Spurs. His company AEG is teaming up with the North London club for the Olympic Stadium tenancy. There are some rumblings that he is also planning a takeover. But if that were the case wouldn’t that make Landon Donovan a more attractive alternative to Aaron Lennon? He impressed while at Everton matching the league’s physicality. He can play with speed down both wings, shows deftness with set pieces, and is a proven goalscorer.
No, this is entirely Beckham’s doing. He can’t even be a Dennis Rodman and retire to a life of shotgun weddings and bad flicks. It’s time for the MLS to sell him to Blackburn, a club that seems to be bent on becoming the laughing stock of the Premiership. The Colorado Rapids, a no name team were winners of the MLS Cup for the first time in club history reminding us when 23 regular guys come together as a team, good things happen. They didn’t need no stinkin’ superstars.