Beck to the Future
Monday, January 3, 2011 at 10:10PM Plenty being discussed about Beckham and I’ve sat on my thoughts (amazing what you can do with a tab of acid) and pondered the various pros and cons and listened and read various opinions on why he should/shouldn’t become part of the Tottenham evolution.
No matter the countless strong arguments for and against this potential loan deal there remains one constant which for me has got stronger and stronger every time I sit and think about the logistics of signing a thirty-five year old on loan for a couple of months. The constant being exactly that. A couple of months. A loan. He’ll arrive, no doubt to the usual media hullabaloo with giddy fans outside WHL telling the Sky cameras they have no time to chat as they run towards the massive queue outside the Spurs Shop salivating at the prospect of ‘Beckham’ printed on the back of the home shirt and to also get their hands on the specially released official dvd – ‘Beckham: The Medical and Press Conference’.
Regardless of whether you believe in ‘the circus’ that follows him around, cameras always on him before anyone else, if he does accept the invitation and if LA Galaxy give their approval – it’s as short term as it can possibly get. Hello, how you doing, goodbye. That’s about six hundred flicks of the hair, two thousand moody stares from the bench and at least six and half thousand smiles. Or in relative terms, two months or so, a few cameos, the odd start, a free-kick or two and hours upon hours of hard training and chats and hugs with the squad.
It’s that constant again. Two months.
I don’t see the point in dissecting this in any great detail. We know Beckham is past his prime. We know (if played often) he’d be far more effective in Italy where the football caters for the older generation of footballers or the MLS where the football caters for the.'.yadda yadda yadda.
We know Tottenham play counter-attacking football, at speed, and that his role at Spurs will probably be more about his presence on the training ground and as a very astute deflection of attention away from the players who might start finding the pressure pressing down on them in the coming weeks.
We also know that he will play a part at some point, otherwise - for the sake of commercial reasons and coaching (tips and hints etc) it’s hardly worth all the effort if Harry doesn’t have reason to use Becks out on the battlefield. As reinforcement. Perhaps as a calming influence in the latter stages of a game.
So that’s it really. No need for dramatics. It’s a loan. For two months. As long as we do sign players we actually need as part of the Harry/Levy blueprint for the now and future (i.e. world class forward, another midfielder) then having David Beckham at the club is hardly going to be detrimental. If people actually believe we'll drop Lennon and change the whole system to accommodate him, you need your head checking.
We should all know in under 48 hours. Probably.
As for transfer news – Graham Hunter has been at it with some ITK suggesting Llorente was a target but no longer one (due to price), Pienaar has signed on a pre-contract and we are also looking at Cazorla. Tip of the iceberg, there are plenty more stories doing the rounds. Doesn't matter too much, does it? We sign who we sign, how we get there is just process.
Welcome to January.
Hold onto your hats.
Reader Comments (57)
Hear, hear
first
D'oh!
West Ham's little burst has seen them go odds-against in the relegation market for the first time in ages. Surviving in the Prem must be good for their chances of getting Stratford, which is the outcome we should be hoping for (saves us having to make a decision).
Perhaps this is to deflect attention from the fact that it is January 3rd and we haven't signed anyone yet.
I've already got me Beckham 23 Spurs shirt. looks the absolute bollocks. when I wear it it's like I'm actually HIm.
Money can't buy that.
Go on then. I'm sold.
This whole beckham scenario is a farce. Anyone who is excited at the prospect of. signing an overrated media whore are clearly delusional. As a spurs fan im embarrassed by this. Lets be honest if it was the gooners, city or anyone else signing him we would be laughing our nuts off. Dark days, dark days indeed.
Would prefer becks on a 6 month deal but obviously that's not going to happen, he will bring abit of experience to the dressing room his been there done that and in arry I trust if he can make us appicate gallas then anything is possible!! COYS
ive already masturbated multiple times at the thought of beckham at the lane.
Two months only? I'm a long time yid, over 'ere in LA. Apparently, Becks has a buyout clause in his contract. Check it out. Caveat emptor. On another note, great, great page!
You've masturbated?
For fucks sake it's hardly dark dark days if he's going to be our cheerleader now is it?
Since when do football clubs have player cheerleaders.
Agreed absolutely, and add that this COULD be a smoke screen under which Harry/Levy creeps in pursuit of more useful acquisitions .......... hopefully.
Hmmm. Beckham will come. I think. And yes as you say it'll be just for a couple of months. I really can't see us signing a 'world class forward', not in January, it just doesn't happen. It would appear we've got Pienaar, don't know why? Is he better than any of our current first choice midfield? I don't think so.
Beckham is the 'Marquee signing', doubt there will be any bigger. He can do a job whilst he's here and I don't see why Lennon should have any worries about the right side. Personally I could see Becks coming on against the so called lesser teams, replacing the likes of Palacios and controlling the deeper areas of our midfield, spraying passes out to our widemen and threading through balls to VDV and Modric. If he comes. And if he plays that is...
I. Cant believe people are excited about this? Are you guys serious? Beckham isnt even the best player at galaxy. He would struggle to get into the top sides in the prem.
Not overly excited by it John. Just saying that he will be our biggest signing of the window. Wish we could get Dzeko or Benzema personally, but I reckon Harry and Levy both know that ain't gonna happen so they big up the Beckham thing. He could bring a whole lot of benefits to Spurs, could also cause a right headache. We shall have to see...
He will come in as an impact player at best but mostly a trainer and someone who can aid in cementing some of that winning mentality and determination in the players. You are under-rating him.
Come in and help with the training, motivation etc? Isnt that what our coaching staff get PAID to do? This is a load of PR Nonsense and deep down you know it. What utter crap,
From what I've heard...(and you all know to take anything at this time of year with a pinch of salt...) That "he" signed earlier subject to medicals and all that malarkey...
Personally, Even as a Chelsea fan, I think its a good thing.
Just his knowledge around the place will be helpful. ok the ensuing media circus will be a pain in the arse but if he can help improve a few of your up and coming players then surely that's a blessing and not a curse?
Hey... You never know... He could be the catalyst you need to get you into third this year above us.
Yes. I admitted it. I think we will finish fourth behind you.
JD.
Hardly PR nonsense is it?
Was Davids PR nonsense? Naybet? Or do we tag Beckham as a circus because he's good looking?
That's a good point there Boxed In. If Becks was ugly we'd not be discussing any of this like as though we are about to sign the anti-Christ.
None of our players need anything from Beckham
Really at the expense of who? You are 5th so who of the top 3 is changing places with you. Back to topic. Everyone seems to rereiterate about helping young players and be a great player to to have around etc etc. Why is this necessary? Are we that badly in need of this additional assistance that we need to draft in a perfume mongering has been. What influence did beckham have at milan? il tell you fuck all. It is an unwanted distraction. We may rue this if it goes ahead.
If he hardly has an influence then how exactly is he going to impact the team so negatively?
J Anunwanted media furore is a negative Impact wouldn't you say? If beckham is the answer tell me what is the question?
1-0 up against Bolton at home next month, last 15 mins, looking edgy. Crouch has been on for 10 mins, we can get the ball out of our half. Wilson already in the book.
Beckham coming on to ping balls onto the Beanpole's head, or over the top for Lennon to run on to.
Happy days.
in arry I trust in arry I trust
Harry tends to get it right.
Harry tends to say one thing and mean the other especially during transfer windows Id say he isnt pleased about this signing and would prefer a top quality striker which we need badly. This isnt a happy signing.
Harry signing
Im off to bed. I suggest you beckham lovers do the same but keep your hands over the covers where your wives can see em lads. Lets hope when I wake this will all have been a bad dream.
Would far rather have him in our camp than see him in Milan's.
I still think Aaron might get something out of it and if he did we will be completely grateful Aaron has been loyal to spurs as spurs have been to him to complete his training with a few months with Beckham would be great Aaron has pace one thing Beckham never had if Aaron had what David has he wouldbe a more complete winger....then all we'd need is a target man for Aaron to hit..
Levy needs to push a few more Spurs out of the door, who better to get the job done than Spice boy? Oh, he can also deliver killer passes and train the lads too.
Levy needs to push a few more Spurs shirt out of the door, who better to get the job done than Spice boy? Oh, he can also deliver killer passes and train the lads too.
johnhalloween....you really have 'got it bad' over the boy Beckham haven't you ?
Surprised you haven't brought his wife into the equation yet.
You say he isn't even the best player at LA Galaxy.Even if we accept that to be true,
it's hardly the point is it ? How many others can most people name ? Landon Donovan...errrr.
Can you really not accept that,for no transfer fee,he wouldn't be good to have on the training
ground and in the dressing room ? Nobody imagines for a minute that he's going to replace Lennon
or in some other way play every game for two months.He of course won't have the onfield influence
that Jurgen had but it's rare to have a proven winner at the club with such experience.
Surprised if the Galaxy let it go ahead really,given the potential for injury,as happened before.
We'll find out pretty soon apparently.
And SNTB......what arrogant nonsense.
I wanna go back to Kab's sending off for "forward motion of the head". Looking at the replay(s), it's clear that Kab started out by reprimanding what he thought was a overly strong challenge. When Tit came back with a slow charge bumping into him he did it in such a way that their heads clashed slightly, then Kab reacted with a nut. So it seems that using one's head as the strike point of an upright "battering ram" rather than standing still and nodding forcefully at something using neck muscles only saves you from a sending off any day.
Oh yeah, and the question to the Beckham answer is obviously "what are we going to do with all this money we've got?"
Not being English, I've not really followed Beckham's career with baited breath. I do think the galaxy (and MLS) got fairly thoroughly screwed by the Beckham deal, given how much he's being paid and how little he has played. It was also at a time when the junior players at the galaxy qualified for food stamps, they were being paid so little. How this was good for football in America still escapes me.
At the same time, I'm not a Beckham hater. I respect his work ethic and the way he has handled himself through various low points in his career.
But the question here is, it good for Spurs? Not for England, or for Harry or for Beckham, for Spurs. And I just don't see how it can be. He's not Edgar Davids--he doesn't have the pitbull personality that was visibly a motivating force for the rest of the team when he initially joined. The comparable figure this season is Van der Vart, a player a step up from anyone else we have signed in recent times. Is Beckham a step up in class from Van der Vart? Maybe five years ago but now?
And where is this "he can coach and be an influence in the dressing room and proven winner" stuff coming from? What coaching? He hasn't done that in LA where god knows there were enough young players who could have benefited from his experience. His role with the England squad in South Africa? Are you kidding me? And just how much influence can he have in 2 months? Which players do you think need his example? Lennon has already played with him in a World Cup, when Beckham was still arguably world class and Lennon outperformed him. What's he going to teach Gareth massive injury then jinxed Bale about coming back from adversity? Proven winner? In recent years, the only success he's been associated with is at Milan, where he was a bit part player at best.
Also, I'm not sure that the media circus that follows won't be a disruptive force in the dressing room. You're any other Spurs player and you've had an absolute blinder of a match, but all the attention is on Beckham and his 82nd minute cameo when we were already two goals up.
Seriously, if you really think we need to make a "step up in class" signing of an experienced player with a winning mentality, just get Diego Forlan, two-time winner of both the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Shoe, as well as the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2010 World Cup (when was the last time a player not from one of the teams in the final won that award?) That would address our striker issue as well.
Harry tends to get it right.
Jan 3, 2011 at 11:59 PM | spooky
Interesting site: http://www.footbo.com/Teams/Tottenham/Transfers
Excluding repurchases of Spurs players like Defoe, Keane, Kaboul, Chimbonda etc. and kicking Portsmouth when they were down (while possibly still collecting the percentage of the fee that was written into his contract there) like Crouch & Krancjar, and youth players, who were promptly sent out on loan, leaves us with Bassong, Palacious and Sandro, as full signings, Gallas and Cudicini on frees. Nothing disastrous there, and thus far Gallas is looking quite inspired, but really nothing that's the equivalent of signing Berbatov either.
Other transfer targets Harry has talked up in the papers...Erm...Craig Bellamy, Joe Cole, Scott Parker and a couple of others that didn't happern were greeted on this site generally with tepid enthusiasm to appalled disbelief. Harry said he had nothing to do with VanderVart's signing.
So, no, just cause harry's running his mouth to media about someone doesn't convince me it's a good idea. Especially when signing the guy means Harry will get even more press attention.
I don't see the Beckham signing as a big deal either way but I do think there is definitely a tail risk of it being a negative addition to the squad. For a novelty factor, it does raise Spurs profile globally, we can argue about whether that matters or not but it does sell shirts, period. The whole thing bores me, really. I think any reaction to this whether 'you will rue the day' negativism or 'his influence in the dressing room will get us over the top' positivism are both nonsense.
FYI, for all our defensive frailities this year.... In 2009/2010, in our first 15 games, we conceded 21 goals. This year, we conceded 20 goals in the first 15 games. It was in mid December we went on a run defensively that saw us keep 8 clean sheets in 11 games. This year in the 5 games after the 15th game of the season, we've conceded 3 goals in 5 games with 2 clean sheets. We're coming together. Another clean sheet up at Goodison and I'm going to start having delusions of grandeur. Ends in a 1.
Personally not too keen on Beckham but if Harry wants him then so be it, and to those thinking he might help Lennon, He's trained with him more than a few England camps and don't think had much to offer Lennon. But I love Posh that beautiful freak
The upside is the international exposure Spurs will get
Spurs LA, agreed and that's necessarily a small thing.
He does have a lovely right foot which I personally wouldn't hold against him.
"Was Davids PR nonsense? Naybet? Or do we tag Beckham as a circus because he's good looking"
Really? Have you seen him in the latest TV Ads? He only needs a crease in those shorts and he could be on It Ain't 'Alf Hot Mum!
Spooky,
my thoughts exactly. No harm done if he comes, no harm done if he does not.
providing we continue to focus on the big picture. The title chase and the little matter of a quality addition to the striker division.
the striker addition is a far harder task than a Beckham loan. And far more important.
Cheers Greg.
Chinese whispers or Billy Bull Shit ?
let's have a look at this shall we.......
Beckham bumps into Redknapp Jr in Harrods - This wasn't arranged, it wasn't a 'fuck I'm so late I'm getting out and running the last quarter of a mile mate, here's twenty quid, keep the change' - So there they are toe to toe in haberdashery with about 30 or so paparazzi hot to trot ..... And Beckham says to Redknapp Jr 'I'd like to play for Tottenham, they're playing well aint they'?
And that, my mad deluded fiends, is that - a conversation in a shop.....!