BrooklynWHAT Member since Jun 15th 2007 85077 posts
Thu May-16-13 11:56 PM
"David Beckham retiring." Thu May-16-13 11:59 PM by BrooklynWHAT
Everybody bags on him because he's the biggest soccer star ever, but yall ain't gonna act like he wasn't damn good. In 534 top-flight league games, he scored or assisted 242 goals. He made an artform out of the cross and a showcase out of the free kick. And while he gets the most love for the highlights and there are many of them, his work-rate and contribution to the team was SO underrated.
7. "If he wanted to, he could; he was knighted in 2012" In response to Reply # 1
It's not an automatic, it's up to the individual with the honor. Typically only older people take the distinction, though there is also some rule about where you live/work and using the "sir", "dame" or "lady".
3. "Incredible career and a helluva brand he has created" In response to Reply # 0 Fri May-17-13 03:50 AM by LA2Philly
His vision and composure always stood out to me along with that right foot. Always had a great understanding of the game and a knack for finding that perfect linking pass. Give him half a yard to the outside and he could place that ball on a dime. One of my favorites.
--------------------------------- <--The drought is over
"have fun reveling in your pettiness tho" (C) Dula summing up 98% of OKS
"I didnt finish a damn thing...matter of fact I jerked off after she left." -Kobe speaking to investigators
BrooklynWHAT Member since Jun 15th 2007 85077 posts
Fri May-17-13 04:42 AM
5. "good point on the vision & composure." In response to Reply # 3
i know growing up, i always wanted to be able to do the back post crosses like him. i'd see him launch it from deep, watch it haaaaang in the air and i'm sitting there thinking "man who are you crossing this shit to...*guy runs in from off-screen*...oh." and you knew it was just like he planned it.
beyond that he was also good for a slick bit of footwork to get that open window, and some nice passing through the middle too.
i always wished he would've came back instead of doing the MLS thing, even as a squad player.
IceburgSmurf Member since May 17th 2008 4724 posts
Fri May-17-13 11:42 AM
13. "Does he lie though?" In response to Reply # 9 Fri May-17-13 11:43 AM by IceburgSmurf
with the exception of the number 1000 (which should be more like 500 i didnt see anything egregious in waddles quotes. Its telling that most of the quotes on beckham they posted from other diginitaries harps on about how great a pro he was and how much he made of himself.
Good, not great footballer, fantastic sporting celebrity. the Tebow of world futball (if tebow had been embraced not chunned)
Edit: actually thats unfair, becks can play tebow can't
"I would say he has been a good player, I wouldn't put him down as a great,"
"I think there have been a lot more talented players in the world. But he made the most of what he has got,"
"He has got a terrific image and used it very well. He never had a trick, wasn't particularly quick, but he was very good at set-pieces and deliveries, he made chances and made goals and was fantastic for clubs.
"He said the right things, he sold shirts, he put money in the tills wherever he went and conducted himself well."
"As a player I would say he was a fantastic crosser of the ball, a great athlete,"
"Now people will be talking about him and saying 'How great, how great'. I would say 'how good'.
"I would not say he was a great. He was very good at his job, he worked very hard as a professional footballer."
and for the record Waddle was one of the players more talented than beckham.
27. "w/that said, I do think he's hating like shit w/the 1000" In response to Reply # 24
and so are you w/500
Beckham was an undisputed starter on the national team for 10 years+ so that makes him top 10 of that decade. Even if you factor in 3 or 4 more decades, he'd end up in the top 50 English players at worst (probably more like top 25)
of course if you include foreigners that becomes a tougher proposition for Spice but they started flooding the EPL only 15 years ago or so...so he'd still crack a top 100
i gotta say, i knew about his free kick prowess, but i was most impressed by his passing ability. passing on the ground or through the air, it was nearly perfect every time. props.
21. "He Completely Changed The Landscape & View Of Soccer In America" In response to Reply # 11
there i fixed it for you.
what's happened in MLS since Becks came along?
Designated Player Rule was implemented because of him. teams were able to get players like Juan Pablo Angel, Rafa Marquez, Thierry Henry, Robbie Keane, Federico Higuain, Tim Cahill, Marco Di Vaio, etc.
5 new teams have come into the league. there's been new TV deals and viewership is going up every year (albiet slowly). attendance is 7th in the world for soccer leagues and 3rd in the US among all sports.
6 new stadiums have been built (and 1 on the way) specifically for soccer teams. even the lower leagues have been growing. lots been going on.
>Nah, I'm bullshittin. Most of us still don't give a fuck.
23. "forgive my soccer ignorance," In response to Reply # 0 Fri May-17-13 06:54 PM by forgivenphoenix
but is a good basketball / soccer player analogy for the type of player Beckham was, relative to his success and influence, a player like Bob Cousy? (winner on some really good teams although not the dominant star. also a great passer. also is white for those not up on basketball history. j/k) or Robert Horry? (clutch player and was a good but not dominant talent in his own right.)
IceburgSmurf Member since May 17th 2008 4724 posts
Fri May-17-13 08:24 PM
25. "all of the above but throw in perfect marketability" In response to Reply # 23
>but is a good basketball / soccer player analogy for the type >of player Beckham was, relative to his success and influence, >a player like Bob Cousy? (winner on some really good teams >although not the dominant star. also a great passer. also is >white for those not up on basketball history. j/k) or Robert >Horry? (clutch player and was a good but not dominant talent >in his own right.)
which is what i meant in one of my earlier posts with the tebow comparison. Imagine if tebow was a good player like alex smith/andy dalton level good. Imagine him then marrying a pre kanye taylor swift and them becoming a hugely marketable couple.
then imagine the player bouncing around from team to team that just needed a capable QB to win it all.....
Its not a perfect analogy as a QB is an indispensable part of a superbowl winning team but becks has been a good hardworking player all of his career NEVER near the best player and joined dominant teams already about to win.
put it this way if becks never existed all the teams that he won stuff on would still have won whatever they did (except maybe the galaxy, i dont watch mls)
30. "RE: all of the above but throw in perfect marketability" In response to Reply # 25
>Imagine if tebow was a good player like alex >smith/andy dalton level good. Imagine him then marrying a pre >kanye taylor swift and them becoming a hugely marketable >couple. > >then imagine the player bouncing around from team to team that >just needed a capable QB to win it all..... > >Its not a perfect analogy as a QB is an indispensable part of >a superbowl winning team but becks has been a good hardworking >player all of his career NEVER near the best player and joined >dominant teams already about to win. > >put it this way if becks never existed all the teams that he >won stuff on would still have won whatever they did (except >maybe the galaxy, i dont watch mls)
Its not a perfect analogy - I'd say Carson Palmer would be a better analogy - but drawing an U.S. sports parallel it was pretty good.
35. "i guess it depends on what you call dominant" In response to Reply # 23
i think the fact that he was very famous outside of soccer overshadowed the face that he was really good at what he did. he wasn't a big time scorer and in soccer (like most sports), the scorers are the glamour guys. he had a particular skill and was one of the best in the world at it. even with age and decline in speed his great passing and free kick skills made him still pretty valuable. this last season in PSG was clearly the least he's contributed to a championship club he was on. he had a big role in the other titles though.
and i think you might be downplaying Cousy a bit. i know we were all too young to have watched him, but he doesn't seem to me like he was just coasting to titles. he was MVP of the league.
48. "I'd say he's more akin to Steve Nash." In response to Reply # 23
He's not going to score a whole lot, but his best attribute is setting up his teammates. And he has some clutch attributes. His free kicks are legendary, similar to how Nash was automatic from the free throw line.
If he's your main scoring threat, you're in trouble. But there's probably no better 2nd superstar in the game, and he makes the game easier for his teammates.
You're such pests...now, what is it you want? In your depths of your ignorance, what is it you want? Well, whatever it is you want, I can't deliver because I just don't see it. - Orson Welles
31. "Beckham's greatest skill" In response to Reply # 0
Beckham's greatest skill was convincing everyone he was a world class footballer. By that I mean a top 15 player in his prime and he never was that.
Beckham was always a level (or more) below world class but he was consistently one of the best in the world at dead ball situations whether it was direct free kicks, corners etc.. his lofted passes were precise but being able to do that it is an overrated part of the game compared with being comfortable on the ball and able to complete short passes such as tiki-taka (Spanish national team style).
Because Beckham was able to achieve the spectacular and score vital goals he is going to be remembered as a true great when his talent is not quite that.
Beckham did become a great leader, no doubting that.
Image is everything for him. And of course people now forget he cheated on his wife with one of his assistants in Madrid (Rebecca Loos - who managed to create a career out of her affair with him).
38. "that doesn't make sense" In response to Reply # 31
how can you consistently be one of the best in the world at something and not be a world class player? pk, maybe he wasn't a top 15 player. was he top 20? top 50? what's the cut-off for world class players?
>Image is everything for him. And of course people now forget >he cheated on his wife with one of his assistants in Madrid >(Rebecca Loos - who managed to create a career out of her >affair with him).
what in the world does that have to do with anything?
37. "*offers a big fat shrug* personally, he was never all that...." In response to Reply # 0
wasn't much into him when he played for us, and the level of superstardom he became was way after he was relevant.....I thought he was a complimentary piece.....never what he was made out to be....I am happy for him. But footballing wise, meh.
40. "Help me pick a futbol team in honor of David Beckham's retirement" In response to Reply # 0
I hate need a team with a passionate fanbase, great kit, awesome stadium, and one good player. Having a black player is good but not a requirement as long as the fans aren't racist. Moreover, I want the team to have a chance at the start of the season to win a title.
No empathy for white misery (c) BDot
"root for everybody black haters say that's crazy, wow..."
pick one of the teams who qualified to the group stage. particularly a team from England, Spain, Germany or Italy. they should all meet your criteria. just gotta find a kit you like the best i guess.
so basically you're choices are: Chelsea Manchester City Manchester United Arsenal Real Madrid Barcelona Valencia Borussia Dortmund Bayern Munich Schalke 04 Juventus AC Milan
with the exception of a few people who like some other teams from England (mostly to seem hip i guess?), everyone i know who's a European soccer fan is a fan of one of those teams. if you took a survey of OKP soccer fans, they're team is probably on this list (again, minus a sprinkling of some random EPL teams). they're almost all back in the Champions League again this next season too, so they're clearly pretty good. so what's your favorite color?
45. "well then your choices basically are" In response to Reply # 44
Chelsea Manchester City Manchester United Arsenal
hipster picks...
Aston Villa Everton Fulham Liverpool Tottenham Hotspur
those teams have little to no shot of winning the leaguee in the near future. but they're also probably not going to be relegated either (Villa came close this season though), so they're kind of safe.
i've never met anyone who wasn't British who was a fan of any other team.
50. "Join me as a Villa supporter" In response to Reply # 45
We play an intricate passing game augmented with occasional counter attacking breaks. We have one of the fastest English players in the game Gabby Agbonlahor-who has also this year matured into an excellent passer and reader of the game (watch his run and pass to set up this goal yesterday: http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2645833/Bent1_medium.gif).
We have two of the most exciting continental up and coming strikers in the game, Christian Benteke (Belgium) and Andi Weimann (Austria).
We have the next starting keeper for the US National team, and he just had a breakout season.
Our current manager has outlined plans to identify young rising talent throughout the game, which has unearthed Ashley Westwood and Yacouba Sylla, two extremely gifted central midfielders.
47. "Well, there goes Aresnal..." In response to Reply # 40
>Moreover, I want the team to have a chance at the start of the >season to win a title.
They were good before then...
You're such pests...now, what is it you want? In your depths of your ignorance, what is it you want? Well, whatever it is you want, I can't deliver because I just don't see it. - Orson Welles
51. "why should I give much of a fuck about Saint-Germain?" In response to Reply # 49
ie a sleepy, bougie suburbs where none of the rich ass folks that live there care about the club?
it's not like PSG is some storied club with a hundred years history. They can change the name if they feel like it, it's not a big deal to me. But I was merely commenting on the color scheme anyway. I like it a lot better than this year's home jersey.
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