While being interviewed about the English National Team’s newfound youth policy, Fabio Capello was asked if David Beckham fit into those plans. He replied no; he felt Beckham was too old. And with that, the bull saw red, the sharks sensed blood in the water, and the vultures found prey stumbling through the desert miles from an oasis.
Not since the son of Fulham’s owner and the son’s girlfriend died in a tunnel in Paris have I seen such a hysterical over reaction in the English public and press. When Fabio Capello suggested a 35 year old injured LA Galaxy player no longer had the legs for top class international football, it was as if he kidnapped the Queen, slapped her around, and force fed her a dodgy curry.
What Fabio Capello and his marginal understanding of English society and broken English failed to recognize, is that David Beckham, like Princess Diana before him, is an English icon. His actual worth is of no importance. His perceived worth and importance is. The English, like most humans, are hypocrites. While Beckham coming on in the last 10 minutes of a meaningless match that has already been won is an exercise in futility to Fabio, to the English, it is a cornerstone of the culture, like the changing of the guard, the monarchy, or football itself.
When England crashed out of the World Cup, the drum being banged as loud as ever was that the English squad needed to trend younger, giving new faces a shot at the international stage – seeing how the old guard clearly was not up to the task. What Fabio doesn’t seem to understand is that David Beckham lives in LA now. A quick trip to the doctor and he can have a fresh face. The English public has seen Nip/Tuck, but the Italian obviously hasn’t. And his lack of knowledge of the English language also seems to have set him back. When the public and the press demand younger fresher talent, what they really mean is a 35 year old who can barely hack it in the US, but has a bashful crooked smile, a nice tan, and a wife who looks like something you would expect to find on Mars.
David Beckham has constantly been hailed as a model professional. A consummate pro. Someone who cares more about English football than he does his club football. A true leader of young men. A brand to which other footballers should aspire. What Fabio Capello doesn’t seem to understand is that the English public and press don’t consider the act of having enough class to walk away while you can still actually walk as an attribute worthy of admiration. Wanting to get a caps record is more important than winning. Wanting continual run outs before adoring fans and constant flashbulbs is vastly more important than the advancement of the English team. What the English press and public say they want is not what they actually want. While the English claim they want world or European success, they really don’t. They want the same old “world class” players making the same old mistakes they made each time before. That is until they fall on their face before the world or Europe, and they demand change. And by change, they don’t mean young players. They don’t mean tactics. They mean the manager, who clearly doesn’t get them.
One of the main points the English bring up to deflect from their obvious hypocrisy is that Fabio Capello didn’t take the time to call David Beckham and let him know his international competitive career was done. They use this as a reason why Fabio has lost touch with “common English footballers”. And by common, they mean grown men making millions of pounds every year on and off the pitch. Excuse me for mentioning the stinking festering turd they are calling potpourri, but again it shows you how out of touch with reality the English are. When Fabio Capello first came to the England job, the people applauded the idea of no player being bigger than the team, and no player getting preferential treatment. That rule should still apply. David Beckham is not special. If the press and public are not up in arms over the idea that Peter Crouch wasn’t called to be told he didn’t fit into Fabio’s future plans, or Paul Scholes, or Phil Neville, or Gary Neville, why should Beckham be singled out for special attention? Fabio Capello was asked a question in an interview. He responded honestly and with an answer he should have given if he has any desire to achieve as an England manager. The fact that David Beckham was warned before the interview aired of the response was already special treatment for someone who deserves none. The English talk a big game, but reality is that they have a small mind. They need to decide if they want to be molly-coddled failures, or potential winners who are treated like adults.
As the vultures continue their circular flights, waiting for the right moment to strike, I would hope that Sunil Gulati and others are digging in their couches for a spare $9,000,000. As I stated in my previous article “The Fatal Flaw“, the problem is not and never has been Fabio Capello. It’s the English themselves. Until they learn to deal with football like mature and realistic adults, they will continue to be petty little children on the outside of world or European glory, looking in. David Beckham is not going to advance the English team on the pitch anymore. If Fabio Capello can’t lead England to the promised land at this current time, no one can. If David Beckham still has a use as an ambassador for the 2018 World Cup bid, that’s more than fine. But just as England isn’t giving Sir Bobby Charlton one more run out, David Beckham doesn’t deserve it either. The England bid and the England team should be completely separate entities, and if they are not, England’s troubles run far deeper than even I dreamed.
As the dead man takes his final walk, I would like to be the first to say, “requiescat in pace Don Fabio”. Your parents clearly didn’t teach you the three most valuable lessons in life… Never get involved in a land war in Asia, never get involved in a bet with a Sicilian when death is on the line, and never manage the English National Team because it is a hiding to nowhere.
Until next time, enjoy the glorious football.
Written By Ryan
Rozelle
(19 Posts) |
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