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Post by Macmoish on Jun 28, 2012 11:06:01 GMT
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Post by sharky on Jun 28, 2012 11:24:53 GMT
BBC
David Beckham not selected for London 2012 football squad
David Beckham has not been selected for the Great Britain Olympic football squad. The 37-year-old former England skipper wanted to captain Team GB at London 2012. He said: "Naturally I am very disappointed, but there will be no bigger supporter of the team than me. "I would have been honoured to have been part of this unique Team GB squad. Like everyone, I will be hoping they can win the gold." Beckham made coach Stuart Pearce's shortlist of 35 players but was overlooked for the final 18-man squad as one of three players over the age of 23 allowed to compete in the Olympics.
Gordon Farquhar BBC sports news correspondent "When we last spoke to David he said he had not played terribly well for LA Galaxy in the game Stuart Pearce saw. But he was a big Olympics fan, it was something he felt close to and he put a huge amount of effort into it, even before the bidding process started.
"Once he expressed an interest in being in the team, maybe we were all putting two and two together and making five. Pearce has never said he would include David Beckham and would only pick the strongest players available. That has always been his policy."
According to the Times, Pearce, who watched Beckham play for LA Galaxy in the United States last week, has selected Manchester City defender Micah Richards ahead of him. Pearce rang Beckham on Wednesday night to tell him he wanted more defensive cover in the squad. Richards has been included alongside Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs and Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy as the three over-age players. Beckham said in January: "I would love to be captain. I have led my country before and know how special it would be to lead them into the Olympics." In April, Pearce said: "He's been a great ambassador but that's no guarantee he'll get in the squad. I'm picking on form and merit alone. "David Beckham will be treated exactly the same as any other individual, whether it is young or over-age. "I have a duty of care to the Great Britain squad to try to win a gold medal. I will pick the strongest squad I can." Team GB have been drawn in Group A at London 2012 alongside Senegal, Uruguay and United Arab Emirates. They play Senegal at Old Trafford on 26 July, the United Arab Emirates at Wembley on 29 July and Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium on 1 August.
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Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 28, 2012 11:27:12 GMT
That's a disgusting way to treat a man who is one of the main reasons we got the Olympics in the first place.
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Post by Lonegunmen on Jun 28, 2012 11:27:38 GMT
I wonder if that explains why plastic wife looked like she really didn't want to be with the other spiceless girls on the news two nights ago? Actually she looked strung out and talk about "feel the love".
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Post by Marc on Jun 28, 2012 11:32:29 GMT
That's a disgusting way to treat a man who is one of the main reasons we got the Olympics in the first place. I disagree Rory. It's a competitive tournament and you can't pick a team based on sentiment. I applaud Stuart Pearce for having the strength of character to make that decision.
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Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 28, 2012 11:34:43 GMT
That's a disgusting way to treat a man who is one of the main reasons we got the Olympics in the first place. I disagree Rory. It's a competitive tournament and you can't pick a team based on sentiment. I applaud Stuart Pearce for having the strength of character to make that decision. Yet he picks Giggs instead?? Beckham is still better than Giggs
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Post by jayrigg on Jun 28, 2012 11:39:10 GMT
I disagree Rory. It's a competitive tournament and you can't pick a team based on sentiment. I applaud Stuart Pearce for having the strength of character to make that decision. Yet he picks Giggs instead?? Beckham is still better than Giggs Is he? Giggs was playing Premiership football last year. Cheers, Jay
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Post by nomar on Jun 28, 2012 11:45:14 GMT
I disagree Rory. It's a competitive tournament and you can't pick a team based on sentiment. I applaud Stuart Pearce for having the strength of character to make that decision. Yet he picks Giggs instead?? Beckham is still better than Giggs In what lifetime and parallel universe was Beckham ever better than Giggs?
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Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 28, 2012 11:49:31 GMT
I would rather have Beckham than Giggs in the team.
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Post by Macmoish on Jun 28, 2012 11:50:55 GMT
I assume on pure merits, Beckham was not selected. However I don't think it should have been on pure merits. And to the degree that any professional footballer at that level embodies internationalism and patriotism and has a little bit of class etc, I'm disappointed he wasn't selected.
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Post by nomar on Jun 28, 2012 11:57:57 GMT
I think its a mockery anyways. Some poor archer or other unheralded athlete has to fight for sponsorship to afford to train and take part in the Olympics and millionaire tennis and football players get in on the act too. Doesn't sit right with me, must be my age!
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Post by Marc on Jun 28, 2012 12:00:17 GMT
I disagree Rory. It's a competitive tournament and you can't pick a team based on sentiment. I applaud Stuart Pearce for having the strength of character to make that decision. Yet he picks Giggs instead?? Beckham is still better than Giggs Pearce can only pick the team based on current form, not on who he thinks has been the better player over 20 years. Beckham has been playing in MLS, a much lower standard than the Premier League and, by his own admission, he did not play well when Pearce went over to watch him play. On a side note, I've always rated Giggs higher than Beckham. Worst news ever was when he decided to play for Wales, he would have been bigger than Beckham for England.
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Post by Zamoraaaah on Jun 28, 2012 12:07:03 GMT
That's a disgusting way to treat a man who is one of the main reasons we got the Olympics in the first place. What's even more disgusting is that Seb Coe was not entered in the 800 and 1500m.
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Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 28, 2012 12:08:58 GMT
That's a disgusting way to treat a man who is one of the main reasons we got the Olympics in the first place. What's even more disgusting is that Seb Coe was not entered in the 800 and 1500m. Actually I would have found that very amusing so it is a shame ;D ;D
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Post by Macmoish on Jun 28, 2012 12:14:53 GMT
If you want to say this is the best 18 in their various categories. But I bet it's not. This is not the World Cup/European Championship. The Olympics is about something more than that. We're not talking about bringing back Ray Wilkins or Bobby Charlton, we're talking about rewarding a still-playing/still good Beckham
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Post by gramps on Jun 28, 2012 12:47:39 GMT
Correct me if I am wrong but I was always under the impression that the Olympics was supposed to be totally amateur.
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Post by sirpiechucker on Jun 28, 2012 13:02:00 GMT
That's a disgusting way to treat a man who is one of the main reasons we got the Olympics in the first place. A lot of people are saying this on Twitter but what exactly did he do? What has he done since we won the bid? To me he was just a face who seemingly is taking a lot of plaudits away from a whole host of people who actually put the bid together. Who actually had a real vision and legacy in mind. Not forgetting those who've actually build the stadiums, volunteered to help and who work long hours to make the game successful. Beckham is and was a great footballer but I don't believe that we won the games because of him.
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tom007
Dave Sexton
Posts: 1,612
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Post by tom007 on Jun 28, 2012 16:21:52 GMT
as said earlier the Olympics is so i thought for amateurs so therefore dont really understand all these pro players getting in on the olympics but seeing as they are then i feel beckham should have been included .
i have not seen the full squad as yet but can bet there will be a few that shouldn,t be in and on the subject of giggs and bellamy while we are at it they slope off to wales to play their internationals and then have the cheek to put themselves forard to our olympic squad.lol
dont seem right to me sorry if you disagree but when you watch athletics do you not see on the shirts (gbr) , (ire) , (sco) etc , etc you can say yes but , but , but
lol they are from wales and therefore should be playing for (wal) i know we had wells running for gbr etc etc but this is an argument i always have they should be under their own flag and colours shouldnt they.
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Post by terryb on Jun 28, 2012 17:48:38 GMT
The olymics have not been just for amateurs in any sport for decades now.
I happen to doubt if they ever were. How would most of the competitors have had time to train & compete at that level without some form of funding?
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Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 28, 2012 18:02:38 GMT
Well if you think about it, any young British players that are good enough for the Olympic team will have been picked up by a club already.
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tom007
Dave Sexton
Posts: 1,612
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Post by tom007 on Jun 28, 2012 21:36:23 GMT
as mentioned on five live earlier though they repeated what i said that because wales did not bother to field a side in the olympics 3 of their players have made it in to our squad which has done 3 english players out of a place.
Gb is Great britain and wal is wales as in politics they move the goal posts to suit themselves.
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Post by Marc on Jun 28, 2012 22:03:27 GMT
as mentioned on five live earlier though they repeated what i said that because wales did not bother to field a side in the olympics 3 of their players have made it in to our squad which has done 3 english players out of a place. Gb is Great britain and wal is wales as in politics they move the goal posts to suit themselves. Do Wales have a separate Olympic team? We enter the Olympics as GB, that includes England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland. No England player has been done out of a place as there's no England team in the Olympics.
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Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 28, 2012 22:05:41 GMT
as mentioned on five live earlier though they repeated what i said that because wales did not bother to field a side in the olympics 3 of their players have made it in to our squad which has done 3 english players out of a place. Gb is Great britain and wal is wales as in politics they move the goal posts to suit themselves. Do Wales have a separate Olympic team? We enter the Olympics as GB, that includes England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland. No England player has been done out of a place as there's no England team in the Olympics. That's what I thought Fabs, never heard anything about Wales having their own separate team.
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Post by Marc on Jun 28, 2012 22:08:19 GMT
Do Wales have a separate Olympic team? We enter the Olympics as GB, that includes England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland. No England player has been done out of a place as there's no England team in the Olympics. That's what I thought Fabs, never heard anything about Wales having their own separate team. Maybe he's thinking about the Commonwealth games. The fact that we enter the Olympics as GB is what always caused issues in the past with competing in the Football. They've only made the effort to put a team together now because it's in London.
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Post by cpr on Jun 28, 2012 23:22:39 GMT
Pearce is a Harrow boy, grew up round the corner from where my mum lives. \\\\\\\\\\he's alleged to be a Rangers fan.
If I see the twat anywhere I'll bite his face off and stick a kin expensive spnsored pizza into the gap thats left.
The blokes a total mug and he thought he could get the ENGLAND job, what a tosser!
Cant type see ya
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Post by steeleyranger on Jun 28, 2012 23:52:29 GMT
Not forgetting that each of the other home nations were against their players playing for GB as they believed they would lose their own 'independent international status'. There were assurances from FIFA that this wouldn't happen in the future. A number of the players expressed their interest in representing GB but apart from English players they were not really supported by their FA's ! There was a time when competitors in the Olympics were meant to be 'Amateur' but this led to 'shamateurism' and nations found different ways of competing as 'amateurs' although their competitors were either being sponsored by their nation as members of their army, university students-on very long degree courses! or through 'trust funds' being created which they accessed after retirement. ( read USSR, USA,GB for each way of avoiding being classed as a professional) Eventually this was swept away in the days of Juan Samaranch as the IOC president ( 1980 onwards) who wanted the Olympics to include the very best athletes and sought sponsorship worldwide to make the Olympics profitable so that host nations didn't make huge losses as they had been! This lead to top professionals taking part -such as the American Dream team-Basketball. Since then the very best compete in everything although ,of course, there are some sports which are still not so commercialized such as shooting, hockey,rowing,sailing and similar which tend to still include competitors who are more 'amateur' than the footballers and tennis players ! Hope this clears up some of the Olympic issues ? Personally, I'm surprised that Beckham hasn't been included in the GB team and feel that it would have been worthy recognition for all that he has done both nationally and internationally.. The fact that Giggs and Bellamy 'needed' to be included has worked against him, which is a shame considering how much he was used as an ambassador for our successful bid ! -I don't remember either of the Welshman being used to support the London bid!!
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Post by sirpiechucker on Jun 29, 2012 7:16:41 GMT
Team GB not Team England and Team Wales.
I'd rather have Gareth Bale running down the left wing then any English player. Looking forward to it and previously I've never been bothered about football at the Olympics.
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Post by RoryTheRanger on Jun 29, 2012 7:27:56 GMT
Team GB not Team England and Team Wales. I'd rather have Gareth Bale running down the left wing then any English player. Looking forward to it and previously I've never been bothered about football at the Olympics. I'm with you there, I didn't care much about the Olympics but now I'm looking forward to it too. Looking forward to seeing the young players from Brazil etc okay. Plus we get to see Nelsen in action.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2012 13:41:15 GMT
Maybe Beckham can do the respect speeches before kick-off instead
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Post by terryb on Jun 29, 2012 17:00:27 GMT
Actually I think you will find that it is officially GB & NI, at least for all other sports.
Perhaps I am in the minority but I wouldn't have included Beckham, Giggs or Bellamy.
The object of the exercise is to try to win it. None of those three would be played by their clubs in more than one game per week so how they will manage to play in a congested tournament is beyond me.
Rather than select old players who won't have anything to offer in the future, the over age spots should have all gone to improving players that are slightly above the age limit.
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