Maybe the US Reds could help here (regarding David Beckham)

Just been listening to Rodney Marsh on talk sport who was saying that David Beckham hasn't really had much of an impact on the MLS. Apparantly he was brought in to bring crowds but these have never really happened - apart from the 20,000 who go and watch LA Galaxy. Considering he is tied down for another 4 years, what is the general consensus over there regarding him? Is he still being booed?

Just interested in his progress over there as you don't hear too much about him nowdays.

Can see him retiring from football within the next couple of years, personally. Don't think he will ever come back to Europe.

i read in the week that he is supposedly interested in buying an MLS club. probably a load of tosh, though.

Originally Posted by Jack Duckworth

i read in the week that he is supposedly interested in buying an MLS club. probably a load of tosh, though.

Was just reading the business side of it on the been website. Apparantly the MLS sold a club for $7,500 three years ago. Now clubs 17 and 18 () are being touted around for $40m. I doubt very much that is down to David Beckham - I think it's more to do with them having a very consistent national side and the fact more and more sole "soccer" stadiums. The thing they really need is a network contract for the league - without one of them, they have got no chance.

Beckham went to the MLS cos his bitch of a wife told him to cos she fancied living in LA and hob nobbing with more celebs.

The obscene money he gets helped his decision as well.

He could have easily played at top level in Europe for another 3 or 4 years !

Originally Posted by Jizza Jazza

Beckham went to the MLS cos his bitch of a wife told him to cos she fancied living in LA and hob nobbing with more celebs.

The obscene money he gets helped his decision as well.

He could have easily played at top level in Europe for another 3 or 4 years !

I'm not convinced. Top level for me would mean he'd still deserve his place in the England team. He doesn't, he's shit and past it. All those movie premiers have taken their toll imho.

Originally Posted by Spiffy

I'm not convinced. Top level for me would mean he'd still deserve his place in the England team. He doesn't, he's shit and past it. All those movie premiers have taken their toll imho.

He's not past it, he's shit cos he plays in a shit league and lives like a pop star and not like a footballer.

If he'd stayed with us he'd still be in the first team, albeit on the bench a bit by now, but still in the first team. Look at Giggs, older then beckham but kept in shape and can still make a contribution

Originally Posted by Jizza Jazza

He's not past it, he's shit cos he plays in a shit league and lives like a pop star and not like a footballer.

If he'd stayed with us he'd still be in the first team, albeit on the bench a bit by now, but still in the first team. Look at Giggs, older then beckham but kept in shape and can still make a contribution

He couldn't even make the team in his last season ffs. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (remember him) made the right flank his own - which says something when he was the best natural finisher at the club.

Have a word with yourself.

Ronaldo > Beckham ever was.

Originally Posted by Jizza Jazza

Beckham went to the MLS cos his bitch of a wife told him to cos she fancied living in LA and hob nobbing with more celebs.

The obscene money he gets helped his decision as well.

He could have easily played at top level in Europe for another 3 or 4 years !

Not really... maybe till he was 32. He was never blessed with great pace and sticking him out right so he can swing in lots of crosses is quite defendable.

He was fantastic for Madrid in his last season there. They wanted to keep him but it was too late as the deal had been done.

Originally Posted by Pete's Shoes

He was fantastic for Madrid in his last season there. They wanted to keep him but it was too late as the deal had been done.

Really?! £#%&!ing hell, never knew that.

Originally Posted by koppas

Really?! £#%&!ing hell, never knew that.

He was dropped for large parts of his last season. He was fresh and with something to prove. Yes they tried to keep him but he was on a bosman and worth a fortune in marketing to them. Would he still be in the first team now? No, they would have sold him.

back to the original question, which the beckham haters so unceremoniously ignored, I would say he has made some impact on the MLS.

I see tons of kids with Galaxy gear on all over the place. They would've likely never supported or known about any team, let alone an LA team when they live on the east coast.

That being said, he as an individual player can't inspire that much interest, as typically one live MLS match per week is on ESPN and it's only occasionally the Galaxy. So it's not as if people can watch him and his talent and become more interested in the sport.

What will really inspire interest in MLS, in my opinion, is relegation. It doesn't exist in any sport in the US and it could really provoke people. It likely won't happen as it costs $40M to get into the league, and investors won't pony up to only be moved down to USL-1 in a season if the team doesn't produce.

Who cares?

Originally Posted by boreez

back to the original question, which the beckham haters so unceremoniously ignored, I would say he has made some impact on the MLS.

I see tons of kids with Galaxy gear on all over the place. They would've likely never supported or known about any team, let alone an LA team when they live on the east coast.

That being said, he as an individual player can't inspire that much interest, as typically one live MLS match per week is on ESPN and it's only occasionally the Galaxy. So it's not as if people can watch him and his talent and become more interested in the sport.

What will really inspire interest in MLS, in my opinion, is relegation. It doesn't exist in any sport in the US and it could really provoke people. It likely won't happen as it costs $40M to get into the league, and investors won't pony up to only be moved down to USL-1 in a season if the team doesn't produce.

Nice one.

Originally Posted by Fuzzy Dunlop

Who cares?

Me. Obviously.

Beckham was brought in to make LA a better team, to get more fans for LA, to raise the profile of the league, and to attract other similar players to the league. It hasn't really worked.

LA are crap, one of the worst teams in the league. I'm not sure why, but I think they have about three players who are really good by MLS standards and the rest are rubbish. So the galactico policy hasn't worked, and the people responsible for it have already been fired.

LA might have more fans now, I don't know, but I've never seen anyone wearing a Galaxy shirt round here (small town Virginia). European teams only, mostly English.

I think bringing Beckham in has got attention for MLS, but not necessarily in the right way. And it hasn't led to the signing of people like Zidane, who they tried to get.

All in all, a failed experiment. Which might be what MLS turns out to be too.

Originally Posted by boreez

I see tons of kids with Galaxy gear on all over the place. They would've likely never supported or known about any team, let alone an LA team when they live on the east coast.

Sure, they have bought the shirts but aren't going to continue to play/watch football when they to their teens. A high percentage of children in the US play football until they get to high school. Then once in High school the start playing american football, basketball, etc.....

I don't think Beckham has made much of an impact on 'soccer' in the US. He was top news when he first came over here but as with most things, Americans don't have a huge attention span. Last weeks news and all that....

Originally Posted by Jizza Jazza

He could have easily played at top level in Europe for another 3 or 4 years !

Nah, I think that was the problem. He could have played at a level akin to midtable premier league or other european league but his ego couldn't handle that. Hence the move to LA.

What he should have done was go to play at Orient , been hailed as a hero, given pleasure to loads of success starved fans, improved a club and given something back. Count his millions while he's at it.

Originally Posted by dodger

Nah, I think that was the problem. He could have played at a level akin to midtable premier league or other european league but his ego couldn't handle that. Hence the move to LA.

What he should have done was go to play at Orient , been hailed as a hero, given pleasure to loads of success starved fans, improved a club and given something back. Count his millions while he's at it.

I don't think his missus would have liked a move to the orient... I understand she dosen't like asian food.

Beckham decks the kids out in Chelsea kits

Originally Posted by eddie_red

Beckham decks the kids out in Chelsea kits

United Legend