A nice quote

Yesterday I watched “Buffy” (the third season) again. I admit this is really a nice show: the dialogs are witty and the characters are complex. “Attitude gets attention. Courtesy wins respect.” This is the comment that I liked the best.

Beck home – Wembley rises to acclaim its returning hero (Neil Ashton, Daily Mail)

It’s the picture you thought you’d never see — David Beckham walking out in an England shirt at the new Wembley.

Beckham, who was axed by Steve McClaren when he succeeded Sven Goran Eriksson, wore his trademark No 7 shirt against Brazil last night as he won his 95th cap.

The former England captain’s international career looked over when he was left out of McClaren’s first squad against Greece last August, only to earn a dramatic recall from the under-fire England coach.

Beckham, who will move from Real Madrid to LA Galaxy at the end of the month, lined up alongside Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole in the same midfield that crashed out to Portugal in last summer’s World Cup quarter-finals.

Then, he was substituted with ankle ligament damage in what looked set to be his last game for his country. But it all seemed a long time ago last night, with 32-year-old Beckham taking centre stage once again in front of 90,000 expectant fans.

Hollywood ending — SI’s comments on England 1:1 Brazil

Beckham’s perfect sendoff and EPL season in review

Ben Franklin and Jon Pickstone

David Beckham’s return to the English national team for Friday’s game against Brazil and next Wednesday’s vital Euro 2008 qualifier in Estonia has dominated the headlines this week. The setting couldn’t be more fitting: The return of the glamour boy of English football in a glamour friendly against Brazil at the new Wembley Stadium.

Beckham, with a point to prove against both the coach who had doubted he could still make the grade internationally, and the public who may be thinking he’s moving to Major League Soccer for non-footballing reasons. Beckham’s p.r. advisors would surely charge millions to engineer such a scenario.

When he picked his first squad last August, England boss Steve McClaren trumpeted in his new regime with the dropping of Goldenballs, a thinly veiled attempt to show that he wasn’t afraid of making difficult decisions. The U-turre-selectingcting him is a serious gamble for the much-maligned national-team coach.

Although Beckham’s form has been stellar of late for Real Madrid, you do get the feeling that McClaren has re-selected him because of media and fan pressure, and to escape further haranguing from the masses.

McClaren’s plight hasn’t been helped by a number of absentees in his squad for the two games, particularly in attack and defense. With Wayne Rooney suspended, Michael Owen — severely lacking in match practice — leads the line. In the fullback positions, injuries to Gary Neville, Ashley Cole, Wayne Bridge and Micah Richards mean a debut for Reading’s unsung left back Nicky Shorey, and center back Wes Brown forced out of position at right back.

The return of the king

I ran back home to catch the international friendly between England and Brazil. Just because this is David Beckham’s first appearance as a player for England after being axed by Steve McClaren 288 days ago.

It is so hard to explain how I felt when I saw he showed up with his trademark number 7 jersey.  But when he assisted that beautiful goal for Terri, I screamed.

People always think of him as the handsome celebrity. And I wonder how many actually know the true David underneath. Today, England tied with Brazil 1:1, but everyone gave him the highest mark. This is the only international friendly that was broad-casted live in over 100 countries. And David did not disappoint everyone in this game.

While his performance is smashing, it is so unbelievable to see how poorly most of the other players have done. They really cannot handle the ball… Of course, with the help of David, Steve McClaren got a timely boost, although I did not realize how poor a lot of England players have become since he took over the team after the world cup.

There is an article by Oliver Holt, written on August 16, 2006. Now I bet the author is laughing all the way with David himself through the game. And so are the rest of the world.

Don’t write off England’s man of steel just yet

16 August 2006 

Oliver Holt 

This is what David Beckham didn’t do after Steve McClaren called to give him the big kiss-off last week. 

He didn’t, like so many spurned superstars before him, stamp his feet, spit his dummy and call the coach all the names under the sun. 

He didn’t say he deserved better. He didn’t hint that maybe he might be the victim of a decision that owed as much to politics as it did to talent. 

He didn’t do what Kevin Keegan did in 1982 when Bobby Robson dumped him. He didn’t allow himself to be consumed instantaneously by petulance and bitterness.  But the best thing he didn’t do was this: he didn’t announce his retirement from international football. 

He didn’t react to a major setback by flouncing off and pretending that he didn’t want to play anyway. 

Plenty of footballers do that nowadays. And plenty of them have had far less glittering careers than Beckham. 

Sometimes a player can announce his international career is over and it comes as a surprise that he ever had one in the first place. 

But the whole point about Beckham is that he is made of sterner stuff than that. 

He might be a clothes horse and a darling of the fashion world but don’t let that deceive you. 

He’s got more steel in his character than most England players. That’s why Peter Taylor made him skipper in the first place. 

That’s why he refused to be bullied by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. That’s why Ferguson couldn’t cope with him. 

That’s why he’s made a habit of getting back up when he’s been knocked down. 

Most famously, he did it after his sending-off in the 1998 World Cup. And now he’s going to try to do it again. 

He hasn’t made any attempt to disguise the fact that he was hurt when he first heard of McClaren’s decision to leave him out of the squad. 

At first, he thought the new England coach was just talking about leaving him out of the squad against Greece. Then the realisation dawned that McClaren was trying to say something more than that. But Beckham didn’t take the hint. Rather than give in, he has decided to try to fight back.

He has volunteered for extra training at Real Madrid even within the context of Fabio Capello’s new regime, which puts a premium on physical fitness. After the shock of his fall, he has, developed an intense determination to convince McClaren he is worthy of a recall and fight his way back into the squad on merit. If he plays for Capello at Madrid and plays well, he will be hard to ignore. And imagine the weapon he might be for McClaren if he could bring him off the bench with half an hour to go in a tight game. 
Imagine the surge of emotion that might unleash and the fresh impetus that might give England if they were struggling. 

Beckham would be back in the side then, freed of the perception that he owed his place to a star-struck manager. He would be back in the side as an underdog who had refused to give in. Even if he only played a bit-part, it could still be quite a cameo. 

I think he’ll be back. Even if, at this moment, McClaren has got no intention of bringing him back. 

I like the side McClaren announced yesterday for tonight’s game. I think, to use his phrase, it’s got ‘blend and balance’. And no, I don’t necessarily think it would be a better side if Beckham was in it. But I do think it would be a better squad if Beckham – rather than one of Aaron Lennon or Shaun Wright-Phillips – was in it. And I think it would be a better bench if Beckham was on it. 

McClaren was strong enough to drop him. And if Beckham turns it on at The Bernabeu this season, I hope he’ll be strong enough to bring him back, too. 

The last time England played Greece at Old Trafford, remember, Beckham carried his country to the 2002 World Cup finals with his best performance in an England shirt. 

It will seem strange without him tonight. He might be down for now. But he’s not out.