Tags:
Journalism of Courage
LA Galaxy teammates have described England football star David Beckham as a lousy captain and a tightwad. Current captain Landon Donovan said that he is no fan of Beckham,and unleashed a simmering resentment in The Beckham Experiment,a book compiled by author Grant Wahl,excerpts of which are revealed in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated magazine.
It is claimed Becks best pal and personal manager Terry Byrne was instrumental in getting Ruud Gullit the job as Galaxy coach. And Gullits appointment made Donovan realise how much Beckham lacked as a captain. Wahl writes: 8220;By July 2008,the LA players had seen enough to realise that Beckham might be a good team-mate 8211; but he wasnt much of a captain. It was one thing to take part in team events,the Galaxy players felt. But it was another thing to lead,to rally the players during tough times and defend the greater good of the team with the coach and the front office.
Donovan noticed several things. For one,when Gullit gave the players an optional training day,Beckham rarely showed up. As the captain you should at least come in and show your face, Donovan said.
Defender Greg Vanney noticed the ex-Manchester United midfielder did not rally players during rough stretches and never called team meetings during losing streaks. He told Wahl: 8220;I think hes a great guy,a great father and a good soccer player whos special in the qualities he brings to the field. But he doesnt live in the same world we live in. The moment that sealed Beckham8217;s 8216;good team- mate,bad captain8217; reputation might have come last October,when one of Donovan8217;s pals,Galaxy defender Chris Klein,started questioning whether Becks was well-suited for the armband.
