Can Beckham Hold Up?

[KevanGuy]

Out (at least) six weeks with a strained knee.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/6969893.stm

First the ankle now this. I didnt see the tackle but I read on the BBC earlier that he said he shied away from his ankle and his knee took the brunt.

He's 32, flying back and forth, with heavy expectations. Will LA let him go again? Will the fans (who from what I saw were already ticked he was out with the ankle so long) accept he needs time to heal? Can he be the player LA gambled he will be?

I suppose the only thing going for him now is that Oct 21st is the last day of the Galaxy season. Maybe next year McClaren won't need him, knock on wood.

[GirlySports]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qctcf-MS-eU

2 guys kicking the ball at once will jar both knees.
Both players were injured and substituted.

[KevanGuy]

Thanks for the link GS. I hate how the BBC will update stories and not leave the original link up. I know I read that he tried to spare his ankle, not sure why they would leave that out.

[604flames]

It's exactly for reasons like this that I've held off buying tickets to the Galaxy/Whitecaps friendly. As cool as it would be to see him, I'd want to be there to see more than just Cobi Jones.

Plus, it's at BC Place, tickets should be fairly easy to procure...

[browna]

Much better for Beckham to not go into a tackle there (especially since it looked midfield, no scoring threat) than to go as half assed and as hesitant as that.

I've broken 1 guys leg, 2 ankles and given a few knee/ankle sprains of guys going into (or pulling out of) a tackle halfway like that back in my soccer career. Never did hurt myself in tackle.

You go in hard, or not at all...the consequences are evident here.

[Jagger]

Originally Posted by browna

You go in hard, or not at all...the consequences are evident here.

Exactly right. Beckham is hardly known for his tackling prowess in any case. In England he has a reputation for being a bit of a pansy when it comes to any physical type of play.

I've seen Beckham play live numerous times and I can honestly say I've never been overly impressed by him. He did very little in any of the games. In fact, he was an out and out floater in most, just hoping for a free kick around the area. I will admit that he is world class when it comes to those though. I'd save your money 604, although there does seem to be quite the spectacle surrounding his,and posh's, every move over here.

[Locke]

I doubt he can hold up. I said it from the moment LA bought him, he has injury problems and he has trouble sustaining consistant effort over long stretches of play.

He will play for England every time they call him. I would be surprised if he turned down an England invitation or if the Galaxy didnt allow him to go. The Galaxy need him to maintain a high public profile on the soccer scene, thats why they bought him in the first place. Playing for England accomplishes this goal.

Think about it, he plays every odd game in LA and does fairly well but is hampered by nagging injuries. If he still plays for England and plays well he still gets a free pass because you have an England International playing in MLS. If he plays the same in LA, but doesnt play for England, he will slowly start slipping into anonymity which LA cant have for an investment like that.

My initial criticism to him playing in LA however, was that this is exactly what was going to happen. He's going to start getting hurt more and more and its going to get worse and worse and hes going to have to duck out of England play due to injury, and duck out of Galaxy play due to injury. He needs to pull a Ronaldo and take some time to let himself heal, think about it, hes played probably 40-60 games a year for what? Almost 14 years?

The only problem is that he cant take that time to heal, hes trying to hobble away with the enormous sack of cash they put on his back.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Jagger

Exactly right. Beckham is hardly known for his tackling prowess in any case. In England he has a reputation for being a bit of a pansy when it comes to any physical type of play.

Well, I am not calling him a pansy or anything like that, he made a bad judgement to go halfway into that tackle/he's protecting his injured ankle. He's no Vinnie Jones, but over his career, given the attention he gets, he hasn't been a pushover either.
In this case, as I said, a bad decision to go into an akward tackle like that.

[604flames]

Haven't checked to see if this is true yet, but I heard the lower bowl at BC Place is already sold out for the Beckham visit..