Who is sad, Butcher or Beckham? BBC analyst and former England man, Terry Butcher says he and Beckham want the same thing: England to win.
But for that to happen Beckham needs to be honest and Eriksson to be clear-minded. I am a fan of the England coach and even of Beckham but when you start to talk about the World Cup the standards become unforgiving and seemingly unfriendly to sensitive types like Becks.
My feeling is that all of Eriksson's experiments and formation changes (4-5-1) have to do with his unwillingness to sit Beckham and see if England is better off. I have always held Allen Hansen's view that Beckham does not fit on the wing nor in the middle of the park. Truly, he is a specialist in an NFL football vein, like a punt-return man or a place kicker. Or as Hansen said, "There is no denying he's a fantastic passer of the ball and given time and space he will pick out a target 99 times out of 100."
I've been telling people for years that Beckham is a good player but is too one dimensional. This lack of depth in his game is also what has been killing his club, Real.
Eriksson needs to get clear on this point and make the tough call with Beckham. Better now than later. Perhaps all of the post-Northern Ireland-defeat angst is part of the plan. Beckham as a sure-fire starter and captain will yield nothing in Germany. He should still be with the team though and do what he does best: put the ball between the pipes or on target in very specific situations. Sven needs to see that Becks belongs but belongs first on the bench.
(BBC Football 2005.09.07)
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