23: Repent

Los Angeles, the home of Hollywood actors and filthy rich politicians, will be always be seen as a destination of jealously, but for one man, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Since his early career, David Beckham has been a ’Red Tops’ best friend; the spice girl marriage, the world cup strop and even the sarong have hit our headlines in recent years.

The English midfielder found himself heckled and booed during LA Galaxy’s 2-2 draw against, ironically, AC Milan yesterday. With Beckham missing the first half of the Major League Soccer season because he was engaged with the Serie A giants, it isn’t surprising that the American fans gave the 34 year old such a negative reception, with abusive banners visible all around the ground.

In the past, players have retreated to the sunny shores of the USA, when, to be honest, their career has been all but done. Pele, George Best and Bobby Moore are just a short list of players that have departed their home lands for the mediocre style of football that is played over the Atlantic Ocean.

Did Beckham venture to the United States to play ‘soccer’ because he thought the end was nigh, or was it just step in the worldwide Beckham domination brand. Since the dead ball expert’s international career has plummeted, making the former Manchester United player’s appearances in an England shirt seem more a publicity stunt than a genuine appearance.

With Beckham chugging along to break each capped landmark, slowly narrowing the gap that the great Peter Shilton set, he looked happy enough to see his career out at Galaxy, but a certain Italian maestro has made it clear he WILL be a part of South Africa 2010 if he can prove his fitness, and that isn’t going to happen in the MLS.

A short loan period with AC Milan had boosted his fitness levels to the expectations that Capello was seeking. But now the ex Real Madrid player must leave Hollywood Boulevard if he is to make the world tournament for fourth time in his career. But where next for the footballer, turned celebrity, turned footballer as he continues to seek a secure home, after the last year of chaos.

Although Beckham declared he would never play in the Premier League again, it looks as if this must be the destination of requirement to maintain the fitness levels compulsory to wear the three lions on his chest. It seems highly unlikely that Alex Ferguson would take on board a second so called ‘has been’ this season, with Tottenham rumoured to have declared an interest.

Injury and a recent bust up with team captain Landon Donovan just gives Beckham more of a reason to make the move back home. World cup just wouldn’t be the same without Beckham in the squad as I can imagine many others think the same.

Stewart Downing = £12 million

As the transfer pantomime continues to play out in the North West, with the audience hearing that oh so familiar punch line “oh no you don’t” being bellowed by Everton boss David Moyes, other Premier League clubs have also been assembling their squads ready for the new season.

With City taking up the role of token bad guy and looting the land far and wide, the remaining 19 clubs have had to search the far reaches of earth…even The Championship.

Aston Villa have this week signed an international winger for the exact same amount that Gareth Barry left Villa Park over a month ago for, but is £12 million really worth it for…Stewart Downing?

I thought it was only the millionaires club of Eastlands that were over spending, but it seems Martin O’Neill has employed the same accountant as the Abu Dhabi United group.

Fair enough, Downing is a threat to any defender on the ball and has in the past year impressed England manager Fabio Capello adequately for him to be included in his squad, but at the same time he has never really faced much competition for his place in a team.

Being an international in the Middlesbrough camp automatically gives you a guaranteed starting place. Downing’s standard left wing position is also an advantage to the 24 year old. Left sided midfielders are rare to find and even rarer to be found half decent.

England have been looking for the answer for years -which makes me still wish Ryan Giggs had been born with both English parents- and with Joe Cole out of the picture, due to injury, Downing faced limited competition.

But, £12 million for a player who isn’t known as a regular international and has only ever played for a second rate Middlesbrough team, the value of the Downing seems to be on the steep side.

Downing was always going to leave the Riverside, after Boro were relegated last season, and as expected a Premier League club would be his destination.

His current injury could keep him out of action until Christmas, meaning his new four year deal automatically comes three and a half straight away, in terms of football being played.

Either Mark Hughes has paid too low for a player of Barry’s quality or Villa’s expectations of Downing are very high.

United's loss = City's gain

Messiah one minute, Judas the next. The opinion of a football fan can drastically change in the blink of an eye. Manchester, renown for it’s fierce rivalry between that of City and United, is a war zone when the two tribes go the war - no Frankie Goes to Hollywood pun intended…honest.

Whenever the two sides meet in their regular Premier League fixture, the main focus of the weekend becomes that of the North West of England, with City and United fans ’strangely’ coming out the woodwork.

Peter Schmeichel, Andy Cole and the great Dennis Law are all part of an unique group that have had the privilege of playing football for both sides of Manchester.

Carlos Tevez, after a frustrating season at Old Trafford past year, will become the newest member of that unique clan who have all experienced the famous Manchester derby from both sides.

After rejecting a deal to turn his loan spell into a permanent move, City showed no hesitation in prizing the underrated Argentinean away from underneath Sir Alex Ferguson for a believed £25.5 million.

Although the 25 year olds exit from Old Trafford came as no surprise to many, it will no doubt come as a major loss to United, who didn’t use the attacking forward to his full potential during his two year spell with the Red Devils.

Tevez, might not have single handily won games like Ronaldo did, but his presence gave United that lift they needed to secure crucial points for the Premier League Champions.

Robinho’s capture last year was seen as a spectacular stand of what the Abu Dhabi United Group were capable of and as the season progressed they showed new era that is apporaching at the City of Manchester.

Fergie openly admits he regrets signing Gazza over a decade ago and many years down the line we could hear the same thing said about Tevez as United’s loss becomes City’s gain.

The seven sins: 2 gluttony

It’s quite apparent that the big news in the papers today - apart from an a dismal start to the Ashes - is Gareth Barry’s money grabbing transfer to Manchester City. Despite City securing the signature of the English international last month, it is only now that his gluttony has been brought into the spotlight.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has made the controversial outburst after he insisted Barry is putting financial gain in front of what is really important, winning trophies. Benitez in the past has made the odd outburst, which he has come to regret, but I feel that the Spaniard is spot on with his recent comments.

I have mentioned this briefly in a past article; questioning why a player that was linked with Liverpool, who finished a respectable 2nd last year in the Premier League and in the past decade have won both the UEFA Cup and the Champions League, would suddenly turn his attention to Manchester City?

It is a simple answer to a hard question…money demands.

Benitez is a realist, if he feels a player has potential, he will pay the asking price, but he will not give in to players greedy needs. The Liverpool boss wants players to play for him for glory not for a payrise.

Barry has showed his true colours by making City his future club. The midfielder apologised to Villa fans stating that it was a new challenge-your not wrong there Gareth- but the so called challenge will be trying to keep Villa from finishing higher than City in the League.

Can City breakup the token top four?

Real Madrid’s enormous cheque book barely seems to be closed before club president - not to mention multi millionaire - Florentino Perez, begins to get itching finger syndrome. The story isn’t that different over here in England, with Sulaiman Al Fahim and the Abu Dhabi group matching, if not topping, the Spanish sides ludicrous bids.

But Mark Hughes and his wealthy entourage are coming away empty handed, making do with the scraps. Why though, are a club with limitless funds not attracting the big names?

It’s simple, City are not a big side, not saying that over time they won’t be but until they are regulars in Europe and are amongst the Premier League elite then they are not going to attract the likes of Ronaldo and Kaka to the City of Manchester.

City have made the comical claim that they are the side to break the mould at the top of the table this season, but words are just words and well, actions speak louder. When looking through the squad, it strikes me that it lacks any real heart.

Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and of course Liverpool all have a great team spirit throughout the side, with players willing to go that extra mile for each other. Where City have great individuals with extraordinary ability, there is a sense that they lack the team closeness of their rivals.

Hughes has done remarkably well with the signings he has managed to get his paws on, with Gareth Barry, Shay Given and Roque Santa Cruz all expected to form a new City line up.

Barry’s move away from Villa Park was inevitable, despite Villa’s form picking up speed in recent seasons. The destination of his departure was reported to be Merseyside, not the 30 mile detour to the blue side of Manchester. While it is clear that Barry needs to be playing European football to ensure his permanent role in the heart of England’s midfield, it is unclear therefore why he opted for City.

It might turn out that they do break the mould of the token top four come the end of the season, but the solution isn’t in a quick money fix scheme, although it worked for another wealthy businessman at a certain London club.

With the constant rumour that Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o will be wearing the sky blue jersey next season, they will no doubt be a force to reckon with. Last season taught City that consistency is the key to success and if they are to find the 20 or so points that left them flagging behind the elite, then they must learn their lesson quickly.

Now that Shay Given has settled in, not that a goalkeeper of his calibre needed to, and the hopeful English trio of Micah Richards, Shaun Wright Phillips and Wayne Bridge all eager to be a part of South Africa 2010, City do have the potential to break the mould, but just not yet.

If Carlos Tevez and Eto’o do arrive at Eastlands then they will be one of the most attacking sides in the Premier League, but it will take some time for the team to gel with this season being a kind of ‘get to know each other’ year, but the season after? well that’s a different story all together.

Ronaldo and Tevez out and Owen in...trust Fergie?

Alex Ferguson, the sole architect behind United’s 23 year stretch of both domestic and European glory, has rarely been questioned for his signings, despite how much a flop they have turned out to be, but the recent arrival of Michael Owen has made many a critic and fan raise an eyebrow of concern. The ex England international - I say ex because he has only managed one cap under the newly appointed Capello regime and looks in no shape to feature again any time soon- has saw his career rapidly decline since the transfer back to our British soil, with an injury plagued stint at Newcastle United.

With the ‘Owen brochure’ doing the rounds a few weeks ago, it looked as if he would make do with the likes of Hull City or Everton at best, but when the great Scot asked to meet Owen for a spot of breakfast and offered the striker the chance to get his career back on track, how could he say no. It’s not like the 29 year old really needs the money, especially with the extortionate weekly pay check he was picking up at St James Park.

Nine out of 10 people have taken the negative approach to Owen making the surprise appearance at Old Trafford, but I, like the minority, think it might possibly be the bargain of the season -note bargain not signing. At the end of the day, Owen isn’t and never will be a replacement for the underrated Carlos Tevez, but a free transfer for an experienced player that just needs the confidence and a decent team around him who can actually play football, isn’t bad to say the least.

Fergie is expected to sign another striker before the new Premier League season commences, but a freebie is something nobody can turn down. He might not score 20 goals a season, in fact I bet on him not doing so, but I can guarantee he will turn out to be a surprise package for United. Once a predator, always a predator and Owen will surely rekindle that killer instinct we all know he has, under the influential Sir Alex Ferguson.

With the World Cup only a year away, it would be nice to think United’s coaching staff and medical team could get Owen in some kind of shape to play regular football and make an impression on the hard-to-please Capello, but that is still a pipedream at present. If anyone is more serious about quality within a team and the will to win games, United are at the front of the queue. It will be interesting to hear Capello’s opinion of the move.

At the end of the day, Owen will be a cheaper option than what Dimitar Berbatov turned out to be. I don’t expect Owen to be a starting option, until needed, and could possibly be seen as the fourth choice striker within the squad after Rooney, Berbatov and Welbeck. Ferguson likes to gamble with certain players, especially with the youth development that we have already witnessed during his time, but will this be his biggest gamble yet? Not at all, he doesn’t even have to play him or rely on him and with £60 million still left in the kitty from the sale of Ronaldo, Fergie has plenty of cash and time to bring in a suitable replacement for the United deportees this summer.