By Myles Palmer
WE ALL KNOW that Beckham is a champion and we all reckon that Roy Keane wanted him out.
All last week I was saying (1) the silence from Keane is deafening and (2) Beckham’s agents are smarter than Fergie and Kenyon, that’s why he got Pini on board.
We all know that the big problem in the United team is not Beckham, it’s Keane.
Keane can’t score goals any more. He is on his last legs.
But Keane is still there because he is Ferguson’s alter-ego.
Keane reminds Fergie of Fergie.
Let’s get this right : David Beckham is a national treasure.
He should have been vice-captain of Manchester United and he should have been captain when Keane did not play.
His pinpoint early service will be badly missed by Ruud Van Nistelrooy, who will go from scoring 40 goals to scoring 25.
Just watch !
So there you have it.
Fergie is a disgusting bully who detests everyone he cannot dominate.
He is hopeless as a tactican and far from a genius in the transfer market.
He has scored a colossal own-goal by selling Becks to Real Madrid.
And he only gets £25 million.
He doesn’t even get it all at once. He only gets £5.5 million now and £12 million over four years and another £7 million depending on how Madrid do in the Champions League!
THAT IS A RUBBISH DEAL !
Add this own-goal to his purchase of Rio Ferdinand for £29.1 million a year ago.
Fergie needed a half-striker like Zola or Cantona,but he bought Veron, a half-back, for £28 million.
Veron is a player he does not need – and cannot fit in.
Beckham’s biggest quality is not his crossing. It’s not his work rate. It’s not his long passes or his free-kicks.
It’s his loyalty.
Beckham is as cuddly and loyal as a sheepdog.
Let’s face it, many footballers shack up with models, actresses,and lap-dancers -and then play away.
But Beckham did not do that.
He fell in love with a pop singer, got married, had a baby,enjoyed that, had another. What is wrong with that?
Beckham gets on with life.
And he has survived success.It takes character to survive success.
When other young yobs have fried in the laser beam of fame, been crippled by the cruel jokes, the backlash of the chattering classes, Beckham has remained a solid young bloke.
Mick Jagger, Boy George and George Michael did not surf so effortlessly on the fifty foot wave of publicity that has moved under Beckham’s famous feet every since he was sent off in St Etienne on that fateful night in 1998.
He is a lovely,big loyal sheepdog. He is cuddly. He is likeable. He carries his huge fame gracefully.He is unbelievably laidback.
To say Beckham is thick is to miss the point, as we saw in that documentary three years ago.
Becks and Posh were in a limousine taking them to a book signing at some shopping mall in Essex.
And Posh said she hated all these people saying he was thick.
David grinned and said, “But I am thick !”
YES, I’M SURE FERGIE HAS BLOWN IT AGAIN.
Watching Arsenal hammer Man United 4-0 in the Community Shield will be great fun.
I can’t wait.
Harry Kewell, a Fergie target, will tie Rio in knots and score a hat-trick.
Ronaldinho would be mad to go there just because Carlos Quieroz speaks Portuguese.
He should go to Barcelona. He is the most creative,exciting young player in world football.
As we all know, Beckham has done nothing wrong.
He is guilty of one thing : irony.
The first and last lines of tonight’s statement contain exquisite irony.
He says, “I would like to publicly thank Sir Alex Ferguson for making me the player I am today.
“I will always hold precious memories of my time at Manchester United and Old Trafford as well as the players, who I regard as part of my family, and the brilliant fans who have given me so much support over the years and continue to do so.
“I recognise that this is an amazing opportunity for me at this stage in my career and a unique and exciting experience for my family.
“I know that I will always regret it later in life if I had turned down the chance to play at another great club like Real Madrid, which also has world-class players.
“I would like to thank other clubs who were interested in signing me including Barcelona and I wish them every success in the future, but I really want to play in the Champions League.
“I wish Manchester United the best of luck and led by such an inspirational captain as Roy Keane, I am sure they will continue to go from strength to strength.”
Yes, England’s national treasure has had the last laugh this week.
June 18th 2003.
P.S.
Stewart, how was the wedding on Saturday?
Caroline’s 18th party was 35 lovely kids drinking and chatting and eating in the garden from 3 till 6 and then she put on the wonderful new UN-CUT album which Warners sent that morning.
This album will be HUGE and I wanna do an interview before it comes out on June 30.
At 9.45 the 12 kids who were left decided to gather up a rug, some candle-lanterns and some booze and adjourn to the park to chill out further.
Nothing was broken, nobody was hurt, only two kids smoked cigarettes, and Orlando told me,”There aren’t enough British funk bands.”
The girls are all tree-huggers,peaceniks and eco-socialists, but Daniel said, “There will always be a ruling class, and the sons and daughters of the ruling class will always take over.”
Big Dave couldn’t make it but Bigger Dave gave Caroline a ride on his Yamaha.
She came in and took off the helmet and said,”That was the best birthday present ever!”
Jan said,”I want a go.”
And Bigger Dave said,”Alright!”
Luckily, she didn’t.
They have left a school they love, since lessons have finished and they only go in for exams now.
Just nice for them to get together for a break during A-levels.
Many of the kids have been together for seven years, and six of them were at nursery together.
Keara and Abigail share a birthday on July 10 but many of the gang will be away by then.
So the timing was good.And the weather was perfect.
Sometimes life works out.
Let’s hope it does for Beckham.But not Fergie.