German cuisine, canned laughter, Sergio Busquets, the Euro,
the Isle of Wight, consistent weather, people who push in, Skoda, modern
‘music’, foreign languages, re-branding, health and safety regulations, foreplay,
and Olympic football; are all facets of life that the average Britain has turned
his/her back on.
Certain factors have tried to entice the Brits round -
Bratwurst, Friends, Las Ketchup, Rosetta Stone, and Aviva’s ‘Greeeeeeen Arrrrrrrmy’
adverts to name a few - but it is likely that only the splendid victory over
the French in the bid for the 2012 Olympics will ultimately succeed.
The entry of a Team GB into this summer’s Games, the first
appearance since 1972, is sure to provide the English with an antidote to their
Euro 2012 failure; and present the Welsh with a rare chance to challenge for
international honours - in an event that doesn’t involve an all male choir. For
these reasons alone, expect Olympic football to move into the realms of ‘mildly
interesting’.
 |
| (For those non-Scots...) |
Sadly this may not apply to Britain’s most northerly third,
whom following Andy Murray’s withdrawal for a severely ruptured ego, have no
representatives within the Team GB Olympic football squad - another summer of
caber-tossing, golf and Buckfast in the park awaits then.
Stuart ‘Psycho’ Pearce’s omission of any Scottish players is
bewildering on a number of levels; namely the alienation of a huge slice of
Britain, and the further expression of the Anglo-centric opinion that Scottish
players are inferior goods - Bannan, Forrest and Rhodes can all feel rightly
aggrieved about their non-consideration.
Still, this potential flash point pales into insignificance
against the exclusion of former footballer, full-time celebrity, and soon to be
Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, David
Robert Beckham.
 |
| (Left - Capello, Right- Postman pat) |
Following the announcement in early June that Beckham had
been included in the provisional squad of 35 players ‘going for gold’, I think
many, including myself, felt his inclusion was a mere formality. Beckham had
been a focal point of both the 2012 Olympic bid, and the unsuccessful World Cup
bid, and thus the Games was billed as the perfect swansong for the former
England Captain – having been somewhat unceremoniously dumped by Postman Pat
double, Fabio Capello, in 2009.
Stuart Pearce however, being the man that took the helm for
a solitary England game and selected his own captain (I’m not saying he’s
egocentric), thought otherwise; choosing instead to take Craig Bellamy, Ryan
Giggs, and Micah Richards as the over 23 year old contingent.
There is clear logic behind the inclusions of Welsh duo
Bellamy and Giggs - nationality, availability, and their ability to play on the
left-hand side all contributors – but man-mountain, Richards, place is more
contentious. Not many parties doubt his ability (despite a hideous tackle in
Team GB’s defeat to Brazil), and he could be considered unfortunate to have
missed out on a place in the senior squad for Euro 2012, but he has a promising
international future ahead of him... Beckham’s last chance is now.
With David Beckham you don’t just get a footballer, you get
a brand... It’s that sprinkling of stardust that makes the Olympics so
captivating; think Bolt, Phelps, Cavendish, and Eric the Eel. Although there is
no ‘footballing reason’ why ‘thunder thighs’ shouldn’t attend, economically it
is nonsense.
On 18 July 2012 the London Organising Committee of the
Olympic Games withdrew 500,000 tickets for the football; with only 250,000 to
be redistributed. Based on the fact the majority of removed tickets are for the
‘cheap seats’, at a price of £20 (and not including associated consumer expenditure),
that’s a revenue loss of circa £5 million. With ticket purchase so slow, the
Olympic football tournament is crying out for a crowd pleaser like David
Beckham, and frankly I doubt even Micah Richard’s family will bother turning up
to witness him in the lavish new Team GB strip.
Beckham is a ready-made billboard, and the Olympics will
suffer from his exclusion... not to mention all 5 tax paying members of the
public.
It should be noted however, that despite all this talk of
finances, David Beckham should not be written off as a footballer; in fact, his
argument for inclusion on ability alone is compelling. Tournament football is
about moments - Welbeck’s back heel against Sweden, Balotelli’s stunning 2nd
against Germany, and Alba’s lung-busting run and strike for Spain; all key to
their team’s success in Euro 2012 – and what better dead ball exponent in the
world is there than Beckham? (bar Juninho Pernambucano, Pirlo, Cristiano
Ronaldo, Rogerio Ceni (GK), Sneijder... Ian Harte (apologies’ for the display
of pedantry)).
In addition, whereas the rest of the GB squad is betwixt
fixtures, David Beckham is in the height of LA Galaxy’s ‘regular season’... meaning
fitness is unlikely to be an issue. His form has been strong too, having scored
three times in the MLS in his last two outings (granted, even Heskey could
score in the MLS); the pick of the goals coming against the Portland Timbers
(see below).
As a final thought, will Giggs and co be giving it their
all? Will they be over exerting themselves? Piling into 50/50 challenges? I very
much doubt it given that the new Premier League season is on the horizon. David
Beckham would doubtless have given everything for the cause, and that may well
have made Team GB a more formidable outfit; at least more steely – something that
Friday night’s performance, be it in a friendly, severely lacked.
Still, putting disappointments aside, the 18 men who will
represent Team GB in their quest for a bronze medal will be as follows: -
Jack Butland
(Birmingham), Jason Steele (Middlesbrough);
Ryan Bertrand
(Chelsea), Steven Caulker (Tottenham), Craig Dawson (West Brom), Micah Richards
(Manchester City), Neil Taylor (Swansea), James Tomkins (West Ham);
Joe Allen
(Swansea), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Jack Cork (Southampton), Ryan
Giggs (Manchester United), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Danny Rose (Tottenham),
Scott Sinclair (Swansea);
Craig Bellamy
(Liverpool), Marvin Sordell (Bolton), Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea)
Let’s see if their
performances can change the British mind-set towards Olympic football for the
future.
Thanks for reading
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BC
@BobbyCowsill
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