No Trophy Signing for the Toon

David Beckham is to join LA Galaxy after Real Madrid have said they will not be renewing his contract.

He follows a line of past stars who will finish their careers in the states ie George Best, Rodney Marsh, Pele - with the money, razzamatazz undoubtedly a major appeal along with the opportunity in his case to further his career and image in the US.

Many NUFC fans will be happy the club have not signed another “trophy” player though, although how many shirts he could have sold to offset the transfer is not known, one thing that is known is that this is a player who would have walked straight into the team and improved it, providing he played on the right side of the midfield and not thinking he is a central midfield player, because he isn’t.

The fact that he still thinks he has a few years left in his playing career is echoed by the fact he is reportedly signing a 5 year contract, albeit the US is a less demanding league, or is it ? if you consider the strides the US have made and their performances in the latest World Cups have shown.

I remember being at Tampa Stadium with 70,000 people to watch Rodney Marsh take on Pele. The U.S. were hungry for something new and curious to see why these people were making more than the big names in baseball and American football. When the NASL died, the sport died with it, at least that's what the media would lead you to believe. But the kids grew up loving it. It's no coincidence that when the kids who saw Pele reached their twenties, the US started qualifying for the World Cup. Beckham coming here may not be the popular thing to do, but it will be great for America.

I'd die for a "glory signing" well it coming sooner ot later

aye thats what I meant, but you have made big strides in the last few decade or so and its still not a major sport so what is the potential for it if it became so

The potential is massive in the US, I'm just not sure how they'd set about realising it. They've improved massively as a football team, and from the people I know in the US there is definite interest. I know a lot of people and only one isn't able to talk about football, that wasn't the case in 1979/1980 when I first began to work with Americans.

I'd have liked us to sign Beckham. I don't see a player who would improve the team as being a 'trophy' signing at all. A trophy signing is if you sign a big name player who is now shit, imo.

I wouldn't have minded Beckham, but I wouldn't have wanted the club to have paid him a huge wage packet that they thought wouldn't be repaid both commercially and on the pitch. Ideally, he would have signed for a club like us for a pay packet within the limits of the club and his team mates, making the move for football reasons and the challenge, in our case, to push the team towards winning a trophy and getting back up into the top positions.

Capello has just said he wont play for Real again this season. Get him on loan!!

good shout, and leave Solano at right back.

Capello had him in his last 3 starting line ups and he is only 31. Would be a great right side for the lesser teams.