Appy new year? It may well be if you are in the Tottingham Hotspurs Merchandising Dept.
Artful Arry’s slip highlighted it has to said by Matt Butler in the Belfast Telegraph is a corker. Here’s the quote in full. It may be entirely innocent of course.
“He’d have to fight for his place, he’s not going to play every game, he knows — he’d know — that, he’d be a good influence, he’s the type of lad that would be good at your club. He’d give the place a lift.
You need people like that around you. He has been a fantastic player and is someone the players would look up to and respect. He could still do a job for sure, if he is over his injuries and he is as fit as he thinks he is.”
I hear grumbles from some on Sir David’s signing. Chuntering about the ‘Beckham Circus’.
If by this you mean having to suffer an initial day or two of him and – the ironing board with a pair of cupcakes strategically nailed onto it that is – his wife being photographed arriving at The Lane; photographed standing on the grass, photographed ‘joshing’ with Arry …then so what?
The reality is that this guy – love him or hate him – is so good for business it hurts. Overnight we become a global brand. Within days, some kid be he in Knaresborough or be he in Nepal will say to his dad, ‘I want a Spurs shirt with Beckham on.’
As the Spurs go marching in to Europe; to a new stadium and new dawn …I’m just nipping down to the newsagents to put a card in the window. ‘New Recruits Welcome’.
There will be those who want to get embroiled in a debate about where he plays. Who cares? Hack the head off so the crowd can see him and whack him in the Chirpy suit. Get the cad selling bagels on the concourse. But get him in. Stand on me.
BIOYC!
My grandad loves Tottenham, but I love Chelsea.
foolish youth,I had a brother who came out with the same nonsense same team in fact ,but he ultimatley came round to his senses and has been spurs for about 30 yrs now. but it is still a dark secret of his youth that he darent tell his friends.that grandson needs parental guidance and more exposure to the spurs way,truth will out.
Well I have to say that when you’re not playing very well but get the 3 points that’s a sign that a team that’s successful get lucky and even when you don’t play well good teams will still grind out a result and that’s exactly what we did today, not play very well but snatch the win, you are obviously top top material when you play shit but get all 4 points, sort of thing. When you don’t play well but sign Beckham it’s a sure sign that there’s a load of dosh floating about. I can’t stand Nasri’s smug face.
He won’t play many games, but can see him playing the Huddlestone quarterback role. I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this above (probably, but can’t be assed to read it all cos ridiculously hungover), but what he does bring to the squad is know how. He’s won titles, and knows how to win titles. This in my opinion is the ONLY thing stopping us from mounting a serious title challenge. Harry/Daniel are being very shrewd and filling the side with players who’ve won titles (VDV and Gallas) which can only benefit the side. This to me is why Beckham on loan is a no-brainer
if hes a no brainer on loan then we dont need him,we only want players with brains ,thats why we got rid of darren bent
OK, quick branding 101.
The reality is that no-one out there outside of us (i.e. Spurs fans) gives a rats arse about who Spurs are. Up until Bale scored his hatrick against Milan probably 90% of under 25’s outside of the UK had never even heard of Tottenham Hotspur.
We can finish third in the PL and it’s… So what? Do you know and care about who finishes third in La Ligua or third in Serie A? Hellas Verona won the Scudetto in 84-85 and now prop up the third division… Who gives a damn who plays for them?
Bale & Modders can play all the lovely football they like and we can cream off over it but out there? They’re just players waiting to be snapped up by Milan or Barcelona. Face it. We are not a European brand & Levy & co. have done wonders to get as many people to play for us as they have. Nottingham Forest have a higher profile in Europe than we do.
The harsh reality is that you can ‘love the game’ but it’s the commercial entities that lap up the spoils. A quick fact… Katie Price (Jordan) sold more more books this christmas that the booker prize winner combined for the last TEN YEARS. Fact.
Kids in Palermo don’t care about England’s failed World Cup bid, they don’t even know we tried, but they do know about Beckham & they love him.
This is a modern world & branding is king. You act with the times or you wave bye bye to Bale & co when the Milan’s come calling.
Well put. and I am with you all the way, provided (1) you clear up that little grammatical mishmash involving Booker prize winner(s) and ‘that’ (which should perhaps be ‘than’) and (2) you tell us the total of the Booker prize winners’ sales for 2000 to 2010.
The $64,000 question then is: will Beckham being a Spur for just 3 months be long enough to sink into the skulls of the kids in Palermo? Onewonders, much as one would like it to be so.
Ooops, err… Beer + Grammar = An infinite number of Monkeys.
Well spotted.
The Katie Price thing was from a publisher friend who promoted her last opus. She wanted to shower after each ghastly day to cleanse herself of the dreadful deed but was stunned at the volume of sales. Sad but true unfortunately.
p.s. UK sales I’m talking obviously. Ms Price don’t mean a candle in the U.S. (Unless she gets Beckham involved :whistle: )
I don’t think Beckham is the cure-all. There is no one-stop solution but all these things add up to people taking us more seriously on the international market… And if that snags us a Dzeko or a Benzema then I’m all for it.
I’m not saying this is the perfect way to run or build a football club and I think that what happens on the pitch should be the most important thing… I’m just saying that most clubs in our position aren’t trying to work out how to pay for a £350m stadium in order to avoid leaving their spiritual home WHILE competing on three fronts.
The modern game of football is a business and we need to think with our business heads once in a while rather than behaving like spoilt children and wanting everything for christmas, regardless of the cost.
I want a star centre forward, AND us to stay at White Hart lane AND to break our pay structure AND not have any price rises on tickets AND cheap beer etc. etc.
and to win the league and champions league at wemberlee etc