Photo by ISIphotos.com
Landon Donovan raised plenty of eyebrows with his comments about David Beckhamin the upcoming book "The Beckham Experiment". Now, Donovan is admitting that he probably should have made his comments directly to Beckham.
Donovan told the LA Times that, while he doesn 't regret his feelings about his Galaxy teammate, he regrets expressing them to 'Beckham Experiment" author Grant Wahl rather than directly to Beckham.
"I'm not going to apologize for the way I felt," Donovan told the LA Times. "What I feel badly about is that I should have been a man and told David how I felt as opposed to telling a reporter.
"David and I will sit down when he gets back and just talk it through. What you don't get from reading a few excerpts and what you do get from reading the whole book is that we all want David to be here. We all want him to succeed, and he wants to succeed.
"Something happened at some point last year where a switch went off, and that's what I want to talk to him about, and we'll figure that out man to man."
What do you think of Donovan's comments? Still shocked that Donovan ripped Beckham so publicly? Think Beckham and Donovan can salvage their relationship as teammates? Which of them do you see leaving the Galaxy first?
Share your thoughts below.
He should have talked to Eddie Lewis about trying to improve his pace.
The one showing leadership is the one who showed leadership last year. Donovan.
Joe Cannon in the interview earlier alluded to this ‘forcing of leadership’ is absurd.
Donovan did, and is doing what leaders do, drag their teams with them kicking, screaming, fighting, in which every way to get them where they need to go.
LD YOU DA MAN!
yet beckham got praised for his professionalism and how he conducted himself while on loan.
ill take anything donovan says with a grain of salt. he isn’t exactly well liked himself outside of US soccer circles.
this beckham to MLS thing was great for marketing, but there was no way it was going to work in the long run as a purely sporting decision. this is just the aftermath of it not working.. it will come to an end very soon.
Beckham has played with hundreds of better players in his career than Donovan, yet Donovan is the one who has the most negative stuff to say about him.
And we Americans love it. What does that say about our jingoistic soccer culture?
From the excerpts I’ve read, HE DID try to talk to Becks a few times, and Becks didn’t seem interested. Regardless, who leaves first is moot…they’re both gone. I wish like hell Donovan would do it in the summer transfer window, but he may wait until winter, perhaps to confirm his loyalty to L.A. Becks is assuredly gone back to Europe at season’s end, and good riddance. He can go back to the greener pastures of Europe, as he really did NOTHING to further MLS. L.A. mainly made some nice coin off of ticket and jersey sales. MLS is perfectly fine without him, and will continue to prosper without him. I would also argue MLS never really needed him PRIOR to his arrival.
MLS needs to keep doing exactly what it has over the last 14-15 years. It’s worked so far, so why make any kind of push to start bringing in “washing up” egomaniacs from Europe. The NASL did that and it failed. Having said that, if a good European player wants to come here and is honestly interested in playing soccer and helping the team, then great. I gladly welcome them. Guys like Schelotto and Lundberg have been great. However, if they’re just coming here to live in the U.S. and “still kick it around a little,” then save us all the agony.
good US soccer/MLS need this kinda drama that other countries have, for publicity…but don’t over do it like the Mexican Team drama queens…
I do think this debacle is turning into a bit of a debacle, but that’s nothing compared to when Becks gets back, it’s going to be a complete debacle!
What do I think? I think it’s great that Landon is going counsel David on how to be a professional.
From all accounts Beckham was just loafing in the later half of the year.
He showed substantial public humility to make the statement, rare for many professional athletes and type-As. Good on him. Sets a good example.
I haven’t read all the posts but my feeling is that Donovan and everyone else on LA owe Beckham nothing. Golden Balls went on loan during the off season, then extended it to over 1/2 half the MLS season. Meanwhile the Gals are hurting and could have used him. Beckham has been in this for himself from the beginning and nobody in LA owes him anything. Now that the novelty has worn off, MLS should be looking to offload his salary on any team that wants him
They will never work things out. I hope they do, but I don’t think there is any middle ground with Beckham. Donovan should not have said these things before speaking with Beckham, but that’s the way things go with good reporting.
This whole debacle has really turned into a debacle.
Grant Wahl being an excellent reporter probably got Donovan at his most vulnerable point and massaged the info from him.
To anyone watching the games last year, it wasn’t too shocking to hear about a rift in the locker room. It still would have been better to handle it privately but at least Landon owned up to that part.
I still think Beckham is gone first. I don’t see him not begging to go back to Milan ASAP. Hell I’d be surprised if he doesn’t try to get them to sell him outright for the beginning of the season. (assuming Leonardo wants him and Beckham’s play the last half of his loan didn’t exactly make him a ‘must have’ kinda guy but he never has been that other than for marketing wonks. )
However (!) Right now, Donovan still looks better than Beckham, because we have heard his side of the story and Beckham sounds like a *&^%head. And he isn’t even there right now. What commitment? Donovan had a right to go to the media after the fact, but he showed no leadership AT ALL during the season by not having the guts to speak to David face to face. However, afterwards, he can do what he wants. Since David left for Milan, it is pretty much already over. He is a man for coming clean. I guess I backtracked a lot to, just like Donovan!
Galaxy has been dysfunctional for over two years now and Donovan’s comments — tactful or not — expressed something that needed to be said. He was angry about the disintegration of the team and Beckham’s behavior and attitude were a major cause of that. If Beckham really wants to salvage his American experience, I hope he and Donovan can get together and hash some things out. Donovan is the real leader of that team, despite Beckham’s armband. There’s so much talent on that team. If they can come to an understanding, they still may be able to make something happen.
Oh, and yes, Donovan had no balls or good leadership either for not confronting Beckham. He had a year to do so, and all he could do was a text and then backstab him with a reporter. Sooooo, Donovan looks like a worse captain than Beckham, I can’t imagine Beckham going to the press to air locker room dirty laundry like that. Bad form Donovan.
i don’t think Beckham comes back after all of this. If he does, I cannot imagine him even looking in Donovan’s direction. If he does come back and play hard and is able to form a workable team relationship with Donovan, then I will have the most respect for Beckham than any other footballer. After a teammate rips you apart in Sports Illustrated like that, if you come back into that situation and play well and forgive, then you are a big man. He has every right to be pissed and not cooperate. I expect that. But if he ends up shining, then he will be a jewel.
I respect the man.
Here’s a context in which I found all of this interesting: A lot of people were saying that LD got confidence and impetus to try playing abroad again by his friendship and urging of Beckham. That seems unlikely to have happened, seems like they weren’t friends or close teammates
crap, i had a post eaten!
what i had just said was this:
i very much want to like Landycakes, but he’s proven again and again that he lacks testicles. if he has something to say to Goldenballs he needs to call him up, or fly somewhere to meet him, and say what’s on his mind. repeating the mistake of going to the media in the first place by going to the media is rather spineless.
my advice? actually talk to him, man to man, instead of talking about doing it. then transfer your ass to a major european league and become the player you have the ability to be!
Talking to Beckham first might have not been a good idea, either. It could have easily made things worse. Normally, you want to keep things in house but it all depends. JPC is 100% correct. Donovan did nothing wrong.
I think Landon is growing as a person and he made a mistaken and acknowledges it. He was bigger for admitting his mistake, but those were his opinions. He also admits he wants Beckham to succeed. Beckham hasn’t made it easier for himself by first seeking to extend his AC Milan and then trying to leave the team altogether.
the reason he went “through the media” was to sell books, period.
stupid of him to make those comments to media in the first place.
this is football, not the young and restless.
be a real leader, say to his face. text messages? putting it in a book? LAME!
Dude should have talked to Beckham first. It is always better to call someone out in private, first–whenever possible.
Having said that–I have to admit that I actually like Donovan more since the comments came to light.
He didn’t handle things the right way but I (as much as I like to dis the Galaxy) respect the fact that he was intense about wanting everyone committed to the club (at least while the MLS season was taking place and he wasn’t on a Euro loan himself).
let me see if i’ve got this straight:
Donovan admits to making an error by dealing with personal issues through the media by… talking to the media. WTF?
SAVE THE DRAMA FOR YOUR MAMA! LD should have kept his mouth shut, and stop crying about Beckham not paying for your meal and what not. He only realized that he should have been a man after he got criticized himself for being such a baby. Beckham too is such a whiner, wah! wah!, “but I want to wear the captains arm band”. Somebody please call the freaking Wahmbulance for these gals.
PS- Just Play for the Love of the game!
Best case scenario, this lights a fire under Beckham, and he does his damndest to prove everyone wrong. Beckham works his butt off, he and Landon team up to inpire the galaxy to a post-season run. Their success captures the imagination of the sports media and public, and people actually go to and watch galaxy games. Redemption for Beckham, the Galaxy and lando.
you think, Landon? you want to be a leader, but you address personnel issues with the media, not your teammates? you’re not a kid anymore, Landon, you don’t get a pass on this. no matter the chaos, self serving remarks to a reporter will hardly endear yourself to your teammates. you weren’t man enough to talk to your coach, to your GM, to anyone inside the organization, and then let your play do the talking? you say it to Grant Wahl, over hours and hours? get a freaking therapist if you need to vent, not a journalist.
prediction…the Galaxy tank during the second half of the season and miss the playoffs once again…
Donovan is being a good captain right now; these remarks are the first part of a way to publically mend fences even though I’d doubt it will happen privately.
What I’m hoping but doubt is that Donovan is playing nice with Beckham now at the behest of Galaxy ownership, with the understanding they will be somewhat reasonable when he wants to leave in the winter.
Regardless, Donovan is the man now for the US National team and for soccer period in America…I don’t mind the comments one bit. Should he have kept it in the team yes, but it doesn’t change the fact that Beckham and his entourage were complete punks during this whole debacle. Donovan was just pointing out the obvious, as far as I’m concerned Beckham can take his tea and crumpets and get the hell out of MLS.
Bruce smacked hit butt and he cried like a baby and now this!
Shame I was starting to have some respect for the boy!
He should have spoken to Beckham first. Then again, Beckham is never there, so I’m not sure it really matters.
I can’t see why anyone would have a problem with what he said and where/when he said it.
Landon the Surrender Monkey
I’ve read both the excerpts and the book. I believe that Donovan *tried* to approach Beckham directly but Beckham’s standoffish behavior frustrated him. Besides, let’s not forget that Beckham was the captain of the team. How do approach a captain in soccer, even if you’re a star in you’re own right, if you believe he is playing below his capability? Chris Klein and Greg Vanney felt the same frustrations, and nobody would call them stars.
As a captain, Beckham had the responsibility to come clean with his teammates, regardless of how he was feeling at the time. Now that Donovan is the Galaxy’s captain, he not only has the authority but the *obligation* to confront Beckham — for the good of the team, if nothing else.
This problem never would have surfaced if either Beckham or Terry Byrne demanded the captaincy — and if Tim Leiweke hadn’t acquiesed to those demands. Leiweke is the main culprit here because of the way he indulged Beckham and his representatives — at the expense of his own GM, Alexi Lalas (who’s no genius, as we all know), his own coach at the time, Frank Yallop, and all the players.
If I were Phil Anschutz, I would have fired Leiweke a long time ago….
I have to say, I’m not the biggest fan of Donovan outside of when he’s wearing the red white and blue.
And yet, I have absolutely no problem with anything he said or did. Beckham had it coming, and people suspected he or his people were making the power plays that ruined the Galaxy from the beginning. Good for Landycakes.
Ives,
you’ve read the book right? What do you think about his LD’s latest comments now that you have the bigger context of the entire book instead of just the teaser excerpts?
Bravo, Landon. I’m glad he said what he said. Somebody needed to. And I’m glad he’s saying what he’s saying now.
I’ve always respected Landon for being the face of the Galaxy and US Soccer. I have no problems with the quotes in the book or how he’s handling the Beckham situation. I think he should be commended for handling the initial coup for captaincy the way he did – by saying nothing. Donovan obviously has emotional ties to his local team and I give him props for calling Beckham out like he did.
Despite what some eurosnobs want to say, the Galaxy aren’t a joke or a playthingy that Becks can just come in and tool around with. It’s a team with a great young history, a great player in Donovan and a loyal group of fans who still remember the days at the Rose Bowl with the Budweiser logos on the back and Jorge Campos playing forward at the end of games when the Galaxy were ahead and WINNING.
I’ll support Beckham when he has the Galaxy uniform on, because I’m a loyal fan of LA. As soon as he leaves, he’s as good as gone as I’m concerned (and all the Galaxy “fans” who came out of the woodwork in ’07 can go support Chivas USA – God knows they need the attendance).
It was stupid to say those things about Beckham in public before saying them to Beckham’s face. I would be pissed if I was Beckham. Donovan looked like a whiny child in those quotes.
But I don’t really care as long as he plays like he did vs. Spain and Brazil for the U.S. team.
I find it interesting and if I understand correclty, that Donovan made these comments in October last year. Yes supposedly, he and Becks were texting back and forth in January and spring during their respective loans. Anyone else agree?
Plenty of teammates have played well together without liking each other. I agree with the comment that the league needs a good product in LA. I don’t care if they kick and make up or not, as long as they entertain!
My respect has grown not from the comments quoted in the book, but from what he said yesterday.
A man looks you in the eye and tells you what problem he has with you, he doesn’t out you to a guy writing a book.
I love Donovan as a player. Now I admire him more as a person after he admitted making a mistake to his approach with this issue.
from my understanding all this was said when Beckham was on his way out and it didn’t look like he was returning…
Who would really do that though????
I wouldn’t call a person I worked w/ in the past, just to tell them they were terrible to work w/… But if someone asked me (ala Wahl) I would certainly be honest… I really don’t have a problem w/ him saying this to a reporter at all.
I’m sure the two of them will hash out their differences. I respect Landon for speaking his mind though, and I don’t think venting to a reporter is particularly reprehensible. Should he have gone to Beckham first? Of course. But the bottom line is he was frustrated and not particularly afraid about sharing these opinions, which I think is understandable.
Donovan showed he can be a leader in South Africa, but this move is not indicative of that evolution in his character.
Maybe he should have talked it out with David. But sometimes putting something out there and letting the person/persons think about it for a bit is better. The knee jerk reaction is usually one full of anger and surprise. When people sit back and analyze things they sometimes see that they made a mistake and need to learn from it.
LD did something not many people have done. He ripped David Beckham. I think David will respect him for that. No matter how he did it. Capelo told the media he will never play again and we all know how that turned out.
In the end both these guys are paid to do a job and one of them was sherking his resposibilities big time.
Interesting. I just assumed he had said it to Beckham before he said it to the reporter, Wahl. That can’t be good when looking to play abroad. Can those teammates trust him?
My respect has increased immeasurably for Donovan with his Confederations Cup performance and his remarks on Beckham. Fair or not he took a stand, spoke his mind and owned up to his comments. He should be given the benefit of the doubt based on his leadership/performance on the field against the best the world could offer. So, as an admitted doubter, I’m happy to see him becoming the player we thought he would become. Now to see him take the act to Europe….
He is man enough and does not have to apologize to anyone…He show what a man he is in SA…On the other hand, why this photo? No forehead, it is a five or six head! Landon, we are fighting that same battle! See you the 18th in LA and BUCK FECKS! The sign is made!!!
Bottom Line: LA needs to put a good product on the field. MLS needs LA and NY to get thier acts together…