Answers to your questions

Hi Dan.
Great Blog. Can't believe I am the first to respond.
Have a child maintenance problem to address.
Be right back

OK, Back to it!
I would like to respond to the Blackpool 'tangerine' farce with all the objectivity, balance and poise that a man born and raised in Cardiff City can muster.

DEAR LUCKY UNDESERVING BLACKPOOL FAN: Tangerine is a subset of the broader category orange, according the to rules of logic it is a 'species' of the 'genus' orange.
No matter how you spell or pronounce a word dogz are always dogs and duckz always ducks, and tangerine is always orange AND Blackpool is going to be relegated..... even if you do have better finances than we do.

Dan, just out of interest your orange socks, do they match any other item of clothing you are wearing, visible item of clothing that is?

Hahahahah!! Dan, your blog is brilliant! I think the bit about the england v greece commentary had me in stitches! Keep it up mate

Good blog, Daniel San. Top read!

Robert Fleck.

Hi Dan,

Who were you commentating for on the Greece game back in 2001? It's interesting how what you said about the most important free kick of his career turned out to be the set piece for the subsequent action.

We all remember the famous ones, "They think it's all over..." "Man Utd have to score, they always score..." Martin Tylers commentary for that Greece 2001 moment at Old Trafford is good too

I wonder how many commentators purposefully put these lines in, hoping to catch that moment it happens, and how many fall by the wayside? Shed any light?

Zack Morris

Love the 'Bob The Builder' commentary story...didn't realise you were a potential Motty in the making - ever fancy doing a few games with Lawro on the gantry, or do you prefer the comfy sofa?

In your defense: 'Blackpool first began wearing tangerine for the 1923–24 season, after a recommendation from referee Albert Hargreaves, who officiated a Holland–Belgium international match and was impressed by the Dutchmen's colours' (from wiki)..HUP ORANJE!

Dennis Bergkamp.

My favourite bit of commentary has to be Tim Lovejoy's "It's only Ray Parlour...." bit. Hilarious!

Screech Powers

Ahhh the old orange or tangerine.. I remember Rangers had an away top a few years back and they called it tangerine.. that was obviously to avoid different comparisons though..

Dan.. I have a question for you... Reebok Pump or Nike Air Jordan's??

Michael Tarnat

I think Blackpool supporters would be a bit miffed to hear their promotion to the Premier League described as a 'fairy tale'.

2010-11 is Blackpool's 28th season in the Top Flight of English Football, which puts them in a quite respectable 32nd place out of the 64 teams who have spent at one season or more in the Top Flight of English Football since 1888-89.

Now if a team like Rochdale ever managed to get promoted to the Premier League, THAT would be a 'fairy tale'.

Table showing the total number of seasons spent in the top flight of English football from 1888-89 to 2010-11:

https://www.myfootballfacts.com/SEASONS-IN-TOP-FLIGHT----1888-89-to-2009-10.html

I notice you don't mention the pundits as part of the 25 working on the programme?

#2 you do realised you're asking dan what he's wearing!!

Not that sort of blog!!!

I see. Andy Connor #11 suggests a poster is propositioning Dan, but my comment is awaiting moderation!

Dan. About your job. What are the basic hours and do you have a desk or somewhere you can call 'home'? Also, have you had to work at removing any hints of a regional accent?

John Chiedozie

Dan - I have a question for you: who are you?

Good blog Dan,
What degree did you do at University and where did you go (if you did)?

Jody Morris

Perhaps #2 should send a personal email instead... although it might not get a reply!?

Only problem with the blog this is week is that it is completely deficient in any food references... almost a collector's item. I fancy eating a bag of chips by the seaside right now as the sun is shining...

Harold Faltermeyer

I'm sure there would have been a pack of Jammy Dodgers involved in Dan's week somewhere. It's all about the Bourbon's and Custard Creams though, everyone knows that. :-)

On the subject of commentary again, pretty much all "FanZone" commentaries are hilarious I reckon.

Axel Foley

Biscuit cream's are possibly the best biscuit's in the world.

Victor Maitland

Hello Danny Boy,

I saw that Marcus Bent has yet again sealed a move in the transfer window, which got me thinking, who is the most transferred player on deadline day? And indeed, who is the most transferred player since the window has been introduced? And maybe a most active club stat too. He's got to be up there, with Greg Halford. I reckon that could be a good feature for your next blog!

Also, if you're bored of reading all the comments and want a 7 minute 26 second break, check out my local team Douglas & District's Crossbar Challenge from last season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrY4Owwmt1o

Dougie Hodgson

P.S. The only slight mention of food was 'tangerine', not impressed.

How aboout Double Chocolate Chip Boasters Cookies? Top drawer foodage!

King Jaffe Joffer

Re. #11
You are completely misconstruing my question.
As a Cardiff City supporter I have a certain antipathy to any man wearing orange, as our sea side victors of earlier this summer do.
The question directed at Dan the man was one of incredulity the likes of... He is wearing orange! Please only the socks!

Re. #12 See above.


Dan, You havfe never told us what your all time snack food is. You've waxed lyrical about many different snacks but never told us your favourite. Next blog perhaps.

David Beckham

A major reason for England's epic failure at the World Cup. Football is a team game, not an individual game

I can't understand why Blackpool fans would get upset about the orange/tangerine thing. Is it really such a good advert for your team to be compared to something that's like orange, only smaller, less popular, and less tasty?

Holland look like they play in more of a shade of "satsuma" anyway.


.

I did my own little classic commentary to David Beckham's goal against Greece in 2001, went something like this:

"Well If David Beckham wants a knighthood, now's the time. . .
. .
OH ARISE SIR DAVID!"

Sadly, this was only to be for the benefit of my wife who was washing up at the time and probably couldn't give a toss anyway but I thought it was pretty good.

. . and by the way, the only reason he scored in such dramatic fashion was because he'd given up on the game and decided to see if he could hit the Bury FC flag behind the goal.

#21 Dan.

Why do you owe a zoo?

Did you put a monkey or a pony on a gee gee, but your horse came in last?

Johnny Morris.

By the way, I've checked and double checked and those Blackpool shirts still look orange to me.

Willem van Oranje.

I did my own little classic commentary to David Beckham's goal against Greece in 2001, went something like this:

"Well If David Beckham wants a knighthood, now's the time. . .
. .
OH ARISE SIR DAVID!"
===========================

That's brilliant !

doesnt it just sum up the sadness and tragic life of the average englishman in football that a goal in a home qualifying match is regarded by a great football nation like ours as a someones career "higlight". I bet you Italian media workers and French and Spanish commentators barely even recall goals that won them recent world cup and Euro championship semi-finals etc, the only ones that might stick in their minds are the moments that won them the world cup/European championship finals and even then they wouldnt deify an individual player just because he happened to be a major off-field "celebrity". Pitiful.

"It was the World Cup qualifier where David Beckham was out of this world"
-----------------
really Mr Walker? Would you care to elaborate and proffer your expert opinion as to just why beckham was "out of this world" rather than merely perpetuate a moronic chinese whisper in a nation starved of any genuine success? Ive watched that match and i was expecting a footballing masterclass of a God from what id heard. Nothing of the sort, Beckham scurries about a bit for about 10 minutes at the end and finallly gets one of his numerous free-kick efforts on target. Yes, it was the last minute, yes it mesnt england wouldnt have to just pass the ukraine to go to the world cup as Germany did-incredible moment i agree (sarcasm)-but hed done NOTHING all game. This supposed "sublime" performance actually constitue NO onfield service to our forward line in 90 minutes from the right flank which was MEANT TO BE HIS JOB. It showed how out of shape the team were and how wed got exposed DOWN THE FLANK BECKHAM was meant to be protecting which was left exposed by his child-like inability to keep his positon. It showed Beckham misplacing numerous passes. He didnt take on a single player. So at the end of the day i am expected to respect a fully grown adult football "expert" who describes 10-15 minutes of playground child-like scampering at the end of a game and a last-minute goal eventually got on target after practising all match as "out of this world". Im glad i dont take my football education from people like you, i want to read this game intelligently and with perception, not just be another moron in the masses who buys tabloid-style myths perpetuated by individuals who clealy understand the art of celebrity alot more than the art of Football.

Mentioning Teddy Sheringham in the build up to the Becks freekick, if you watch a clip of the goal again, you will see Sheringham's darting mazy run across the sightline of the Greek goalie, putting him off his concentration. The goalie moves his weight slightly to peer around Teddy and thus all his weight is on the wrong foot. Becks hits the kick and the goalie only just doesn't make the save. IMHO no Sheringham run meant that the goalie had the Becks freekick covered and England would've gone to the playoffs...

Stanley Menzo

There were a number of matches Beckham played in for England where he did provide a dynamic performance. In his pomp for the national team he would be "all over the pitch" and would often be the main man when it came to trying to retrieve the ball and hassle the opposition.

If he had been playing in a better team than England were then you can imagine him having even more of an impact with his crosses and the opportunities that would have been presented to the forwards.

#30 comments about how Beckham left the flank exposed, but surely an attacking winger would have greater license to get forward while the right back would have to become more defensive as a result? It all depends on how the manager saw his role, and the instructions issued to Beckham as a result. Whilst criticising Beckham for being child-like, you might want to address your own child-like spelling and grammar as used in your diatribe.

I agree with the general theme of your point that you might be trying to make about the over-hyped nature of some of England's footballers, but that's not really news to anybody after the recent World Cup and further back than that.

Kevin Pietersen

Surreybloke123
-------------
absolute Rubbish. NAME the games beckham provided a "dynamic" performance. Utter rot. Better team than England? Well we did have a half-decent striker you know durng beckhams career, namely Michael Owen. Go on, list me the occassions over the years that Beckham ever provided a cross onto Owens head. Surely being this "great crosser", there should be literally tens of them? Find them. Look hard now. As for how the manager saw his role, thats not something that ever bothered Beckham. While the liks of Ferguson would never have let him get away with roles he hadnt the weight for or his flagrant positional ill-discipline, he was just indulged and indulged further with England. Even when Eriksson realised late in te day that Beckham was killing his side, his plan to put beckham in a deeper role in wc06 was vetoed by the "captain".

Dan, from comment 21,

What exactly do you '"owe" to the zoo just outside Worksop ? Also, not in an overly agressive manner, but please realise we call them 'nightclubs' and not a zoo ! Have you got it ?

Thanks, Nayim.

"Dan, from comment 21,

What exactly do you '"owe" to the zoo just outside Worksop ? "


I think he meant to say 'own'

Hello Dan, interesting blog as ever.

Can I just say how good it was to see the gorgeous Charlie Webster on last week's show. I hope she will be a regular this season.

PLEASE MARSMAN pick on someone else for a change. We have been subjected to your ridiculously biased diatribe for far too long. Surely in a career lasting fifteen years or so in the top flight, ANY player will have done something correct. If NOT; how in the name of anything holy would he last fifteen years????

Spookily I watched the Beckham freekick yesterday for the first time in a while. Had to chuckle at the sight of Sheringham desperately wanting to place the ball. Step aside son.

Tony Yeboah

Hi Dan, just a quick question, who were you commenting for when you did England V Greece?

Marsman: Owen was the recipient of a pass (albeit not a cross) from Beckham when he scored the goal against Argentina in the second round World Cup match. Here is an extract from the Englandcaps website that will also interest you...

He (Owen) returned to the England side to play in a friendly against Brazil in June to open the new Wembley Stadium, and scored in a European Championship qualifier against Estonia five days later, with a clever flick past the keeper from a Beckham cross.

Now I have neither the time nor inclination to look through every match the two of them participated in so that will have to do you. Put that spikiness back in its box and be a little more rational in your judgement. I'm not remotely a fan of the celebrity nonsense that comes with Beckham, but he wasn't half as bad as you would portray.

Michael Thomas

Martin Tyler's commentry in the legendary Liverpool vs Newcastle game back in the mid 90's will always stand out for me and just one word brings memories of that whole game back to me.....

"COLLYMORE!!!!!"

Now THAT was a match.

Fair do's, you did mention tangerine's although not in a food context so does it really count? ;-)

What I would do for a hot sausage sandwich right now...

Daniel Amokachi

I LOVE IT how you call me big man :)

Kevin Keegan (of course)

Re Beckham rantings.
Beckham was obviously a very good player for England at his best, not as good as the hype but that's hardly his fault and he is hardly the worst example of that by a long margin (one that springs to mind - Milner, good prem player but £26mil when Otzil was £12mil...???).
If we had had stronger management (in terms of not letting him play pretty much how he wanted) and stronger CF's during his best years, Beckham could have been even more effective - Owen playing an odd game here and there between injuries and big Emile trying away didn't give him loads to aim at.
Also, whatever people think about Beckham, you can't question his commitment and desire for England (as demonstrated in the Greece game) which I wish we'd have had a lot more of that in the recent World Cup.

PS Julian Dicks

Do you really not work on a Sunday, for religious reasons? Not many adhere to that now, especially when it hampers their career (Joanthan Edwards for example). Would imagine it is career limiting, given the amount of football played on Sunday now.

back to one of the original points of the blog, and i'm sorry blackpool fans (and norwich fans, and any one else for the matter) but,

tangerine is not a colour its a fruit
lemon is not a colour, its a fruit
lime is not a colour, its a fruit
canary is not a colour, its a bird
raspberry is not a colour, its a fruit
chocolate is not a colour, its a confectionary item
lavender is not a colour, its a flower, i think
fuscia is not a colour, its a.... well i don't know but you see where i'm going.

these are shades invented by women to convince all men that we are colour-blind and we're not

and alot of food (albeit fruit) mentioned there to boot.

I Love Lamp




Steve Carell

#49 don_eamo,
You have hit the nail on the head don. What family are you heading up?

Dan

I got goosebumps just reading you relay what you said when Beckham whipped home that free-kick in 2002. There's an iconic image of him alone leaping around 3 foot in the air, running towards the crows, one arm punching the air, and all you can see in the background is a wall of hysterical England fans absolutely elated.

It's possibly the best moment I've ever experienced watching England on television.

Obviously that should be crowd (52.). Don't recall any crows inside Old Trafford that day.

#51 blaenorynyclwyd

that would be the entire irish murphia!!

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

David Beckham was a phenomenal player for England, and really produced the goods on a number of occasions. He was probably the most effective Enlgand performer since Gary Lineker.

He didn't have to beat a man, he was a creative player in the sense that he always created chances, never gave the ball away and produced a number of crosses so accurate that I have an image of Andy Cole and Dwight York circa 1998-2001 trotting away to celebrate having scored from a Becks assist.

Yes he made a silly mistake in France 98, but to bounce back from that witch hunt displays the character of the man. He is a great role model and a fantastic ambassador for our national game, having been a world class player himself.

For those who don't recall England vs Germany in 2000, ahve a look. 10 players squandered around for 90mins accepting defeat. Except Beckahm who single handedly tried to drag us through that game. Subsequent goals and performances vs Greece (twice) finland, Germany away etc were fantastic and i'd argue between 2000-2001 he was one of the best players in the world. In 2001/2002 he seemed to have reached his peak to me and it was a disaster that he got the infamous metatarsal injury.

AC Slater

Hi Dan,

I am an Arsenal Season Ticket Holder and I will never doubt Arsene Wenger, the mans work within the financial constraints he self imposes is nothing short of sensational. However he has his stubborn moments that frustrate us supporters and the passing of the deadline once again left us without (in my opinion) a top class keeper.

What I would like your research team to inverstigate is, what was the last team to win the top division league title with a goalkeeper who was uncapped by their country?

If anyone points out Fabianski has been capped and will be our number one, they should have their account removed for stupidity. At least I hope this is stupidity...

Ah who can forget it indeed, we drew a qualifying match. at home. v greece. in 2001. which meant we didnt play the ukraine in a play-off. for a world cup we went out in the last 8 at. what a true moment of "legend" for this massive Football nation. How the likes of France, Spain, Brazil, Germany, Italy etc must "envy" us such epoch-making times. This is England. Beyond. parody.


Surreybloke123
--------
youve got 15 years and 115 matches to search through of this "amazin crosser" and youve found a match v estonia for a single goal, do carry on making my points for me please, Sir.

AlicePulley
---------------
Owen playing the "odd game"? Try touching on 90 caps, NINETY. More than most strikers ever play for any country and Beckham was with him every step of the way and delivered barely a bean. Fact. The myth of Beckham lives on long in many peoples minds it appears. Infact Beckham was so poor, so inept at not only merely doing his job from the flank but one that hed been hyped for by his fans and the media to be "incredible" and "relenless" at that it was almost perverse how little supply ever came from there and it was left to the likes of Heskey-how ironic you mention him-to supply Owen in our biggest matches such as against Brazil in 2002 when the world cup was there for the taking. Where on Earth was Beckham that day apart from gutlessly avoiding tackles in the middle of the park? Nowhere, and to think hed revelled in the "demi God" treatment hed received at that event by all and sundry. What a footballing fraud.

Dan Walker
-------------
So the likes of Sheringham "gave up" too did he and it was "only beckham" who could be "bothered" to try? Thats funny, i swear Sheringham scored one goal and also won that free-kick in the last minute from which our hero scored and has been said attempted to mislead the keeper. As ive said, ive seen the game and i really dont accept 10 minutes of playground-style scurrying on your own pitch v greece to be "out of this world. Its frankly embarassing when set against any truly heavyweight, intelligent, cultured and brilliant display ive seen. Like Zidane v Brazil in the 06 world cup for example. Find me an example of Beckham dictating a match and bamboozling a legendary national side like that in the way a great player like Zidane can do and did do and ill acknowledge an "out of this world" football performace. There arent any are there, not by a long shot.

David Beckham was a phenomenal player for England, and really produced the goods on a number of occasions. He was probably the most effective Enlgand performer since Gary Lineker.
---------------
5 major tournaments of the most negligble impact. 17 goals in 115 games as free-kick taker and penalty taker for several years. Just 5 free-kicks against pitiful opposition, not a solitary one v a top tier nation, not a single registered strike at the home of english footbal, Wembley Stadium despite "gracing" it since the mid 90s. No performance of ay note agains a major side. Germany 2000? Youve just made that up, theres nothing from open play in that match to back up your claim whatsoever. And if youre referring to Germany 2001 and 5-1, it was Gerrard, Owen an Barmby that turned that match from 0-1 to 2-1, and altered the flow-WATCH IT.
Michael Owens record of standing up the top teams in tournaments and actually resembling a heavyweight player rather than a little boy hopelssly lost in the headlights like Beckham always was puts your laughable claim in context.

What REALLY grates is that we had players of genuine technical ability that we could have built the side around had we been given intelligent management. Paul Scholes should have been our linchpin, he should have been our Zidane but Eriksson and Taylor before him were so desperate to be part of the "celebrity culture" that shouty man-child Beckham represented, they were so bamboozled by his fame that they sold the national side down the river. If only an Alex Ferguson had been in charge-Beckham would never have been an England captain, he would have been kicked where the sun dont shine as soon as hi ego went out of control which it patently did, he probably wouldnt even have got in the side after 2002 and who here dares to claim England woulnt have done alot better?

#58 Marsman

Are you trying to say that Zidane and Beckham are the same sort of player, and therefore Beckham is diminished as a result by not being as good as him? They're entirely different footballers performing a different function largely in that Zidane was an attacking midfielder which Beckham was usually posted on the wing.

Another example (in isolation) of an excellent Beckham cross is from a match he played in for Real Madrid on the 17th April 2006 - its on YouTube if you doubt me.

Anyway, as I said earlier, if you try taking a more rational viewpoint on this whole discussion you may find its not as black and white as you portray. You have however made me smile by your long reply disabusing those of us who replied to you with your myriad comments.

59. At 3:13pm on 02 Sep 2010, marsman wrote:

Germany 2000? Youve just made that up, theres nothing from open play in that match to back up your claim whatsoever. And if youre referring to Germany 2001 and 5-1, it was Gerrard, Owen an Barmby that turned that match from 0-1 to 2-1, and altered the flow-WATCH IT.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

No I mean Germany 2000, at Wembley, in one of the worst performances by an England team ever.

In 2001, I believe it was Beckham foulded by Deisler, and his resulting free kick ended up with Barmbys Goal.

Germany 2000, in the Euros, Shearer nods in a Beckahm free kick.

Technically he was our best player throughout that period, including scholes who was often overrun in the international game

Have Blackpool always played in orange?? What about Celtic playing in stripes?? Have they always done that??

Strange how devisive Beckham is among England fans? He's mentioned in passing in a blog reply about commentary, and then this little spat breaks out.
As always the truth is likely to be somewhere in between the two versions. Beckham certainly was not as great a player for England as his fan club would suggest, but by the same token most managers would have played him regularly for England during the past decade.
What I always reflect on about the Greece game was that Beckham's final free kick was about his sixth attempt of the match and was the first one to trouble the keeper. In contrast Nigel Martyn made two one on one saves as England were pushing forward, but his contribution is always forgotten.Perhaps the modest pie eater from Cornwall was not enough of a media hound?

Tony Currie

#57
John Lukic for both your team and Leeds (a rarity in that a keeper won the title with two clubs)

57#

Was Van Der Gouw the main number 1 for united in 2000? Certainly it wasn't Taibi and Bosnich only seemed to play in fits n starts.

Peter Unwin George Wall

Great blog Dan. Not really posted replies to these before..

Glad i have on this one as Marsman the Terrible has made my last hour at work more enjoyable with his 'debate'

Great replies back too from others..

P.S Until England come up with someone better in delivering passion and quality into the box. Then there is only one Sir Beckham..

Thanks

Micky Quinn

#57

As a Leeds fan with a long memory (pre-requisite) Lukic did immediately spring to mind but fellow supporter #64 got in there first with the added impressive stat he'd managed this feat with two different clubs...

I was going to say Tim Flowers for Blackburn, but a quick check of Wikipedia tells me he won 11 England Caps!! Clearly my memory isn't as good as i thought it was!

Stats from Feb 2008, when Ronaldo was still at Manchester United.

Beckham scored 24% of his league goals (15 out of 63) direct from free kicks while Ronaldo’s proportion is “just” 11% (six from 54) up to that point.

March 2010

In the 21 caps since his comeback under Steve McClaren in August 2007, he has contributed. He made nine assists in those games, including two crosses for goals against Estonia in June 2007; the ball for Peter Crouch's goal in the Wembley defeat to Croatia the same year and even a short corner for Shaun Wright-Phillips to score from in his last game against Belarus.

June 2010

Beckham, who played 18 times in Serie A for AC Milan last season, created 3.2 chances per 90 minutes played - more than 50 per cent more than his nearest England rival, Shaun Wright-Phillips.

2008/9 statistics - League performances

Assists:
Beckham - 5
Wright-Phillips - 3
Walcott - 2
Lennon - 4

Chances created per 90 minutes

Beckham - 3.2
Wright-Phillips - 2.0
Walcott - 1.8
Lennon - 1.8

Statistics never tell the whole story and I believe Beckham was indulged by some of the previous England managers but stats don't entirely lie - and of course these are only a few, from certain points in the past.

Peter Bonetti

Ouch, Dan sure taught you a lesson.

Frank Sinclair

Sorry to bang on about this "Do we play in Orange or Tangerine" question but it's like saying that Villa, Burnley and West Ham play in purple and light blue or that Man City and Coventry play in baby blue.

I just thought it showed a lack of respect and/or research.

I know it appears petty but it MATTERS to Blackpool fans!! You could say it's like an "Orange rag to a bull".

Our official strip (regardless of the colour of the shirt" is TANGERINE!!!!

Can we move on?

tomefccam
------------
er, right,so Germany 2000, a game we lost 1-0. A game in which we scored 0 and had a distinct lack of any tangible service to our forwardline. And the man responsible and hyped for that service, for you, was the "man of the mach". What was it that "topped" his "legendary" performance that day for you, was it the-yet more- missed free-kicks of his going all out for personal glory? Ab. surd.

Surreybloke123
------------
Are you trying to say that Zidane and Beckham are the same sort of player?
---------------
Only in the sense id say Rembrandt and Rolf Harris are the same sort of artist. Good point. And yet, who was the more hyped, financially rewarded, constantly indulged and worshipped over figure by the general public? The same culture that would no doubt fawn over Robbie Williams and ignore the other guy should the ex-take thater find himself in a room with Amadeus Mozart. Ab. surd.

You bring up a solitary "cross" in a 4 year spell at Europes most successful team and you think that proves something? God give me strength. Ill give you a stat worth reading if you like. In Beckhams final season at Madrid when-according to his fans and the "becks" obsessed media-he virtually "single handedly won" them the title, Rudd Van Nistelrooy was their goal getter and main strike man. He scored 25 league goals in that final season of 4 Beckham spent at the Bernabau to win them the league. Care to make a guess at how many the "legendary" Beckham assisted? Oh go on! Ill give you a clue, its more than -1 and less than 1 and looks fat and juicy when you type it.

Please dont try and compare Beckham with Ronaldo or ill refer you to the Rembrandt/Harris analogy. Ronaldo scored nearly as many goals in 1 season at United as Beckham managed in a decade so i think we better stop that before it gets embarassing. As Alan Hansen said, Ronaldo was the man who won United trophies while Beckham was merely part of team led by much greater figures that won them. Ronaldos reached major tournament finals, hes proved he has the bottle to deliver in knockout penalty shoot-outs, there simply isnt a comparison with your Hello mag hero.

In the qualifiers under Capello with Beckham out our first XI we scored mor goals AND more goals via CROSSES than in ANY campaign previously where Beckham was a fixture in the side. Indeed our two most crushing victories were won via the performances of the right side player on each occassion, 4-1 and 5-1 over Croatia, Beckham featured in neither.

Beckham neither scored a goal nor directly assisted a single goal in his entire spell at Milan actually, thats probably why their new manager virtually threw-up at the question of his return and why their fans implored ther directors not to sign him and put commercial interests before fotballing ones. A lucky escape for them, anyone who witnessed Milan V United last year saw even when United were wobbling at the san siro, that Beckham neither had the weight, the nous nor the talent to hurt them. It was like watching a little boy lost amongst men, kinda like what it was like watching Beckham get caught in the headlights in those big quarter-finals with england, aww Bless, his hairs nice though.

Dan Walker
-----------
and he has been a great player for England.
--------------
Yours and mine definitions of "greatness" probably lie several oceans apart, Sir. Nice to know your opinion though, it happens to be claptrap.

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit... and you certainly attain that level with flying colours. You seem capable of making your point only by being rude at the same time.

I've tried to encourage you to be less coloured in the way you express yourself, but I'm clearly wasting my time. You're entitled to your opinioni, but someone with greater maturity would try to make it in a considerably less confrontational manner than you.

If you are going to criticise me for the comparison between Zidane and Beckham, I'd have to ask why on earth you made the comparison yourself in the first place? You might want to construct a consistent thread through your comments as they might develop some sort of clarity as a result.

I hope you conduct yourself with greater decorum in "real life". My final word of advice would be to reiterate a point I made to you earlier, and thats to run things through a spell/grammar checker. It may not matter here, but it will in other places and will only hold you back in life.

I'm going to google who Rudd van Nistelrooy is... and Mozart had a Christian name... Wolfgang.

Alf Garnett

74. At 9:39pm on 02 Sep 2010, marsman wrote:
tomefccam
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er, right,so Germany 2000, a game we lost 1-0. A game in which we scored 0 and had a distinct lack of any tangible service to our forwardline. And the man responsible and hyped for that service, for you, was the "man of the mach". What was it that "topped" his "legendary" performance that day for you, was it the-yet more- missed free-kicks of his going all out for personal glory? Ab. surd.
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Hello there. I didn't mention the words Man of the Match at any point, off the top of my head I think that went to Jens Nowotny.

His performance was the shining light in an all round terrible display, and it was a performance I believe that prompted Taylor, and subsequently Sven to choose him as captain. He showed he would lead a new generation of player by example, and displayed the transition of that team into the 21st century. A team that should have achieved more.

Your "personal glory" statement is all about your hatred for Beckham and not justified in any way. Otherwise everytime Frank Lampard took a shot in World Cup 2006 (he had the most attempts on goal throughout the tournament) he was just going for personal glory!

Hahah

Or was he just playing to his strengths, to help the team, by scoring goals that win football matches!

AC Slater

for what its worth, withut the internet, no one would know any of these stats about crosses per season, goals to assists ratios and all that, so in the real world beckham, 50 years from now, will be remembered as an on-field great, an off-field idiot imo, and all round proper englishman. like it or not

East Humberside all

re#78

' It's just that when you sit in front of a computer you become MARSMAN... rude, intolerant and a little arrogance. Fighting against the twin evils of grammar and spelling your mission is to aggravate all those around you.'

Anything to be a superhero hey dan!!

I know you're game walker, and its really good, when you gonna release a travel version?


Ruel Fox

blaenorynyclwyd:

Not enough vowels in that name!! Still based on you argument your an idiot whichever way you choose to spell !

Thanks Dan for acknowledging Blackpool's true colours.

Anyone who claims we play in orange when they know we play in tangerine is arrogant.

blaenorynyclwyd: You're comment is unjustified, and clearly proves you're a bitter Cardiff City fan. Enough Said.

The future's bright... the future's tangerine!

#81 olliesarmy wrote"Still based on YOU argument YOUR an idiot which ever way you choose to spell!"

Ollie, thank you for your correction, which,
in spite of your spelling of both pronouns & verbal contractions, and
in spite of your punctuation,
I will take on board and endeavor to improve both my spelling and argumentation.
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Dan #78 Like your synopsis of other comments. :-)

Ah! blaenorynyclwyd, so there is a difference about which way you spell a word? or only when someone else does it?
Self righteous hypocrit, Duckz is good English but "your" instead of "you're" is not.
Make your mind up man, and keep you argument consistant.
Thats why your an idiot, not because of your superior or my lack of gramatical prowess.
When people try to divert the argument, through picking anothers typo's or gramatical faux pas, it shows just how self absorbant and lacking in true argument they are.
Being pedantic and a poor loser is not endearing whatever you mother tells you. It's just plain annoying to the rest of the world.

Dan: Sorry, I wasn't being sarcastic and calling you arrogant if you thought that. You made a mistake, which I understand and my statement was intended for folk like blaenorynyclwyd.

I'm a bit disappointed in the "I owe a zoo" comment. Because i thought that was your joke. That your a bit of a chimp and your parents aren't good looking, so you owe a zoo for your existence/being brought into the World! Of course i'm just pulling your leg Dan, stellar blog as ever mate.

Dan Walker, calm down you say..

I was brought up to believe, if you can't say nowt good, say nowt. But also that you should be consistant and stand up for what you believe.

That guy's comments were either from a cretin or a WUM and I presume the second. Well he got what he wanted, because it does wind me up, that such people exist.

Well don't start something you cannot finish! We people at Blackpool are a friendly, unassuming down to earth bunch that know we are punching above our weight and have had the run of the green.
But we won't come down to earth cause we never left it.

Barring a few numpties all towns have, we do not profain or disrespect anothers colours or beliefs or team and expect the same in return.

When we don't recieve that common courtesy, then we will make it known.

Now we wear Tangerine and were are damn proud of it and take exceptional offence when people look to make cheap shots about it.

Do you find us making cheap shots about Cardiff, the Welsh or the team and fans who were (at least 99% of them) fantastic last May at Wembley?

No we don't, because we respect them , found them great representitives for their team and city, and know another day it would be them not us.

If people don't understand that then they probably think people on the News burning the Union Flag is acceptable, and if that is the case then i am wasting my time.

tomefccam
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No, it was Beckhams celebrity that got him the captaincy. Taylor was mesmerised by being in and arund such "fame", handing Beckham the captaincy was just another step in the devaluing of the natonal team, the ramping up of the culture of celebrity within our game. Ferguson was Beckhams manager and he knew he was no leader of men. Beckham isnt a "captain" in this life or any other as he proved over 3 major tournaments of the most risible "leadership" imagineable, whether gutlessy jumping out the way of tackles and disappearing without trace when England needed drive v Brazil in 2002 to being the joke figure of the entire Euro2004 event through to sitting on a subs bench in Gemany sobbing his face off when "his" team were at 0-0 in a world cup quarter-final. But then unlike the likes of you, i always knew what it was all about for Beckham over and above anyting else, it was about him. It devastated him that HIS event was over in Germany, that HE wasnt ging to be this "figure of destiny" his tiny child-like mind had convinced himself he was going to be. The fact he then meandered through the rest of the players pre-penalties with a tear-ravaged face of despair and misery was perhaps about the most disgraceful and self-indulgent piece of "captaincy" ever witnessed in the national arena.

don_eamo
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There isnt a football scholar of any intelligence or worth on the planet that will ever label David flippin Beckham an "on-field great. Celebrity worshippers might do, the housewives brigade who simply adore their "Cliff Richard of Football", the new-age set, the home counties dwellers who think Football was invented some time in the mid 90s.

MARSMAN!! Thats too far, leave my cliff out of this!! (I love you Cliff)

Beckham wishes he was even close to Cliff in terms of greatness but he's not!

However while I dont consider him an England great as such or even demi-god (you bought cliff into this not me remember!!) I certainly dont consider him the sole reason for England's lack of success.

DO you not think he has been a good player for England?

I think he is one of the very very few who give the same for their country as they do for their club.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Dan, serious for a moment.

Have you ever wanted to try doing the live text service for the football?

You seem quick witted enough for it.

Moment over.

Gravy

Hilarious, ive just watched the Walker/Taylor video and Taylor "revels" in having been the man that "made becks skipper". What a clown, what a joe-average, what dwarf amongst mountainous managers, what a gargantuan shock to the system that he finds himself managing in the basement division of english football. The man who made David "aint my hair pretty" Beckham "national captain" has found his level and experienced his rightful karma.

Hi Dan

I just love your photo of the Blackpool fans !! Supposed I am a bit biased as my son Jordan features in the middle of it - along with his mates. They were having a fab day at the match having been season ticket holders for a while now and have followed the fortunes of Blackpool through the leagues. They were all celebrating GCSE results so a good week all round.
Your blog has now winged its way to Australia where my sister followes Blackpool from Sydney.
Thanks for making me a proud Blackpool mum xx


PS Jordan will kill me when he reads this lol !!!!

If Darius Danesh ever visits this blog, I suspect he might have given it a miss this week due to the lack of love being felt this time round!

Marsman certainly shows some focus as he studiously fails to address what anyone writes unless it involves David Beckham. Bet you have all his posters up in your bedroom being that you seem fairly obsessed by him.

Gnasher the Dog

You are a very funny man ............

Some of your followers are even funnier, even caused a couple of belly laughs.

Have you dyed your hair Dan or is there something going on with the lighting in that cinema???

MB

#77 i wrote "beckham, 50 years from now, will be remembered as an on-field great"

#91 marsman wrote "There isnt a football scholar of any intelligence or worth on the planet that will ever label David flippin Beckham an "on-field great."


Soothsayer now are we, who's winning the 1610 at haydock today, i could do with some extra income