I had already booked to take my 6yo to see Team GB at Old Trafford (not being interested in proper football and all that) and had expected Beckham to play (although his expected presence was not the reason for booking the tickets).
With the 1.5 million tickets left, is there a chance of LOGOC intervening and adding him to the team sheet to raise the profile of this event which looks like it could bomb? Is this a revenge thing from Pearce as suggested by certain sports/media pundits?
Also, what’s the chance of them giving away the tickets that I paid £36 pounds for on the day they were released? (MUG)

There’s no way he’ll get in the team, would make Pearce look a total mug if he was overruled and to be fair I don’t think becks would want in under those circumstances!!
The free kick from saturday/Sunday that he scored just shows the lad still has it. I always liked Pearce as a player whilst growing up but I think he’s a complete tool now for snubbing beckham, who, is still, in my eyes a hero!!

from a football hater, beckham should have been picked….he puts seats on bums, and the olympics need that.

Can’t believe Seb Coe’s been snubbed for the 1500m too

It’s just Pearce having a pop at the FA who have been elbowing him towards the door. Picking Micah Richards instead of Becks has really wound them up, given Richards refused to be selected for the Euros.

Becks should be in the team, Richards should never play an international again. IMO.

I hope they get royally stuffed so Pearce in turn gets crucified in the papers and we all point and laugh. the nobhead.

If Beckham can’t get in the England team, why would he get in the Great Britain team? Surely he’d be less likely not more?

If beckham can’t get a game outside of the states…

FFS it’s a tournament – we are trying to win.

Is this the same forum that wanted David Miller kicked out but is happy to allow a has been celebrity play to improve ticket sales.

gallons of boiling wee in all your shoes…….

rant over

given Richards refused to be selected for the Euros.

No he didn’t, he wasn’t picked even though he was clearly the best English right back last season by a country mile, he was devastated by the decision and couldn’t raise himself for the reserve list.

As for Becks if you want to see him go and stand by the red carpet at a celebrity event, his inclusion would have weakened the team.

I really couldn’t care – as a football tournament it means nothing to me. (and yes I am a big football fan).

Yeah Olympic footie is pointless, what other sports have the age restrictions on them? Why not let countries send full-strength squads? Given it’s pointless then yeah they should have let Beckham play, not that I feel sorry for him, it’s not as though he’s had a hard life…

Isn’t part of the issue that Beckham contributed to the initial bid in a meaningful way so it seems small-minded to exclude him for the tournament? Especially given that it’s basically an exhibition and he could still easily play and not let anyone down.

I mean I’m sure there’s a 1000 people who are ahead of Beckham in deserving credit for landing the olympics in the UK. But he did get involved and will have substantially raised the international profile of the bid.

I think Pearce has made the right call, if TeamGB are to be in with any chance of winning gold, the best team has to be fielded. End. The inclusion of Beckham would simply be politics.

Isn’t part of the issue that Beckham contributed to the initial bid in a meaningful way so it seems small-minded to exclude him for the tournament? Especially given that it’s basically an exhibition and he could still easily play and not let anyone down.

I mean I’m sure there’s a 1000 people who are ahead of Beckham in deserving credit for landing the olympics in the UK. But he did get involved and will have substantially raised the international profile of the bid.

Sounds like everyone should get a medal too, don’t want to upset anyone

Can’t believe Sir Steve Redgrave’s been snubbed for the rowing too

Neither Beckham’s celebrity status nor Pearce’s FA grudge (if that’s the reason) are a good enough reason to play or not play the former. Personally, I think that Olympic footie teams should be composed entirely of non-professional players.

I may hate football, but the inclusion of a has-been, whoever they are and however good they may have been just because of politics sucks.

Why has Sharon Laws not been picked but Nicole Cooke has, Isn’t there aload of fuss about a Judo? competitor not being picked? Same different, pick the best aim for medals.

The olympics should be about the best athletes not about backhanders and favours. That it is, is one of the reasons i have little interest.

Can’t believe Sir Steve Redgrave’s been snubbed for the rowing too

I’d nominate sfb and TJ as the Great Britain ‘dream team’ – they’re both world class rowers.

Odd points

– a ticket was bought to watch Team GB play. At the time that it was bought, the squad had not been announced so no player was certain to be in the team.

– most of the tickets for the Team GB matches have been sold; and they will be the easiest to sell to the walk up crowd, don’t think that they will be given away (unlike some of the women’s football matches).

– Pearce was told to choose a team, he did. Thought Becks did well to get into the long list.

– Not sure that Richards in a good player for an overage player, but he is keen to play and Man City have agreed to release him (which they don’t have to do for the overage players)

– I notice that Scotland & NI are not complaining about a lack of players in the squad!!

the real shame is bale isnt available.

He’s the one welsh/scottish/irish player who would walk into the England team at the moment.

the real shame is bale isnt available.

Oh no its not !!

Just Spurs’ luck to up his wages then see him get injured in a mickey mouse competition.

In fact I wouldn’t have thought any real high end player would bother with the Olympics…. Is it not for young players, who haven’t really broken into the first team, looking for a shop window?

Beckham is actually the only player together with Giggs who wants to be there beacause it IS the Olympics

In fact I wouldn’t have thought any real high end player would bother with the Olympics…. Is it not for young players, who haven’t really broken into the first team, looking for a shop window?

No hopers the lot of them. Maybe explains why we are not much cop.

uphold the principle of the competition an respect those athletes who’ve trained for years, done trials, proved themselves the best in the country?

sod that, get a squad of celebretards in. geordie shore in goal, holly willowby up front, and so on.

ffs.

he’s not good enough.

Still hits a good freekick, but can understand taking Giggs / Bellamy instead seeing as their relatively poor national team has meant they’ve never played in a major international tournament.

The Taekwondo thing really takes the p*ss tho.. deciding not to select the British and World number 1, and taking the world number 49 instead. Dunno what Aaron Cook has done wrong, but he’s obviously p*ssed off the selectors.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jun/29/london-2012-aaron-cook-taekwondo?newsfeed=true

And THAT ^^^^ How on earth can a slection panel be allowed to do that?
like taking me above Cav – ok not that daft but getting there

I’d nominate sfb and TJ as the Great Britain ‘dream team’ – they’re both world class rowers.

😀

Can’t believe Daley Thomson’s been snubbed for the decathlon too

Personally, I think that Olympic footie teams should be composed entirely of non-professional players

olympics is full of inconsistencies isn’t it? pro runners, pro cyclists, seem to remember pro basketball team at atlanta (not that I’d expect GB to be able to drum up a “dreamteam”) but olympics need to decide whether they are pro or amateur and stick to it.

Beckham should have been selected. There is no way he will be added now.

Sir Steven Redgrave won his last gold medal at 38, Beckham is 37. Rowing is more physcially demanding than football.

He has been a fine Ambassador for UK sport, part of the winning Olympics bid and a key member of the team that tried to bring the football world cup to the UK
He is still a good enough player
He would have helped sell a lot of tickets

On a less relevant note
It isn’t a serious event
GB isn’t going to win anyway
Stuart Pearce’s claim to fame is being a physco

I bid for £10,000 worth of tickets and got zero, likewise nothing from subsequent rounds. I’ll watch the road race as it runs close to my home but I wouldn’t go and see football if I were given free tickets.

Rowing is more physcially demanding than football.

Yeah of course it is. 😆

Beckham should have been selected

why? claiming he’s younger than other winners isn’t much of an argument.

The manager should pick the best team from his list.

of course if the manager was swayed one way or the other by politics/grudges then yes you have an argument, other wise unlucky for DB and his fans.

Not a footy fan, but was this the Richards who was so “devestated” and thus i presume so keen to play for his country, he took himself off to Barbados to hang out with the celebs, rather than put himself on a reserve list? Not so long ago for a major tournament didn’t Phil Neville actually came back from his holiday to put himself on the reserve list, ended up going to training but with a very long shot of actually playing

Overall, Olympic ticket sales appear to be doig well i believe outside football. Beckham though, should not be picked purely because he puts bums on seats.

Yep that’s it, the Richards that has been continually spurned by England despite being the form player in his position, and Neville who was continually picked despite being decidedly average. It’s almost as if selection has been based on being in some sort of clique.

the point about redgrave and coe being overlooked is a null argument as neither are currently particpating in their sports, unlike beckham.

Redgrave was rowing in the jubilee regatta so he still participates.

On a more serious note, English football has revolved around Beckham for too long, probably with a net negative effect, and it is about time it stopped,

Fair play to Stuart Pearce for taking an unpopular decision with the rest of country. I don’t think Beckham should have been picked, in fact I don’t think he was that good an international player. Okay, passing and dead-ball situations he was the go-to man, but how many tournaments did he single-handedly manage to put us on the back foot?

At least 2 world cups IIRC.

FFS it’s a tournament – we are trying to win.

It’s a mickey mouse showcase. Nobody cares who wins.
Should have put Becks in and also at least one scottish player. It’s not the world cup, it’s a bit of fun.
Success will be measured by popularity, not by winning.

On a more serious note, English football has revolved around Beckham for too long, probably with a net negative effect, and it is about time it stopped,

Good point, IMO while Beckham deserved to be in the England team on personal merit, I often thought that the team as a whole was weaker for his conclusion, that playing to his strengths did not play to the teams strength.

It’s a mickey mouse showcase. Nobody cares who wins.

Well that devalues a gold medal then……

Pick the team and play to win. We have obviously gone so long without winning that people have forgotten what it means.

A win will be much more popular than parading a has been who can’t run anymore cause he helped out a bit

Also, what’s the chance of them giving away the tickets that I paid £36 pounds for on the day they were released? (MUG)

50,000 of the hampden tickets to be given away free to kids.