I wasn't a big football fan back then, but how bad was the abuse Beckham got after that red card? Looking back at old newspaper articles and stuff it seem pretty horrific what he went through. Did any other player before or since have that amount of abuse like he did? You probably wouldn't get away with the treatment he got nowadays.
How bad did Beckham get it after the 1998 World Cup red card?
- Thread starter tentan
- Start date
I wasn't a big football fan back then, but how bad was the abuse Beckham got after that red card? Looking back at old newspaper articles and stuff it seem pretty horrific what he went through. Did any other player before or since have that amount of abuse like he did? You probably wouldn't get away with the treatment he got nowadays.
Just watched that episode and I can only imagine what he did to not break.
Glen Hoddle was disgraceful in how he handled it.
But the fans chanting his name at Old Trafford against Inter sent shivers down my spine.
We took care of our own.
Glen Hoddle was disgraceful in how he handled it.
But the fans chanting his name at Old Trafford against Inter sent shivers down my spine.
We took care of our own.
Disgusting, would have broke many players what they did to him. Used to root for England, after that incident I'd love to see them crash and burn (football wise)
Beckham resilient and determination and strenght of character is often underrated, not many choose to persist with football and high quality football I might add when blessed with his looks and fame. He could have retired a billionaire but remained a professional and played till the ripe age at the highest level.
If only our primadonnas had half of his mental strenght.
His era alone pulls millions of new supporter for the EPL and Manchester United. I was one of them.
Beckham resilient and determination and strenght of character is often underrated, not many choose to persist with football and high quality football I might add when blessed with his looks and fame. He could have retired a billionaire but remained a professional and played till the ripe age at the highest level.
If only our primadonnas had half of his mental strenght.
His era alone pulls millions of new supporter for the EPL and Manchester United. I was one of them.
He came back and had a fecking brilliant season!
Simeone's appearance in the first episode is great. He loves to play the villain.
I don't believe he was that rich at the time or even now. Could get there though.
That was a very hard watch. Fair play to him for coming back stronger than ever after it. I just wish the fecker played for us longer.
Thank god social media wasn't a thing back then
It's crazy how similar the incident was to Rooney in 2006 but from what I recall it was Ronaldo who took the brunt of the abuse the season after.
Maybe if Simeone played in the PL Beckham would have been spared the following season. Or maybe Beckham was this ridiculously good looking guy with this 10 out of 10 missus and jealousy made people dislike him.
Maybe if Simeone played in the PL Beckham would have been spared the following season. Or maybe Beckham was this ridiculously good looking guy with this 10 out of 10 missus and jealousy made people dislike him.
Also now maybe some people realise how important it is for these players to play for their national team. It's the biggest moment of their life.
You see posts in here hoping players don't get picked for national duty, so selfish.
You see posts in here hoping players don't get picked for national duty, so selfish.
Yeah he got dog's abuse at the start of that season, a lot of it whipped up by the English tabloids. I think United fans that season started singing "Ar-gen-tina" and "you can stick your f**king England up yer arse" in response!
I think the backing Beckham got from United fans that season really helped pull him through, he went on to have probably his best ever season at the club.
By the end of the season, he was playing so well that even opposition fans had gotten bored of booing him!
I think the backing Beckham got from United fans that season really helped pull him through, he went on to have probably his best ever season at the club.
By the end of the season, he was playing so well that even opposition fans had gotten bored of booing him!
I remember it being bad at the time but watching this new documentary I didn’t realise how bad. Being spat on in the street, confronted, how long it went on for. The tackles he was on the receiving end of and then getting cheered, tim sherwood the little rat and the way hoddle fueled it not just straight after the match but in post conference too.
beckham was absolutely world class, loved him as a player, his quality of passing hasn’t been since. The effort and desire he played with, a one man machine v Greece in the qualify. It was a different breed of footballer to what’s made today. The way Fergie created that family and the players and fans all supported him and got behind him. I miss the old United
beckham was absolutely world class, loved him as a player, his quality of passing hasn’t been since. The effort and desire he played with, a one man machine v Greece in the qualify. It was a different breed of footballer to what’s made today. The way Fergie created that family and the players and fans all supported him and got behind him. I miss the old United
I wasn’t old enough to remember what happened during that 1998 World Cup but watching that episode, it was absolutely vile and despicable the way the English fans and press behaved and treated Beckham and his family. He was made a scapegoat. Absolutely resilient and determined - not many would have gone through that and not caved from the immense stress, pressure and hate.
I loved the Fergie and Keane bit about protecting one of our own. Us against the world. Fergie was absolutely brilliant at that, and it’s a shame that culture and ideology didn’t carry on after Fergie retired. I’m on the episode where Capello exiled him from the first team at Madrid, and it was the same mentality at Madrid - family and togetherness.
Football just seems so individualistic and mechanical in comparison now.
Great series, 10/10 would recommend and watch again.
I loved the Fergie and Keane bit about protecting one of our own. Us against the world. Fergie was absolutely brilliant at that, and it’s a shame that culture and ideology didn’t carry on after Fergie retired. I’m on the episode where Capello exiled him from the first team at Madrid, and it was the same mentality at Madrid - family and togetherness.
Football just seems so individualistic and mechanical in comparison now.
Great series, 10/10 would recommend and watch again.
It’s one of the main reasons I don’t support the England national team anymore. It was United against England in my opinion back then. The only fans who stood by him was United fans whilst everywhere else in the country acted like utter cnuts towards him
It's the worst I've ever seen a single player get treated by the media and the public. It was absolutely ridiculous.
I was in high school and the headteacher admonished him in front of everyone at assembly as a terrible example to youngsters throughout the nation.
Looking back now I can see how outrageous it all was. Especially as almost everyone at school loved Becks. He was the reason all the boys wore brylcreem, and the only reason the girls showed any interest in football.
Looking back now I can see how outrageous it all was. Especially as almost everyone at school loved Becks. He was the reason all the boys wore brylcreem, and the only reason the girls showed any interest in football.
He got Terrible abuse all season. Mental strength was so strong though. Think he was 3rd on world player of year list for 98/99. Some player. Didn't mind England before 98. Wanted them to fail after it though. Remember watching the Greece game and he was crazy.he was everywhere, tried to do it all on his own and was taking a bit too much out of the ball. Delighted for him that day. He deserved that moment. Great career and very likeable person. Didn't deserve that period of abuse,no one would. Thankfully it would be dealt with differently these days,or at least I like to think it would.
Glen Hoddle threw fuel on the fire. The worst managing of a situation ever. Sure he was super gutted but still it was terrible management.
its all coming out now how he drove to London and back for a quick jump with posh the night before games etc.
only watch the first 2 but Posh comes across well nows shes mature.
its all coming out now how he drove to London and back for a quick jump with posh the night before games etc.
only watch the first 2 but Posh comes across well nows shes mature.
I’m on episode 2 now of the Netflix series.
What Hoddle done was horrendous. But also the football media pundits like Robson etc too. The entire country turned against him like has never been seen before.
I remember him being boo’d like hell against us but I wasn’t really bothered about that, it was more trying to throw a great player off their game against us. It was expected at grounds.
But it as seriously instigated by the media and football people which is terrible to see and I include Hoddle in that.
What Hoddle done was horrendous. But also the football media pundits like Robson etc too. The entire country turned against him like has never been seen before.
I remember him being boo’d like hell against us but I wasn’t really bothered about that, it was more trying to throw a great player off their game against us. It was expected at grounds.
But it as seriously instigated by the media and football people which is terrible to see and I include Hoddle in that.
A ballon d’Or winning level season at that. Crazy mental @Fortitude from Beckham.
The thing that annoys me most was how even the media turned against him. I can understand the opposition fans, but for the English press to do it at that level was unacceptable. What makes me laugh though, is how all those same journalists lick his ass now!
Every away game that season was tough for him. Every time he touched the ball there would be a chorus of boos and venom. Some of the stuff sung about his wife & child was sick. Would have broken most players.
He showed unbelievable mental fortitude. The fact he was nominated for a Ballon d'Or the season after was testament to that
He showed unbelievable mental fortitude. The fact he was nominated for a Ballon d'Or the season after was testament to that
It was worse due to his high profile in the media, they love to create these 'icons', and then take great pleasure in 'knocking them off their pedestal'. I have no time for any so called newspaper, they all have their own agendas. Similarly with so called 'players United are looking to sign', which for the most part is created by the media, and then they have a great smugness, when so called player is signed by another club that 'United have failed to sign' said player, when in all truth, United had never been interested at all.
As for Beckham, I believe the west ham fans were some of the worst, hanging effigies of him outside pubs etc.
Most people who boo players are just morons in my opinion.
At Northampton Town we used to have a person who would boo and make rude gestures to any opposition player who came off injured, and if you think that is acceptable behaviour, then I'm sorry for you.
As for Beckham, I believe the west ham fans were some of the worst, hanging effigies of him outside pubs etc.
Most people who boo players are just morons in my opinion.
At Northampton Town we used to have a person who would boo and make rude gestures to any opposition player who came off injured, and if you think that is acceptable behaviour, then I'm sorry for you.
It's an interesting comparison to look at why there were differing reactions to Rooney and Beckham. I don't think it was to do with Beckham's appearance or jealousy though, but his celebrity chasing antics did partially contribute. I think it's a combination of:
- Rooney was immensely popular. He'd already been England's star player in Euro 2004. Beckham by contrast was a very good player but was in and out of the starting XI and not seen as a key player until later on.
- Rooney was always seen as a loose cannon, a street player, who got stuck in, played with aggression and on the edge. It was part of what endeared him to fans. He was "one of us", a working class kid similiar to ourselves or some of our mates. It was somewhat to expected with Rooney, and he at least made a forceful connection in the heat of a tussle. Beckham was in contrast seen as a flashy wannabe celeb, was in the press with Victoria and seen attending showbiz events with some attention seeking fashion choices. He was attracting criticism even before the tournament, but his fame and footballing status was still in its infancy. And then it was a bit of a petulant, needless, namby pampy little kick whilst on the floor.
- Beckham was seen as United through and through having come through the academy. Rooney was more popular nationally in part I think because he made a name for himself first at Everton.
- The Ronaldo element certainly distracted some attention off Rooney. The wink. The pleading with the ref. Watch again on YouTube and you'll here the BBC pundits giving the usual "we don't do that here" spiel. There may have been some play acting from Simeone but the appeals and protestations were less impassioned than Ronaldo and team mates. I just watched again on and the commentary is calm, just a yellow expected, and Argentina players were only fairly casually enquiring with the ref. The fact Ronaldo himself not only played in England, but for United (who are hated), was a teammate of Rooneys (how could he betray his friend!) and was himself already disliked for some petulant behaviour, diving and showboating, he was prime to made into the villain.
If Sancho has half the mentality of Beckham, he would be a superstar
I was a kid but I knew it was bad. From that time on I could never get behind England again and have enjoyed watching those tin pot fans suffer over the years. Our players have had some rough times with England fans and the media, Maguire is anther recently. United fans used to get behind our players though and had a very anti England stance at one point. Most don't seem to care or just join in the abuse these days
So was I.
He got it pretty bad tbh. It's easy to forget that the Internet and social media were in their infancy, so the paparazzi really went for him.
However, what I didn't know at the time but came out in the first series of his new Netflix documentary, was the Posh literally told him before kick-off she was pregnant. Personally, I think that was a pretty selfish and sh*tty thing to do on the cusp of what was then, probably the biggest game of his career.
Even my wife (who's not really into football) liked the documentary but commented she didn't like Posh too much as she's very 'me me me' and thought it the wrong thing to do before a game. A very selfish act she said, and no wonder Beckhams head was all over the place going out the tunnel. That's the sort of thing you tell someone after the match.
Although Hoddle didn't handle it great, he probably wasn't wrong when he said David's head wasn't really on it. But I don't blame Beckham for that, I blame his Mrs.
Hardly anyone knew she had rung him to say that at the time. Had they done they might have given him a bit more slack. Its telling that when Neville is asked wether it was a good idea to tell him he was a bit reluctant to say what he really thought.
However, what I didn't know at the time but came out in the first series of his new Netflix documentary, was the Posh literally told him before kick-off she was pregnant. Personally, I think that was a pretty selfish and sh*tty thing to do on the cusp of what was then, probably the biggest game of his career.
Even my wife (who's not really into football) liked the documentary but commented she didn't like Posh too much as she's very 'me me me' and thought it the wrong thing to do before a game. A very selfish act she said, and no wonder Beckhams head was all over the place going out the tunnel. That's the sort of thing you tell someone after the match.
Although Hoddle didn't handle it great, he probably wasn't wrong when he said David's head wasn't really on it. But I don't blame Beckham for that, I blame his Mrs.
Hardly anyone knew she had rung him to say that at the time. Had they done they might have given him a bit more slack. Its telling that when Neville is asked wether it was a good idea to tell him he was a bit reluctant to say what he really thought.
Hoddle should forever be remembered as a guy who suggested disabled people were being punished for sins in a previous life.
But his treatment of Beckham over that whole world cup, and blaming after was an utter disgrace.
We actually lost on pens, which some seem to have forgotten, and there wasn't anything to suggest we'd have cruised the win out with 11 players, as it was a fairly even contest until then.
United players always seem to get the brunt of the blame for tournament failures. You can see why a lot of the United players didn't enjoy their England trips.
I remember seeing footage from that game and just loads of utter scumbags screaming "f''''ing c'''" at the top of their voices".
They've always had a horrible fan base and a club i'd relish seeing really dip.
Watching this netflix doku, it was even more ridiculous than i thought....
Can you imagine being 23 years old and receive the amount of hate from your whole country because of a mistake you did during a football game? Unbeliveable...
Proud of him to bounce back like he did and for the United fans to remain behind him even during the thoughest time.
Becks is the reason I became a United fan in 98/99. Will always be my biggest United legend.
Can you imagine being 23 years old and receive the amount of hate from your whole country because of a mistake you did during a football game? Unbeliveable...
Proud of him to bounce back like he did and for the United fans to remain behind him even during the thoughest time.
Becks is the reason I became a United fan in 98/99. Will always be my biggest United legend.
Last edited:
You can imagine that Beckham probably idolised Hoddle, and then the guy went out there and threw him under the bus.
He said in the documentary he more or less idolised him when growing up and it was special to be called up for his England debut but even more special because it was hoddle. Then Hoddle behaved like that
Way worse than whatever Maguire is getting. He would have retired from football if it came close to whatever Beckham had to endure.
Had no idea it was that bad back then, but watching the documentairy, fecking awful.
It made me realise something that is probably pretty banal but had never really occured to me before: Being a famous football is a special kind of fame, in that for every person who loves and adores you, there will be two who hate and abhor you. People don't really hate movie or pop stars. Some do, of course, but not that many, and the people who hate you don't hate you with the same passion that the people who love you express. Your fame mostly consists of adulation. But as a famous footballer, even if you're playing for the biggest club in the world, the rival fans who hate you with a passion will outweigh those who love you. Must be an extreme experience.
Typical British press. Build them up, knock 'em down.
The build up to the West Ham felt like a watershed moment.
The build up to the West Ham felt like a watershed moment.
I watched episode 2 of the Netflix series on Thursday. Gosh, the level abuse was on similar level as if someone left the gates of hell wide open instead of finding a way to shut them. Glenn Hoddle is a cnut for being that someone, leaving a 23-year-old kid hanging to dry. Go feck yourself for whatever is left of you, Hoddle. 
Speaking how serious it was, the media (TV and papers alike) were all complicit in creating the mess and the extra build-up to the 1998-99 season. The reporters even hounded his parents' place (WTF?). The guy who bought that dummy to hang it outside his own pub with a Beckham shirt on... that cnut really had the nerve to show his face on TV.
Speaking of that away game at West Ham alone... that was particularly hard to watch. In the documentary, Rio, then a West Ham player in 1998, had every single reason to be utterly disgusted. I'm only surprised that they did not call the riot police in to protect the Manchester United bus or to even protect the corner flags on the home half of the pitch (think of Luis Figo's return to Barcelona as a Real Madrid player).
As for Becks himself, he was a total mess. What he went through that 1998 summer and for several chunks of the 1998-99 season were a perfect definition of a clinical depression. Thank God that he had Fergie, Victoria, his own parents, his friends (especially Gary Neville), and his teammates to support him at crucial moments. I didn't know about this until the documentary came out, but something really sparked in him after Brooklyn was born and that was just after he gave what was then his best performance of the season against Inter Milan (and Diego Simeone). Let's say that the kidnapping threats and the idiots singing that stupid song about Victoria really poured fuel on that fire too. Anyway, Becks really had the comeback story for the ages, which was finally complete in the eyes of England when he scored that free kick against Greece in 2001.
Speaking how serious it was, the media (TV and papers alike) were all complicit in creating the mess and the extra build-up to the 1998-99 season. The reporters even hounded his parents' place (WTF?). The guy who bought that dummy to hang it outside his own pub with a Beckham shirt on... that cnut really had the nerve to show his face on TV.
Speaking of that away game at West Ham alone... that was particularly hard to watch. In the documentary, Rio, then a West Ham player in 1998, had every single reason to be utterly disgusted. I'm only surprised that they did not call the riot police in to protect the Manchester United bus or to even protect the corner flags on the home half of the pitch (think of Luis Figo's return to Barcelona as a Real Madrid player).
As for Becks himself, he was a total mess. What he went through that 1998 summer and for several chunks of the 1998-99 season were a perfect definition of a clinical depression. Thank God that he had Fergie, Victoria, his own parents, his friends (especially Gary Neville), and his teammates to support him at crucial moments. I didn't know about this until the documentary came out, but something really sparked in him after Brooklyn was born and that was just after he gave what was then his best performance of the season against Inter Milan (and Diego Simeone). Let's say that the kidnapping threats and the idiots singing that stupid song about Victoria really poured fuel on that fire too. Anyway, Becks really had the comeback story for the ages, which was finally complete in the eyes of England when he scored that free kick against Greece in 2001.
I've never met Glenn Hoddle but he just comes across as someone so dislikeable. People forget that he was the one who started the stuff about Andy Cole needing five chances to score, just because he was getting questioned as to why he wasn't giving Cole a chance for England. After that the tag stuck with Cole, with the media parroting the line like adoring worshippers.
Hoddle did the same with Beckham. All the nonsense about letting your country down. Oh please. Once again Hoddle's media cheerleaders lapped it up and got the country in an absolute frenzy. Fans of other clubs literally falling over themselves to give Beckham abuse.
When the media ultimately turned on Hoddle and did him over his faith healer stuff, honestly, couldn't have happened to a more deserving man.
Hoddle did the same with Beckham. All the nonsense about letting your country down. Oh please. Once again Hoddle's media cheerleaders lapped it up and got the country in an absolute frenzy. Fans of other clubs literally falling over themselves to give Beckham abuse.
When the media ultimately turned on Hoddle and did him over his faith healer stuff, honestly, couldn't have happened to a more deserving man.
No athlete before or since has had to endure what Beckham did.
I went to Ronaldo's first away game in 06/07 against Charlton at the Valley. In home end though as someone had a season ticket. Ronaldo got so much abuse from fans it was unreal.