I have a question about the headlines careening around the interwebs saying something along the lines of “Stuart Pearce says decision to exclude David Beckham was purely for football reasons.”
Because, what other possible motive would Pearce have for setting brush fires of outrage throughout Beckham-loving England? This is not a Rio Ferdinand-John Terry type thing, where a certain player’s selection might improve collective talent but be toxic for team chemistry. It’s exactly the opposite.
At any rate, the coach of Great Britain’s Olympic team today explained his rationale for leaving Beckham out of his squad. Essentially, Pearce said, his selections were based on form, not sentiment – which is exactly as it should be.
Pearce told Sky News specifically: “I saw Beckham more than any other player. In the end I decided the other three over 23-year-old players gave me a bit more. … David doesn’t feel it was the right decision, and naturally he was disappointed. But so were all of those who were left out.”
Clearly, there was pressure on him to select Beckham, who wasn’t performing at his best when the Great Britain manager came to see him earlier this year.