AEG President and CEO Tim Leiweke addressed the David Beckham situation on Friday when he spoke with Grahame Jones of the Los Angeles Times.
Here is what he had to say.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Tim Leiweke Address the David Beckham Situation
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I know that the LA Galaxy might, on one-hand, be tempted to think and mull over how much exposure and revenue the organization could be losing by letting David go over to AC Milan. But, I need the staff, the executives, & AEG to really stop, take deep, slow breaths, and really hash out how EMBARASSING, how TRAGIC, how MESSED UP the on-field outcome have been over these past two years. Personally, if David's mind, heart, and short-term goals are elsewhere, then... PLEASE... PLEASE... sell him outright, get the most compensation the organization can, and let's move on!!! Our LA Galaxy has to focus, prepare, be totally committed to this season and the future by WINNING GAMES... by WINNING comptetitions... by ENTERING, PLAYING & CHALLENGING in CONCACAF Champions bouts in years to come! The game is SOCCER... the focus should be SOCCER... the necessary requirements have to be will, drive, commitment, training, practice, and creativity. The path forward must begin with these attributes. Make smart, strong choices for the best of the team, the product, and soccer.
With the HDC, the LA Galaxy have a great venue. With Athletes' Performance, the LA Galaxy have capable, readied, up-to-date trainers and staff. But, the LA Galaxy need players who are willing to be leaders & captains regardless of arm-bands.
I am hoping like high-heaven I can see a better, stronger, more competitive and determined team during thhis pre-season and season.
i hope the team will hold him to his contract but if they can get 15-20 million for him and or lets say one of milians current bench warmer lets say ranoldinho i think i can live with that as a galaxy fan
Well said Tim. Beckham's departure is going to hurt this league financially and morally. AEG/MLS made a huge commitment by signing him to a long term agreement and they should seek an appropriate compensation.
David is walking away from a good thing if he leaves LA. His impact on AC Milan would be historically minimal as compared to what he can accomplish here.
Wise up dude!
I almost forgot... Feb. 7th - Feb. 9th are Galaxy Open Tryouts. Can the blog please give us some updates, info, possibly pics from that on Monday, Feb. 09th?
By the way, who exactly is the trialist wearing the #36 jersey? What position(s) does he play?
If AC Milan is not able to or not willing to pay up for David the way AEG wants... I just cannot stand another effort-lacking, mediocre/unhappy/non-committed performances from David who then is forced to stay on with us. That is NOT a good situation! Pleae, LA Galaxy organization - please only players who are truly willing, ready, and committed to the entire team and cause! Players who definitely shows it in the locker-room, every-time during practices, scrimmages... who have the hunger and tenacity to give it their all because it is their trade, their profession, their pride!
Wake up LA Galaxy...David Beckham should wisen up an leave the league!!!
It obivious the David Beckham never cared about the Galaxy or MLS, he made a quick buck and screw the Galaxy- Don't let the door hit you on your a*s leaving.
What is best for the team?
Whatever it is, I am still watching the Galaxy. As we saw last year teams like Columbus, Chivas and Salt Lake all played really well as teams, though young and relatively little star power. I hope the Galaxy pushes the issue to get as much for Beckham as possible and move on. As for Beckham, I think he came to the MLS too soon and should come back in 3 years (if a deal is reached). I think he is one of the greatest players because he has the long-range passing abilities and can take set pieces that can change the outcome of the game. I wish him the best and encourage the Galaxy to keep working really hard towards a Championship season.
Yeah he should leave when we get the $$$$ that they should pay for him. He signed the contract if they want him they have to pay. Nothing more than that! Pay to play Becks or your behind will be back in a Galaxy jersey getting Booed beyond belief in the first home game!
The problems were not David's but the coaching staff of old. David came here by HIS choice. He wanted to be in LA and retire from LA where he has his youth camps. I think he should be held to his contract. Bench him if he doesn't play well. No more captain status if he doesn't motivate. Treat him like every other player and make him earn his starting spot. Then see if he picks up his game. If not, well, bye-bye.
Really, I think David should play in a real soccer league, and whatever you say he is a great player that is losing his time playing in such a poor soccer league... MLS s...ks!!!!
When David Beckham came to LA in 2007 despite the huge publicity and excitement from us football fans, in the soccer unfriendly circles (and boy there are plenty of them...) what people were talking about most, was how ineffective he would be in his Galaxy jersey and how he would not be able to change a thing, just like Pele, Cruyff, Beckenbauer and all the earlier world football stars that gave it a try in the US were not either. At the time I could not disagree more with the people underestimating Beckham. Any chance I got I tried to argue and prove my points that this time was different, he was more dedicated, he was an ambassador of the sport, there was no way he would not succeed. I believed in him so much that I bought season tickets almost immediately as his transfer to Los Angeles was announced. We also purchased his jersey for all of us in the family during the course of his first season. Hey, we even made a banner welcoming him to US (what a waste of time and money....).
After only a season and a half (considering that he barely played in his first year here) It seems that I was nowhere close to winning any arguments with anybody in regards to Beckham's abilities to bring the game to a new level here in America as well.
Since he played in only a few games we never really took his first season seriously, knowing there would be four more (at least ). The following season was a little better, but still he was not the player we expected him to be. I kept reading from various sources, that " the Beckham team is calling the shots in the locker room". On the field, although he did score a few goals and assisted many more, I never saw the dedication and the excitement I cannot escape seeing now while he plays for Milan.
Many say you need to be surrounded by good players to be able to play well. That is true somewhat, but then how many set pieces was Beckham able to score in his year and a half with the Galaxy? I believe the number is two and none of them within the MILS Championship. One (his first ever as a Galaxy player) was against DC United in the Superliga, the other in a friendly against Sydney. Why only two when you are such an expert? You are not depending on your teammates for those... "Even if Beckham does not return to Los Angeles, he put the MILS and the Galaxy on the map". What map? What kind of a message are you sending when you are quitting after a year and a half from a place that you volunteered to set new grounds for. " He doesn't like to play on artificial turf " Nobody really does. Luckily the soccer stadiums are blooming and the ones with artificial turf and faded confusing American football lines are thank god less and less. So many European media outlets grab every chance they got to diminish the overall quality of the MILS. Yet all the big names arrive here from all over the world to show the poor Americans how the game should be played start packing only after a season or two. They cannot put up with the heat, the travel time, time zones. Wouldn't circumstances like these make this league a little tougher than the leagues where they do not play during summer and some of the cities you visit are a couple of hours away? I am European too and grew up watching football, so I am not even subjective. Here, when you belong to a team that is located on the West Coast for instance, if you play a night home game, you could be still playing at 10 PM local time, then if your next game is on the East Coast and you have a noon game local time, that is 9 AM Pacific time. Not to mention the five hour plane trip. Many players are just unable to adjust. Mr Beckham does not seem to be any different.
I am not familiar with the reason why Beckham chose to come to this country in the first place. But if he wanted to prove something, so far he succeeded to do just the opposite.. If he breaks his contract he will lose a lot of respect and not only in Los Angeles. He will be looked at differently by many.
I know, my framed, signed Beckham jersey I used to cherish will certainly come off the wall and move to storage, facing the wall.
Please get us details on the friendly between our boys and the Seattle Flounders ASAP.
Galaxy had arguably the 2 best players in the league last season in Donovan and Beckham and finished in what may as well have been dead last. Let Beckham and Donovan go. Take the $$s and invest in some young, proven talent who are viewed to have significant upside. The money from Beckham alone could replace the entire mid-field while taking the sting out of the looming recession. I'm tired of watching past their prime Galaxy retreads and rookies. As has been proven, you can't win with these players no matter how talented 1-2 players in your line-up might be (and now throw in a coach whose preferred style of soccer can make even the most rabid of fans nod off)..
David Beckham is a class act who left the world of top flight soccer/football too soon to move onto the next chapter in his life, which was a smart long term decision.
At the time the decision was made, he was out of favor at Real Madrid and out of favor in the England set-up.
Then it all changed soon after that when he showed the world what a dedicated pro he is and won his place back in the Real Madrid team that went onto play catch up and win La Liga.
The England manager was changed and his former Real Madrid manager took over, ultimately resulting in his recall to the England side.
After spending a frustrating time playing for the Galaxy, he gets a chance to play in Serie A and he is a success there too.
Can one really blame him for wanting to choose AC Milan and its squad over LA Galaxy and its players?
They will do a deal that results in Becks staying at AC Milan and coming back to LA after the 2010 World CUp, is my best guess.
Best of luck Becks!
Some ambassador to the sport of American Soccer. With egos like Beckham, Donovan, and Arenas one can appreciate the real Galaxy soccer days of Cobi Jones. Thanks for getting rid of our core players and ending up with players like Randolph, Cronin, et al. Let's get back to team soccer and leave Hollywood antics out of the stadium. Beckham has set back the MLS by many years with his presence. He certainly did not perform to the level as Wayne Gretsky did for American ice hockey. I think I will switch over to Chivas until the Galaxy can get their act together.
I am a Galaxy Fan,I have been a soccer (football) fan for over 25years. When I heard Beckham was coming to the Galaxy I could not have been happier. I have always believed Beckham to be a great soccer player and professional, now I am truely dissapointed with him. He stated he was coming here to help put the MLS on the world map, he knew it was going to be a struggle but he was up for the task. Now two years later he wants out. Yes the Galaxy did not do well last year but that was last year, Bruce has been working hard in the off season to try and put a stronger squad together and Beckham does not want to be part of it. Lets take the money and get rid of him. I am from England and I support the England team but I now hope he only makes it in the squad for games that dont matter. What a huge let down. Go Galaxy!
I paid out good money for season tickets last year and this year to see DAVID BECKHAM. I would not have renewed my season tickets had I thought it was a possibility that he would be traded. In fact, I remember quite clearly at the Town Hall meeting that managemnet promised David's transfer to AC Milan would not impede his return to LA. If he does not return, I will not be renewing my season seats. I will aso seek to seel any tickets I am holding. The Galaxy stands to loose many fans if Beckham is traded.
Let's sell Becks and buy Kljestan, a proven midfielder who is getting better by the day and has done more in the last 2 seasons compared to good ol' 2-3. Plus he's obviously willing to leave the Chivas and is probably a LAG fan at heart having grown up in HB. He'd be getting paid more to show up to the same place, just on different days, what a deal! Just make him cut his hair and he'll even be prettier than Becks again, too. Gasp! I say do that or clone Klein.
Welcome, Galaxy, to the world of big time soccer. I put a positive spin on all of this. That we are finally in a transfer dispute with AC Milan puts this team and the league on the world futbol map -- and we should spin it that way. C. Ronaldo, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Robinho, etc have all put big time sides through the transfer ringer. It's part of world soccer at that level. We should hold our heads high, take a big, fat check, get some override on the AC Milan merch rights and move on to the next thing.
TL needs to just let him go. We, the Galaxy fans, are the ones that should make this decision, not AEG. Last week, Beckham trashed MLS, saying we needed 10 years to even be competitive in the world, and that he wanted to stay at AC Milan. In his own words, "the football comes first." We will not be able to compete with that quality, and he will return and give us half his talent because he does not want to be here. He does not care about winning the MLS cup. He wants to play for England in 2010. That is all that matters to him. The Galaxy are an after thought and any owner that wants that kind of player on his team is a terrible business man. Did you hear that Tim? HE WANTS TO STAY IN MILAN. I do not want to see him back. A forced return will just anger him and really anger the true fans. We don't need a player who does not want to be here.
It has been made known by Beckham that he wants to stay in Milan, so let him go. Playing football in America has done nothing to help his game. Playing with the big European clubs definitely helps his game, and we all know he wants to continue playing for England. I just say let him go back where he belongs, back where he is going to do much better. America has done nothing, but bring him down...
I think it would be utterly stupid to hold out for an unreasonable amount considering his age. Sure David Beckham is "worth" more than the current offer, but when are Americans (I am American) going to learn that a player who would rather be somewhere else is no good to the team or the league.
Frankly as an MLS and Galaxy fan, and FORMER season ticket holder, I would rather see Beckham go. He didn't take the league seriously and he won't play well if he is forced to come back. It was fun while it lasted.
Me
If he stays, he should get the biggest BOO from all Galaxy fans. He has really done nothing for the team. He's always out partying with Posh and the Hollywood set before a game. Good riddens to him and Posh but AEG should not lose any money on him. Our tickets went up enough because of the b******.
I would be sad to see Beckham leave, he now has someone who can take advantage of his skill and finish but I too feel like he really doesn't care about this league or team which sucks! Like the guy before said we should see if we can get Ronaldinho instead then I wouldn't be as sad.
Here was a guy who was going to the "Pele" of the league and perhaps the future owner of the L.A. franchise. This drama shows where MLS stands on the world soccer stage...and it is as a gaffer for the clean-up crews.
Guys, I dont get any of you? I mean I like the LA Galaxy and the MLS but the standard of SOCCER is terrible! David is wasting his outstanding talent in that league. He went there to try and change the league and the standard of it, but unfortunately due to the stupid transfer and wage capping system you cant sign anyone good enough to play in the league, so David is sending superb crosses and long balls to players that dont even know how to control them or are fit enough to chase them. Thus David gets board and his standard begins to drop. He cant run a team and a whole league himself. He then loses his place in the England team due to the poor standard. He gets the offer to reinstate himself as the player we all came to know him as in a great MILAN team in the serie A one of the best leagues in the world with the best players in the world. David ends up playing a great standard of football for them, makes a great impact, gets a taste of top class FOOTBALL again and the opportunity of first team international football and possibly the opportunity to challange for the 2010 WORLD CUP. Now without beign selfish, what would you chose? LA Galaxy and the mediocre MLS or AC Milan, Serie A and International FOOTBALL? It goes without saying and your own American players whom decide to play elsewhere in the world also reinstate this opinion - like every person in the rest of the world. Give the man a break, he is a supper star an awesome talent, the best ever paid FOOTBALLER in the world. He has played for MAN U, Real Madrid and AC Milan and won every tournement he has played in at least once along with having 107 caps for his country. YOU all should thank him and respect him - that he even graced your AMERICAN SOIL! Whithout him the rest of the world would have forgotten you all even existed!
Now all of you wisen up, let him go and get on with your lives.
and P.S how many players actually honour their contract? It is part and parcel of the game that players get bought and sold and sacked before their contracts end. Its called FOOTBALL and the TRANSFER SYSTEM!!! Begin to learn it and add it to your game, then maybe, just maybe someone else that is even half as good as David will play in your league! Well, you can always dream the American Dream...
Sorry, I have to be brutally honest here. If you're selling your tickets or not renewing your tickets based on Beckham, then I wouldn't consider you a fan of the game or of the Galaxy.
People seem to forget the great moments that have nothing to do with Becks. Frankly, I got 100% of my season ticket value by watching Chris Klein's bicycle kick to tie it up in the SuperLiga final. And, the terror of watching Donovan flub the penalty kick. Edson Buddle, while a little inconsistent, did some great-looking work over the ball.
I am honestly happy that Beckham is screwing Galaxy, who cares about Beckham? Mauricio Cienfuegos did more for Galaxy than Beckham ever did and yet there is no credit for him they didnt even retire his jersey. Why focus on Beckham when there is potential youth out in Los Angeles, in the United States that dont get a chance like in other countries, emphasis on youth the us federation has enough power to shape players like messi, or ronaldinho....Beckham is an old timer give him the boot already I dont think he will even consider playing after this world cup. playing at South Africa is like his dying wish
Why not just LOAN him out for a ridiculous fee until after 2010 World Cup and then he should have it out of his system and would be a could retire happy in Hollywood / MLS
I know that when Beckham signed on I was very excited and not fully "sold" at the same time. Because when you're dealing with so much money that is so out of balance from the other players on the LA Galexy something was wrong. So OK, I waited the for the first full year for him to play on the team, give him a chance after all he is "the most famous player now". When I saw him play in front of me, I saw a man that had so much pressure to "be the greatest" that was questioned not just by me and my friends, but also by many more. So now that it appeared that I was getting disapointed I just brought my expectations DOWN, WAY DOWN.
So now, that I have him at the same level with the other players let him play with them. But WAIT! There is a problem. What is that? You ask. The M$O$N$E$Y. IT'S THE MONEY THAT That put him appart from teh others and his presence. He is not Superman as the fans of the oposite sex so primitilvly demonstrated when he was warming up to play his first game for LA. Or the hundreds or cameras pointing at his body. He's just doing the thing that every normal human player with a gift would do. HE TAKES CARE OF BECKHAM business. We are all trying to do that too in our own lives.
I can't blame him for doing what he is doing it's the GALAXY organization that I would like to awaken from their fantasy story. STOP LOOKING FOR THE MAGIC PILL, A QUICK FIX LA GALAXY will make it only by the believers like it's true fans that come to watch and support it's team and hard working players. The heart that each of them show and demonstrate on the field will bring more of it's fans to watch. Keep reaching out to the kids of tomorow they will forever be affected by the experience. They too know HEART. I't the thing you do when you think you have no more to give and suddenly something happens, the unexpected pass to the unexpected position with an unexpected header right in the unexpected corner for an unexpected G o a l ! ! with an unexpected 2 minutes left in the game. This is when we the loyal GALAXY fans jump with electric fire inside sceaming and yelling and feel in that moment we can fly unexpectanly. For that brief moment that electric feeling inside travels to all our heart and we CONNECT with the players and each other. This is the seed for LA soccer to grow lets get off the magic pill syndrome and focus on the team and the fans because that is where the heart is. WE ARE RIGHT HERE LA GALAXY DO YOUR PART DO IT FROM THE HEART.
If he stays - he won't play his best, he is going to claim an injury, fans (including me) will be booing him, and he is not going to be selling merchandise like before. If he goes - Galaxy will get some money back (keep holding out for more money Galaxy), and we can get some comitted players.
Tim says "..so that we can suffer no damages to our fans.." My problem is that, being a season ticket holder for the last 7 years, my seats doubled in price when the announcement was made that we had acquired Beckham. Will my seat prices halve once he signs with AC Milan and Tim pockets his 20-30 mil? I doubt that. We, the fans, banked the move over here by paying prices that were almost double all other MLS teams. I frankly feel that, at this point, he should just be let go. Why hang on to a disgruntled player when you can build a team with younger talent. It's been done here before and the strategy of the superstar hasn't worked. Move on.
I think you should hold David to his contract....you brought him over here, with all that went with it...
TV had shows about the "Beckhams Coming to America". What happened???
LA is a great team, make him keep his word !!!!
Linda Gencarelli
Nobody wants him back, and he's desperate not to come back. This puts the Galaxy in the driver's seat. Stick him for millions! If he wants to stay in Milan, let him put up a whole bunch of his own money.
Oh, P.S. The Revs just offered $200 season tickets to their supporters' groups. Take a look at who the real victims of the whole Beckham fiasco have been, i.e. the fans, and take the hint. You owe the people a LOT after putting them through the disaster of David Beckham.
David Beckham does not belong to this league (MLS).He makes sensational PKs and excellent passes but the LA Galaxy should let him go and invest the money to other players who will commit themselves to the team and MLS. Even if LA Galaxy the enforce the contract, Beckham will just be a distraction to the team and to the whole league because his commitment and heart is not there. Please release him, let him go and do not even ask him again in the future.
I recommend you get the maximum value you can for Beckham now. His value will only decrease over time. Then take the money and acquire some other international star, one who is better and younger.
After having completed 2 years of his 5 year deal, $250 million- having scored only 5 goals- I think that $20 million per goal over that span is a little much. For anyone who has not watched Beckham the past two seasons, he was one dimensional.. he would gather the ball at midfield with his right foot and look for the 50 yard pass down the middle to the field to any Galaxy player who had the legs to catch up. This was such a low percentage play that it hardly ever worked and was easy to defend. If he lost the ball at midfield, he would turn into an angry defender, often fouling or wanting to foul the person with the ball.
I was a believer when Beckham first came to the States but frankly I have seen enough. He can blame the Galaxy and American soccer as being 10 years behind but he was the person recruited and paid highly to take it to the next level. He failed at this miserably. The Galaxy also failed when they knew by loaning him to AC Milan there was a chance this would happen and more importantly- about ling about it. For them to deny it at the Galaxy season ticket holder event after the season is almost fraudulent since the question was posed in several different ways and at several different times during the q and a and each time the answer from the Galaxy was that both David and Landon are under contract and will be in uniform for the start of the season. I hope the team has learned something from this.
I also hope that the team has learned to sign players that do not think they are holier than god and have special privileges. No other professional sports league allows player possees and the Galaxy shouldnt either. Beckhams security guards should not have been on the sidelines- extra security for AEG should have ben hired.. Flying first class or in a private jet should not be allowed.. Everyone whether you make over $1million or ir you make under $12,000 should be treated the same. That is what a team is.. Hopefully Bruce will bring the meaning of team back to the Galaxy with or without Beckham.
The Galaxy would be well off to take the money that they can receive and reinvest it into the players needed to make the difference, and the playoffs.
As a fan and season ticket holder, I need a reason to come to the HDC and if the Galaxy doesnt provide that, there is no reason to continue coming to the games. I am a business man and so is the entire management of the Galaxy so they should know by reading this post why it is important to provide a quality product on the field.
There isnt much more that can be said. The time is now to show the fans just what the backup plan has been. Certainly there was one and if there wasnt, the entire upper management of the Galaxy should be let go. I hope you are listening Mr. Anschutz.
Any of you "fans" that are season ticket holders only for Becks will NOT be missed if you and him leave. Good ridance to screaming 14 year old girls and their AYSO parents
I just want a winning squad, if Becks wants out then so be it. We can get some top quality players, not necessarily foreign players, for so much less than Beckham's lost cause in MLS. There are so many other players that would actually enjoy playing with the Galaxy unlike Becks with all his negative impressions of the league.
I have followed Beckham since he arrived from Madrid and have seen him struggle to show his class in an environment that is just not cutting it in the wide world of soccer. The MLS restricts the amount of world class players a team can have and you are left with home-grown players that wouldn't get a game in some of the lower divisions in Europe - I'm sorry but that is the plain truth...
Look at Donovan, one of the star players in the MLS and the best player the Galaxy have (they will miss him more than Beckham on the pitch) yet he only commands a couple of million Euros - top players in the top flight do not change hands for a couple of million...
Since turning up in Milan, he reeks of class when he is surrounded by class - I am truly sorry the plan didn't work out, but you have to face facts, even Beckham cannot breathe life into the MLS at the moment
Beckham isn't the type of player that is worth 250,000,000 US dollars.He's the type of player where he wants to be remembered with Kaka, Ronaldinho, Wayne Rooney and Gerrard, also players like Figo and Raul. Not with players such as Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle. My point is that hes the type of player where he wants to be know as the best in a top division with these type of superstars. Hes not really that great of footballer hes more like a fashion model. If the LA GALAXY were that great of a team they would of brought in players that could play not talk about playing such as Becks does. If you were to say Ruud Gulit was the coach of the galaxy a couple of years ago he wouldn't have made a move that big. He would of brought players that are known in their country. LA is better off with Beckham the galaxy will really suffer if Donovan left. Good Luck to Donovan.
Good bye to David Beckham.
Beckham needs to leave. I have followed the Galaxy since 1998 and we have been at out worst with beckham. It's not his fault really though. Beckhams salary limited the team in signing multiple quality players, and our playing suffered. We used to play a controlled passing game, now we can't get multiple passes together. Beckham and donovan just can't pass to themselves the whole game (Budddle has been a good surprise). Sell Beks and lets use that money to buy some quality players so that we could once more be the best club in MLS.
The best solution for both the LA Galaxy for Beckham as is the entrance of the AC Milan player, definitely.
Don't feel bad for Becks. He made the decision to play with AC Milan. After all, he is a footballer; his job requires him to chase the ball to make a buck. However, his wife and children will no longer experience Laker Games, the thrill rides,adventure/fantasy found Disneyland, enjoy the beauty, the shimmer & shine that Los Angeles offers; The Rose Bowl, The Oscars, The Emmys, The Grammys, Manhattan Beach Volleyball, blue skies, endless beaches, mountains & desert life. Oh & let's not forget the real taste sensation of eating a street side spicy meal at a Taco Truck in East LA...HIS LOSS NOT OURS. I am a season ticket holder with LA Galaxy - faithful to the LA team, not to Beckham. I've moved on....
Just hope that good old Tim makes a Deal to bring back Beck to the usa, I think that Beckham made what The MLS is today, to have soccer embraced by Americans
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