hughy
I'm SUPER cereal.
- Nov 18, 2007
- 32,000
- 57,429
David Beckham 10 years too late.
David Bentley
- Thread starter Frozen_Waffles
- Start date
David Beckham 10 years too late.
Tottenham_God
Well-Known Member
- Nov 6, 2011
- 2,940
- 5,619
Massive respect.
BorisTM
Well-Known Member
- Dec 30, 2007
- 1,434
- 310
He should have never been played in that position. So if there was anyone who wasted that player, it was his managers.
Last edited:
tooey
60% banana
- Apr 22, 2005
- 5,249
- 7,994
He wasn't a winger in any respect... He was a wide midfielder/playmaker. More often than not he'd tuck inside and play as an advanced central midfielder. People just assumed because he had similar characteristics that he was the next Beckham, even though (corners and freekicks aside) he did very little Beckham-like things.
Bobbins
SC's 14th Sexiest Male 2008
- May 5, 2005
- 21,645
- 45,354
Some amazingly bitter people on here - actually having a go at him because he decided to give up the game (and the money)!
A decent player playing in the wrong era. Actually did far better for us when he played than many people give him credit for - several goals and assists in our CL qualifying season which were vital in the end, and yet still dropped by Redknapp the moment Lennon could get around with a zimmer.
Good luck to him, he's got his money, he's got his mates and his business interests, his bird and his kids. He's not done anything wrong and was honest in his interview - he doesn't enjoy it, he doesn't need the money, so why should he have to play? I'm pretty sure he knows what he's doing with money as well so even without a contract he'll never have to think about money again.
We'd all give up a job we didn't enjoy if we didn't have to do it for the money. It's just that he happens to not enjoy doing something 99% of us would kill to do for a career.
A decent player playing in the wrong era. Actually did far better for us when he played than many people give him credit for - several goals and assists in our CL qualifying season which were vital in the end, and yet still dropped by Redknapp the moment Lennon could get around with a zimmer.
Good luck to him, he's got his money, he's got his mates and his business interests, his bird and his kids. He's not done anything wrong and was honest in his interview - he doesn't enjoy it, he doesn't need the money, so why should he have to play? I'm pretty sure he knows what he's doing with money as well so even without a contract he'll never have to think about money again.
We'd all give up a job we didn't enjoy if we didn't have to do it for the money. It's just that he happens to not enjoy doing something 99% of us would kill to do for a career.
markieboy
Well-Known Member
- Aug 1, 2013
- 1,356
- 1,471
Wish he had mentioned that he wasn't that fussed about football before we paid £17m for him.
bomberH
Well-Known Member
- Jun 4, 2005
- 28,474
- 168,355
This is an exert from jimmy Bullard's new book. Amusing but gives you an insight into the funny but also ****y Bentley.
-------
There was something of the schoolteacher about Fabio Capello, which made him difficult to warm to, let alone talk to. He was a real disciplinarian, a very stern, strict man. I do remember having two very in-depth conversations with him.
The first time was after one training session where we’d been playing on a pitch that was a third of the size of a normal one and I hadn’t really done as much as I’d have liked.
He approached me after the game and said: ‘Jimmy, why aren’t you getting on the ball more?’
‘I’m much better on a bigger pitch,’ I explained. ‘If I’ve got more space to run into then I’ll get on the ball more.’
‘Oh.’
And that was the end of that one.
The other was when we were playing golf at The Grove. There’s a half-decent nine-hole course there and we were all set to tee off. Fabio walked up to me and said: ‘One handicap, huh?’
‘Yeah,’ I replied with a smile. ‘One handicap.’ And he marched off to talk to someone else.
He ran a tight ship and was big on rules. Punctuality was crucial — you could not be late for any meal, training session or team meeting.
Mobile phones were banned from meal-times, room service was banned and we all had to dress appropriately.
The whole squad always had to eat together but we had supper at 7pm, the same time my kids have it. That was never going to last me until the following morning.
If I was at home and I got peckish later in the evening, I’d go to the fridge and have a bite to eat. But with room service off limits, Fabio left us to starve until breakfast.
That was way too strict for my liking. It would get to about 9pm or 10pm every night and I’d be starving. Something had to be done. So I paid a visit to David Bentley’s room.
Bents was a great lad. The bloke is an absolute wrong ’un, make no mistake about that, but a lot of fun nonetheless. He was always laughing and I mean, always laughing.
I stepped out of my hotel room. There was always heavy security surrounding the England team and I noticed there was a bouncer at both ends of the corridor. I had no idea how we were going to get food in there, but it had to be done because I was starving.
I knocked on Bentley’s door which he immediately opened and he burst out laughing: ‘Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!’
‘Bents,’ I said, ‘I haven’t even said anything.’
‘Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!’
‘Listen Bents, I’m starving. I’ve got to eat something.’
‘Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Funny you should say that. So am I.’
‘How can we eat something?’ I asked him.
‘Leave it to me,’ he said as he called a mate of his.
Within half an hour, there was a knock at the door and Bentley’s mate was standing there with a large McDonald’s brown paper bag full of Big Macs and chips. You f***ing beauty!
I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a Big Mac as much as that one and, given that McDonald’s were an FA sponsor, it’s what both parties would have wanted.
Bentley was also my partner in crime when it came to taking the p*** out of Mr Capello. I remember looking at the gaffer on my first day and thinking, ‘I can’t believe how much he looks like Postman Pat; it’s him!’ The only thing that was missing was the black and white cat.
Because I was new to that whole environment, I didn’t want to make too much of my discovery so I did it on the sly and used it as an icebreaker, letting some of the boys know that we had a TV personality running the show.
Bentley obviously loved it — ‘Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!’ — and when we were on the team coach, we sat at the back and started singing the Postman Pat theme tune.
A few of the boys joined in — I think Rio, Ashley Cole and Jermaine Jenas might have had a quiet little sing-along — but most of the other dry lunches weren’t really up for it.
Another daft scheme Bents and I came up with was seeing who could say ‘Postman Pat’ as loudly as possible within earshot of the gaffer.
I’d walk past Capello and say ‘Postman Pat’ out of the corner of my mouth, but Bentley took it to another level when he would walk straight up to the boss and scream ‘Postman Pat!’ in his face before adding ‘And his black and white cat!’ for good measure.
Bentley had just as much front on the training pitch. Capello set up a training exercise in which he sent three players out wide to put crosses into the penalty area.
He asked David Beckham, Stewart Downing and Joe Cole to do the honours but Bents just followed them to the far side of the pitch.
‘No,’ Capello shouted to Bentley. ‘Just three, you come back.’
But Bentley was having none of it.
‘Leave it out, send one of them back,’ he told Capello. ‘This is my game. I’m one of the best crossers in the country!’
I never felt Fabio gave the boys a lot of direction. For starters, his English was poor and it was very difficult to understand what he was going on about most of the time.
The only thing he said that stuck was: ‘Let’s all attack together, let’s all defend together.’
Not terrible advice, but when I remembered that this was inter-national football, the pinnacle of the game, I thought it was just a little bit basic. To be frank, I’d had better coaching when I was playing non-League.
The other problem was that the man-management side of things didn’t really exist either.
I was called up by England twice. Once for World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Croatia and later for a friendly against Germany. When I first arrived at The Grove, at no point did Fabio put his arm around me or welcome me into the fold.
I never felt particularly loved and he just seemed harsh and stand-offish. A few times he mentioned to me that I shouldn’t run beyond play and that I should sit back and provide a supporting role instead.
But, other than that, he never really asked me to play in any particular position or style. From the coaching side of things, it was ever so slightly disappointing.
I was invited back to Wembley for England’s final World Cup 2010 qualifying game against Belarus, as the FA had decided to ask everyone involved in the whole campaign to join in with the celebrations as England had made it to South Africa. Except it wasn’t the sort of knees-up that I was used to.
We had a sit-down meal before the game and a glass of champagne in the dressing room afterwards. I don’t remember it that well, but I’m fairly sure my first birthday party was wilder than that.
But that’s part of the story with the England team. It lacks that relaxed club atmosphere where most team-mates are comfortable in each other’s company. With England, there’s a lot of awkwardness as, in my experience, most of the players are not that close.
There was one bizarre situation before a team meeting where a few of us were crowded round a laptop watching a funny video. Out of nowhere, someone flicked on some porn. There we were, England players about to go to an important tactical meeting, watching a porno like a bunch of teenagers.
All of a sudden, Fabio walked in and someone flung the computer on the floor while the rest of us instantly dispersed. We acted like kids, perhaps because Capello made us feel like kids.
Those little moments of daft rebellion were never enough though, because when you spend a week or two at a time with people to whom you’re not that close, it can be mentally tough.
I loved the training, but certainly didn’t enjoy being cooped up in a hotel for days and weeks at a time.
The most senior England players never get a break from that goldfish-bowl pressure either. They can go two years straight without a proper, long break, which can’t be good for them, or the national team.
I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy the England experience because I really did. It was beyond my wildest dreams to be part of the squad and, without a doubt it was the best moment of my career.
-------
There was something of the schoolteacher about Fabio Capello, which made him difficult to warm to, let alone talk to. He was a real disciplinarian, a very stern, strict man. I do remember having two very in-depth conversations with him.
The first time was after one training session where we’d been playing on a pitch that was a third of the size of a normal one and I hadn’t really done as much as I’d have liked.
He approached me after the game and said: ‘Jimmy, why aren’t you getting on the ball more?’
‘I’m much better on a bigger pitch,’ I explained. ‘If I’ve got more space to run into then I’ll get on the ball more.’
‘Oh.’
And that was the end of that one.
The other was when we were playing golf at The Grove. There’s a half-decent nine-hole course there and we were all set to tee off. Fabio walked up to me and said: ‘One handicap, huh?’
‘Yeah,’ I replied with a smile. ‘One handicap.’ And he marched off to talk to someone else.
He ran a tight ship and was big on rules. Punctuality was crucial — you could not be late for any meal, training session or team meeting.
Mobile phones were banned from meal-times, room service was banned and we all had to dress appropriately.
The whole squad always had to eat together but we had supper at 7pm, the same time my kids have it. That was never going to last me until the following morning.
If I was at home and I got peckish later in the evening, I’d go to the fridge and have a bite to eat. But with room service off limits, Fabio left us to starve until breakfast.
That was way too strict for my liking. It would get to about 9pm or 10pm every night and I’d be starving. Something had to be done. So I paid a visit to David Bentley’s room.
Bents was a great lad. The bloke is an absolute wrong ’un, make no mistake about that, but a lot of fun nonetheless. He was always laughing and I mean, always laughing.
I stepped out of my hotel room. There was always heavy security surrounding the England team and I noticed there was a bouncer at both ends of the corridor. I had no idea how we were going to get food in there, but it had to be done because I was starving.
I knocked on Bentley’s door which he immediately opened and he burst out laughing: ‘Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!’
‘Bents,’ I said, ‘I haven’t even said anything.’
‘Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!’
‘Listen Bents, I’m starving. I’ve got to eat something.’
‘Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Funny you should say that. So am I.’
‘How can we eat something?’ I asked him.
‘Leave it to me,’ he said as he called a mate of his.
Within half an hour, there was a knock at the door and Bentley’s mate was standing there with a large McDonald’s brown paper bag full of Big Macs and chips. You f***ing beauty!
I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a Big Mac as much as that one and, given that McDonald’s were an FA sponsor, it’s what both parties would have wanted.
Bentley was also my partner in crime when it came to taking the p*** out of Mr Capello. I remember looking at the gaffer on my first day and thinking, ‘I can’t believe how much he looks like Postman Pat; it’s him!’ The only thing that was missing was the black and white cat.
Because I was new to that whole environment, I didn’t want to make too much of my discovery so I did it on the sly and used it as an icebreaker, letting some of the boys know that we had a TV personality running the show.
Bentley obviously loved it — ‘Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!’ — and when we were on the team coach, we sat at the back and started singing the Postman Pat theme tune.
A few of the boys joined in — I think Rio, Ashley Cole and Jermaine Jenas might have had a quiet little sing-along — but most of the other dry lunches weren’t really up for it.
Another daft scheme Bents and I came up with was seeing who could say ‘Postman Pat’ as loudly as possible within earshot of the gaffer.
I’d walk past Capello and say ‘Postman Pat’ out of the corner of my mouth, but Bentley took it to another level when he would walk straight up to the boss and scream ‘Postman Pat!’ in his face before adding ‘And his black and white cat!’ for good measure.
Bentley had just as much front on the training pitch. Capello set up a training exercise in which he sent three players out wide to put crosses into the penalty area.
He asked David Beckham, Stewart Downing and Joe Cole to do the honours but Bents just followed them to the far side of the pitch.
‘No,’ Capello shouted to Bentley. ‘Just three, you come back.’
But Bentley was having none of it.
‘Leave it out, send one of them back,’ he told Capello. ‘This is my game. I’m one of the best crossers in the country!’
I never felt Fabio gave the boys a lot of direction. For starters, his English was poor and it was very difficult to understand what he was going on about most of the time.
The only thing he said that stuck was: ‘Let’s all attack together, let’s all defend together.’
Not terrible advice, but when I remembered that this was inter-national football, the pinnacle of the game, I thought it was just a little bit basic. To be frank, I’d had better coaching when I was playing non-League.
The other problem was that the man-management side of things didn’t really exist either.
I was called up by England twice. Once for World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Croatia and later for a friendly against Germany. When I first arrived at The Grove, at no point did Fabio put his arm around me or welcome me into the fold.
I never felt particularly loved and he just seemed harsh and stand-offish. A few times he mentioned to me that I shouldn’t run beyond play and that I should sit back and provide a supporting role instead.
But, other than that, he never really asked me to play in any particular position or style. From the coaching side of things, it was ever so slightly disappointing.
I was invited back to Wembley for England’s final World Cup 2010 qualifying game against Belarus, as the FA had decided to ask everyone involved in the whole campaign to join in with the celebrations as England had made it to South Africa. Except it wasn’t the sort of knees-up that I was used to.
We had a sit-down meal before the game and a glass of champagne in the dressing room afterwards. I don’t remember it that well, but I’m fairly sure my first birthday party was wilder than that.
But that’s part of the story with the England team. It lacks that relaxed club atmosphere where most team-mates are comfortable in each other’s company. With England, there’s a lot of awkwardness as, in my experience, most of the players are not that close.
There was one bizarre situation before a team meeting where a few of us were crowded round a laptop watching a funny video. Out of nowhere, someone flicked on some porn. There we were, England players about to go to an important tactical meeting, watching a porno like a bunch of teenagers.
All of a sudden, Fabio walked in and someone flung the computer on the floor while the rest of us instantly dispersed. We acted like kids, perhaps because Capello made us feel like kids.
Those little moments of daft rebellion were never enough though, because when you spend a week or two at a time with people to whom you’re not that close, it can be mentally tough.
I loved the training, but certainly didn’t enjoy being cooped up in a hotel for days and weeks at a time.
The most senior England players never get a break from that goldfish-bowl pressure either. They can go two years straight without a proper, long break, which can’t be good for them, or the national team.
I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy the England experience because I really did. It was beyond my wildest dreams to be part of the squad and, without a doubt it was the best moment of my career.
Original # 10
Well-Known Member
- Aug 13, 2008
- 1,013
- 1,609
His own worst enemy.
However he'll always get my respect for those crucial last months in the 2009/10 season when he deputised for the injured ( and back then in very good form ) Aaron Lennon.
However he'll always get my respect for those crucial last months in the 2009/10 season when he deputised for the injured ( and back then in very good form ) Aaron Lennon.
Spurs Lodge Kittens
Well-Known Member
- Aug 31, 2012
- 1,307
- 3,083
Bullard sounds like a muppet. He should thank his lucky stars he ever got near the England squad
carpediem991
Well-Known Member
- May 31, 2011
- 8,840
- 20,317
Jimmy Bullard:
love him
love him
