This is Clarkeonenil’s regular comment column, cutting through the various passing issues of football and getting to the core principle in the shortest time.
Firstly let’s not lie to each other, this has been coming for about 7 months, no other alternative was ever likely to happen, no contract signed, no commitment to stay with the club, no honesty from his representatives, no loyalty from him, it is not a shock or even a surprise, it was as sure as eggs is eggs. The timing of it is amazing, do you think he and his agent did it on December 30th because they knew he was about to raise his profile 10 notches or because he is just a greedy little idiot? Well if it was the former they must be clairvoyant!
Now those of you who expect another 3000 words only on the Judas Beckford, his agent and associated transfer request stuff are going to be disappointed, why waste 2700 just on him when I can do it quicker and bring in others? Jermaine Beckford is and was always a limited footballer who rode his luck when 3 managers decided to provide him with teams that feed his wasteful shooting. He is and will always be a L1 standard player; Old Trafford (which we now know was under false pretences) changed nothing on that. Beckford is, and has always been, a selfish player, a stupid player, an bad attitudinal player, a gobby player and as proved by the Southampton game a pathetic man. After today we have it confirmed he is a thicko, a greedy geet and a shallow fwitwit of the highest order. He bit not just the hand that feeds him but also the one that rescued him from nowhere NW London and that has indulged his idiocy beyond reproach. His future (not that I give a monkies) is to fail miserably on the altar of his limitations and to regret his selfishness. What shirt are you wearing bruv? That of anyone who pays you!
There is no point having a needless and endless debate around the sod, I can’t be arsed to hear and read the “but the goals, the goals” garbage so beloved of some of our support. This same Beckford first Leeds United second support was blind to the inevitable and now it must spend the next few days concocting a rational to keep loving him. Me I can continue to dwell in a happier place called “the team”, one which notes that without Kilkenny, Howson, Becchio, Snodgrass, Johnson, Kandol and even Douglas, Beckford would have remained a bit part of our Blackwell era. It is the midfield and supporting hard working strikers that have made the 70+ goals he has credited to his name and I deny anyone to suggest otherwise.
What matters now is how we react, not just the support but the club and football management. Starting with Bates and the board and with a question. Exactly why was the information about Beckford transfer request kept secret for a week? How did that help the club exactly? Was it because you cut a deal with Rubery or is it just another manifestation of your duplicity and subterfuge which so soils this club under your chairmanship? Actually glorified fund manager, don’t answer that, after all you are the bloke that told us in July neither Beckford nor Delph would be leaving the club and like every other word you mutter it’s was just crap of the highest order.
The next person who needs to reflect on this is Simon Grayson and he also needs to make a decision. The latter should be easy, if Beckford is still at the club on Saturday he should in no way be in the team, not only would that be a red rag to a outraged bull but it would also be an insult to the rest of the squad who work 10x harder than Judas B does. Grayson needs to grasp that this is the chance for him to show he is why we at top of the league and not some “Sarf Lunden” scattergun of a striker. We will go up regardless of Beckford’s presence and Grayson should have the confidence to do it without him even if he doesn’t get his transfer. Grayson also needs to learn a lesson, never ever put pandering to one player above the club and the support. I hope for the sake of the affection he has built up in the last year we never find out it was his decision not to publicise the transfer request.
Next comes the squad who perhaps have the most difficult task of all, they need to focus on promotion and forget “Jermaineman”. I suspect it’s difficult for some of them not to wish it was them cashing in, they had best keep that to themselves, the thinking support will be cynical about players for some time to come. What the squad need to realise is that we can’t just trust them in isolation, we have memories, of the 1998-2004 squad and the way we were royally raped, they have to accept we will be angry if someone tries to repeat that history. In terms of individual players Becchio is in the hardest place, it will be expected to both lead the line and replace some of the goals, a touch unfair on a man who without his work Beckford would have been lucky to score 10 goals this and last season. Equally others will have to step up to the plate, I’m confident that now the 6 chances 1 goal striker is out of the team we will be scoring from lots of different positions, mainly because the people who provided Judas with his chances will still be with us.
At this point I want to head off at the pass a piece of nonsense that will cloud the issue around Beckford’s departure, who to sign? Other blogs are already touting names, I can think of a few realistic ones myself but I in no way buy the myth that we have to sign someone. Personally I can see the case for giving Grella, Gradel (for as long as he stays) and Somma a chance to shine, or giving Kandol, Showumni and Robinson 3rd chances (although I’d prefer all 3 just to go if anyone will take them) between now and season’s end. We will see what they are made of and we can save our money for buying the CCC and above standard striker (which Beckford isn’t and never will be) we need for next season.
Now what about us, what about the lifeblood of Leeds United? Well the last 7 months and today prove one thing that I have always known, for every 1 right thinking loyal Leeds fans there is another who just don’t know arse from elbow. This tribe of the nose led are no doubt as we speak rabbiting on forums about “you can’t blame him”, “he has done enough” “I would have his babies”. Without going too OTT it is only when reading some of the strange and wonderful things that these idiots write that I find myself strangely attracted to the concept of brain cell redistribution on the state! Well the facts have come home to roost and we find we have another hollow worship figure. You would think the last 10 years of Leeds United and the recent catalogue of greed in football would enlighten some but no, as with the issue of Ken Bates it seems the more that is revealed the less people want to know and acknowledge. I don’t care what your posting name is or which medium you have embarrassed yourself on, you and the rest of the gang with limited analytical skills can just shut the frig up for a while.
I suspect I will get responses from some suggesting there is some middle of the road line which despises how he has gone about the transfer request but thinks we should appreciate what he has done, well let’s save time, bullocks to that. Beckford got paid more than 99% of the people who will read this missive ever will, scoring goals in L1 was his job. Part of what he should have been also doing was building an understanding of what we are, as a club and as a support and he has failed to even come close. You take the goals he scored as your over-riding memory if you want, I’ll take his sullen attitude, his laziness and his ultimate treachery and consign him to the large list of ex player disappointments.
All that is left to do now is get rid, personally I couldn’t give two nats whether that is tomorrow or in June, so long as he never soils a Leeds United shirt again. I don’t care what money we do or don’t get for him, i do care that the club never treats us with the contempt it has for the last week. In the end Judas Beckford should leave only one legacy, his name should be the bye-word on how we should never allow someone to fool us so again and instead we should make every player pass the “Side before Self” test, not just once, but every week they hold the privilege of being a Leeds United player
