Beckham vows to fight back

Midfielder admits anguish after loss

By Lewis Rutledge   Last updated: 22nd November 2007

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Beckham: No excuses

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David Beckham has admitted there can be no excuses for England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008, but has backed his team-mates to bounce back.

Beckham came on in the second half and helped England recover from 2-0 down against Croatia, before Mladen Petric's late winner allowed Russia to sneak into second place in Group E.

The midfielder accepts that the experience of missing out on a place in next summer's tournament was one of the most disappointing moments in his international career.

Beckham told Sky Sports News: "When you lose games it's tough but this is the first time I've been involved in a team that hasn't qualified for a competition.

"Everyone's down, everyone is disappointed, but we realise as players that if we don't perform as players we don't deserve to get through.

"We performed at times but it's wasn't good enough and it's tough.

"There can't be any no excuses about anything. At the end of the day we haven't won.

"You can look at the chances we had and the possession but if you don't win big games you get disappointment."

Passion

Beckham is expecting the players to receive a lot of criticism over the coming weeks and concedes that it will be difficult to come to terms with.

He said: "We have to pick ourselves up from this, but it's a big setback. There are a lot of talented young players in that dressing room.

"But the English way is to fight back when there is adversity.

"Everyone's aware of what we're going to get now but there are strong enough characters here to cope with that.

"We have to show the passion, we have to show the will to want to come back from this."

No retirement plans

Beckham, who won his 99th cap against Croatia, insists he has no plans to retire from international football despite being 32 and plying his trade for Los Angeles Galaxy.

"I don't think it will be my last game. I'm a positive person and I believe I can still play at this level," he said.

"I want to play for my country and I don't see why I shouldn't."

Beckham is aware that McClaren's position as manager will come under scrutiny but maintains that the players still think he is the man to lead England forward.

Asked if McClaren will remain in charge, he said: "I don't know. Everyone knows how the players feel about the management by the support that came out last week, but players don't make decisions like that."

Comments

Ross Anderson (Middlesbrough fan) says...

Its not that English football isnt great. We have a lot of very talented players, buts its my understanding that playing for the national team is an honor based on your club form not your reputation. Sven and McClaren who were notorious for picking teams based on their players reputations regardless of their club form should be sacked its as simple as that. Whats the point of having a national team when you have cirtain players playing at the top of their game who deserve to be played, yet you have lampard, Joe Cole and Crouch (who has hardly even played) ahead of them, even if they're not playing or playing extremely poor. And its not because we dont have strength in depth, just take a look at who should be called up and we have a team capable of beating anyone on their day no matter how you throw in. England is NOT a club team, its supposed to be made up of Englands form players, so why cant the manager trust his other players who actually deserve to be in their on their club form? Look at Italy, thats how you manage an International team. You mix and match your team based on the opposition and the players club form. Until we get a manager who's willing to do the right thing, which is to give a player a start based on the reason he is called up, his FORM... England are going nowhere,

Posted 11:13 22nd November 2007

Charmaine Parameswaran (Newcastle United fan) says...

What's wrong with England is we have a useless coach who can't pick a team, arrogant, clueless. Why on earth put Carson in goal? Why leave Becks on the bench? We should get rid of all the foreign money grabbers from the Premier league and give our own lads a chance to play at the highest level. Then only will you have good home grown talent and English football will be great again.

Posted 05:03 22nd November 2007

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