David Beckham wrapped a green and gold scarf around his neck as he left the Old Trafford pitch last night.
Disappointingly, the former United winger has claimed he didn’t know about the connection between the colours and our anti-Glazer protests.
“I’m a Manchester United fan. I saw the scarf there, I put it round my neck,” said Beckham. “It’s the old colours of United, that’s all I knew. To be honest it’s not my business. I support the club. I always have done and I always will do. It’s nothing to do with me the way everything is run, that’s to do with other people but I’m a United fan and I will always support them. Obviously you can hear it week in and week out. There’s always protests going on. Let’s hope it gets sorted out.”
Playing dumb or actually totally oblivious? How can any “United fan” not know about the green and gold movement? So presuming he does know about it, why not have some confidence in his conviction?
It’s still great that he wore the scarf but his comments have taken the shine off it.
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Woho! First to post for the first time ever!
To the topic: Course he knows what it means, he’s not that dumb
Sounds more like he’s trying to protect his public image. To bad really. I had hoped that golden balls had more balls than that. On the other side, we can’t be to surprised can we? Everyone knows that his balls belong to that horrid wife of his!
I think he is only being diplomatic. Of course he knew what Green and Gold movement is.
Playing dumb.
aww becks??
ffs get a spine.
Back to legend status when coulda been a GOD.
you guys are right he is being diplomatic. Still….
on the the audio i heard this morning the reporter asks him directly do you know what the protests are about and he answers yes. But regardless,0that picture will be printed all over the world, beckham in a green n gold scarf. That is amazing publicity for the campaign and he knows this.
Pictures speak louder than words
He knew what he was doing
His main intention though was probably to ensure he will always be loved by the club, even though he did screw us over in 2003
I cannot people were asking Fergie to sign him up, though it was prob sarcasm
Do you think he would have been cheered had he helped Milan defeat us?
“Obviously you can hear it week in and week out. There’s always protests going on. Let’s hope it gets sorted out.”
he knows full well what it means, but is probably acting dumb as he’d love to come back and finish his career here, and he’d have no chance if he slated the glazers and they were still here in a years time. quality reception for him last night, and a deserved one too.
@Sayyid
Beckham didn’t screw anyone over in 2003. He and Fergie had an aguement and they couldn’t work together anymore.
i agree with Xyth that Becks was being diplomatic. It is hard to believe he didnt know about g&g movement being a big United fan.
Bit of a contradiction isnt it…. he knew nothing about the situation. Yet he knew there were protests going on!
Humm i reckon he isnt as daft as he sounds.
Bit early to tip his cards. We don’t need him now… we need him when a bid gets put forward and the screws are being turned.
@Sayyid, yes of course the ‘sign him up chants’ chants were tongue in cheek, as were the boos that greeted him between that and the ‘one David Beckham’ chant!! It is a shame he didn’t go all out against the Glazers but he knows what he is doing. That image of Beckham will be beamed all over the world! Grateful for that.
It was a privelage to be there last night, one of the best and most vociferous atmospheres I have experienced at OT. anf Joel and Avram Glazer were there too and will really have seen the extent of the dislike of their ownership. Shame the stewards persist on removing banners, but it’s detrimental to them as it just highlights the issue and makes us more determined.
I have not felt such unity amongst the fans, let’s keep this up. Love United. Love Beckham. Hate the Glazer ownership. Do the right thing and sell the club.
He knows what Green and Gold stands for – I bet he has even been tapped up as a possible investor – why buy a whole US “soccer” team when you can be part of a real club. Doesn’t hurt to act dumb sometimes!
)
i think he knew what it meant but just didnt want to get swept up into the hype that is the LUHG campaign, his way of staying “impartial” while at the same time giving the movement another push forward with the image of him picking it up and putting it on
He knows about it, of course he does, he’s just being tactful when interviewed. He’s not as stupid as he sounds, you’d have to have been buried under a ton of sand for the last 6 months not to know what it’s about. I love Becks, but even I can see that putting that scarf on was a blatant PR stunt. And skirting the issue when asked about it is hardly showing much support.
I believe him when he says he loves the club, it’s just that he loves himself that little bit more!
The fact he talks about the way the club is run shows he knows exactly what the colours mean so I’m a bit confused about the politiking. But hey whatever the picture has gone out around the world and the press will get the right message out of it. The Red Knights have just got Nomura behind them. Let the fight continue: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8561760.stm
@Dom
“Shame the stewards persist on removing banners, but it’s detrimental to them as it just highlights the issue and makes us more determined.”
The banners aren’t being removed because they are anti Glazer though
I queried SEF on banner rules yestreday and the reply was
“SEF Said,
March 10th, 2010 @15:41
Banners hung over tiers cannot be any taller than 1.2 metres in height, ideally they need to be 1.1 metres. Anything over that size, will be removed when play is on.
Banners cannot be draped over the scoreboards or block aisles and safety gates.
Banners are not encouraged to be placed over the Stretford End banners, basically as its pointless covering one banner with another.
Obviously banners cannot contain swear words or anything thats offensive.
With regards to protest banners anything with the words “Hate, Kill, die, yank” on will be removed.
The SEF banners have to have full fire certificates on them in order to be fixed to the stands, as these are classed as a fixture of the stand.
If your taking in your own banner, you shouldnt need this.
Small flags in 2 sticks are allowed, as long as the sticks arent thick or arent long poles.
Thinking of having your own flag made? Then Flaglady on the SEF forum is very good at making them or Barmy Flags come with our recomendation (They make the SEF banners).”
I am pretty sure he knew about it, his last few statement suggest it. I believe his emotion tool a better of him…he just wanna repay the fans incredible receptions and supports all these years…the least bit he could do was doning the G&G scarf
Whatever or however this images or comments intreprated it doesn’t really matter..coz we all know he IS one of us!
He might be one of the Red Knight!! Whi knows??? :p
haha the contradiction is obvious
first he said “I’m a Manchester United fan. I saw the scarf there, I put it round my neck,” said Beckham. “It’s the old colours of United, that’s all I knew.”
Lastly he said “Obviously you can hear it week in and week out. There’s always protests going on. Let’s hope it gets sorted out.”
trying to cover it hahahha so obvious..
@wakey,
fair play didn’t realise that. This was the famous David gill, debt is the road to ruin banner though. Does this not fulfill the criteria?
Becks knows exactly what he’s doing… As well as being a utd legend and awesome footballer the guy is all about brand and image! It doesnt bother me that he has played dumb since doing it… I don’t hold tht against him atall… The fact he picked that scarf up is enough to get the profile of the protest raised even further as he knew it wud be in every paper. He’s done his bit & doesn’t need to say anymore just sit back and watch the thing escalate! It’s a win win for us and him!
Well played Becks… Always a utd legend!
Can’t blame him really, not many players would openly get involved.
But wouldn’t it be lovely if we could eventually be owned by fans and players like nev, scholes, becks, cantona etc..
@Dom
“Do the right thing and sell the club.”
Who too though? The Red Knights aren’t the answer as they just aren’t in a position to do anything but make the ‘bigger picture’ worse.
How i wish he could say i support the fans and the clubs but not the owner.
Im pretty sure he still wants to be invited back by the board/owners for executive seats etc.
Like it or not Becks has a relationship with Utd which will include the current owners.
Why someone had to ask “Why did you put on the scalf?” sort of makes a mokery of it. Why not let him protest silently and keep his public image/relationship with the board intact.
He was obvioulsy very uncomforable at the question.
@Dom
I don’t know the exact measurements but its a fairly tall banner. Just look at the image here
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2010/2/11/1265927391508/Man-Utd-protests-001.jpg
An Average person is 1m 85cm tall. The banners being held above their heads and goes down to around mid thigh or their knees so would probally be considered too tall.
And as SEF said it also depends on where it was hanging
He had to know what the colors ment. Maybe he got some complains afterwards and now just playing dumb.
If you look back at replays,you will see that he almost cried when he entered the pitch.He knows quite well what this” Green and Gold ” is all about and i really appreciate that.
David Beckham is a red and he will always be.
Thank you Becks for the great memories.
Whats the lyrics of that new follow follow follow chant?
It was a moment that many fans who stayed behind to clap a united legend won’t forget. I think he knew what he was doing…. his dad is a season ticket holder so he will probably know about the green and gold campaign, as will beckham himself, he is a united fan and still has friends at the club so i would like to think that he follows united like any fan would. He is all too aware of his fame and the publicity he generates, which has been his downfall in the past, but I’d like to think he used his influence for us and the club this time.
Well that feels like a kick in the balls. I was thrilled when I saw him wear the green & gold but this has taken the shine off it!
You’ve only got to look at Beckham’s tattoos to know that he is a man who believes that pictures matter more than words. He knows what the colours mean, he knows that he doesn’t have the verbal gravitas of a Cantona or a Keano, but he knows he is one of the most photographed men on the planet and when he wears the green and gold, the world sees the green and gold on sports pages, websites and TVs across the world. The boy done good.
Doghouse – I just don’t understand why he felt the need to pretend he didn’t know what he was doing. Kindof undoes what was a fucking brilliant gesture. To say he didn’t know why he did it is frustrating.
MUST have asked him to get on board with things since 2005 and he has rejected them every time.
He wants the status of Cantona, no doubt, but it’s a real shame he couldn’t have just stood by his action, rather than claiming he didn’t understand its significance.
David Beckham You Fucking Legend, if my grandad in sri lanka knows what green and gold means then im sure Becks does
@wakey, you have an answer for everything!! Do you work for the club?!! It’s true, having the ownership change will not necessarily solve our problems, but if as they say, a significant percentage if the club will go to MUST and the fans, is that not a good thing? Being able to have a say in the club. I think most fans agree. What are your thoughts? You seen to just want to throw water on this enthusiasm. I just want what’s best for the club. I know the ideas may sound naive!
Yes, Wakey works for the club. He is Tufty of Stretford End Flags.
Beckham was indeed playing dumb, trying to be diplomatic so as not to upset anyone. Like all reds, he hates Glazer.
@fred. Ah right thanks pal!
Nah.He knows about it.He was probably just saying that the fact it was a United scarf was the reason he wore it.cos he’s a UNITED FAN.LOVE THE MAN!
A typically diplomatic answer from Becks
The picture does enough. The message has been sent. If you didnt know there was a green an gold protest you’d know now…even if you support the LA Galaxy or some shit.
Could Beckham be one of those “high net worth individuals”??
Playing dumb, well if hes playing dumb he should get a life time achievement award in acting because i’ve always considered him as thick as pig shite. He knew what he put round his neck, hes only pissed of because when he finnished getting dressed he wasn’t welcome back stage as it were, for wearing a taiwan scarf.
Fred – Got to say pal thought your post last night about Wakey/tufty/sef having a conversation with “himself” was fucking quality. Probably wrong but fucking funny.
He’s been diplomatic, I agree.
Seems like he knew all about the Green and Gold. David is a very careful public image person. He do his public act in full consideration. The interview he gave just to make, verbally, he is too deep in our movement. Remember, he is in a contract with another club, not a free man. Anyway, it’s all gave us some good grounds to move further.
I smell something fishy here, did his act wearing green&gold scarves ‘represent’ some of his old pals thoughts in Old Trafford?
Hehe, just instinct and ‘hope’ only.
I don’t think it took any shine of his gesture. Every newspaper around the world has pictures of him wearing the G&G splashed across the back pages; this will get more people noticing and has taken the protest to a new level. He certainly knows what the connection is; it’s impossible to think that he doesn’t. Why else would he mention about the protests which are going on ‘week in week out’? Clearly doesn’t want to get involved. Which is a shame.
A picture paints a thousand words
He want his next loan stint to be at united and by coming out and saying that he supports MUST and the red knights will put an end to that if the glazers are still in charge
“lets hope it all gets sorted out” — thats enough evidence to say that he knew exactly what that scarf meant. true legend, i remember my first united match at OT, went to the megastore before the match and got a beckham #7 shirt. we beat birmingham 2-0 and becks scored em both.
@Dom
No I don’t work for the club (And for your info anything Fred says really should be disregarded. He is a bit of a twat who likes making things up such as this constant ‘tufty’ campaign he is running against me, when he knows full well his claim is wrong)
On the takeover MUST aren’t getting ‘control’ in anyway. They have been promised a Golden Share of 25.1%. Golden shares aren’t normal shares in that they only ‘activate’ in certain situations, in the case of this the Red knights have said it will activate upon the Red Knights accepting a takeover from another party. This will allow MUST to either effectively or actually block any future takeovers (The Red Knights haven’t stated if they will still be able to sell their 74.9% even if MUST don’t agree or if MUST will be able to prevent them selling. In anycase the chances are that even if the Red Knights wanted to sell if MUST refused any buyer would pull out)
Even if it was a vote giving share, is Fans having a say a good thing? Sure in an idealism world it sounds great but the problem is Fans have split agendas. Everyone of us would pretty much like everything associated with the club from Tickets to Merchandise to be cheaper HOWEVER on the otherhand we want the club to do well and to be buying the best players. That does make us as fans on th3 whole somewhat conflicted as those two things don’t play well together. Its exactly why Barca despite being held up as the shining example of Fan Ownership actually give the fans very little say in anything. For around £170 fee each season they get a SINGLE VOTE on who will be president. A normal term last 5 years and the winning gets complete control to run the club how they see fit
@Scott The Red – fair play for publishing this follow up. You could have just as easily left the original article to run, where everyone is getting carried away thinking Beckham is supportive of the anti-Glazer campaign.
I know some of you have expressed surprise and disbelief (some are clearly in denial too!) around the fact that Beckham had no concept of the anti-Glazer campaign, but this is a guy that lives in LA and Milan.
I give him full credit for recognising the old colours that he would have worn himself as a youth/reserve player when he was with us. But that’s it. That’s as far as the story goes.
So is the campaign gathering force? Difficult to say. In purely match-going supporter terms I’d say yes, unquestionably. Last night I definately witnessed some of the most enthusiastic chanting and a more celebratory mood, but I also saw a lot of people who are clearly ‘on the bandwagon’ with little to no concept of what this is about.
In terms of the Red Knights? They have now exhausted their UK hedge fund backing, so are now casting the net further afield to the far East for some Red Samurais. Great. What next? I know, let’s go to the USA and get some good old American $investment. Hang on – that can’t be right…
Anyway, credit to Scott for running Becks’ admission.
That’s all I wanted to say. That and bring on Arsenal in the quarters.
PR stunt of the century
@Paul H
“In terms of the Red Knights? They have now exhausted their UK hedge fund backing, so are now casting the net further afield to the far East for some Red Samurais. Great. What next? I know, let’s go to the USA and get some good old American $investment. Hang on – that can’t be right…”
I wouldn’t be surprised if they do goto the States next despite the way it undermines their whole argument for the takeover. After all look at the companies they have hired to help them out or even some of the Red Knights involved. They are companies who were involved in the Glazer takeover or people who directly or indirectly benefited from the takeover. The investment bank they signed the deal with today for example were the investment bank that advised the PLC board to initially turn down the Glazers offer and then when the improved offer came in they advised to accept it. So the Red Knights are getting into bed with the very people who got the club in the situation that they are claiming is so bad.
“I know, let’s go to the USA and get some good old American $investment. Hang on – that can’t be right…”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they do goto the States next despite the way it undermines their whole argument for the takeover.”
What the fuck are you astroturfers prattling on about now? The anti-Glazer sentiment has nothing to do with them being American FFS. Typical patronising slurs from you sockpuppets.
i’m undecided on my views of these Red Knights simply because at the moment i have no intention of what deal has been struck with MUST if any. but regardless of this, the green and gold protest was going on before these Red Knights came along. theyre not one and the same!! regardless of whether i support them or not, i oppose The Glazers!! and Green and Gold represents that!!
Fred’s right though, it doesn’t matter if they seek investment overseas and even in the USA as it’s not the nationality we have an issue with, it’s the DEBT!! and as far as i have read, MUST will not back any deal or buyout involving debt.
as much as it’s easy for many fans to be walking in the dark on this one, the enthusiasm arount OT and around town with everyone is something i have never experienced.
we need to stay together and continue to move forward together and if what the Red Knights propose doesn’t fit the MUST bill and seems like it wouldn’t be a progressive move then we’ll oppose them and tell them to fuck off too!! this is our club, all of ours!! it could be amazing if a bunch of wealthy reds buy the club and with it, supporters have increased power within it’s framework..but still, who the fuck are the Red Knights?? we’re Manchester United, the biggest football club in the world.
GREEN AND GOLD TIL THE CLUB IS SOLD!!! (to the right people!!!!!)
i have no intention?? i mean i have no idea of the intentions of them
@Fred
It matters greatly as they are going after the same kind of investors in Asia and will no doubt end up going to the States as the Glazers are. They have been setting themselves up as being different to the Glazers in that they are fans and not in it for the money yet are now going out looking for investers who are in it for Money reasons.
@Henke17
“it’s the DEBT!! and as far as i have read, MUST will not back any deal or buyout involving debt”
Strange that. The details released by the Red Knights when they officially announced that their intention to buy the club clearly stated that they would be loading the club with £200million in bank Loans. This is ontop of the the 500mill Bond which they have stated they won’t be paying off.
And it seems like all MUST seem to be concerned about are debts loaded on the club (Which is odd as one of their biggest complaints about the Glazers is the PIK Loans which are personal loans) and ignoring the loans which each Red Knights going to have to take out finance their stake, and which most of the people involved don’t have a way to service this debt without some or even all coming out of the club.
To me MUST are letting their hatred for the Glazers cloud their judgement along with the initial promise of ‘Barca Style Fan Ownership’ which has later turned into MUST being given a Golden Share (Which actually only kicks on WHEN the Red Knights decide to cash in).
Its really where my main gripe is with MUST. For a group thats supposed to be acting in the Interest of the Fans they seem too reactionary, millitant and worst of all looking to make the leadership more important and powerful
Typical beckham, all he cares about is his public image. He has already made enough money to fly private jets for the rest of his life, but he is still only concerned about “his image”.
Please becks, take a stand for something and ignore team beckham.
Like the Glazer’s he’s a buisnessman, this image will make big wave’s in Asia’ where consumers of the Beckham and Man Utd franchises alike can embrace the trendy green and gold summer collection at megastores……or ebay is another option….
Hmmm, there’s an idea
Best get knitting