David Bentley - not as good as David Beckham
“David Bentley is David Bentley, he ain’t bloody Maradona.” Those were the words of Reading’s Irish midfield player Stephen Hunt after the 0-0 draw with Blackburn on Saturday.
“He plays for England and hype comes with England. People don’t go on about Damien Duff and Robbie Keane every day so they need to get a life.”
The hype referred to by Hunt is entirely created by the English media who see in Bentley a talented young footballer who they can start to build up. Why else would Hunt have been asked his opinion of Bentley in the first place?
Is Stephen Hunt right, or as the English media are starting to suggest is David Bentley the answer to England’s problems?
A quick look at Bentley’s career to date does not point to him being a ‘special player’. He made only two first team appearances at Arsenal before Arsene Wenger allowed him to go to Norwich on loan.
Suffering with various injuries Bentley played twenty-six games in that season for Norwich who were relegated to the Championship. On his return to Arsenal he requested a transfer and in August 2005 he moved to his current home at Blackburn Rovers initially on loan.
Now, after just under three seasons at Blackburn in which he has played 126 games, scoring 21 goals, he is being touted as Beckham’s immediate and long term replacement in the England team.
News stories are beginning to follow Bentley around:
“Chelsea are set to make a £10m summer swoop for Blackburn winger David Bentley”. – The People.
Bentley is a target for Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez who is willing to pay £12m for the England star - and include former Arsenal bad boy Jermaine Pennant in any deal. – The People.
David Bentley has the additional virtue of comfort on the right. Bentley’s time has certainly come. I especially admire the way that, like David Beckham, he exhibits no reluctance to use his weaker left foot. He also bears some imprint of an early apprenticeship to Dennis Bergkamp. – Patrick Barclay, the Telegraph.
It would appear that Beckham will be forced to hand over the reigns to another supremely talented right footer with the initials DB. Step forward, David Bentley. – Neil Jones, Soccerlens.
There is absolutely no doubt that David Bentley is a fine player. There are clearly issues with his personality and his continual whining about Arsenal and the way he was treated by them is beginning to grate with many people, not just Arsene Wenger. He is certainly not as media friendly as Beckham and I read recently that a former colleague of Bentley’s said that if he was made of chocolate he would eat himself. He certainly doesn’t under value his own ability:
“I’m here to take Beckham’s place and that’s what I’ll be trying to do,”
But is Bentley any more than just a good player? At this stage I would say ‘no he isn’t.’ He is twenty-three years old now and unlikely to get that much better. He can cross a ball well and he can deliver a decent set piece. However, his record of 21 goals in 126 games and only 24 assists in the same period hardly make him prolific. He is not quick and cannot inject the much needed pace to an England side so desperately lacking in that area.
Bentley is being built up for a fall by the English media who are desperate for a star to replace Beckham. It was going to be Shaun Wright-Phillips but after a few poor performances he was dropped by Chelsea, England and the media. The same has happened to Aaron Lennon. Now it is Bentley’s turn.
Two or three poor performances or two or three press conferences where Bentley doesn’t come over too well and he will be dropped like a stone as the saviour of English football and will be attacked by all sections of the media.
I am in no way criticising David Bentley and I hope he has continued success. I am just worried that the expectations beginning to be placed on his shoulders are far too great for the ability he possesses.
Why do we have to build up expectations about individuals and the national side to be so much greater than current and past results suggest we should? Bentley is good, but he is not world class.
It is important that we all remember what Stephen Hunt said, he is not bloody Maradona. We should also remember that he is not bloody David Beckham either.
Also See: David Bentley plotting move to Champions League club.
Graham Fisher writes at Views of a fan. Article originally written for Soccer News.
I dunno Graham - what I saw of Bentley against Switzerland saw someone who would, once given a run, improve matters on the pitch simply because of his positive attitude and self-confidence.
As I said in this piece - the kid is perhaps not outstanding in any single area but is a good all-round star and as such should be part of the England setup, even if he’s destined to be a backup player.
Of course, he could move to a bigger club and blossom into the new DB
do you watch bentley week in, week out mate? no, from what i see your judging off statistics. it`d be interesting to read what the statistics for beckham read when he was 23 years old. from reading your comments your just yet another sad gooner upset because united have prove themselves to be on another plain to you, AGAIN.
I find it hard to understand the previous comments. I’m not a Gooner.
I have made it clear that I think Bentley is a fine player. My comments are directed at the media who are in danger of building him up into something he isn’t.
As I said, he is good and I wish him continued success.
I’m really sorry if this makes me ’sad’.
aw come on Graham, I thought you’d heard a lot worse?
I have, many times, and much worse!
For some reason that comment just cheesed me off! I like Bentley and thought I’d made it pretty clear that I rate him as a player.
Note to self, “Don’t react to comments”
If he is considereded the future for England then Englang has no future.Over rated over hyped nothing special at all that is why Wenger let him go.To compare him to David Bekham is an insult.
excellent article, Graham. Totally agree with you. Bentley has rapidly hyped to a most overarted player bey those media. He is not as good as Beckham at all.
David bentley is david bentley he does what he does but certainly he will not reach the level david this time beckam has reached.that is a fact and,facts are facts and can’t be changeg.he may move to a bigger club but he doesn’t have what it takes to be the new beckam, the media is getting inpatient of finding the new becks and are bringing bentley in because he has beckam’s name and some of his qualities.you just wait people,he is good but just not good enough to be he.
Well writen, Graham. David Bentley is defintely not as good as David Beckham. He is not good enough to take up Beckham’s position in the team, despite his self-promotion and media hpye. He is much over-hyped by English media. He simply can not compare with Beckham. Bentley doesn’t have Beckham’s quality on and off the field.
You had me at the opening line, really: “he ain’t bloody Maradona”. Classic. I agree with you though, he’s unlikely to be the next Beckham, but from the sounds of him he brings a lot of the pride and desire that BEckham brought to the England team, which is probably something they need right now. He was one of our best agaisnt the Swiss, and unlike Beckham he’s only going to improve.
Unless Capello goes with my idea of playing Rooney/Gerrard and Joe Cole on the wings and the other one as support striker to Michael Owen then I think Bentley is the best option.
david bentley is overhyped.. and beckham wasn`t?
beckham is the most overrated football player i have ever seen play for england given the limited talent he has. here a few weaknesses beckham has off the top of my head- no pace, one footed, can`t take a man on, can`t cross the ball while it`s moving, lack of movement in his game and so on, i could go on. but the one damning indictment of beckham that proves he`s never been world class- england have never been past a quarter final of a tournament with him in the side, and he`s never played well at a world cup or a euro finals. bentley won`t have to do too greatly to better his actual success with england, because beckham had none. it`s no good winning 100 caps for your country if you never acheive anything earning them.
david bentley would do well to look on zinadine zidane as a role model instead.
hey saxoman..”beckham can’t cross a ball while it’s moving??” did you ever watch the last England v Croatia game? the cross that Beckham made to Crouch..wasn’t that he made while he’s running and the ball’s moving??
wow…all of your list of Beckham’s weaknesses are posses by Bentley. if you say that Bentley can run now..have you seen all of Beckham’s game in ManU and Real, especially when Beckham was at the same age as Bentley? i think not. and if you said that Beckham haven’t won anything to get the 100th cap..just remember that only TWO players of the other four 100 caps have won anything with England!!
one more thing…if you want to talk about the achievements both in club and the personal level, especially the personal achievements..just remember that Beckham had won so many championships on club level and his biggest personal achievement was being FIFA 2nd World Player of the Year TWICE, where the 2nd one being at the age of 25/26..only two/three years from Bentley’s age now. that’s not to mention other personal footbal achievements he got in Europe and country. do you honestly think that Bentley can got that much in the next three years of his life? well..he might got one, i’ve never underestimate him..but what make a person is a lasting hero is not only the life on the pitch, but off the pitch too.
The English football team is in quite a bit of trouble since failing to qualify for the Euro 2008. The media has always played a big negative role. Bentley is overrated, but so was Beckham, though Beckham was much more talented. Beckham is a fine player but people need to understand that he isn’t a legend like Zidane, Totti, Nedved, Giggs or Rivaldo. Instead of these meaningless comparisons, it is important that the team plays well and wins. They have a good coach in Capello and needs to give him time and be patient. England in all probability won’t be able to win the next World Cup since it’ll be won by a Latin country, most probably Argentina or maybe Brazil again ( people check your stats on alternate World Cup winning teams ). That means the next big tournament will be Euro 2012. England currently have a few world class players in Ferdinand, Terry, Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney, and Owen is a proven goalscorer. Unfortunately Carragher and Scholes have retired, and Beckham is past his prime. The rest are just standard players as of now, nothing great about them. They all need to play to their potential as a team, which I’m sure they will, if the media helps them a little by just staying away. How they line up and how they play should be decided by the coach since that’s his job, and he’s there since he’s supposed to be the best at it, not the media.
one answer for you there. david beckham at 23 was playing in outstanding man utd team. bentley is playing in a rovers side of limited ability that has to fight for results. therein lies the big differance. beckham also married a then massivly popular female singer, and encouraged the press exposure that brought. beckham the celebrity has always been a far bigger star than beckham the football player. if he`d been born looking like luke chadwick i doubt we`d have ever noticed him that much.
I didn’t want to say this…but Bentley ain’t a bad lookin bloke, get home hooked with a hot WAG and take him to a big club, and he’ll be a star.
Or, he could just turn out to be Peter Crouch….but then again Crouchy isn’t good looking and definitely less talented than Bentley.
i`ve met his missus and she`s v.attractive as you`d imagine, but just a normal girl who shys away from the limelight it seems.
Sax tends to get a bit irate, and I’ll admit a few comments here have naffed me off too, but I’ll try to keep it reasoned, as I’m sure most of you mean no offence.
“Now, after just under three seasons at Blackburn in which he has played 126 games, scoring 21 goals, he is being touted as Beckham’s immediate and long term replacement in the England team.”
Which is a goal every 6 games. Beckham’s entire career average is 1 goal every 5.15 games (or a goal every 5.46 games if you believe a different set of stats). It’s not a world of difference, eh? Especially considering that was almost entirely in spells at Man United and Real Madrid- teams that, by being rather a lot better than Blackburn, create rather a lot more chances. I also remember a young Beckham repeatedly squandering chances to create openings because he was obsessed with hitting shots from distance. Goals aren’t even the best criteria to judge right wingers by. As for ‘just’ three seasons, Beckham made his own England debut approximately three seasons into his playing time at United (as in, after he started playing), which would appear to be after less games too.
“A quick look at Bentley’s career to date does not point to him being a ‘special player’. He made only two first team appearances at Arsenal before Arsene Wenger allowed him to go to Norwich on loan.”
What does this prove? Arsenal is a young player factory, with many of the best and brightest young stars. Beckham was also loaned out as a youngster- but three tiers down to Preston in what is now League Two. Bentley can’t be held responsible for the fact the poor team he was in went down whilst he was injury-plagued. And when we loaned him ourselves, we got a few comments on our board from jealous Norwich fans, who had clearly seen enough of him to know they wanted him on loan again. If you’re saying Wenger’s judgement in letting him go must prove something, it doesn’t. Wenger is an excellent manager, with a great eye for talent. But he sold him for 500k, which is clearly one of the biggest misjudgements in recent years in football. It’s also worth noting he once hailed Bentley as the new Bergkamp.
“There are clearly issues with his personality and his continual whining about Arsenal and the way he was treated by them is beginning to grate with many people, not just Arsene Wenger”
Aside from the fact that this is immaterial (his attitude on the pitch is all that matters, and this, everyone at Blackburn can assure you, is exemplary), you let off Stephen Hunt for his petty, jealous little jibe on the grounds that the press had asked him the question to get a response. Why do you think Bentley said what he said? Also, his comments were reprinted repeatedly. I can only recall two seperate interviews where the matter was raised, but many more articles. Bentley’s problem, as relates to the way he talks to the media, is that he is an extremely candid person. When asked a question he seems to just answer it honestly. This is a quality I pesonally admire, but it keeps getting him in trouble and on people’s nerves. His comments about Arsenal weren’t all disparaging, either. But those ones weren’t included, of course, as they don’t sell papers. On the same note…
He certainly doesn’t under value his own ability:
“I’m here to take Beckham’s place and that’s what I’ll be trying to do,â€
So? what’s wrong with this statement? The answer is nothing whatsoever. Should he have said ‘I’m here to sit in the shadows, wait till Beckham isn’t interested anymore, and then hope to get into the team, or maybe just sit in Lennon and Wright-Phillips’ shadows’??? His intention was to get into the England team, and rightly so- his debut was long overdue, and his first start even moreso.
“He is twenty-three years old now and unlikely to get that much better.”
This has no basis in fact. You’ve no idea how much better he will get. He has continued getting better ever since he moved to Blackburn. Many (actually, most) players hit their primes at around 27 or 28. I feel rather confident that Bentley WILL get quite a bit better. And as soon as he is at a top four club, you’ll all rate him higher instantly.
“I am just worried that the expectations beginning to be placed on his shoulders are far too great for the ability he possesses.”
Compared to the hype around Beckham, this is absolutely nothing. I feel sure Bentley will at least match the hype with his ability- though when he does, the hype will increase more, and that he might not meet. Just like Beckham never did, or could have hoped to. Bentley’s coverage and praise in the media, until recently, was actually far lower than he deserved.
“Bentley is good, but he is not world class.”
I remember a lot of people saying the same thing about Damien Duff prior to his move to Chelsea. Big fat wrong on that count. As then, and as ever, you should trust the people that actually WATCH the player on a regular basis. And having seen the likes of Duff, Shearer, and many others over the years, we DO know a very good player when we see one.
As with then, I eagerly await the day you all eat humble pie. It’s just a shame that you won’t give him that recognition until he has left ‘little’ Blackburn.
Just a couple more things. I agree with Sax in his appraisal of Beckham’s weaknesses, apart from the crossing a ball while running thing, and lack of movement- he actually gets around quite well. Yes, they aren’t massive strong points of Bentley’s game either- but he is better at them than Beckham is. He is a bit faster, beats men better (has a bit more flair in general really), and has a better left foot. His set pieces are not quite as strong, and his crossing is not quite as consistent yet (versus Beckham at his prime this all is). But they are NOT far off.
One more thing…
“David bentley is david bentley he does what he does but certainly he will not reach the level david this time beckam has reached.that is a fact and,facts are facts and can’t be changeg.”
No, it is an opinion. Unless you have some mystical crystal ball you’ve peered into.
excellent bruce, you have a better way with words than i have
still think beckham always slows any team down that he plays for by having to stop the ball most of the time before crossing it. you have a look back at old footage of him, then try to tell me i`m wrong.
David Bentley is a good player and is doing well at a small club. Sadly for Blackburn supporters, it is inevitable that Bentley will leave because such a small club cannot provide Champions League football or challenge for the title.
The best way for Bentley to maximise his potential is to join a big club and play against the best teams in the most prestigious competitions. Only then can comparisons with David Beckham be made. Bentley must be considered inferior to Beckham simply because Beckham has proved that he can hack it at the top level. Bentley may be good enough to succeed at the highest level, but we won’t know until he actually plays against the big boys in Europe. Bentley knows this too, which is why he will leave Blackburn. Blackburn supporters may be disappointed, but at least the club will get a good price for him.
unfortunatly reddevilrob, i have to agree with every word you`ve said, and it`s the reason i believe bentley will be gone from rovers this summer despite hughes saying no chance, although he may just be saying all that just to bump up the price he goes for. if not, this one could get really ugly because i believe bentley will force the move.
David Bentley will leave Blackburn at the end of the season. Why would anybody stay at such a small-time club? Fair play to Bentley for wanting to free himself from such a mediocre club. Blackburn had their brief period of success in 1995 and before reverting back to mediocrity. I expect them to slip back to their rightful level: the 2nd or 3rd tier of English football. Seriously, what is the point of clubs like Blackburn, Bolton, Wigan etc? They are no-mark outfits with no hope.
Oh, when David Beckham was 23, he played a big part in our glorious 1998-1999 season: the season we won the TREBLE. Compare and contrast to what David Bentley is doing now… with a bit of luck he might help Blackburn get the much coveted Intertoto place.
Do you remember the 1998-1999 season, Blackburn fans?
Steve, what you on about? this topic is about Bentley/Beckham not about small time Blackburn. Typical glory huntin utd fan, obviously still gutted from our glorious 94/95 season or do you not remember that season Steve?
Why was this even an issue? Arrogant young players attract negative comments like magnets. And in many ways they deserve them.
I think the real fallacy in thought here is assuming because you play (or may play) for the English National Team you’re automatically worth anything.
Has anyone objective actually watched the English side play as of late? To put it mildly, it’s not particularly awe-inspiring soccer… I’ll be only slightly surprised if they don’t qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
John
http://www.spotlightsoccer.com
David Bentley has been in the press and the public eye so much lately because he is an fantasic footballer. At blackburn he plays well every game and sets up many of goals. David bentley is so young but yet people are comparing him to Beckham. Wait a few years and we will see him gain experience and keep on getting better. then you shall all be lost for words.