6 September 2005
David Beckham press conference

England skipper David Beckham speaks to the press ahead of England's game in Belfast.


On Tuesday David Beckham spoke in a press briefing ahead of England's game against Northern Ireland in Belfast. TheFA.com brings you the full transcription of what he had to say...

Q: Do you think you owe the fans a more convincing performance against Northern Ireland?
Obviously so. I think that we gave the fans what they wanted on Saturday with a win and three points. But people want more and hopefully we can do that in tomorrow night’s game.

Q: Were you happy with your performance in a holding role?
I was happy with my performance personally. But the most important thing is how the team performs and how we perform as a group. Of course individually if we all performed then we win games, that’s the most important thing.

Q: What’s your opinion of criticism of Gerrard and Lampard?
Personally I don’t think it’s justified because they are two of the best midfielders not just in Europe but in the world. Steven Gerrard proves that week in week out for Liverpool and he proves it for England. People always say that an England team with Steven Gerrard in it doesn’t lose.

Frank is a Premiership champion now and his performances have warranted the success he’s had over the last season for sure and this season coming, I have no doubts about that. Of course there’s going to be holes picked in performances and that was so on Saturday but for me they are two of the best players around.

Q: Does it surprise you criticism from ex-players saying you can’t perform the role in central midfield?
It doesn’t surprise me because it happens more and more these days. I respect all ex-players and footballers that have worn the England shirt and that have captained their country. You will never see me come out and criticise any captain in the future or in the past because I respect them.

At the end of the day everyone has their opinion and I respect that as well.

So, that’s part and parcel these days of football. There is criticism out there, I’m not going to sit here and complain about the criticism because with that comes praise as well. You have to accept both of them things.

That’s the way it is.

Q: Can a deeper role help you play for longer in your career, for instance like Roy Keane?
I would hope so. Even if I play in another position in the team and it’s not in the centre I would like to think I can carry on for quite a few years to come. I would like to be still playing at the age Roy Keane is for Ireland. Roy is a great player, one of the best midfielders in the world. If I can carry on playing like he is then I would be very happy.

Q: Maybe this won’t be your last World Cup?
I’ve always said that I would love to play not just in this World Cup but the one in South Africa. But we’ll have to wait and see about that. We’ll have to see how my legs are!

Q: You seemed to relish the role in central midfield, would it be difficult to go back to your old role?
No, it’s not difficult because I play that sort of role for Real Madrid, I don’t play in the centre I play towards the right and I find that role easy to play. Even if I am on the right wing then I have played that position for many years for Manchester United and I know I can play there and put crosses in there. Even if I’m in the middle I’ll play there, whatever position I’m asked to play in I will do it to the best of my ability.

I enjoyed the time in the middle on Saturday of course. I’m not a Makelele or a Roy Keane, I never will be because they are defending players, they are stoppers and that’s the way they play and I’m not like that. But if I play in that position I’ll work hard to get to that level.

Q: The manager says that since Denmark you have been looking at the midfield to see how you can do better. Are you still working at it to see if you all can click a bit more?
Yes, of course. But I think different formations is important to have in top teams like we’ve got, especially in big competitions. You come up against Wales on Saturday but in future maybe we’ll come up against a Brazil team, or Germany or Argentina that we do have to change our formation. We start with 4-4-2 in the first half and it’s not working then the manager has ideas for different formations, that’s what big teams have to have.

Q: Is Northern Ireland a chance for you to turn on the style?
No, it’s an opportunity for us to win the game. That’s what we need to do.

Of course we need to entertain because football these days is all about entertaining, pleasing crowds and pleasing people who are paying a lot of money to watch us play. But the most important thing for us is to win the game. We don’t take any team for granted, we’ve not taken the Welsh team for granted, we knew it was going to be a tough game. And it was. Now the game tomorrow we know equally it will be a tough game because even at Old Trafford the scoreline probably flattered us in the end because they created chances and caused us problems. We realised that if we get a goal then we can get many more.

Q: One of the criticisms of you has been that your legs are gone, do you feel as fit as ever?
Of course. My fitness levels have to be to a certain level. I’m playing for Real Madrid so that fitness level has to be high. Of course I’m playing in the national team as England captain as well. For me personally I think my fitness level is the same as it was five years ago. Of course I’m older but I feel as fit as I was five years ago.

Q: Are you hurt by the criticism?
No, it doesn’t bother me because I’m used to the criticism and the praise I’ve had over the years. That’s part of football. I do find it a little bit sad that people drop to that level sometimes to criticise players. I’m not just talking about myself here, I’m talking about some of the other players in the team. It is sad. But everyone has their opinion and I respect Terry Butcher as a footballer and as an England captain.

I’ve always been proud to be England captain and always will be. I don’t know him as a person but I respect him as a player and an England captain.

But as I say I find it a little sad that the criticism does come like that.

Q: If you bumped into Terry Butcher would have a go at him about it?
No, I would probably shake his hand. He’s got his right to his opinion, there’s no point in my questioning him about it because he’s put it on a double page spread! That’s the way it is. I would rather he said to my face, personally, but that’s the way it is these days.

Q: Is it harder to take from an ex-player rather than a journalist?
No, trust me it’s just as hard from you guys! At the end of the day criticism comes and you either listen to it and let it affect you as a person or on the football pitch, or you just take it with a pinch of salt and move on and realise I’m playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world, I’m England captain, I’m in a privileged position. That’s what I look at more than anything else.

Q: Michael Owen said the criticism in English football is almost like a drug and drives him on. How about you?
I think that’s what happens in footballers careers, especially mine. Not that I want any more (criticism) by the way! You do get criticised sometimes and sometimes it spurs you on. It’s like when new players come into squads or teams, it’s good because it gives you that kick that you need and that spur to perform to a high level. Sometimes you need that. I don’t really want any more but it spurs you on as a team and as a player.

Sometimes when a team gets criticism like we have, or even booing the national anthem like on Saturday, that spurred the players on.

Q: Man United got a lot of criticism over the years and that spurred them on?
When we all came through as youngsters we had all grown up together so we had that togetherness. Whatever was said about us didn’t matter because we had a manager behind us who taught us how to play and how to react, how to play and how to win things. And that held us in good stead for the future.

Q: Do you know Alan Hansen?
I’ve met him a few times.

Q: He made a very sweeping statement that English football’s love affair with Beckham was over. Did you read that?
No, I didn’t read that.

Q: I wondered how you would react to that?
Again, that’s his opinion. I suppose I’m glad he’s not England manager or I wouldn’t get picked! Again, I know it sounds repetitive but I respect Alan as a player for what he’s done and what he’s won in his career and that’s his opinion. I’ve read other things he’s written where he’s praised me a lot. Sometimes you take the good with the bad and it’s out there, so that’s the way it is.

Q: Are you judged to a higher standard because people expect you to produce the Greece performance every time and that’s not humanly possible?
Maybe that’s the case. But at the end of the day I play for Real Madrid and people expect a standard of a high level and hopefully that’s what I produce week in week out. The manager keeps playing me at the moment, so he’s happy with me. The manger with England is still happy with me because he puts me in the team. I don’t think he sticks me in the team just because I’m captain, which some people have suggested If I’m not playing well he won’t put me in the team. I was happy with my performance Saturday.

Q: Greece performance was most memorable for England, do you expect to surpass that at some stage in your England career?
I would like to think that I can get to that level, of course. That’s what I look for in every game I go into. I like to perform to the highest level I can but every game is different. I’m not sure there will be another game like that because it evolved into a situation where it needed something like that. I was able to do that on the day but in our team now we have got incredible talent that can win us a game like that, with the likes of Owen, Gerrard, Rooney, Wright-Phillips, Joe Cole. We’ve got that in the team. Of course I would like to get to that level at some point and hopefully I will.

Q: Maybe criticism is coming from that you set that marker against Greece and showed you can run that much and cover that amount of ground?
I showed in Spain, we have stats over there, and my levels of running were up to that and more. That’s the sort of level I look for in a game, not just the free-kicks but the running and working hard that I do. I do defend a lot more in Madrid.

Q: Do you know how far you were running per game?
No, you would have to ask someone at Madrid. It’s up to that level and more

Q: Do you get the same amount of room to play that role in Spain?
The reason some critics were unconvinced was that you weren’t put under any pressure against Wales?
It is a different game in Spain but even if I’m pressurised I believe I have the ability to get out of situations when players are coming on to me.

I have always had belief in my own ability, I’m not being arrogant or anything, I’ve always believed that I am confident on a football pitch. You have to be to compete at this level. Any different sort of player, even if they sit off me or come right up against me, I believe I can play that. If the ex-players are saying it you tend not to listen to it to be honest.

Q: When you first went to Madrid they said central midfield was your best role, do you agree?
To be honest I love playing in the centre, I’ve told people that. But I also love playing on the right wing, Sir Alex Ferguson played me there for years and years and he seemed happy with it. Even in a big game like the European Cup Final I think someone said he had the confidence in me to put me in the centre of midfield for one of the biggest games in Man United’s history. I think I performed well then, so looking back at that I can play in the middle, of course I can. It’s different people’s opinions.

Some people think I’m better in the middle, some on the right, some people think I would be better on the bench! But that’s people’s opinions and as long as I work hard in my games and I’m happy with myself then whatever people say it doesn’t matter because it’s the manager’s opinion that counts, he’s the one that picks the team.

Q: Can you ever imagine a time where Owen is available for England but doesn’t play?
I can’t think of that. Any team with Michael Owen in it is stronger of course because he’s one of the best goalscorers around. He’s a great playerk, he showed that at Real last year when he was just coming on as a sub. He will show that in every game he plays for England. He’s a big game player, that’s the way Michael has always performed.

Q: Does Michael need to know where he stands with the national team?
I don’t think so. As you all know the manager talks to the players and that’s the same with Michael. I’m sure he’ shad a number of discussions with him about his position in the team and in the squad. I’m sure he’s been assured by that. Michael is a player that wants to just play football and score goals, that’s the one of the reasons he’s moved back to England. I think if any club or any fans deserve a player like Michael it’s Newcastle, because you saw the reception he got there. It’s incredible.

Q: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Northern Ireland team?
There’s obviously a lot of strentgths through the team, I don’t tend to like to talk about weaknesses. I think the strength is David Healy. He caused us a few problems when we played at Old Trafford and I’m glad he’s fit because I played with him at United and trained with him week in week out. He’s a great guy and a good player. You like to play against teams with their best players out there and I’m pleased that he’s playing. He’s definitely one of the strengths

Obviously Keith (Gillespie), too. He spoke very nicely about me in the press today. I spent many many years with Keith, he was next door to me in the digs at United when we grew up. He’s a great player and a good talent.

Q: Are you surprised he didn’t go on to become an even greater player?
I am. I think he’s had a few injuries and that’s what set him back. But Keith is one of those players who has frightening pace and when he’s on the top of his game he’s a great player.

Q: What’s Wayne Rooney’s best position?
It’s hard to say with Wayne, he can play any position. The way he plays for Man United, which is just off the striker, to the right or the left, he’s unstoppable because he gets the ball off the striker and he runs at players.

That’s what Wayne is best at, that’s what he causes teams most problems with. He gets the ball and runs at players and as you’ve seen his talent is incredible. Even on Saturday there were times when he was getting the ball, playing it and receiving it and creating problems for the team. And for me that’s his best position, just off the front player.

Q: Do you mean in the middle or wide?
Both! I don’t know, maybe starting wide. I don’t know I’m not a manager.

But the ball played up to a player, like at Man United when the ball is played to Ruud, and Wayne gets it off Ruud then he can cause more problems for a team.

Q: Is a third major tournament the time when this current England manager should be judged. If England fail this time then is it a realistic time to look at it?
I’m not sure, at the end of the day I think he has long contract with The FA. But for me it could be third time, lucky. I would like to think so. The players are confident in the manager, they have confidence in him, that’s the most important thing.

He has confidence in the team he picks and the squad he has. We have been disappointed in where we’ve come in the last two big competitions but hopefully this will be the one, when we qualify, that we can go further in. That’s what we’re looking for.