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Your support makes all the difference.There is a theory abroad, fuelled by the flying boot fiasco, that the lifestyle of the rich and famous has dulled David Beckham's appetite for the footballing fray with Manchester United. Graham Taylor, whose Aston Villa side will today seek to negate the England captain's vision and precision, kicks it into touch as firmly as in his distant incarnation as a Fourth Division defender.
Taylor has been in management longer than Beckham has been alive. Yet each has suffered tabloid vilification in the service of England, one having a turnip grafted on to his head and the other being declared public enemy No 1. It is a common bond which, although they do not know each other, helps to explain why Taylor's admiration for Beckham encompasses his maturity off the pitch as well as his influence on it.
"Not only did he have all the criticism for France 98 but he married a member of the most famous girl group. I don't think anyone can understand the pressures," Taylor said yesterday. "We all have moments when we feel it's coming at us from all over – I've certainly had mine – but he and Victoria have handled it very well.
"However wealthy they may be, it hasn't altered Beckham's love for the game. I always get the impression that he looks on himself as a footballer rather than a celebrity. He doesn't seem to have been sidetracked by the distractions. People talk about highly paid players losing their hunger, but I think he's driven by a desire to perform at the highest level and play in big games, rather than by money."
Some of Beckham's recent displays have dipped below his usual standard, notably in United's defeats by Arsenal and Liverpool in the FA and Worthington Cups. In other matches, against Leeds United in the Premiership and Juventus in the Champions' League, he worked tirelessly and created goals. Despite the inconsistency, a fortnight before England's Euro 2004 campaign resumes, Taylor cautioned against under-estimating him.
"People tell me 'Beckham doesn't run past people', but when he crosses or passes, the ball usually goes where he wants it to," Taylor said. "That's not as simple as it sounds."
The Villa manager saluted Ferguson's achievement in producing a home-grown backbone that has sustained United since the mid-1990s. In an ideal world, Taylor would like to introduce a similar "local" nucleus – and as FA Youth Cup holders Villa do not lack youthful promise – but he has had to balance such aspirations against the pragmatic imperative of collecting points in what he concedes has been "a disappointing season".
The football-lover in Taylor is still hurting after Villa's humiliation by Birmingham, a violent derby that gave him sleepless nights and made him curse the 12-day gap before United's arrival.
Whether or not they atone against Beckham and co, he will react philosophically to the clamour from a full house as he walks from dug-out to tunnel. "If you've won, it's Graham; if you lose, it's Taylor," he said. "That's life."
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