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Becksie wants more and more and more!

David Beckham exhibited and ineffectual and somewhat indifferent performance against France (like most of his team mates) on Wednesday as England lost 1-0 to the French in Paris in an international friendly but the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder says that he is not at all eager to hang up his Golden Boots(or Balls!) anytime soon.

Becksie insists:

I’m very honoured. Straight from when I started playing for England I never dreamed I’d get 100 caps, and hopefully beyond.

I’m happy, but like I said during the week I want to carry on. Of course things can change but I want to carry on playing for my country.

But alas, not many England supporters would subscribe to the notion of Beckham playing on for the national team!

Watch Manchester United live online

Beckham Recalled To England Squad

England manager Fabio Capello has recalled David Beckham to the England squad in a 30-man provisional squad in preporation for next weeks friendly against France.

The 32-year-old LA Galaxy star is striving to win his 100th cap against the ex-World Champions.

19-year-old Theo Walcott has also been called up alongside Gabriel Agbonlahor and Jermaine Defoe, with oddly no place for Aaron Lennon.

Paul Robinson has been dropped in favour of David James, Chirs Kirkland and Scott Carson. Michael Carrick misses out as Frank Lampard returns from inury.

Oddly, Boro defender David Wheater received the call, despite this writer seeing him as a future Newcastle centre-back.

James (Portsmouth), Carson (Aston Villa), Kirkland (Wigan); Bridge (Chelsea), A Cole (Chelsea), Johnson (Portsmouth), Terry (Chelsea), Brown (Man Utd), Lescott (Everton), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Wheater (Middlesbrough), Woodgate (Tottenham), Upson (West Ham); Barry (Aston Villa), Young (Aston Villa), Bentley (Blackburn), J Cole (Chelsea), Lampard (Chelsea), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Man Utd), Downing (Middlesbrough), Jenas (Tottenham); Walcott (Arsenal), Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Crouch (Liverpool), Rooney (Man Utd), Owen (Newcastle), Defoe (Portsmouth)

The squad will be reduced to 23 on Saturday night.

Whether Beckham makes the cut or not remains to be seen.

Becks confident of playing against France

David Beckham might be struggling to claw himself back into the England set-up but the 31-year old LA Galaxy midfielder is confident that he can win his 100th cap for his nation against France in an international friendly later this month.

Becks was dropped by new England head coach Fabio Capello for last month’s friendly against Switzerland in spite of the fact that Goldenballs was training with Arsenal last month.

But Becks is certain that he will play for England this month:

Fitness-wise, I’ll be perfect.

But it’s about performing and hopefully I’ll do that.

That’s what Capello said to me.

I knew that from the conversation I had with him.

He said that once I’m back playing and if I’m fit and playing well enough, then he’ll pick me.

With the first game after he took charge, I hadn’t played any games and he explained that to me.

I’ve played three games so far now and got through them all.

I believe I can play for my country for a good few more years yet. I believe that I can still play at that level.

The standard is slightly different in the US but it’s not as low as everybody thinks.

We’ve got some very good teams and very good players and we play some really good football so we’ll just have to wait and see.

But I believe I can play for my country for a good few years.

Well, maybe Capello wouldn’t like to keep Beckham in his plans for too long. He has already hinted at his wish to watch more and more England youngsters crop up and this is clear indicator that he wants to commence on a new era minus the old guards.

Watch Manchester United live online

Beckham to play against France?

A small window of opportunity opens up for England star David Beckham. Last month he was dropped from the squad by new England coach Fabio Capello for fitness reasons, but the hardline Italian coach says that should Becks be in full match fitness, then he will certainly feature against France later this month in another international friendly.

Capello says:

Los Angeles Galaxy play in Dallas on 14th March and (assistant manager) Franco Baldini or I will go to see him and assess his fitness.

He is in contention for France. We will check on him in Dallas and then we will decide whether he will be fit for that squad.

He will get his 100th cap if he is fit and in form.

I know Beckham very well from Real Madrid and I hope David will play the 100th game and get that cap.

I understand from reading his last interview that at this moment his fitness isn’t good and I will phone him because I want to know exactly what he thinks about his fitness.

Becks is desperate to get his magical 100th cap for England but doubt remains on how many caps he shall get after that. After all, Capello wants to take England into a new era and Beckham is one of the old guards.

Becks on Premier League plans

England international David Beckham is not a person to take sides in any debate and the former Manchester United midfielder has stayed true to his character in this matter too. The LA Galaxy player says that although he acknowledges the Premier League’s plans to play 10 Premiership matches in international venues, the concerned authorities must first discuss the options with the supporters and the players.

Becks says:

They have got to be careful because there are so many games, so much football, in the Premier League already. It has got to be looked at long and hard, and many people have to be asked for their opinions, like the players and fans. It would be nice for the fans to be asked what their ideas and thoughts are because they are the people that make that league and they are the ones it is going to affect. Ask the fans, ask the players and go from there.

Becks doesn’t add anything new to what several other top football figures have already remarked. He is actually carefully towing the line, or if you will, sitting on the fence. Cheeky, eh!

Bye bye Beckham? Has his England career ended? Does anyone care?

Despite the fact that he’s a foreign coach and shouldn’t morally be the manager of England, at least Fabio Capello has done the decent thing and put David Beckham’s international career out of its misery. The Daily Telegraph report that the Italian has already spoken to the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star, explaining that he’s out of the equation right now.

Capello is reported to have called Beckham last night to break the news and the midfielder was said to be disappointed.

The midfielder’s lack of competitive action is thought to be behind the Italian coach’s decision to drop the Los Angeles Galaxy player for the friendly with Switzerland on Feb 6 at Wembley.

Indeed, how exactly could Capello judge the former England captain compared to the rest of the players available for selection? Even COS would be confident of a few keepy-uppies on a Copacabana beach - does that make us eligible? Let’s hope the England manager stays firm on this important decision for the rest of the squad, unlike his predecessor.

Does wandering mistrel Beckham dropped from England squad?

The Times’ potent blunderbuss of twin journo’s; Martin Samuel and Oliver Kay, reckon that David Beckham might not be receiving his 100th cap in the friendly bout against Switzerland. Although Becks won’t feature, it is more to do with Capello’s desire to test out other more unfamiliar options rather than dropping Becks beyond all hope of getting a recall. Samuel and Kay write:

“The door will not be closed on Beckham, who will be eager to prove his fitness once the Major League Soccer season starts in late March, but, even if he is named in Capello’s provisional 30-man squad this afternoon, the expectation is that he will not make the cut when that list is trimmed to approximately 23 players who will be asked to report to the team’s base in Hertfordshire on Sunday evening.”

So, does Becks really deserve to even be in the squad?

Arsenal’s Beckham bid out of the bag

The cat is finally out of the bag. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has publicly admitted that at the end of the 2003-2004 season, he was immensely interested in signing David Beckham from Real Madrid and even held talks with people close to him who handled his career. But poor old Arsene had to be disappointed with Becks since the England international decided to stay at the Bernabeu instead of shipping back to the English premier League.

Sky Sports has borrowed this quote from the Daily Express where Arsene Wenger says:

David almost came to Arsenal a couple of years ago when things did not go too well during his first season with Real. I even met the people who took care of his career, but in the end, David decided to remain at Real.

Well, not that it matters any more. Becks helped Real to La Liga success in 2006-2007 and then moved onto the MLS to play for Los Angeles Galaxy, a move that has more to do with money than anything else. At the moment Beckham is training with the Arsenal team in order to sustain his fitness for next month’s friendly with Switzerland for England as the MLS is in its close season.

Watch Arsenal live online

Becks meets Gordon Brown - but for what?

This is some news. David Beckham attended a private meeting with British PM Gordon Brown on Tuesday and the reason for that is for you to guess.

ESPN Soccernet has reported that the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder was in deep conversation with Mr. Brown for about an hour at the PM’s 10, Downing Street home. Beckham is already quite popular with Mr. Brown and is even said to be one of his good friends.

This is what Becks told the BBC:

”He’s (Brown) interested in sports and his football; you know he is very interested in doing a lot for my academy and also getting involved in schools around the country as well. He’s a very good man, you know he’s a man that’s looking after our country and he is doing a very good job. I’m very proud to be here tonight.”

Beckham has been training with Arsenal during MLS’s close season and hopes to play in the England national team against Switzerland in an international friendly next month.

This might be stretching the imagination a bit too far but Becks’ meeting Mr Brown could be because of England’s potential bid to host the 2018 World Cup. Maybe the duo were discussing how to proceed with a successful presentation of the bid.

Beckham’s biggest fan wants him to get his 100th cap

Sven-Goran Eriksson, possibly David Beckham’s biggest fan, thinks he fully deserves to be called up for what will be his 100th cap in the friendly against Switzerland next month. The Times journo Matt Dickinson writes:

“Sven-Göran Eriksson last night led the calls for David Beckham to be given his 100th England cap. At a tribute dinner to recognise the midfield player’s contribution to the game…Eriksson, the Manchester City manager, said that he would phone Fabio Capello personally if the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player was not included in the Italian’s first squad and, in front of Brian Barwick, the FA chief executive, insisted that hundreds of guests toast Beckham and his 100th cap. ‘He deserves it,’ Eriksson said.”

So is Beckham the way forward or a relic from the past?

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Beckham close to agreeing terms with Arsenal

David Beckham in an Arsenal shirt - who would have thought it? OK, so it might just be a training top but the former Manchester United winger is likely to be training with the Gunners squad in January, according to BBC reports. With the LA Galaxy currently in their close season, Beckham needs to find match fitness elsewhere if he’s to convince new England manager Fabio Capello that he’s a valuable asset at international level.

“We will help him to get fit and prepare for the season,” Wenger told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“There’s a good chance that he will come in January, but it’s not decided.”

Beckham currently has 99 England caps, although Capello has not yet given any indication that the winger is guaranteed to reach the century milestone.

Watch Arsenal live online

It’s Treble Money Time For Big Eck At Birmingham

The Glasgow Daily Record have no doubts that Alex McLeish’s decision to leave his post as manager of the Scottish national team to join Birmingham were primarily driven by money:

Alex Quits Scotland After Tripling His Wages

SCOTLAND were looking for another new manager last night after Alex McLeish trebled his money by jumping ship to the English Premiership. Big Eck quit his £300,000-a-year post as national team boss, then completed a deal worth £1million a year with struggling Birmingham City.

They may have a point, considering Big Eck had been in the job for less than a year and had given little indication that he wanted to leave until Birmingham’s owners came calling.

BBC Sport’s Colin Moffat suggests:

Money cannot be the main motivation for an already wealthy man.

But since when did David Beckham turn down the chance to promote sunglasses or a hair product because he couldn’t stuff any more money under the mattress?

There’s no doubt that McLeish did a fantastic job in steering Scotland to the verge of the Euro 2008 finals. However, choosing a relegation scrap with Birmingham over a cushy part-time number overseeing the progression of his national team suggests it ‘must be the money’.

McClaren finally grows balls and drops Beckham and Robinson

When McClaren reverted to the ineffective midfield four of Cole-Lampard-Gerrard-Beckham against Austria you had to wonder what the last 18 months had been about, nothing had changed one bit. And then there was his decision to stick with Robinson in goal against the Russians a month ago, even though everyone knew he was in the worst form of his life. McClaren was as much in awe of the big boys as Sven.

But now look what’s happened, on the eve of his biggest ever game (ish) McClaren is finally showing some bottle and dropping Beckham and Robinson, according to the BBC, who outline the team news thus:

The England boss is believed to have opted for the inexperienced Carson, with Paul Robinson on the bench.

Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips is tipped to replace Beckham at Wembley.

Gareth Barry is expected to join Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole in a five-man midfield, with Peter Crouch on his own up front.

He’s still got that Lampard fixation but when you are going five in midfield I suppose you don’t have much option. Radio 5’s Mike Ingham offered the thought that:

“Whatever the outcome this evening McClaren can hardly stand accused of shying away from bold and tough decisions.”

Is that enough?

Beckham Needs To Leave “The MLS Truman Show”

“The signing of David Beckham delivered on our expectations in every measure,” Garber said. “The exposure we got because of David Beckham, regardless of how many games he played, was fantastic.”

Sift this through a ‘truth sieve’ and only about 1 percent of it would be left, and certainly not the utter balderdash about delivering on our expectations in every manager. The man who had the cojones to come out with this utterly idiotic statement was MLS Comissioner Don Garber, and he deserves to be fitted with a straightjacket a couple of sizes too small for him. Beckham has been such a spectacular failure that he has made Abel Xavier and his iridescent hair look like a solid and sensible signing - the LA Galaxy didn’t even qualify for the Playoffs for Pete’s sake!
Don Garber perfectly sums up the MLS and the fabricated ‘Truman Show’ style world they live in, Beckham is their ‘Truman’ but tragically he has already sampled real leagues, and he surely must be aware of what a pitiful league his right foot currently inhabits.
I say we sent over the SAS and rescue him from a fate worse than a fate worse than death, playing for the LA Galaxy, where even an injury stained limp season is hailed as fantastic.

Cheers, Mate! Fancy Some Soccer? Here’s A Primer On This Weekend’s Major League Soccer Cup

Article provided by our good friends over at Soccer Source.

Other than David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy, UK football fans probably don’t know much about Major League Soccer, the 12-team U.S. professional league. Perhaps rightfully so; I’ll be the first to admit the caliber of play in MLS is not exactly on par with the Premiership or with other top European leagues. If I were living in the UK or Europe I probably wouldn’t care much about MLS either, nor would I give two hoots that the league is holding its showcase “MLS Cup” title game this weekend (Sunday, 5pm GMT to be precise). In fact, I’d probably be saying something like this: “crikey, ‘MLS Cup’? Are these bloody septic tanks serious with this stuff? What a bunch of tossers!” Which is probably exactly what you’re thinking right about now, right? So why should you care?

Several reasons:

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