Beckham 'too old' for England

Fabio Capello appeared to end David Beckhams long international career last night when questioned about his place in the new set-up. Keen to emphasise the new blood in the England squad, Capello was seen to be agreeing with the view that Beckham is too old to win his place back in the team.

Of course, the fact that Beckham is past his very best is not in question, but it seems to me that there are two observations to be made about the Capellos comments:

• With Beckham recovering from injury, not present at the press conference and obviously not informed in advance - this was not the time or place to publicly 'retire' the most capped outfield player that England has ever had. Capello still displays a lack of tact and diplomacy, an attitude that seems to have had a telling effect on the England squad of late.
• Age seems to have been Capellos prime criteria rather than ability, this implies that a younger less-talented or gifted individual would get the nod before Beckham simply because of his age. Maybe Capello thought that saying Beckham was old was kinder than saying he wasn't playing at his best, but to be fair, no-one knows how well Beckham is going to play when he has recovered from his injury - Capellos timing is atrocious when you consider the lengths Beckham will be prepared to go to in order to serve his team and country.

Capello survived World Cup failure, and frankly, I was glad to see him retain his position - whether he will survive treating Beckham like this is another matter...

Beckham to set new record

If Beckham takes the field in tomorrow's friendly match against Slovakia, he will become England's most-capped outfield player with a total of 109 caps, and could even take Peter Shilton's record of 125 caps if he plays all the way through to the World Cup.
Having previously been convinced that his international career was over at 94 caps, anything is now considered a bonus, and this is due in no small part to his new role in Milan. Capello himself has encouraged the move and has done his part to secure the original loan period. All the indications are that Beckham will be a force to be reckoned with again on the international stage as long as he can stay injury-free and maintain his excellent fitness levels.
Bobby Moore previously held the record of 108 caps which Beckham has already equalled. Of course there are more opportunities to gain international caps nowadays, but the demands on players are such that they are now much more atheltic.

Gift for Beckham

I read today on American Beckham about Beckham's team-mates in the England squad buying him a special gift for his 100th England cap - and what a gift, a gold-plated custom engraved 32GB iPod - very nice.... that is a bit of class and well-deserved. Hopefully he will be able to go on to contribute to the England cause again, and current form seems to point to the fact that he is firing on all cylinders at the moment.

Was this Beckhams' last international?

This is the question we are left with after England's dismal performance against France this week. Did Beckham do enough to convince Cappello that he is sharp enough to play for England in the build up to the next world cup. The simple answer is no, and the critics will be pointing out the obvious, Beckham had little impact and did not look fit enough for football at this level.
The supporters (me included) will make another point.. Did ANY of the team that played on Wednesday actually make you feel they had secured their place in the international team? and the answer is a resounding NO!
If you are going to use the argument that Beckham's performance did not merit a recall, then you have to apply the same to Terry, Owen, Hargreaves, Gerard, A. Cole, J.Cole, Rooney, James... do I need to go on??
This squad needs a good kick up the backside and I for one hope that Capello is the man to do it - they are somehow incapable of demonstrating their prowess when they put on the England shirt. Even Bentley, oft hailed as the new Beckham failed to show why he should be the one to oust our hero...
This team is surely going to be a challenge for Capello - let's hope he can inspire them or frighten them or do something to lick them into shape...
Wednesdays match saw Beckham wearing a specially tailored shirt designed for his 100th appearance - I have yet to find out what it was that made it unique - but rest assured he did not give it away after the match, so I guess it's not going to be seen on ebay any time soon..!

Beckham claims 100 caps as England lose to France

Beckham and England started brightly and had plenty of attacking action at the start of the game, but seemingly lacked finishing power. Once again you have to wonder if Wayne Rooney should really be left in a lone striker role rather than having a strike partner close at hand. Beckham himself came close as he came sliding in to try to meet a ball zipping across the French box.
The French team looked comfortable on the ball and were able to gain the advantage when Anelka was brought down by 'keeper David James after a slide-rule pass cut out the English defence leaving James stranded. Ribery converted the penalty and France were 1-0 up. The score remained at 1-0 and England never really looked liked scoring as their performance deteriorated from that hopeful start. Beckham dropped back through the field and was often found behind Wes Brown on the right wing, finally being substituted after an hour. He was replaced by his natural successor David Bentley who also failed to make a significant impact.
The feeling is that Beckham will have a place in the squad for the World Cup qualifiers, he was certainly not over-shadowed by any other England players who failed to shine as a team. This was a disappointing outcome to all the speculation about whether the 100th cap would come. Now that particular sideshow is out of the way, perhaps we can get on with the football...

Beckham in England squad for France

The 'provisional' squad list has been announced and David Beckham made it into the line-up, and will have a chance of gaining that vital 100th cap. I honestly was starting to think that he was being sidelined (again), but am glad to see that Capello has regard for the contribution that Beckham can make in an international match.
Firstly he has the ability to literally 'create' goals out of apparently nothing and this is why he is such an icon of the modern game. He inspires team mates and is one of the hardest workers on the pitch, often delivering that extra 10% when the team really needs it. He can also be used politically to play mind-games with the opposition. What team is not going to think about tactics specifically designed to nullify the Beckham-effect? IE. to try and stop him from dropping inch-perfect passes into the box from wide-right.
Roll on the 26th...Hopefully the combination of a strong team and a strong manager can pull another win out of the bag for England.

Will Beckham play for England?

Baldini travelled all the way to Dallas to see Beckham play for The Galaxy, and left without even exchanging a word with him. What can we read into this?
Either Baldini does his job without seeing the need to communicate with the ex-England captain who has played for his country 99 times, his English is not good enough or he doesn't want to be the one to tell Becks that he won't be playing against France in a weeks time....
The facts are that Beckham is a hard-working professional who is not at the top of his game and there are plenty of choices for an England Midfield. Capello didn't make the trip himself, but sends a deputy. Beckham plays a competent but unremarkable game. That may not add up to a triumphant return to the England camp with a chance to win that all-important 100th cap.

Asia update, Capello to travel to US?

After losing a game to FC Seoul, Galaxy redeemed themselves with a resounding 3-0 defeat of Shanghai-Hong Kong yesterday.
Beckham set up the first goal, but gave his team a scare by limping off after 70 minutes with a thigh injury. It turned out to be dead-leg rather than a more serious lasting injury. There should be little danger of his not being ready to take part in the last game of the Asian mini-tour against Hong Kong Union on Sunday.

The good news is that Capello is prepared to seriously consider Beckham for the upcoming England International friendlies against France and possibly the USA. Plans are being made for either Capello himself or Franco Baldini to visit Dallas to see him play and assess his fitness on March 14th. Capello has also been heard to express the view that he personally hopes Beckham can reach the 100 cap goal and has declared that he is in contention for a place in the squad for the game in France.

Beckham in Asia

LA Galaxy are on tour in Asia and have just revealed that the current tour will be extended to three games. Originals plans included games against FC Seoul (March 1st) and Shanghai-Hong Kong United (March 5th), a third game against Hong Kong Union has been scheduled for March 9th.
Meanwhile the England camp prepares for a tough match against France in Paris on 26th March (originally planned as a warm-up for two teams heading for the European Championships...), whilst the MLS season begins in earnest just three days later. Realistically, there is little chance of Beckham being considered for this match unless there are significant injuries. The elusive 100th cap must wait...

England v USA?

England have a game against France lined up on 26th March, but it is unlikely that Beckham will be considered for this game as his fitness is no more certain than it was when he was training with Arsenal. Beckham is back training with LA Galaxy now and will have pretty much given up on the idea of his 100th cap being handed over any time soon.
There is a glimmer of hope now that Scotland have pulled out of the planned game on May28th, as the USA may be considering throwing their hat into the ring to face an England team which would be almost certain to feature Beckham at some point. It is the MLS who will negotiate with the FA over this possible fixture and it might be suggested that Beckham would be required to be at least part of the squad. This may well test Capello's resolve to only consider players who have earned a place in the team - and I wouldn't be surprised to see him sticking to his guns...
At least by then, Beckham will have had a chance to prove himself on the pitch, maybe we will see Capello catching a 'plane over to watch him play in LA ??

Beckham can still make his 100 caps

Everyone from Micah Richards to Sir Alex Ferguson have voiced their opinion on Beckham's fitness and whether he will make his 100th cap. Ex-England captain Terry Butcher on the other hand has declared that he thinks it unlikely that the elusive 100caps will ever come.
Ferguson has said that Capello has made a decision based on the facts regarding match-fitness, and England defender Micah Richards writing for the BBC believes that Beckham will get his chance.
Arsene Wenger has come out to say how impressive David Beckham has been whilst he has been training with the Arsenal squad. He has recognised the desire that Beckham has shown to prove his fitness and dedication to the job in hand. On the other hand many agree that you should not feel obliged to pick a player for sentimental reasons and Capello is certainly not about to go down that route. Other Premiership managers have expressed support for Beckham in the form of Steve Bruce, Harry Redknapp and Martin O'Neill demonstrating how well Beckham is regarded amongst those who know him best.
At least Beckham can be sure that if he gets picked again for England it will be because he has thoroughly deserved the chance.