When expectation becomes ridicule So the World Cup ends in ignominious failure and everyone from The Sun – with it’s relentlessly stupid, and ridiculous ill-judged “Maybe, Just Maybe” ad campaign, to the bloke who sells knock-off England kits down the market have opined and whined about the state of the English game and the betrayal and [...]...

The Opinions of Tobias Grubbe for 16th August 2010 are published at this window. My patron is http://www.journalisted.com where you may Read All About Them. Related Posts:The Opinions of Tobias Grubbe – 2nd August 1710The Opinions of Tobias Grubbe : 24th May 1710The Opinions of Tobias Grubbe 5th July 1710The Opinions of Tobias Grubbe: 7th June 1710The Opinions of Tobias Grubbe – 26th July 1710Powered by Contextual Related...

In the UK it was announced yesterday that 4 police officers accused of carrying out a “serious, gratuitous and prolonged” attack on a British Muslim man are to face prosecution. The High Court was told last year that Babar Ahmad (pictured above), a terrorism suspect, was punched, kicked, stamped on and strangled during his arrest by officers from the Metropolitan Police at his home in London in December 2003. Mr Ahmad said officers beat and grabbed him around the neck, pulled his testicles and mocked his Islamic faith. At one point they reportedly forced him into a praying position and an officer shouted: “Where is your God now? Pray to him.” Now if these allegations are true, then of course it’s perfectly right, indeed essential, that legal proceedings...

…live last night. I had far better things to do with my time and after all they never watched me when I was crap. That all meant I heard the reaction to the game before I saw it. A reaction that made me think there are an awful lot of easily satisfied people out there but then more than that there’s a lot of folk who get sucked in by the same thing over and over again. Much like your pet dog, it still chases the ball when you pretend to throw it, even though it’s the hundredth time as soon as your arm comes round the mutt is off. Just like certain England fans, who are claiming this is a new start, new era, when the same players are doing the same thing to struggle past a nothing side. Over-hype matched by certain players. Just a few weeks back most of this lot struggled...

England's comedy of ego-struggles and miscommunications continued with the botched handling of Beckham's 'retirement'As a moth to the media lamp David Beckham can hardly object to having his England career ended in a TV interview. He minded when Steve McClaren dumped him after the 2006 World Cup and fought his way back, into the squad but there is no skirting round Fabio Capello's insistence in a televised pre-match conversation that Beckham is "a little bit old" to win a 116th cap.The England coach's sureness of touch deserted him in South Africa and there was no sign of it returning as he appeared to have demobbed Beckham without telling him first, though there were claims late last night that Capello had conveyed his decision through an intermediary. "I say thank you very much for...

• 35-year-old missed World Cup campaign with injury• Probably he is a little bit old, Capello saysFabio Capello tonight called time on David Beckham's international career. The 35-year-old missed the World Cup through injury but ended up being a member of the manager's back-up team in South Africa because of the influence he has over many of the established England players.However, even when he recovers from his achilles injury, it seems Beckham will not be required for England's attempt to qualify for Euro 2012. "I say thank you very much for helping me at the World Cup but probably he is a little bit old," Capello told ITV ahead of tonight's friendly with Hungary at Wembley.Beckham made his first appearance for the national team on 1 September 1996 in a World Cup qualifier against...

Sing it loud, sing it proud, David ‘Becks’ Beckham has SAVED the glorious brand that is Lego – and it’s all thanks to an anecdote on the last ever Friday Night With Jonathan Ross show. While comfortably ensconced on the Ross sofa, Becks revealed how he passed the spare time as a Milan player by painstakingly building the Lego Taj Mahal kit, to the delight of the viewers and no doubt the bigwigs at Lego. A few sums and a hastily-cobbled-together press release later and the news that the Lego Taj Mahal has had a 663% sales increase are all over the popular press. In fact, the Lego heads are so pleased that they’ve invited the Beckham clan to their headquarters in Billund, an offer that sounds good but that we’re almost certain will be declined. Hang on – at first glance, a...

English footballer Emile Heskey did the noble thing this week by announcing his retirement from international football. Despite lots of criticism, Heskey was a stalwart for England, making 62 appearances for his country between 1999 and 2010 and contributing a large number of assists and seven goals. He’ll be remembered as a man who always gave his most for his country and has nothing to be ashamed of. For England to turn a new leaf and begin building a squad that will mark a new generation of English international footballers, it’s imperative – in my opinion – for some of the current England team to also retire. This will then allow new players to come up through the ranks and gain necessary playing time at the highest level. I’ve often said that the England u-21 side has, for...

First there was Brand Beckham going to Hollywood. Now we have King Henry coming to the Big Apple. While MLS is getting that knack as a semi-retirement league for the world’s greatest stars (Frank Lampard has mentioned as well), Henry’s signing is still a major deal for the young league. Put simply, on footballing credentials alone, this is the best signing in MLS history. At the peak of his powers in the early 2000s, Thierry Henry was the best forward in the world. He was the most feared striker in England by a healthy margin. Twice runner-up FIFA World Player of the Year to countryman Zinedine Zidane (2003) and Ronaldinho (2004), Henry was voted player of the year in England twice by the PFA and three times by the Football Writers’ Association. He was on the French national...

Indications that Becks would be skint if he wasn’t a footballer David Beckham has revealed a secret desire to be a professional Lego builder if he hadn’t made it as a footballer. The ex-England skipper mentioned his love of the little plastic bricks during a live webchat. Overlooking the fact that being paid to build children’s toys [...]...

In the ‘oh, you don’t say’ moment of the weeks following the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, former England captain David Beckham, in a Yahoo! webchat on Wednesday, has openly admitted that the players in the England squad need to take full responsibility for England’s poor performance. “Capello did everything that he could have done” (suck up). “We didn’t perform” (“We”? You didn’t play mate). “The manager can do so much and then it’s down to the players” (oh really!? Tell us something we don’t know, like why Capello elected to stick with a 4-4-2 that wasn’t working, like why Capello let goal scorer Peter Crouch see so few minutes, or why Rooney was even playing looking so unfit). Clad in sleeves of tattoos and a snazzy three piece suit furnished by...

Now that Brazil is out of the 2010 World Cup after a underwhelming performance against a very strong Dutch team, the favorites no longer have a chance to win the tournament. But who do you think will now win the World Cup? Before we get to the poll below, I would like to add that I thought Brazil’s performance today was dire. For a team with so much talent, why did they spend so much time arguing with the referee and trying to convince the official to award yellow cards against the Dutch? Yes, the Dutch are a physical side and Arjen Robben has a penchant for diving. But those antics by Brazil completely got them focused on the wrong aspects of the game. Felipe Melo must feel a lot like David Beckham did in the 1998 World Cup. In a game that Brazil had the advantage, they quickly threw...

…aren’t you Germany. German midfielder Thomas Mueller, who scored two goals in their drubbing of England, is trying to add insult to injury by not only putting us to the sword on the field but by then completely and correctly analysing one of the main problems with the current English team and telling us exactly what that problem is in a language even the dolts wearing red on Sunday can understand… It is difficult to have so many ‘alpha males’ and have them row in the same direction. You don’t only need chiefs, you also need a few Indians. You need people who are willing to do the hard work. It may be a problem with England that players are simply not mentally prepared to go that extra mile for their team-mates. - Thomas Mueller Ever get the feeling...

Here is a blog by Nat, one of our forum regulars, following Sunday. Seventy minutes gone in Bloemfontein. Ozeil breaks with the ball for Germany, easily evades a limp Gareth Barry challenge, and squares the ball to Muller at the back post who tucks the ball into the net. 4-1. England’s worst defeat for a...

Well judging by the face of the fans after the drawing 0-0 in Algeria game what do you think? And drawing 1-1 with USA...honestly it's not looking very good is it? Rooney was pissed off with the fans, and the fans were pissed off with Rooney..which The Sun labelled the Roo-Boo-Zela LOL. He wasn't really [...] Read the full post at shaolintiger.com....

Wayne Rooney says sorry for post-match outburst, while princes and David Beckham are all smiles at VIP receptionIt was a day for apologies and the mother of all football hangovers. As thousands of England fans in Cape Town woke yesterday to clear their heads and wonder if the barren draw with Algeria had just been a bad dream, Princes William and Harry travelled to Johannesburg for a lavish reception aimed at bringing the World Cup to England in 2018.Meanwhile Wayne Rooney, the former darling of the fans, who sparked fury when he criticised them for booing the team after Friday's match, issued a public statement via the Football Association.From England's base camp in Rustenburg, he said: "I am as passionate about the England team as anyone. Last night, on reflection I said things in the...

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe there has a been a goal in the 2010 World Cup thus far that has been scored directly from a free kick. In a sport where the difference between a winning and losing team is often a goal from a direct free kick, it seems odd that there have been none thus far. Yes, David Beckham is not playing due to injury. But how many free kicks have we seen that have floated over the bar or hit the wall of defenders? Why do you think that is? Is it because of the ball, poor free kicks by teams or something else? Related posts:South Africa v Mexico, 2010 World Cup: Open Thread South Africa 2010 World Cup Bingo/Drinking Game Fan Diary #30 – Four Goals Against Pompey, Can We Carry On Against Lille?...

US President enjoys David Beckham’s distressed face Barack Obama took a break from his presidential duties to enjoy Robert Green’s howler against the USA and particularly David Beckham turning into Mr Angry afterwards. It is Photoshopped, of course, before anyone starts hacking away at any oil pipelines. Spotted on Dirty Tackle...

British Parachute Regiment soldiers who shot and killed 14 and injured many more during Northern Ireland’s ”Bloody Sunday” in Londonderry (above) are very likely to face prosecutions brought by the injured and the families of the 14 killed, Lord Ramsbotham said over the weekend. Lord Ramsbotham served as military assistant to General Sir Michael Carver, Chief of the General Staff, at the time of the controversial shootings in January 1972. In an interview he said : “I suspect that probably the prosecutions we will see are more likely to be taken out by individuals against individuals – private prosecutions.”  These developments have come about due to the impending publication of the Saville Enquiry into the shootings, which has taken 12 years, involved...

An all star casting in the 'Adidas Original' Commercial. David Beckham who was playing in some Galaxy team was asked to play in the intergalactic 2010 FIFA World Cup. Also featuring the Gallagher brothers having a laugh! Adidas Originals - Definitely a fun commercial to...

What happens if you combine Star Wars with Adidas, Snoop Doggy Dogg, David Beckham, Ian Brown from The Stone Roses and other famous musicians? It sounds like a surreal dream, but it’s all here in the TV commercial above. When you think about it, both Star Wars (the original) and Adidas are icons of the 1970’s, so it’s a perfect marriage of two brands that have stood the test of time. In the past several weeks, we’ve seen an onslaught of soccer TV commercials, but this one from Adidas is one of the most creative ones I’ve seen. In addition to the above named stars, keep an eye out for Noel Gallagher (Oasis), Daft Punk, Franz Beckenbauer and many other celebs. Related posts:What Now For David Beckham? England Legends Star In New World Cup Commercial Adidas adiNOVA TRX FG...

Back to the World Cup ads then. You see, it looked as though it wasn’t going to get any better than Nike’s effort which launched last week, but Adidas had this snuck away in their locker. What they’ve given us is David Beckham, Daft Punk, Snoop Dogg (wielding a lightsaber), Franz Beckenbauer, Noel Gallagher, Ian Brown and many more more, spliced into the iconic Cantina scene from Star Wars. What has it got to do with the World Cup? Fuck all. Are we tickled by it? Just a bit. Does Franz Beckenbauer wear the eye patch with aplomb? Definitely. Oh, and we’ve also got one with Peter Beardsley plugging a chair with a fridge in it…...

Every country has its historic matches that will never be forgotten and England’s rich World Cup history provides many celebrated games. Say phrases like “1966 World Cup”, “hand of God”, “David Beckham free kick”, “Gazza”, or “losing to penalties” to an England fan and watch his eyes light up with pleasure or grief thinking about the matches that define the England National Team. Sometimes these great, historic games are not the matches that you remember (for no other reason than maybe not being alive at the time). You may take these famous matches into historical perspective but you actually remember the games that, for some reason, speak to you in some way or other. It could be as simple as a goal that you find stunning, the debut of a player you particularly...

England and Chelsea star Frank Lampard recently stated he’d consider pulling an Eddie Murphy in the 1988 John Landis vehicle Coming to America, and, well, head stateside and over to the prestigious MLS in the future. The only problem with super Frank’s comments were that they were followed by the numbers 35 and 36. Like so many others before him, the implication here is that MLS may not be a bad 1 or 2 quiet years in the luxurious states resulting in one last decent paycheck before footballers hang up the old boots. Why has MLS gained such a potentially negative stigma among European talent? Will MLS ever see a top European player transfer over in their late 20’s? Lampard, now 31 and in the prime of his illustrious career has arguably been the best player for Chelsea this season...

• Beckham hands book over to Fifa at ceremony in Zurich• 'Football runs through our veins,' says midfielderDavid Beckham has handed over England's 2018 World Cup bid book to Fifa with the message "football runs through our veins". At a ceremony at Fifa headquarters in Zurich, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder spoke of the "passion and emotion" England could bring to the tournament as he led a five-strong delegation to Switzerland."I'm here on behalf of our fans," said Beckham. "Football runs through our veins. We are all brought up on it. It's truly an honour to be here. On behalf of our team, the delegation and our fans, we present you with our bid book."• David Beckham: Why England would be an ideal host• Cameron phones Blatter to back England's bid•...

With less than 3 months to go until England’s first group game against the U.S.A on June 12th in the World Cup and one particular pair of positions are causing more problems than anyone envisaged. At full strength, the English full-backs picked themselves with Ashley Cole easily making a case for being the best left back in world football and Glen Johnson’s continual growth as a player. Now with Cole recovering from a broken ankle and Johnson returning gradually from injury, question marks have been raised. This has indeed opened the door to one or two players that may have considered the chance to get to the World Cup firmly shut. The additional withdrawl of Wayne Bridge from international duty has left Fabio Capello with a quandary. Can he risk hoping Cole recovers in time or...

On David BeckhamNew Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy wrote a poem about poor, dead David Beckham's ruptured Achilles Tendon, being the kind on calamity that brings this once-proud nation to its knees.Naturally, it's the kind of poncy classical allegory that doesn't even rhyme you'd come to expect from these wallahs who have never in their lives directed a chant of "You're going home in a Red Cross ambulance" toward the opposing team's elderly season ticket holders.So - having experienced Wembley Stadium's legendary river of piss and the jolly old welcome you expect on away trips to northern grounds, I wrote one from the heart:Ode to David Beckham's Foot-KnackDavid Beckham gave his foes the williesBut now he's ruptured his AchillesEngland's World Cup chances are in the dockThanks to Beckham's...

David Beckham strikes again. Despite his Achilles injury, the footballer has found time to launch the season's trickiest look. Will you follow suit?The hallmark of a great modern celebrity is the ability to work a really good look on a really bad day. After all, any chump can pull off a big red-carpet moment, with months to prepare and a roomful of stylists to double-check your back view. It's when the going gets tough that icons show their mettle: think of Princess Diana, relaunching herself after the Camilla revelations in the perfect LBD at the Serpentine summer party back in 1994.And look, now, at David Beckham. Having just been dealt a possibly career-ending blow, he'd be forgiven for hiding out in shades and a hat this week, but no. With the world's media watching, he...

Health warning: What follows is an example of serious geekdom by someone whose Master’s dissertation was based on Aristophanes and who was very bored this evening. Namely, me. Unlike the only previous poetry competition on TCF, this will not hold your interest. Run away now. If you haven’t fled, you might already have heard – being the sort of saddo who keeps up on cultural events – that Carol Ann Duffy, our poet-laureate, has written a poem about the triumph and tragedy of David Beckham, his career and injury and how terrible and inspiring the whole thing is. It goes like this: Achilles Myth’s river – where his mother dipped him, fished him, a slippery golden boy flowed on, his name on its lips. Without him, it was prophesied, they would not take......

The poet laureate invokes Achilles in her verse for the England footballer, out of action due to an injured heelWho knows if it will cheer the tearful David Beckham up or not but I, for one, am full of joy at the news that Carol Ann Duffy has written a poem for the injured footballer. "This poem is written in sympathy for this part of his story and to draw a parallel with Achilles, who gave his name to Beckham's injury," the poet laureate told the Mirror, where her poem was published today. "The public aspect of some lives provides a narrative, a story, for the rest of us to follow. We speak of 'living the dream', a 'fairytale existence' of 'legends' and of 'heroes'. Like Greek myths, such public lives can contain triumph and tragedy, and in a way we all learn from them, as we do from...

Potential replacements for Goldenballs I think everybody associated with football will feel genuinely sorry for David Beckham this morning as a ruptured Achilles tendon all but ends the legendary midfielder’s chance to appear in a fourth World Cup finals. Although Fabio Capello has sent his best wishes to the injured 34-year-old, he will allow little time for [...]...

It's a sad day in podland, and not just because Phil Brown has been relieved of his duties at Hull City. On your brand new Football Weekly, we sing an ode to David Beckham, whose World Cup dream is over in the wake of a potentially career-ending achilles injury (although that cut under his eye looks fairly nasty too). James Richardson and a dangerously sleep-deprived Rob Smyth shed a tear. Before we get to that, proper journalist Owen Gibson looks ahead to Chelsea's Champions League clash with Internazionale. Plus, there's all the usual gubbins about the Premier League title race – could it all come down to goal difference? – and the fight for fourth place. Can Tottenham Hotspur really hang on in the face of the crumbling challenge from Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Manchester...

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown (pictured above, looking more like Big Brother than ever) intends to stay on as New Labour leader even if he is beaten at the impending general election, he revealed today. It had been widely assumed in Westminster that Mr Brown would step down if he failed to secure a majority at the general election, widely expected to be held on May 6, thereby triggering a contest to succeed him among a younger generation of New Labour MPs. But in a radio interview this morning, the PM confirmed that he is planning to stay in his post even if he loses the election. Asked directly whether he would resign if he did not get a majority in the polls, Mr Brown replied: “I’ll keep going. I’ll keep going because I want a majority. I’ll keep going, I’ll keep...

Fabio Capello was always going to have a challenging decision to make about David Beckham.  After an up and down season with the LA Galaxy and a more down than up loan stint with AC Milan, Beckham was hoping that his experience and dressing room leadership would allow him to join the England team in South Africa.  With his opportunity to play this summer ruptured along with his Achilles tendon, Beckham has a more dramatic question to face – does he ever suit up in a professional soccer uniform again? Achilles tendon injuries are among the most difficult wounds from which a player can recover.  The tendon needs to be surgically reattached and it is usually six weeks before the heel can be allowed to bear any weight.  Occasionally, an elite athlete can return to full training after...

…a tear. A bit back it was announced that Wes Brown would only be out for a few weeks with his broken foot and I asked why England couldn’t catch a break and the dopey fullback that Fabio loves so much couldn’t be out until it was impossible for him to make the World Cup. So it was with a cheer I heard last night that David Beckham will be missing out on his automatic squad place for what would have been his fourth World Cup. Click here to view the embedded video. What with Lennon’s on going injury concerns making his involvement look less and less likely and Fabio’s apparent obsession with fielding those players that have failed miserably at the last three tournaments they got to, failing even more miserably to even get to the last one. There had to be some...

As everyone who isn't living in a cave is aware, David Beckham has been on loan to AC Milan in a bid to improve his chances of making the World Cup this summer. That dream has now ended after Beckham tore his Achilles tendon during yesterdays match with Chievo.I do feel sorry for Beckham but the thing is, if I were Capello I probably would not have taken David Beckham to the World Cup anyway, and thus Fabio Capello and more importantly the England Team can be spared a media backlash from Beckhams absence in South Africa.There is a good argument that Beckham would be an impact player, who could come from the bench and deliver a vital free kick or corner in the dying minutes of a game that could further our progress. But I would say that any player who is not in consideration of 90 minutes...

• David Beckham ruptures achilles tendon• England midfielder's career in doubtDavid Beckham's hopes of extending his England career into a fourth World Cup finals are in tatters after the veteran midfielder ruptured an achilles tendon in Milan's 1-0 Serie A victory over Chievo last night, an injury that will rule him out for the season and could curtail his illustrious 18-year career.The 34-year-old pulled up in the centre circle under no pressure from an opposing player with two minutes of the match remaining in San Siro and, after hopping from the pitch in obvious pain on his healthy right leg, collapsed on the sidelines. He was treated for about five minutes on the touchline before eventually being carried from the arena face down on a stretcher in tears, mouthing, "It's broken,...

Becks’ South African dream is over David Beckham is set to miss out on this summer’s World Cup after pulling up with an ankle injury during tonight’s match between AC Milan and Chievo. The injury is thought to be a torn Achilles tendon which would almost certainly rule him out England’s squad for South Africa. The former [...]...

• Capello offers condolences to Beckham• Milan coach Leonardo confirms injury is seriousFabio Capello has spoken with David Beckham to commiserate over the injury that will rule the former England skipper out of this summer's World Cup.Beckham suffered a major Achilles injury during AC Milan's Serie A encounter with Chievo this evening, ending his hopes of featuring in a fourth World Cup for his country in South Africa this summer.Both Capello and his assistant Franco Baldini were on the phone to offer their best wishes for Beckham to ultimately make a full recovery, knowing they could write the 34-year-old out of their own plans for South Africa.Beckham sustained the injury without coming into contact with anyone else, limping to the sidelines for treatment in a match Milan went on...

• Fan ejected from club TV show for wearing scarf • Steward sacked for returning confiscated bannerManchester United are so concerned about the increasing success of the green-and-gold protests that the club have effectively forbidden Sir Alex Ferguson's players from speaking about it publicly and imposed a series of other measures aimed at counteracting the kind of publicity generated by David Beckham's endorsement of the campaign.Beckham's parting statement after United's 4-0 defeat of Milan on Wednesday, leaving the pitch with a protest scarf around his neck, is being described as "an iconic moment" by the Manchester United Supporters' Trust (Must), and senior figures at Old Trafford are worried about the significance of the most famous sportsman on the planet attaching himself to...