David Beckham

Unfortunately it looks like the twilight of his career will not be as idyllic as the rest of it. He has suffered a torn Achilles playing on loan for A.C. Milan, a move he was forced to make in order to be considered for selection in the World Cup squad. He is expected to be off his feet for a minimum of three months and then rehabilitation before he can play again likely to be another three months at least. At 35, there are questions whether this is the end of Beckham’s career. Whilst he has always proved people wrong before, the chances of him being selected for England after the World Cup are slim and England will begin a transition after the World Cup with many of the established first team players at the wrong end of 30. Playing for England was always the main motivation for Beckham and he may wonder whether it is worth it now that this is no longer a realistic possibility for him.

In regards to football betting, this marks yet another blow to the value of the England odds for winning the World Cup. Wayne Bridge has retired, Ashley Cole looks likely to be injured and therefore unavailable and now Beckham is unable to participate. Whilst his injury is a blow, the current odds at bwin.com of 6/1, third favourites behind Brazil and Spain will probably not change as his part on the pitch was likely to be small. Beckham would have been a massive presence in the dressing room but there are those that argue his presence is too big and England may be better off without him.

Whether you back England now depends on your opinions on this matter. Was Beckham a real lift to the team or a burden? I agree with those that say our World Cup betting odds would lengthen if an injury to Rooney, Lampard, Terry or Ferdinand occurred that ruled them out of the tournament, but undoubtedly the run-up to the World Cup in South Africa has not gone well so far in 2010.

You would not have believed it if you were told this time last year that Ashley Cole would suffer private life turmoil with a marriage break-up and also a serious injury. You would have been amazed this time last year if you read about the Terry/Bridge situation that would result in a change of Captain and that Beckham, perennially healthy and available, would suffer a bad injury. On a personal note for Beckham, after all the hard work he put in to be selected; to be told that Capello would have taken him to South Africa is of little consolation to him. Another frustrating thing for England fans is the other things, barring Ashley Cole’s injury, were all self-inflicted by the players.

In terms of betting on England, so far the chances of us winning the World Cup have not diminished too much. Another key injury would be fatal however, so keep your fingers crossed. There are plenty of good young players but I feel we are going to need a stand-out performance in the mould of Michael Owen in 1998 if we are to win. Hopefully that man is Wayne Rooney. Owen, incidentally, is also injured and out of contention but he looked as though he would miss out after an indifferent season for Man Utd.

Patriotism will ensure that there will be plenty of bets on England winning the World Cup. Realistic punters must be starting to worry a little now after a series of blows and further blows may make England unlikely to win the tournament. It was all going so well…

By Malcolm Clarke

Manager Fabio Capello was furious enough with the situation to strip John Terry of his captaincy in a short twelve minute meeting. Good for him. Former managers may have given him another chance and took the easy way out citing his suitability to the role. Not Capello. He is sending out a message to Terry and every member of the squad; shape up or you will be booted out of the team next. Players need reminding that an international cap is a privilege and not a right, I think they have got the message loud and clear under Capellos strict regime.

Currently England are amongst the favourites for the World Cup. Their current odds with bwin are 6/1 behind Brazil at 5/1 and the favourites Spain at 17/4. With Spain inconsistent before winning Euro 2008 you can see we have a good chance at the tournament. The incidents between Bridge and Terry are not likely to alter the odds, but consider other things that will be occurring around the squad right now.

The other players in the squad will be unnerved by what is going on and will be discussing the coverage in the papers between themselves and contacting Wayne Bridge and offering their support. Likewise, but perhaps to a lesser extent, the same thing will be happening to Terry. The mere fact they are discussing the debacle is a bad thing for England. Capello does not like to get involved in things like this and is a tough, matter of fact manager. He will be aware, however, that the England team has to deal with media scrutiny a little more than other countries. It demands a different approach.

Ashley Cole’s injury has cast doubt on whether he will be at the World Cup. Bridge is only viable replacement unless Gareth Barry moves into the role where he started his career. Bridge has not publicly stated whether he would accept a call-up to the squad and rumour has it he has so far snubbed efforts by Terry to get in touch and discuss things. The fact that the spotlight is now on Terry and Bridge playing together is cannon fodder for the media and something Capello would have been keen to avoid in the World Cup build up.

Younger players may be disillusioned with their captain and the nature of the incidents involving Terry and Bridge force you to take sides. By nature this splits the squad. It is now vital for Capello to bring the squad together and ensure things are not left lingering. Rio Ferdinand needs to be accepted as Captain and the squad needs to move forward together. Hopefully this can happen at the Egypt friendly.

I would personally like to see Bridge and Terry play together in the friendly and give at least a public sign of a truce, even if that masks their private feelings. This public truce would serve to dampen the media flame that is burning so intensely at the moment. I think that perhaps Capello will want the same thing as he is not the type of manager to view this as anything more than an irritating distraction brought about by silly players not thinking about the repercussions of their actions.

In my opinion the media did gleefully exaggerate the story. The woman involved was not with Bridge and even though she has a child with him the link to Bridge was exaggerated in terms of the reported “Terry has an affair with team mate’s girl” angle. Of course Bridge is embarrassed (we all heard the crowd chants) but Terry is rightly being criticised for his extra marital activities and it is not the first time he has been caught out. He needs to realise the media are watching for him to slip up. Failure to toe the line has cost him his captaincy, he needs to make sure he limits the damage this has caused and it does not upset the England squad anymore than it has done already.

Our World Cup hopes may depend on it.

By Malcolm Clarke