Update - Scans from Arena Magazine in the gallery.

David Beckham was in the Scilly Isles yesterday filming a new Adidas ad with Steven Gerrard and he also took some time out to make some lucky locals days

In between showing off his skills, Becks thrilled locals by signing endless autographs. He also posed for photos as he cradled tots such as year-old Jacob Mallon, Sophie Garrett's six-month-old boy Samson and Melanie Downie's four-month son Oliver.

The England ace also let kids, including Clive's granddaughter Bethany Thomas, 12, join him in a kickabout.

Ben Denton, 26, who came from the neighbouring island of Bryher to watch, said: "He was taking freekicks and having a laugh with them. There was even one kid in goal trying to stop them."

The Scilly Isles, nearly 30 miles off Land's End, were bathed in warm autumn sunshine yesterday. Before long Becks - on his first visit - had fallen in love with St Mary's as much as it had fallen in love with him.

He said: "It's an amazing and beautiful place, especially with weather like this. I'm enjoying myself and everyone's been so friendly.

"I'm tempted to come back with the family - it's private and the kids would love it."

You can read more here and also here. Photos in the gallery.

Becks also stopped by the local radio station - the smallest radio station in the world - to give an interview to presenter Keri Jones, who said "He came across as really nice, a really down-to-earth guy," more here. Can't wait to see the finished commercial!

Calendar contest

If you haven't already spotted it, David Beckham's official website is giving away 10 signed copies of Becks official calendar. Make sure you get your entry in details here.

(Source) David Beckham has been named Britain’s most powerful man aged 40 or under by Arena Magazine.

When Becks was told about the list he said, "I am really honoured. To get that title for just being a footballer is quite amazing."

Arena editor Giles Hattersley said, "Beckham has topped this year's Arena Power List because he is arguably the most recognisable Brit on the planet. David is our biggest sporting export and has inspired boys of all ages to become passionate about football - and fashion. He boasts a formidable CV - on and off the pitch - and at 32, has already lived the lives of ten men."

The latest issue of Arena Magazine with Becks on the cover will hit newstands today in the UK. The Sun reports that Becks told Arena he will only return to the Premiership for his old club Man Utd, saying, "I’ve played for the best team in England and I wouldn’t want to play against it. It would hurt too much." He also talked about the responsibility of being an influential figure, saying, "Being in my position, you can really have an effect... You can really make a difference to somebody." There are more excerpts from the interview in The Mirror. Scans from the shoot by Steven Klein are in the gallery.

5th match against poverty

It is being reported, details here, that David Beckham will play in the Match against Poverty, hosted by Zidane and Ronaldo on Nov 19 in Spain. It is also expected that Roberto Carlos will play and it would be a lot of fun to see all the amigos back together again for such a worthy cause. However, England has a Euro qualifier Nov 21 which Becks will hopefully play in, so I don't know whether that will impact his availability. We should hear more closer to the time. Thanks to Lulu for the heads up. Update - Simon Oliveira, David Beckham's spokesman has said, "We haven't committed to anything at this stage. David is keen to play in Spain for charity but the game is only two days before England's match with Croatia, which would rule him out. A decision will be made nearer the time."

There are a couple more very very (did I say very?) blurry pictures of the Beckhams out in their new wheels in the gallery.

Update - There are larger untagged versions of the photos of Becks leaving Mastro's earlier in the week in the gallery.

David Beckham hosted a training day at the David Beckham Academy for the lucky winners of a recent Motorola contest. Watch a clip from the day below -



Screen caps are in the gallery

(Source) David Beckham will play in a Nov 4 match to raise funds for the relief effort following this week's Southern California wildfires. All proceeds, including donations collected on the day of the match at the Home Depot Center in Carson, will be given to the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, the Galaxy said on Friday.

The LA Galaxy will play Hollywood United. The Hollywood lineup is expected to include actors Anthony LaPaglia, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Costas Mandylor; musicians Steve Jones and Vivian Campbell; and former World Cup players Frank Leboeuf, Richard Gough, Joe-Max Moore and Eric Wynalda. Former Galaxy standouts Lalas and Mauricio Cienfuegos also are set to play

General admission will be $20 on a first-come, first-served basis, with a limited number of luxury seats for $60 each. Firefighters will be assured free admission by showing their badges at the stadium box office beginning on Monday. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through the Galaxy at 877-3GALAXY or online at www.lagalaxy.com and www.ticketmaster.com

Becks and the Galaxy will begin training again next Thursday to prepare for their Nov. 7 exhibition game in Vancouver, British Columbia, the first of four upcoming exhibition matches. For more details see the LA Galaxy exhibitions post.

Other news

Marca are running a poll where you can vote for the best right-midfielder to play for Real Madrid. You can go here to vote for Becks. The poll is at the bottom of the front page on the Marca website. Thanks to Albert for the heads up.

Becks has a new Porsche and there are photos of him picking Victoria up from the airport in it, in the gallery. There are also a few more photos from the day Becks spent with the Motorola contest winners at his academy.

Last month I posted details about the Official David Beckham Calendar which was available through amazon.co.uk. The calendar is now available through amazon.com too. You can view some scans form the calendar here.

Here is a cute 10 minute clip from the press conference that David Beckham gave in Chicago last Saturday thanks to B96 Chicago. It's always good to hear what he says and how he says it, as the media only include a few quotes in articles and often leave the best parts out!

Becks latest blog post

Hello everyone,

Hope you are all well?

I’ve continued to step up my match fitness over the past week and managed to come off the bench and play a part against Red Bull New York and Chicago Fire. It was a great feeling to be part of the action again.
Unfortunately, results went against us and we just missed out on a play off spot. The team had played so well over the past six or seven games, so I’m incredibly disappointed for them, but we’ll come back stronger next season I’m sure.
I’d like to wish Cobi Jones a happy retirement from playing. He’s been at the Galaxy since the club was formed and has definitely been one of its, and the MLS’s, greatest players. So, best of luck to him for the future.

Speak to you soon

David

Other news

There is an article online discussing possible changes at the LA Galaxy which claims there was a "season post-mortem" meeting held Tuesday. The piece is mostly speculative and I don't know how accurate it is...

There is a photo of Becks at a training day for winners of a Motorola contest held at the David Beckham Academy in the gallery and hopefully there will be more and/or video available later. There are also photos of Becks leaving Mastro's Steak House last night as well as a video clip online here and a little more on his night out in The Sun

Update - Three photos of David Beckham leaving Chateau Marmont yesterday have been added to the gallery.

Here's a clip of David Beckham looking back on the season and talking about his plans for the off-season -



Watch the full show : Part one - Part two - Part three

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

(Source) Becks will also be appearing on the ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on November 4th. The show will feature the animal-loving Miller family who's home needed to be reconstructed after it filled with life threatening radon gases. The family go on vacation and meet Becks as a special surprise for Dakota Miller, who was forced to quit soccer due to severe breathing difficulties. Becks gives the 10-year-old a scholarship to his L.A. soccer academy. The show will air at 8PM ET and will be available to watch online at the ABC website the following day.

Also I've added a photo from last night of Becks leaving Koi (there is a video clip here) and also from Monday night of Becks leaving the Saddle Ranch on the Sunset Strip (there is a video clip here) Along with three photos courtesy of Thesebootsweremadeforstalking.com (cute website name!) of Becks and his team-mates at the Krem nightclub in Chicago to the gallery. Becks and team-mate Cobi Jones happily posed for photos with fans.

The LA Galaxy have the following exhibitions planned - here is the schedule

November 7 - LA Galaxy v Vancouver Whitecaps at B.C. Place Stadium. The game will kick-off at 7PM local time. More than 40,000 tickets had already been sold to the exhibition that was originally scheduled for October.

November 11 - LA Galaxy v Minnesota Thunder at the Metrodome. Ticket prices start at $15 for the lower level. Part of the proceeds will benefit various children's charities. The game will kick-off at 5.30PM local time.

November 27 - LA Galaxy v Sydney FC at Telstra Stadium Sydney. The game will kick-off at 8.30PM local time. Tickets start at $20 but the vast majority of the 83,500 tickets have been sold.

December 1 - LA Galaxy v Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium Wellington. Tickets start from $50. The game will kick-off at 7PM local time.

I don't know what arrangements for televising the games has been made as yet.

David Beckham is Askmen's number 1 man for 2007

Congrats Becks! Askmen polled their readers over the last month to determine the top 49 men of 2007. More than a million votes were cast and David Beckham was most deservedly numero uno! You can see more here.

Ballon D'or nominee

David Beckham is one of the 50 nominees for the award presented to the European footballer of the year. It is an honor to be a nominee - so congratulations to Becks! You can view the full list here. The winner will be announced December 2

Tom on Becks

(Source) Tom Cruise told BBC Radio Five Live during the Lions For Lambs premiere in London's Leicester Square that he has the perfect pick-me-up for Becks, "We will go out and fly some airplanes or race some cars or something like that, I'll talk to Victoria and see if she's all right with that. But we'll have some fun." Cruise said Beckham would be disappointed to be out of the play-offs. "I know what a competitor he is and I have great admiration for him as an athlete, as a father, and as a husband. The guy works so hard, I know personally how dedicated this guy is and how committed," he said. "I look forward to seeing him play for England."

Pete on Becks

(Source) David Beckham's LA Galaxy team-mate Pete Vagenas has also shown Becks support. He told the media, "You can't really prepare for somebody like David coming to your team, I'd be lying to you if to say that I didn't think people struggled with it. But David is a great person, a great teammate, and that makes it easy on everybody... When he got here, he was the first one to say that he was about the soccer, you questioned it a bit maybe, but you could see it in his performance and in the way he takes care of himself, the way he trains and goes about his business. Everything else may be a distraction to him but he really doesn't show that it is."

Other news

England have a friendly match against Austria scheduled for Nov 16 at Ernst Happel Stadion at 8pm and their final Euro 2008 qualifier scheduled for Nov 21 against Croatia at Wembley. The squad will be named a few days before the games and hopefully we will be able to see Becks back in an England shirt. There is an article in The Independent that discusses some of the possible scenarios for Becks training in the UK during the off-season.

Martin Rogers has written a column on Becks first season in MLS. I agree with some points and disagree with others but I thought you might like to see it online here.

Also I've added a few more photos to the gallery.

Unfortunately the LA Galaxy lost the game and won't progress to the play-offs. You can read the match report here.

(Source) David Beckham spoke to reporters after the game and said, "We've had a good run, but obviously early season is what's affected us more than anything. We have to win games throughout the season instead of relying on the last five or six games to come back into it. But we've ended the season sort of on a high -- apart from this game -- and we have to be positive about next season."

Becks said he was not necessarily looking forward to having time off. "I'm a person that likes to train every day and work every day, and that's the way it's been throughout my career... For the last 15 years, I've had no longer than three weeks off in the summer. I'm not going to know what to do with myself. I'll be keeping in training and keeping fit no matter what."

Becks defended his team-mates, "To go through what the players went through when I arrived, and before I arrived, was difficult to adjust, but they showed character in the last six, seven games. No one expected us to be in this position today like we were, so it shows that we have character."

Becks also said that he would not be getting involved with any decisions on the future of the club. "If Alexi [Lalas, the president] does come to me with questions and advice with certain things, of course, I’m there and I will give it, but the decisions in the club are not down to me."

Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop said he had no regrets about starting Beckham on the substitutes' bench. "It would be tough to ask him to (play a full game) with not playing for seven weeks... Once he got into the game, he had some good long passes and his free kicks are always dangerous. A good off-season and he will be really good next season."

First of the photos of David Beckham are in the gallery. Here are some match highlights -

David Beckham and the LA Galaxy are in the windy city, Chicago, ahead of their must win game tomorrow against the Chicago Fire. Becks gave a press conference as did the Chicago Fire's Cuauhtemoc Blanco and then the two players posed briefly for photographers, there are a few small photos in the gallery, hopefully more will surface soon.

Here are some of David Beckham's quotes from the press conference -

"I've been injured for the majority of time I've been in the U.S. and it's been very frustrating for myself and for the club. It's frustrating for me as it is for other people who want to see me play, as well. ... It's something you can't help sometimes. Injuries that just happen"

"I've worked harder than I've worked in a long time to get my fitness right, to get my fitness to the level where when I did come back, I would be ready"

"Physically, it was a little bit tough," Beckham said of his first match back. "After 25 minutes I felt a little bit tired after the game, which is amazing. But I'm starting to feel a bit better now. We had training [on Saturday] which went well. It loosened not just me up, but the rest of the lads up after the flight on [Friday]."

"We've created the buzz we wanted to around the league. We've had a full house in most of the stadiums we've played in, from that part, it's been a success, but on my side it's been frustrating because I've not been able to go every place we've played in."

(Source) On a lighter note Becks was asked if he would be attending any posh events in Chicago on Saturday night and he said, "I don't do too many posh events. I'll probably watch the [MLS] games with the lads". Then he joked, "[But] if there are any posh events, let me know."

While David Beckham enjoys joking around, he admitted that when it comes to the locker room, he usually isn't a jokester but rather the guy getting teased. "I enjoy the jokes [with the Galaxy]," he said, although he wouldn't elaborate on how his teammates tease him. "I can't tell you. I really can't tell you."

You can read more online here and also on ESPN

Go Becks and the Galaxy!!

The Galaxy got the result they needed tonight with the Colorado Rapids losing to Real Salt Lake which eliminated them from the play-off race and now the eighth and final play-off spot will be decided tomorrow at Toyota Park. It is a must win match for the LA Galaxy and David Beckham is expected to play a role as a sub. Match preview here.

The game will kick-off at 3pm ET - 12PM PT - 8PM London Time and 6AM Monday Sydney Time. The game will be televised on Telefutura and also FSN-W.

Congratulations Becks

(Source) David Beckham won the award for favourite sportsman at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards tonight after more than 3 million kids cast their vote. Nice!

The LA Galaxy extended their unbeaten record to seven, with tonight's game ending in a 1-1 draw. Match report here. David Beckham returned to action, although he is not yet at 100%, he came on as the Galaxy's third sub in the 68th minute of the game and received a warm welcome from the 27,000+ crowd. You can read more on his return in The LA Times and at ESPN.

Becks did not speak to the media after the game but Coach Yallop made the following comments about playing him, "It lifts everybody that he's available. He's a little bit rusty, obviously... We spoke before and he said 25 minutes was about [all] he could go, so we stuck to that plan." He added, "David's service is probably the best in the world... When you have a chance to put someone like David on, you do that."

A draw still keeps LA Galaxy's play-off hopes alive! Although now they will rely on another teams result (Colorado must lose or tie against Real Salt Lake OR Kansas City must lose to Dallas, on Saturday) as well as a win in Chicago.

It is not known whether Becks will play in Sunday's game against the Chicago Fire, a decision will be made closer to the time, details here. Update - LA Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas told Skysport, "He [Beckham] is definitely not 100% in terms of his sharpness and that comes from being off for a long time. I don't think there is a chance of him starting [against Chicago] but he could come on if necessary." He also praised Becks saying, "It's been a strange year with him coming mid-season and the injury and the way he has changed our business, the impact that he has made. He's done a great job of being so accommodating to everyone out here." Full story here.

First of the photos of David Beckham from tonights game are in the gallery.

Here's a clip of some highlights from Becks return to action -

David Beckham has updated his blog -

Hi everybody,

After spending the past few weeks working hard on my fitness you’ll be glad to hear that I now feel ready to play, and hopefully I’ll be on the bench for the game against Red Bull New York today. Obviously I’m not completely match fit yet, but I hope to get on and play a little, which will help my fitness. The team have been absolutely brilliant lately, winning five games in a row, so I know it’ll be a challenge to get back into the starting eleven. I went along to the Galaxy Foundation Charity golf day on Monday and, although I couldn’t play, I did enjoy watching the rest of the squad playing and got to meet some of the fans, which was great.

That’s all for now,

David

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

David Beckham's Soccer USA 13

Photos of David Beckham at training today are in the gallery.



The final episode of the US edition of David Beckham's Soccer USA is online. You can watch highlights above, including Becks at training, and the whole show online here. The UK edition took a break this week and the final episode will air next week!

LA Galaxy v NY Red Bulls

The LA Galaxy club have put out a press release to say that David Beckham is available for selection for the game against the NY Red Bulls. Although he will not start but may come in as a sub. More here.

Earlier today AP reported that David Beckham had aggravated his left ankle in training. However, they have now revised the article with all reference to him re-injuring his ankle removed. No explanation for the sudden change in the story was given.

The LA Times is continuing to report that David Beckham is a doubt because of re-injuring his left ankle and the photos from practice seem to bear the LA Times reports out because Becks can be seen visibly wincing and rubbing his left ankle in pictures.

You can read the match preview here. Go Galaxy and good luck to Becks if he plays I hope he is 100% ready and has a great return to action!!

Update 10/16 - I've added a couple of "blast from the past" photos of David Beckham from Isifa to the gallery. I hope I can find them untagged as they are really nice. Also there are photos of Posh and Becks leaving Koi Monday night and Mastro's Steakhouse Tuesday.

David Beckham trained with the team for the fourth time since his return from injury today. Landon Donovan said, "He looks great. He gets into tackles. He's sprinting. He's cutting, so he looks good to me. Last week, he was still a little more ginger, I think. He's getting closer but it takes time to build the fitness back and get back into the flow of it again."

Whether Becks will play a role on Thursday is still undecided but if he does, it is thought he will come on as a sub. More details here. Fingers-crossed that he's ready as he will be keen to play and will contribute a lot if he does. You can hear Coach Yallop talking about Becks fitness after training online here thanks to Sidelineviews.

Good Luck to England in their match later today UK time. A win would see England qualify for Euro 2008 so Go England!! You can follow the match via the BBC site. Update 10/17 - unfortunately England were defeated 2-1 by Russia which means their qualification for Euro 2008 is no longer in their hands and will depend on the outcome of other countries matches. Provided Russia don't win their remaining two matches and/or Croatia loses to Macedonia, qualification is still possible though! Match report here.

Phone Becks

There are some new photos of David Beckham making a phone call while he was out and about yesterday in the gallery

The exhibition match between the LA Galaxy and the Minnesota Thunder that was postponed when Becks was injured, will be rescheduled for November 11 if the LA Galaxy don't make the play-offs or for Spring 2008 if they do. So let's all hope for a spring game, details here.

Steve Davis has written a great overview of where things stand in the battle for the remaining play-off spots, read it here. The two 'do or die' games remaining for the LA Galaxy are -

LA Galaxy v NY Redbulls (at home) Thursday Oct 18, 8PM PT - 11PM ET - 2PM Australian EST - 4AM London time, it will be televised on ESPN2

Chicago v LA Galaxy (away to Chicago) Sunday Oct 21, 12PM PT - 3PM ET - 6am Australian EST - 8PM London Time, it will be televised on Telefutura.

David Beckham had a great Saturday with his two teams winning two from two! The LA Galaxy beat Toronto FC 2-1 match report here and coverage in the LA Times here. England triumphed comfortably over Estonia winning 3-0 and you can view match details online here.

There are photos of Becks watching the LA Galaxy win their fifth straight game in the gallery as well as pictures of him on the feild congratulating his team-mates after the game. He also signed autographs for fans - you can see a picture Andrea Canales took of the ensuing Beckhamania here. She also wrote a good article about David Beckham's pending return and his role as a motivator for the team. Update - The Mirror has an article about how Becks retun to action for the La Galaxy will allow him to compete for a place in the squad that will play the Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia on November 21.

As previously posted, Becks is now targetting Thursday's game against the New York Red Bulls for a return to action. Coach Yallop said, "Hopefully we get some type of minutes out of him on Thursday, but we've got to wait and see. And then, if we can manage to make it into the playoffs, David will be ready to go. That's exciting." Fingers crossed!

Thanks to Galaxy23 here is an interesting article that mentions that David Beckham gives his per diem entitlement when he is on the road to the less well paid players, which is a really nice gesture, story here.

There are some photos of David Beckham looking fit in training yesterday in the gallery. However he sat out today's practice and is thought to be targetting the game against the New York Red Bulls on Oct 18 for a return to action. More details online here.

David Beckham loves Mastro's!

It seems that Becks really loves eating at Mastro's steakhouse as he dined there with his family last weekend and, according to buzz foto, was spotted there again last night. There's a photo of him leaving the restaurant in the gallery and I'll post any more I see.

On the topic of food, Gordon Ramsay told the Daily mail in an extensive interview, "[The Beckhams] are good, hard-working people. We just get on." He says that David "loves his food", but adds with a laugh that Victoria "just wants everything steamed".

Finally, it's time to dust off the pom-poms both LA Galaxy and England have important games tomorrow! So get those fingers, toes, legs, arms and eyes crossed folks and gooooo the G-boys and the E-boys

La Galaxy v Toronto FC game preview

England v Estonia match preview

Update 10/12 - Happy Friday! There will be a proper update tonight in the meantime I've added a few more old pics to the England kit launch gallery.

Update - I've expanded the press conference gallery with 25 old pictures of David Beckham that I'd been meaning to add.

It's Wednesday and we all know Wednesday is DBSU day! First up though Becks has updated his blog with good news about his fitness

Hi all,
Hope you are all well? I have been working hard this week in the gym to keep my fitness levels up. I’ve also been spending time with my physio as well to work on improving my knee and it seems to be working. I can now run, sprint and cut and now I just need to work on striking and passing the ball a bit more – I even managed a small five a side game to test out my fitness but it showed me that I’m not quite ready to play yet. I’m hoping to have some involvement in the game within the next week or so.
But it has been great to see The Galaxy doing so well – they beat Houston Dynamo 2-1 on Sunday, which was a great game. Houston are near the top of the table, but that win has put the team in with a chance of making the play offs, which would be incredible.

All the best
David

David Beckham's Soccer USA

Here's a clip of Becks introducing some of MLS's young stars, talking about his injury and wishing the England team good luck. He is uncertain as to whether he will be fit for the game against Toronto but I'm sure we are all pleased that he is taking his time and making good progress with his fitness. Update - The Sun reports that the club's medical staff say Becks is not ready to return to action and won't play against Toronto. Becks will be keen to play and I'm sorry that the delay will be a disappointment for him but I am also reassured to know that the "club's medical staff" are involved. He will now hope to return for the match against the New York Red Bulls on October 18.



You can watch the full UK edition of Episode 12 thanks to Kinsellagem here Part one - Part two - Part three.

If you enjoy the UK show please write to soccerusa@five.tv and let them know as there is only one show left which will air on October 24. Hopefully the show will be continued next season! Thanks to Ben for the e-mail address.

You can watch the full US edition online here.

David Beckham's dad is back at home

(Source) Ted Beckham is out of the hospital and is doing well. He told reporters, "All three of my children David, Lynne and Joanne have been a tower of strength. They have helped me get through this along with the doctors and nurses. I owe a lot to all of them." It's nice to hear that he is home, let's wish him all the best for his health and happiness.

Update - David Beckham took his sons Brooklyn and Romeo to a school party on the weekend and took a ride on the loop-o-plane fairground ride by the looks of things! Victoria's parents and also James Caan can be seen in the photos which are in the gallery. Later in the day the family had dinner together at Maestro's.

LA Galaxy defeated Houston Dynamo 2-1 today extending their winning streak to 4 from 4! The match report is online here. They remain 6 points behind Chicago who are currently in the 8th play-off spot but the LA Galaxy do have a game in hand. If the LA Galaxy win their next two games they will need only a win or draw to finish ahead of Chicago, depending on Chicago's results next week, when they play them in the last game of the regular season. In the event the two sides finish the regular season tied on points the decider is based on their head to head results and the LA Galaxy beat Chicago 2-0 earlier in the season. You can view the play-off standings here.

In other news, Becks dined out with Gordon Ramsay at Spago last night. There is a clip of Becks and Ramsay leaving the restaurant on youtube.

In 1996 David Beckham won the Sky sport young player award and was featured in Sky magazine - scans from that shoot are in the gallery.

Steve McClaren, England Manager, has praised David Beckham saying, He's a true patriot and he loves playing for England. That's still his motivation, that's still his mind-set." McClaren told reporters that Becks is working towards a return to the England squad for their matches in November, he said, "He's in late training at the moment and that's his target to be back playing and in contention for that squad." Full story online here.

Six years ago today...

David Beckham scored the goal that sent England to the 2002 World cup. In the 93rd minute of the match between England and Greece at Old Trafford he scored from a trademark freekick to level the scores, giving England the point required for automatic qualification. He gave a man of the match performance, pundits rated him 10/10 and called for him to be knighted! It was one of the highlights of his career as well as one of his proudest moments in an England shirt.

Here's scans of The Sun's coverage of Becks great performance please excuse the quality of the scans, my scanner is very low-tech. Here's one quote from John Sadler "David Beckham v Greece. This was the afternoon when one man literally took on the opposition on his own. I have only ever give one full 10 out of 10 rating before and that was for Michael Owen against Germany in Munich. That the next should follow so rapidly is remarkable - as remarkable as Beckham's performance"

Friday Oct 5 Update - David Beckham did not train with the team today to give his right knee sprain a rest. It is still hoped that he will play for the LA Galaxy before the end of the season. Coach Yallop said, "We're hoping that we can get him into the lineup as quick as we can, but there'll be no rush from us because of what has gone before. He wants to make sure he's ready and healthy." Full story online here.

The LA Times has a lengthy Q & A with David Beckham. It touches on lots of interesting topics.You can read part one here and part two here.

Here are a couple of excerpts but it's such a good interview you'll want to read it all!

Q:How are the knee and ankle and how soon will you be able to get on the field again? Would you play even if the Galaxy cannot qualify for the playoffs?

A: The knee's coming along really nice. It's been five weeks now. The doctor told me eight to 10 weeks, but I was determined to be back before eight weeks. So hopefully it will be six or seven weeks. I think I'll play before the end of the season. Even if we lose a game and are not able to make the playoffs, I'll still try to get one or two games in. I need to get back to playing

Q:You once talked about maybe being an artist if you hadn't been a soccer player. Do you dabble in art now?

A: It's one of the things that I've always loved doing. Brooklyn, my eldest, is the same way. He loves art. He loves drawing. He'll sit there and ask me to draw cartoons and things like that.

It's one thing I've always loved doing. I'll sit there and I'll copy Mickey Mouse and things like that for the kids and they'll stick them up on the wall.

Q: Is your injury layoff going to make it more difficult for you to win back your place on the England squad?

A: Not really. With injuries, it's always tough. But [England Coach Steve McLaren] has been sort of checking on me with my rehab and with my treatment and he's been making sure that I'm coming along well. But he knows also that I can't rush it.

Hopefully, I'll still be in the plans. I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be, but who knows? I just need to get myself fit, and once I'm fit I can start playing again for the Galaxy, the last few games of the season, and maybe the playoffs, and then there are two England games in November.

As expected, David Beckham was not named in the England squad ahead of their next two Euro 2008 qualifiers as he is still returning to full fitness. Hopefully he will be able to return to the squad for the games in November.Details here.

Great news, David Beckham joined in a light team training session today, for the first time since injuring his knee in August! Becks said, "I wasn't meant to be training today, but once I'm out there it felt good. Today went well but we'll just have to see how it is this afternoon and tomorrow... I'm still restricted on many things but overall it felt great."

Team-mate Landon Donovan told reporters, "(Beckham) looked great. He's amazing. I'm sure he'll probably be sore tomorrow, but he looked fine. I don't know how long until he plays but I would assume he's not playing this weekend. But he's going to help us when he gets back."

Coach Yallop added, "He hasn't kicked the ball with the team in I don't know how long and he looks like he's not been out of the lineup. He's just an unbelievable player. Once you see him live and work around him he's incredible." The full story is online here.

Becks will possibly see a return to action next week against Toronto FC, more here, although LA Galaxy Coach Yallop doubted he would be available for the England qualifier on the same date as he hasn't played any competitive minutes for the LA Galaxy yet. Full story here.

David Beckham's Soccer USA 11

Here is a cute clip of David Beckham meeting Mia Hamm from the US edition and also good news on Becks injury from the UK edition.



You can watch the full UK edition - Part one - Part two - Part three

You can watch the full US edition online here.

Halo 3

On September 26 Crazy Days and Nights entertainment blog posed the following question to visitors - "When Halo3 was released the other night, this world famous athlete was waiting in line just like everyone else. At midnight he bought copies of the game for himself, for his kids and for the twenty other people who had been standing in line with him." Who was it? The answer - David Beckham! They don't provide a source or anything but seeing as it is such a nice story and sounds like something Becks might do, this is one rumor I'm happy to post!

The David Beckham Academy album has been updated with 80 more photos.

David Beckham has updated his blog here's today's note -

Hello everyone,

Firstly, I’d like to apologise for not updating my blog over the past week or so, but as I’m sure you understand, with my dad being taken ill the only thing on my mind was to get to him as quickly as possible.

Thank you so much to all of you who sent messages of support, flowers and cards to the hospital. They were greatly appreciated. Along with my dad and my family, I would also like to thank the doctors, nurses and ambulance staff who were amazing in their care of him.

I’m back in the States now and will be continuing my treatment on the injury.

That’s all for now - I’ll update you again soon.

Thanks
David

Let's wish him good luck with the treatment for his injury!

There is also an interview with Tim Lovejoy and he talks about MLS and Becks, read it here.

Sports Illustrated has an article by Alexi Lalas' brother Greg, suggesting that he doesn't think the LA Galaxy should make the play-offs because they have only begun to win matches since some of the media spotlight lifted. Thanks to galaxy23 here is the link. So what do you think?

Andrea Canales who writes for ESPN and Sideline Views posted this in response to the article "Yeah, I have to pull rank here and say that probably no one interviews more Galaxy players than I do, and all of the ones I've talked to want Beckham back on the field. They had some great games with him. He helped them beat the top team in the league right now to get them to that SuperLiga final.

Sorry, there's just no way that I believe every time the Galaxy get a free kick or a corner kick, that half of them aren't thinking, "Damn, wish David was here."

More than a few players (Donovan, Cobi, Joe, Kyle,) have told me that they're hoping to keep the run going so that when David comes back, there's something for him to play for. They know how hard he's tried for them and they feel they've let him and themselves down a little by having such a poor season.

Also, what more than a couple mentioned was that once everyone wrote them off, that took the pressure off and they were able to surprise even themselves a little bit.

Finally, if adversity builds character, seriously, the Galaxy have to be able to dig deep at this point. The guys left have been through a lot together." Thanks to Diane for the heads up!

Finally don't forget to watch David Beckham's Soccer USA, Wednesday night! The US edition will feature Becks talking with Mia Hamm.

The Sun reports that David Beckham thanked London chest hospital staff for looking after his dad — by helping carry out rubbish bags from the ward. A hospital source said: "The woman he took the bags off said nobody has ever done that."

Becks also thanked each of the medical staff individually before returning home to his sons in Los Angeles.

The paper also said that Ted Beckham has made a speedy recovery and is expected to be sent home if tests show no complications. This is great news!

Becks dismisses loan rumors

(Source) David Beckham has moved to silence the many rumors that have circulated concerning a possible loan during the off-season. His spokesman told PA sport, "There will be no loan moves or short-term contracts. He is under contract to the Galaxy."

'99 FA Cup sem-final

Thanks to Notorious! Here are more highlights from the treble season FA cup semi-final between Manchester United and Arsenal. This gives you a much better look at the fabulous goal David Beckham scored that day. At the end of the clip you can see the crowd celebrating with Becks! Great scenes! Sure to put a smile on your face.


David Beckham was 17th on Business week's list of the 100 most influential people in sport. Becks has got the power! You can view the article here and the full list here. Thanks to Sagnad for the heads up!