What Becks did next...

Former England captain David Beckham has announced he intends to leave American Major League Soccer (MLS) side LA Galaxy after five years in California.

It is unclear what Beckham, now 37 will do when his contract expires in December, rumors hint of big money moves to Australia or Qatar in order to boost the profile of the domestic games of those respective country's, However Beckham is understood to have recently completed a deal on a new West London home which may indicate the MLS winning captain may be interested in a return to Britain with Arsenal, QPR and West Ham all on alert.

Beckham moved to Los Angeles in 2007 amid much fan fair and was seen as a major coup for the league as well as Galaxy, Since then he has helped LA who now boast other former Premier League stars among their ranks in Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan to back to an MLS cup win in 2011, but life has not always been plain sailing for the man who has collected 115 caps for his country, He was heavily criticized and booed by his own supporters because of his choice to join AC Milan on loan in 2009 in order to boost his chances of being picked for Fabio Capello's 2010 World cup squad despite being mid-way through the MLS season, A move that ultimately proved unsuccessful when the midfielder suffered a torn Achilles tendon.

It remains possible that Beckham will stay put in the MLS but in a non-playing capacity, He has made no secret of his desire to be involved in the creation of a new franchise within the league, With the New York Cosmos joining the North American Soccer League (NASL) next season and seeming a shoe in for election to the MLS when the league next expands, there may well be interest in the Beckham household. Cosmos already have another Manchester United legend in the form of Eric Cantona working behind the scenes as they prepare to make their long awaited return following an 18 year hiatus. Cosmos rose to fame in the 1970's when the boasted the likes of Pele and Franz Beckenbaur among their glitterati, A tradition that Beckham may well be keen to be a part of.

QPR manager Mark Hughes has announced that a deal to bring former England captain David Beckham to Loftus Road has been agreed and will be finalized by the superstar later today.

Beckham had been heavily linked with a move to a London club following his decision to leave MLS side LA Galaxy last month, However most believed that club would be either Tottenham or Arsenal instead of the run away Championship leaders who look set to romp to the second tier title and secure promotion back to the Premier League, Largely thanks to huge investment from Malaysian owner Tony Fernandes.

More news as we get it...

Don't think Beckham would write ' thru' instead of through!

But a decent start and a good storyline!

David Beckham and wife Victoria have arrived back in London following hours of talks with Lazio chairman Claudio Lotitio at the Rome sides Olympic Stadium.

There is of yet no indication as to how the talks went or whether they will lead to an offer from the Lazio who dismissed Croatian coach Valdimir Petkovic just a matter of hours before the Beckham's arrival in the Italian capital, fabricating rumors that the club had already contacted the 37 year old former England captain before Petkovic's dismissal.

Beckham already has a grasp on the Italian language following two loan spells with Lazio's Serie A rivals AC Milan and a move to glamorous Rome would certainly do Victoria's fashion aspirations no harm.
This move is also seen as a definite statement of intend by David with regards to him moving away from playing and into coaching.

More news on this story as it breaks.

This is excellent so far mate! Love the writing articles!

As the David Beckham saga continues to rumble on, we take a look at the superstar's options which he continues to weigh up.
At the time of writing the global brand himself was in New York city being groomed by former Manchester United team mate and current New York Cosmos director of football Eric Cantona. Cantona is keen to lure the 37 year old to NYC to be the jewel in the Cosmos crown as they prepare to take their MLS bow next season as the league expands to 20 clubs, amidst widespread expectation of a star studded team with no expense spared in order to make them serious contenders right from the word go.

No question New York would suit the former England captain with it's glamorous lifestyle but it remains to be seen as to whether he would want to uproot his family for a such as swift return to the USA, Just a month after leaving his LA mansion to settle back into British life.
It would appear that Beckham also has other options open to him, The Lazio job may appeal more as he could theoretically stay put in England and make the two hour flight to Rome, However this would of course mean he would have to play a precarious balancing act between work and his personal life, and with numerous endorsements and commitments littering his hectic schedule this may well be unworkable.

Finally there is a vacancy in the England camp with the Under-21 side following Stuart Pearce's defection to West Bromwich Albion in the middle of the Euro 2013 qualifying campaign. Many will agree that this is the ideal option for the man who himself won 9 caps for his country at this level.. First of all there is no need for reduced family time as he can remain in London and on the footballing front Beckham will not be under the same amount of pressure to achieve instant success while managing the diamonds in the rough as he would be should he chose to dive straight in at the deep end and join a top level club such as Lazio or Cosmos.

Whatever Beckham decides we simply hope he reaches his decision soon if only to let actual matches have the back pages of the newspapers back. What option would you take if you were Moisiour Beckham? We want to hear from you!

Will you be continuously writing like this throughout this thread? think it would suit you better as your doing a great job with the tweets and news articles!

David Beckham has brought to an end weeks of speculation over his future by agreeing to take over from Stuart Pearce as England under-21 coach.

The 37 year old had been heavily linked with a moves to Italian giants Lazio or American franchise New York Cosmos. However Beckham appears to have favored staying in London to avoid further disruption to his children's education.
Beckham will take charge of the youngsters with immediate effect following Stuart Pearce's resignation two weeks ago in order to take over at West Bromwich Albion.

England sit third in their Euro 2013 qualifying group, Three points behind group leaders the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia with a trip to Skojpe set to be Beckham's first game in charge on the 29th of February. They then have friendly's against Iceland and Wales as preparation for the remaining two qualifiers against Scotland and the Faroe Islands in September.

In his inagueral press conference Beckham stated that he was delighted the FA have trusted him with the position and fondly reminisced on his own nine caps at U21 level. He also stated he will only be selecting the most in form players and it would not matter if they were at Premier League or Conference clubs providing they gave their all for their respective clubs he would consider them for selection.
Former Manchester United team mate Nicky Butt has agreed to become Beckham's assistant, It is widely believed that another former Red Devil in the form of Andy Cole will also be joining Beckham's coaching staff in the coming days.

Well as I've now revealed my team I can confirm for you I shall indeed be doing article writing as opposed to monthly updates, At least while I'm in International football, I may reconsider when I eventually move into club management as I find it saps to much time away from actually playing the game.

David Beckham has named his first team following his appointment as England under-21 manager last month.

The 23 man squad which travels to Skopje next week for a Euro 2013 qualifier against FYROM, Beckham appears to have remained true to his word when he promised any player from any division will be considered providing they maintain their club form, No fewer than twelve of the 23 man group currently play their trade outside of the Premier League.

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Birmingham) Alex Smithies (Huddersfield) Jason Steel (Middlesbrough)

Defenders: Kyle Bartley (Swansea) Steven Caulker (Tottenham) Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton) Craig Dawson (West Brom) Martin Kelly (Liverpool) Tom Lees (Leeds) Jack Robinson (Liverpool) Adam Smith (Brighton)

Midfielders: Gary Gardner (Aston Villa) Will Hughes (Derby) Thomas Ince (Blackpool) Ben Marshall (Leicester) Josh McEachran (Middlesbrough) Jordan Mutch (Cardiff) Jonjo Shelvey (Liverpool) Raheem Sterling (Liverpool)

Forwards: Jose Baxter (Oldham) Harry Kane (Norwich) Marvin Sordell (Bolton) Connor Wickham (Sunderland)

Ben Marshall won't let you down buddy hehe

David Beckham's England under-21 side moved to the top of their Euro 2013 qualification group with a convincing 3-0 win over the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in Skojpe.

Sunderland striker Connor Wickham gave the three lions the lead after quarter of an hour by being well placed to prod home Martin Kelly's ball to the near post, Kelly's sublime crossing again provided ammunition to the England forwards just after the half hour mark when he floated an inviting ball into the area for Marvin Sordell to bullet past the FYROM keeper Stole Dimitrievski with a powerful header.
Tottenham defender Steven Caulker scored the third and final goal when he headed Thomas Ince's cross into the ground, the resulting bounce beat Dimitrievski who managed to get a touch to the ball but not enough to prevent the goal.

Beckham is sure to be pleased with his managerial debut as his side both constricted the opposition to a solitary shot on goal and enjoyed 57% of possession against FYROM who had been group leaders before kick off.
Next up for the U21's are trips to Reykjavik and Cardiff to face Iceland and Wales in friendly as preparation for their remaining two qualifiers against Scotland and the Faroe Islands in September.

England team: 1. Jason Steel, 2. Martin Kelly, 3. Jack Robinson, 4. Steven Caulker, 5. Craig Dawson(c) 6. JonJo Shelvey (17. Gary Gardner), 8. Jordan Mutch, 9. Connor Wickham, 10. Marvin Sordell (17. Harry Kane), 11. Thomas Ince (16. Will Hughes)

Great win to begin the reign mate!

David Beckham's England U21's proved too hold to handle despite temperatures as low as minus four degrees in Reykjavik last night.

The Three Lions purred into life almost right from the off, Norwich's Harry Kane controlled Jordan Mutch's ass on the edge of the penalty area before turning and planting a well placed shot into the bottom left corner to give England the lead after just two minutes.
The handful of traveling supporters inside the Laugardalsvollur stadium didn't have to wait long for goal number two either, Just six minutes to be precise, The Icelandic defenders failed to get to grips with captain Craig Dawson at a Thomas Ince corner, The West Brom defender had almost a free header from inside the six yard box which he could hardly miss.

Next it was Birmingham's Nathan Redmond's turn to find the net, The winger was on hand to sweep home another pin point Tom Ince cross from the edge of the area to put England three goals ahead with still only 24 minutes on the clock.
Beckham used half time to experiment with his side, sending out a completely different line up for the second half. For a while this seemed to disjoint the game as England allowed the home side far more possession than they had done in the first period, However that didn't stop them from adding to Iceland's misery, Two close range strikes from Derby County starlet Mason Bennett either side of Icelands consolation goal completed a night to forget for the Scandinavians. Beckham however can be pleased with his sides performance and should consider the friendly a useful exercise as he tries to work out his strongest team.
Next up for the Three Lions is a short trip across Offa's Dyke to face Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium, It may only be a friendly on paper but for both sides victory against their old enemies is a must.

England First Half XI:


England Second Half XI:

David Beckham has announced his latest England under-21 squad ahead of next week friendly with Wales at the Cardiff City stadium.
The 37 year old managers options were somewhat limited for this freindly owing to several of the players who had made up his previous squad not having regained match fitness after their summer holidays.

Tottenham winger Andros Townsend is in line to receive his first U21 cap in Cardiff with his inclusion in the 23 man group, as are Barnsley full back John Stones and Norwich goalkeepers Declan Rudd and Jed Steer should they be selected to play.
There was also surprise return to the youth ranks for Merseyside rivals Jordan Henderson and Jack Rodwell who both now have senior caps to their names, although neither has featured for the first team within the last calender year.

Goalkeepers: Jake Kean (Dundee Utd) Declan Ruud (Norwich) Jed Steer (Norwich)

Defenders Kyle Bartley (Swansea) Ryan Bennett (Norwich) Steven Caulker (Tottenham) Nathanial Clyne (Southampton) Craig Dawson(c)(West Brom) Shaun Hutchinson (Motherwell) Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal) Jack Robinson (Liverpool) Adam Smith (Brighton) John Stones (Barnsley)

Midfielders: Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) Will Hughes (Derby) Nathan Richmond (Birmingham) Jack Rodwell (Everton) Jonjo Shelvey (Liverpool) Andros Townsend (Tottenham)

Forwards: Mason Bennett (Derby) Harry Kane (Norwich) Marcus Maddison (Newcastle) Antonio Pedroza (Morelia(Mexico))

The FA have announced that David Beckham's England under-21 side will travel to war torn Afghanistan next March to play the Afghan's in a special friendly for British troops stationed in the country.

Beckham will take his squad to Kabul for the game which takes place on the 26th of March as part of a fundraising initiative on behalf of the charity help for hero's, a charity the 37 year has a history of supporting.
This game is one of six friendly's announced for 2013, The young lions start their year with a 12,000 mile round trip to Tokyo to face Japan before journeying to the middle East in March for a game with Israel which Beckham is using to help acclimatize his players to the Israeli climate ahead of the Euro 2013 tournament which takes place in the country, although England have not yet officially qualified, They then play the aforementioned benefit game with Afghanistan.
Beckham's boy's return to Europe for games against the Republic of Ireland, Switzerland and Greece in June in the run up to the beginning of Euro 2013 for which they are widely expected to qualify.

Great win against Iceland mate and nice to see a squad with Henderson inlcuded and the unusual trip to Afghan making it for the troops!

Cheers matey Yeah I wanted to do something a bit out of the ordinary and the game for the troops seemed like the sort of thing that Beckham might be involved with in real life.

these reports are great, kiu

Play Nick Powell! Good start though Rick, keep it up

A top class defensive display by a resilient Welsh side prevented a England from taking a what would have been a well deserved victory back across Off's Dyke.
The visitors dominated in all areas of the park, racking up no fewer than eighteen shots on target and commanding 66% of the possession, They were however unable to break down the stubborn Welsh side who defended in numbers as well as receiving helping hands from not only goalkeeper Callum Antell but Lady luck as well as England were twice denied by the Cardiff city stadium's woodwork.

David Beckham raised a few eyebrows at half time by bringing on Antonio Pedroza, A Mexican national with English parentage, Pedroza, 21, Plays his trade in Mexico for Morelia and could yet chose to play for his homeland if selected at senior level.
The young the lions must now gear up for a crucial Euro 2013 qualifier with Scotland at Upton Park next month where they could seal their place in the play-off's for a place at the tournament which shall be hosted by Israel.

England XI:

I'm a season ticket holder at Hartlepool and Luke James is a fantastic player, I would pick him more often

Yeah he's a good player, he was injured for Wales but I'm sure I'll give him another chance in the near future.

I think my team (Walsall) has you lot in the next few weeks.

David Beckham has announced his England under-21 squad to face Scotland and the Faroe Islands as the Three Lions look to assure themselves a place in the Euro 2013 play-off's which take place in October.
The youngsters face the tartan army at West Ham's Upton Park on Friday the 7th before flying to the Faroes the following Monday knowing that three points in either game will see them qualify, four points or more will win the group.

There are no major surprises in the squad, Liverpool winger Raheem Stirling could win his first cap at this level, as could Burlney full-back Kieran Trippier and Ipswich striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas who has made a blistering start to the season for his club scoring five times in four games.


Goalkeepers: Ben Amos (Hull) Jason Steel (Middlesbrough) Gary Woods (Doncaster)

Defenders Danny Batth (Wolves) Ryan Bennett (Norwich) Steven Caulker (Tottenham) Craig Dawson(c) (West Brom) Martin Kelly (Liverpool) Joe Mattock (Sheff Wed) Jack Robinson (Liverpool) Kieran Trippier (Burnley)

Midfielders: Will Hughes (Derby) Thomas Ince (Blackpool) Ben Marshall (Leicester) Jordan Mutch (Cardiff) Nathan Redmond (Birmingham) Jonjo Shelvey (Liverpool) Korey Smith (Charlton) Raheem Stirling (Liverpool)

Forwards: Jose Baxter (Everton) Nathan Delfouneso (Blackpool) Jay Emmaunuel-Thomas (Ipswich) Marvin Sordell (Bolton)

England are through to the final stage of the qualifying process for Israel 2013 after overcoming the old rivals Scotland in an entertaining game at Upton Park this afternoon
Jason Steel returned in goal after manager David Beckham opted to trial alternative keepers in the preceding freindly games with Iceland and Wales, Oldham striker Jose Baxter was also recalled.

It was Baxter who fired England into the lead midway through the first half with a goal worthy of any stage, Steven Caulker nodded on Thomas Ince's corner to Baxter who was lurking on the corner of the penalty area, The former Everton man took shape and hit the shot on the volley, which flew into the top corner of Scotland keeper Mark Ridger's net much to the delight of the capacity crowd inside Upton Park.

England enjoyed much of the possession throughout the first hour of the game, They however did not have it all their own way, Scotland fashioning several good opportunities in front of goal, Rangers's John Fleck was unlucky not to score just before half time when his shot came back off the post. The visitors were given a golden chance to take control of the game when England debutante Korey Smith picked up a second yellow card in the 69th minute, They were however unable to capitalize on having an extra man and were eventually punished when substitute Jay Emmanuel Thomas burst through the Tartan defense to make it 2-0. A debut goal for the Ipswich forward.
Scotland got a late goal back through Southampton's Callum Patterson but it was too little to late to prevent England from running out 2-1 winners.

Scotland can still qualify for the play-off's in second and could theoreticaly still win the group should England suffer a huge upset in the Faroe Islands on Monday, The Three Lions however only require a single point to win the group and be placed among the top seeds for the play-off draw.

England XI:

England took a leisurely stroll to victory in the North Atlantic as they wrapped up group two of the Euro 2013 qualifiers, finishing as group winners.
David Beckham made five changes to the team which beat Scotland on Friday with Raheem Stirling, Joe Mattock, Will Hughes, Jordan Mutch and Jay Emmanuel Thomas coming into the side.

The visitors looked up for the game and sensed they could chalk up a big win against the minnows, Thomas Ince firing England ahead after just seven minutes only served to lend weight to that forecast, Ince was on hand to lash home a knock down from Jose Baxter from within the six yard box.
The potential rout took another step towards realization six minutes later when Emmanuel-Thomas fired home a 35 yard screamer, It had looked as if Faroese keeper Beinir Holm had the shot covered and would catch the speculative effort with relative ease, However he only put a single hand to it, managing only to palm the ball onto the underside of the crossbar from which it bounced down and rolled across the line to embarrass the goalkeeper.

The landslide scoreline failed to materialize in the end, However England never looked like losing their lead, despite the home side managing to pull a goal back in the 58th minute, their only shot on goal throughout the entire game.
This result made it three wins from three for Beckham in competitive games who took over from Stuart Pearce as under-21 coach back in January, He and his side now await the draw for the play-off round where they will be joined by Scotland who secured second thanks to their win over Macedonia, The Faroe's however can take some pride in not finishing bottom of the group, The minnows placed ahead of rivals Norway in fourth.


England XI: