England Football News: Becks hopeful to play again, Ferdinand supports Capello, Ray replaces Roy
David Beckham’s determination:
David Beckham still hopes to play for his country, despite being tipped as the next English manager. Beckham is perhaps one of the biggest names in world football, having risen to stardom owing to his curly free kicks and analytical passing. His model-like looks may also have been the reason behind his fame.
The 35 year old midfielder had to cheer his team from the sidelines owing to an injury (a ruptured Achilles tendon) he suffered while playing for AC Milan. He therefore had to withdraw from the squad, and was denied the chance to play for his fourth consecutive World Cup. Beckham, however, accompanied the English squad as staff supporter, and was disgusted by his team’s performance in the World Cup.
Beckham, however, insists that he’s not done with England yet, and sees himself as a player rather than a coach in the near future. As FA has agreed to Capello keeping his job till 2012, Beckham is eager to make it into Capello’s side. Prior to the confirmation, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star was expected to take over the reins of the English squad. Beckham currently holds the record for the most number of appearances for his side; a total of 115. He looks to add even more to this number. He was grateful for being linked to the England managerial job, and insisted that he would always be available for his country. He agreed that England’s performance was not up to the mark in the World Cup, even though the players trained extremely well. He was disappointed that the players couldn’t bring the high spirits and high level of training to where it mattered, and agreed that the Germans played the better game. However, he maintained the opinion that England is a side who’d learn from its mistake, and come back better and stronger.
Ferdinand’s Support for Capello:
Former England Captain Rio Ferdinand believed that Fabio Capello was still the best man for the England manager job. Ferdinand had to miss the World Cup owing to a thigh injury he suffered during training. He was training well in the camp, but his World Cup dreams were shattered when a tackle from teammate Heskey during training led to a thigh injury.
Ferdinand, however, was vocal about the manager issue, claiming that he was 100% sure that Capello will make England succeed in the future. He argued that Fabio is a man who will learn from his mistakes and “turn negative into a positive”. He added that he was the perfect man for the job, and he should just get on with it. It’s the players job as well to fulfil their part of the deal and perform better than they did in the current World Cup, explained the Manchester United defender.
Ray Lewington appointed as Fulham caretaker coach following Roy Hodgson departure:
Roy Hodgson recently resigned as the Fulham coach, and took over at Liverpool. Roy was praised for his achievements, having taken Fulham to their first ever European final in the inaugural Europa league. Fulham overcame quality teams like Hamburg and Juventus to play at the final, but were defeated by Atlético Madrid in a tight match. Fulham wished Roy the best of luck with his career in Liverpool, and thanked him for his services and the achievements he managed as Fulham’s manager. Ray Lewington has taken over Fulham’s rein for the time being, till a Hodgson successor is found. Lewington is a former Fulham player, having made 270 appearances for the club between 1986 and 1990. He has worked under Hodgson as a first team coach (Fulham Assistant Manager), and would be looking to use his learning to take over the club’s matters temporarily.
In other news, Jonathan Greening has joined Fulham on a two year contract, following a season long loan deal. He was a Middlesbrough player, but was in the squad which lost in the Europa league final.
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