Beckham shirt - still in stock

He’s had a rubbish few days has David Beckham. One minute he’s trotting around, daydreaming about the World Cup, the next he’s in a changing room, weeping in emotional agony because his Achilles Tendon isn’t what it used to be.

It’s not all bad though. According to today’s Daily Star, the AC Milan vice president, Adriano Galliani, is still keen to see Beckham back at AC Milan for another stint. He said this:

“I gave him a hug in the changing rooms and I told him that if he wants, next year he will be with us.”

Here’s what else we know, thanks to today’s papers (The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Guardian etc…):

Alan Shearer - loves apples, hates cartoons

Next time you’re watching Alan Shearer on MOTD, take a moment to close your eyes. Keep them closed. Listen to his voice, hear his deep, lilting, almost expressionless words as he explains that scoring goals is what wins football matches. Or how getting a red card can have a negative impact on a match.

Really concentrate on how he sounds, then try to picture in your mind’s eye “the real Alan Shearer” - not the man on the sofa in the shiny slacks, but the man who is sometimes alone, emotionally raw, stripped down, both metaphorically, and actually. Who is Alan Shearer? That’s what everyone wants to know.

And thanks to today’s Guardian, great strides have been made to determine the man behind the pundit. What was his childhood like? Does he like his veg? Did cartoons ever make him happy? You can find out all of this and more, in a wonderful extract from the interview (after the jump):

It’s a hat, Alan

Depending on who you are, and where you stand on the matter, news that Alan Shearer isn’t interested in taking the Sheffield Wednesday job will effect people in different ways.

Some might have been praying for the man to take it, if only to clear a regular spot on the MOTD sofa for someone who doesn’t repeat what everyone already knows, only using completely the wrong tenses.

Others - notably the people of Sheffield - may not have been particularly keen to have a man at the helm whose team talks would consist of swaying from side to side, hands in pockets, saying “erm, score a goal”, and then, ”err, score another goal?”.

Either way, the big news from today’s Mirror is that no one need worry, because there is “no truth” in the rumours whatsoever.

He’ll be sticking to his weekend television job, thank you very much.

Not being sarcastic or anything, but that’s just brilliant.

Keegan horsing around during a pre-match training session

With the end of the first decade of the Millenium just about mouthing “hello” from over the horizon, The Spoiler is taking the opportunity to doff a cap to some of the teams that graced the field in the year 2000.

Today, it’s the turn of the first 21st Century England team, coached by Keegan, who played host to Argentina in a 0-0 thriller at Wembley on 23 February 2000. Listed below…

Goalkeeper, David Seaman (Arsenal, 56 caps)

Seaman was not just a grown man with a moustache, he was also a wonderful goalkeeper. So wonderful that only Peter Shilton can boast more international caps. Seaman went on to amass 75 of the things, whilst only slightly smudging his career with a howler against Brazil during the 2002 World Cup. You know, when Ronaldinho floated one in from miles away? Cringe!

Centre Back, Martin Keown (Arsenal, 28 caps)

Now a rather softly-spoken, haunting presence on the MOTD2 sofa, Martin Keown was considerably less eloquent with his tackling. Probably a victim of the Graham Taylor curse, he was overlooked for England throughout Venables’ reign, only to be brought back in by Hoddle, then absolutely adored by Keegan. Interestingly, both of his parents were/are Irish.

Centre Back, Sol Campbell (Spurs, 30 caps)

During his England career, Campbell managed to feature in six successive tournaments, which apparently is a record for an English player. Well done Sol. And who knows? He might even make it to a seventh one day. Probably not though. He’s currently looking for a new home.

Fourth best MOTD pundit is LOVED out there!

Nothing tells a sportsman that he’s really made it quite like having a road named after him.

Time for a proud, silent weep, Shearer.

Supporters take matters into their own hands…

The recent furore over St. James Park’s naming rights was clearly the last of many straws - a group of Newcastle United fans have started appeals to banks and local businesses, asking for help in raising enough funds to launch a takeover bid for the club. The Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) claim to have roped in ‘big names in the business and financial world’ to help meet Mike Ashley’s £80m price tag:

We have emailed over 40,000 supporters to ask them if and how they want to buy into the campaign to lead a city-wide bid to buy back the club.

The idea is based on fans investing in the club through a number of financial opportunities which will be held by a local solicitor in an escrow account to demonstrate to Ashley that the fans have proof of funds.

Sheeerah! Sheeerah!

Most managers who contribute to a club’s relegation become pariahs. Forced to move away from the city, booed upon their return with another team, these men certainly don’t get another crack at the job (see Peter Taylor at Leicester, Tony Cottee at Barnet or Bryan Robson anywhere for classic Public Enemy No 1 examples.)

Yet not Alan Shearer. The man who won just one of his eight matches in charge is tipping himself to take charge again one day. Speaking in the weekend’s press, Shearer said,

“I would still like to be the manager of Newcastle again one day. If the situation came around and everything was right and in place then without a doubt I would love to give it another go. But that’s not up to me.”

The stars who have enjoyed facing their previous employers

This weekend, a whole host of players faced their former employers, most notably Emmanuel Adebayor at Eastlands and Dimitar Berbatov at White Hart Lane. Face kicking and celebrating aside, the former put in a performance that truly represented his stunning talent (something which was somewhat of a rarity during his final months at Arsenal), while the latter moped around and fluffed numerous chances (prompting the chant “That’s why we sold you!” - a chorus only bettered by the  “You’re not signing any more!” that Chelsea received at Stoke).

With these acrimonious encounters in mind, Spoiler correspondent Liam Jarvis has selected his top five players who have enjoyed facing the teams that used to sign their puffed-up pay cheques…

William Gallas
The tantrum-prone Frenchman scored the winning header from a Cesc Fabregas corner to beat Chelsea 1-0 back in 2007. The goal ended a 3-year winless streak against their London rivals.

Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer marked his 300th club career goal in perfect fashion, a simple penalty against former side Blackburn in 2002.