Is it time for David Beckham to hang up his England boots?

After playing the first 45 minutes against his adopted USA, is it now time for David Beckham to hang up his boots for England or can he still play a meaningful part in Fabio Capello's plans?

With the changing of the guard at half time, Beckham was replaced by David Bentley, the player thought most likely to step up to the plate in his absence. And although the Blackburn Rovers midfielder had a generally quiet game, England played much the better football in the second half as they ran out comfortable 2-0 winners against a largely unimpressive American side.

So should Beckham step aside? Alan Hansen, the BBC pundit, certainly thinks so, saying that if it had been a vital qualifier against the likes of Croatia the LA Galaxy midfielder would have been nowhere to be seen. He also suggested his appearance at Wembley was largely a token gesture by the England manager.

Has Beckham got more to give? His lack of pace was exposed but he still fired in three killer free kicks, including one for the opening goal by John Terry. Will that be enough for him to convince Capello of what he can offer? Or has the old warhorse seen enough?

Vote in our poll and let us know your thoughts below.

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Comments

[John.]

Sorry. but England has not won anything in the recent past when David Beckham was Captain. Is he able to do any better at the next world cup. No... his presence is keeping out his replacement.
John Manchester

[Justin]

Everyone seems to forget, or chose to forget ! that it was David Beckham's goal that got England through to the quarter final of the 2006 World Cup (they won 1-0 ), before they of course lost ( with an injured Becks in the side )to Portugal and then went out.If Becks hadn't scored we wouldn't have even made it to the Quarter Finals ! Watch his England games again,for a second time, without bias, and you will see the contribution he always makes.
He has made and continues to 'make' most of England's goals when he is on the field, his desire & passion to play for his country never wanes. Who else in an England shirt has these qualities? I can't think of any England player in the last 40 years who has given so much to his country,but had to endure so much criticism. Most of it basically motivated out of extreme jealousy.

[alvin]

The main point here is the strategy the coach in going to play. If it something like 4-3-3, then Beck's role is reduced, etc. So its boils down to strategic consideration.

That said, I still think Beckham has a role to play on the squad. I do not think his presence will prevent the younger generation from getting their share of experience at the top level. In fact, his presence will do much good.

How many times have we seen young players shine and then disappear or get wasted due to the intense pressure the media put on them? Many of these youngsters are not experienced to handle the pressure yet.

With Beck on the team, the media focus will obviously be on him, he is a veteran at media focus (both good and bad) and can handle them well. With the media on him, the youngsters are left to concentrate on their game and gain whatever experience they are supposed to gain.

All in all, I think Beck will be a positive addition to the team for now, whether it is his skills with the ball or experience with the media.

[Mark]

It's simple. In the PL we can get away with playing younger talent because they have the team spirit in their club surroundings to help bolster confidence. This allows them to grow as a player and with this their stature gets to a level where-by they can go on to play at an international level. In the England camp we do not have this luxury. We need players who have already risen to the heights of their game and they can carry the weight of a nation on their shoulders. Players like Bentley, SWP, Lennon have not risen yet. Beckham is the only player for that position. So what if he's a little slower than normal, give the guy a break, he's carried England for years. Only now he can share the workload with a few other greats like Gerrard, Terry etc. Becks has earned the right to still be there.. and we should be proud that he hasn't hung up his boots. He still cares more about about the 3 Lions than most. As for Hansen's comments. Not English, Simple.

[Sean Wardale]

In my opinion there is currently no English right sided player who is all round better than Beckham. The media should not be questioning whether it is time for him to retire, he can still make a very meaningful contribution by simply being part of the squad.
At the moment people keep pointing out Beckhams lack of pace, he has never had pace, he has never taken players on. He has so much ability with the ball that he can beat his man with the precision of his passing/crossing.
David Bentley is being linked with replacing Beckham, he is not as good as Beckham now, never mind when Beckham was the same age as Bentley is now.

[Lee Arnold]

If Gerrard is asked to play on the left, why not just play him on the right and bring Cole back in on the left. Play 4-1-3-2, Like Man U only with an extra striker instead of a defensive Midfield player and just go and out score the opposition. Most teams now play with 1 striker and 2 supporting players, I think our 4 defenders and 1 Defensive midfield play should be able to stop them scoring.

[ema]

I think he should retire asap

[James]

Should Beckham play? If there is no-one better then yes. If there is someone better to replace him then no. The question should really be ..... who can make more of a contribution than Beckham and therfore get his spot.

beckham rules, sport is about being entertaines and he is the only charismatic presence on the team

[Steven]

So the Premier League can produce no better right-sided English player than MLS. When does Sepp Blatter's 6-5 system come into force ?!!

[Michael]

I believe as long as David Beckham is fit and can create chance's for the team, then he should still be picked. Age at the moment is still on he's side. In the longer team I think Beckham will move from a Team player into a Squad member for the next World Cup (if we qualify) where he could be used for impact, similar to the way Teddy Sheringham was used, and perhaps come off the bench to create chances.

[Karl Chads]

I was at the England – USA game on Wednesday, and David Beckham played well. He not only set up John Terry’s goal, but also looked very involved in most of the attacking moves, and tracked back to defend. I was surprised how well he linked up with Wes Brown, it was a seriously impressive partnership.

[James Roberts]

An old question but one with plenty of miles in it yet.

When Beckham plays, England tend to score and often win. When he doesn't, they don't and don't. He is still - STILL - our best provider of goals. They may be ugly, especially when Crouch or Rooney are on the end of them - but it's about the goals stupid.

I like Bentley, I like Gerrrad, Hargreaves and Lennon (but not SWP) when they play on the right. England look better and play shorter passes with pace. The problem is that they just don't score as many goals and we all get to root for our favourite foreign team this summer as a result.

Passion is irrelevent and it's utter nonsense to assume that England teams have it more than others. He's there on merit until someone pushes him out - on merit.

[Adam]

Funnily enough Capello is the England manager and he knows a darn sight more about football than the armchair managers. If he thinks he should play, then he plays. That's why he has the job he does and we all have a debate about it thinking we know better. It's completely irrelevant topic as Fabio isn't going to play Beckham if he thinks it's going to hinder the team is he?

[Timothy Tanner]

Dave, how about his near excuse of our 2008 qualification campaign? His playing a part in most of our goals in 2006?

Let's look at the alternatives shall we. SWP went missing in big games for England in qualification and rarely gets picked for club. Lennon can't even get into the U21's, the idea of him as replacement shows how the media shouldn't question the likes of Sven and Capello. A pacy player comes on against tired legs and performs well? Wow, he got no assists at 2006 but he was hailed as a saviour. Couldn't just be quick player against tired legs could it? Walcott, better protected playing for the U21's where the press won't end up trying to destroy his confidence and still fighting for second rightwinger spot. Bentley, he who left the U21's in the lurch and has yet to perform for the England senior team, still failed during the USA game, his failure to cross or pass with any accuracy didn't help.

So why shouldn't we use Beckham? Yes he isn't quick but his deadball ability puts him above the other candidates for the role.

[michael]

ah becks its turd rate country question? if beckham can be included in the england team, the decision to be a third rate country has been taken, simple

[Julian Sweet]

I cannot believe this daft debate. People seem to look at his birth certificate not his performances. When Mcclaren left him out it was his own ego trip.

Granted Becks is not the player he was but that still makes him twice as good as the rest of the inept team.

Bentley looked good in one game but Englands 'improvement' in the second half was a short lived spell just after Barry came on and proved just how bad Lampard is in an England shirt.

You cannot attribute the second half to Bentley. What game were you watching.

Why all the debate about Beckham.

The fact that England cannot find a system with balance with Lampard and Gerard is the problem.

The fact that Rooney has cannot score. He just flatters to deceive. Is a problem. Defoe was more of a threat and got taken off.

Play old man Becks as a playmaker in the middle. Supplying Gerard and Joe Cole.

Lampard the only thing left to try is playing him up front just off Crouch or Defoe.

Rooney should stop pretending to be a striker and either drop to midfield or just retire for England.

[Dexter]

He may now be slow. But no one and i mean no one can cross an inch perfect ball like becks. Should he be in the squad - defo. Should he be in the team - hell yes. A world class player only needs 5 minutes to change a game, so even if only till half time. still enough for the man.

[Vanessa/Malta]

Unfortunately without Beckham England has never been able to shine. We are always hopeful they're going to be the best team yet we are always disappointed by them. Unless Beckham or somebody of the same calibre is on the the team, England will undoubtedly start off well, score once and start defending incessantly until the opposing team wins or achieves a draw. Beckham has always been an inspiration to the other players as well as to the watchers. At least if the match is boring there's always someone interesting to look at.

[David Leach]

From the other side of the pond I make this observation: England would be getting ready for the European Cup if McLaren hadn't dumped Beckham and 'prepared for the future' and England turned in a whole bunch of dismal performances in the qualification. The future is now in every sport and the guy still sets people up and goals are scored. Like him or not, the results are on the table for all to see.

[james]

Let us remember Beckham had 5 tournaments-and failed badly every time.He is an irrelevance to our future and is only preventing that future from materialising.Players like Bentley need a real run to learn the ropes at this level-to judge him on 45 minute spells is ludicrous.Please remember Beckham made his debut in 96 and was irrelevant until he finally scored from one of his endless free-kick attempts for the first time in world cup 98.Its an embarrassment to england that this farcically overhyped player has got to play for so long,lets not compound it by not building something new for 2010.

[Jay]

Can't believe the amount of criticism Beckham is receiving from some sections.

Beckham is one piece in a team, I think no one would dispute that he is not the main player in this team but what anyone would dispute is if you focus your whole team around one player.

So far Capello's management suggests he is not inclined to stick to one player and he is developing the word 'team' strongly. So I hope this hounding of players is a forgotten thing in English football and we salute our team for their performance and criticize the team also collectively.

[Alastair Murray]

I used to hate Becks with a passion - I hate ManUre with a passion as an LFC born & bred - and the Argentina incident only made feel stronger about this - but my Late Dad - and Scots team would do - saw Becks true talent - and observing his professionalism and unquestionable behaviour as a player and as a Brit - His passion for the game and for the kids - He is a Man of great Stature in my opinion.
He also can place a ball like few others!!
So GO DAVID - it took a while but you are One of The Greatest!! And I salute you on behalf of my late and wonderful Dad! God Bless you David.
Alastair in Oz!!

[Stuart]

Isn't it time we stop repeatedly asking this question and just let Capello get on with it?

[James phillips]

Look at MANU with Scholes and Giggs. The best teams have a blend of experience to lead the young talent. Terry and Beckham provide the experience and leadership for England.