Beck in the big time

The worst kept secret in football is finally out in the open: David Beckham wants to stay with AC Milan.

After a year of playing Sunday League 'soccer' in the US, he has rediscovered his appetite for proper football while on loan at the San Siro. And this week he publicly admitted that he doesn't want to go back.

His performances for the Italian club have bordered on inspired. In just a handful of games he has scored two and set up plenty more, surprising everyone, including himself, with his fitness and form.

Now, having apparently got Posh's blessing, he wants to leave behind the land where they play 'football' with their hands, and finish his career at the top level.

But I fear persuading LA Galaxy to let him go won't be easy. The American franchise have invested a lot of money in Beckham and they will be understandably reluctant to let their star leave.

Not so much for football reasons but for credibility's sake. Exactly how poor must the product on offer be if they can't even keep players by offering them £25 million a season?

Beckham himself said he has nothing against Major League Soccer and that he believes it will grow and blossom in the future.

But the simple truth is, at this moment in time, it is a football non-event. A place to go if you want to wind down the clock on your career while adding a few zeros to your bank account.

If you want to be taken seriously as a footballer, you need to be in Europe. And Beckham very much needs to be taken seriously if he wants to achieve his ultimate goal of playing for England in his fourth World Cup.

Luckily for him, the feelings of love he has for Milan are being reciprocated both by the club and their fans. Everybody from Berlusconi down to the kit men are keen to see the move made permanent.

The fans are equally taken with the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star. He is providing a perfect supply line for their strikers, an area which had been lacking up until his arrival.

LA Galaxy are obviously going to want a fee in return for losing their prize asset. And a hefty one considering he has nearly four years left on his contract.

But that shouldn't worry Milan. They are not exactly a poor club, and whatever it costs them to sign him, will be made back instantly in shirt sales and merchandising.

It looks like a match made in heaven. The perfect marriage between a footballer who genuinely wants to prove himself and a club that really wants and needs him.

Even LA Galaxy, if they can get over the inevitable feeling of being the jilted ex, will realise it makes sense.

They got all the publicity they needed when they signed him in the first place. Now, with every passing season, his pulling power diminishes while his wages don't.

Hopefully they are smart enough to realise that.

White Hart time warp

During his ill-fated time at White Hart Lane, Juande Ramos took a decent team and painstakingly turned it into a bad one.

Not only did he sell the club's entire strike force - Defoe, Berbatov and Keane - he also managed to get those players who remained to play like Hartlepool's reserves. After a night on the beer.

No easy task, I imagine, but one that he pulled off quite handsomely and without ever even breaking into a grin. Who's to say what depths of performance he may have achieved if he had been allowed to remain in charge?

A scary thought. And one which probably still gives Daniel Levy sleepless nights.

Anyway, Ramos departed and Harry Redknapp was brought in to steady the ship and restore some of the team's shattered confidence. With those objectives largely achieved, it was then on to rebuilding the squad, a process that took place during the January transfer window.

And that's where it gets a bit silly really. Because all Redknapp has done is take the club back to where it was before Ramos got his hands on it.

The re-signings of Defoe, Keane and Chimbonda make it feel like the club is stuck in a bit of a time warp. A football version of Groundhog Day.

And only time will tell if rebuilding the old team was the right direction to take.

At face value, all three seem to be good moves. Defoe is obviously a Redknapp favourite as he signed him for Portsmouth in the first place. Keane needed to get out of Liverpool, and returning to the scene of his greatest performances was obvious.

As far as Chimbonda goes, well, it's always fun to have a player around who thinks he is at least 12 times more talented than he actually is; it takes the pressure off other underperformers like David Bentley.

Generally speaking, bringing back ex-players is a wise move. They know the place, they know the people and they don't take long to settle back in, something that has been evidenced by Defoe's performances since his homecoming.

What I will say, however, is that Redknapp's recent assertion that his rebuilding is done, is far from accurate.

The team that Ramos broke up and Redknapp has put back together had its faults. They were great going forward but donkeys when it came to defending. And the midfield was known to have more than the occasional off day too.

I genuinely hope Spurs survive this season. I have an irrational soft spot for them and would much rather see them challenging the top four rather than flopping around at the bottom.

But I can't help feeling Redknapp's work to achieve that is only just beginning rather than complete. Maybe he should see if Berbatov wants to come back too...

The karate kid

Another triumphant week for the refereeing profession.

Just when you thought it was impossible for the men in the middle to get any worse, Mike Riley proves their potential for cock-ups is almost limitless.

His sending off of Frank Lampard in the Liverpool-Chelsea match was laughable. Since when has carrying out a clean tackle and winning the ball merited a red card? It was no surprise the midfielder got the decision overturned.

But Riley's real achievement was in failing to notice Jose Bossingwa's kung fu attack on Liverpool's Benayoun. It must surely rank up there with the most obvious fouls in football history.

How he and his officials failed to take action is a mystery that will probably never be solved.

Respect campaign? When some officials are utterly useless? Don't make me laugh.

Have you been yet?

Just a quick reminder about the history of football exhibition being held at the Malta Tourism Authority offices in Valletta.

I took a wander down there myself on Wednesday to have another look at the bits and pieces on display. And, once again, I found myself drawn to the original handwritten rules of football.

I think it is the fact that bits and pieces are crossed out, adjusted and rewritten which makes them so compelling. You can almost imagine a bunch of lads sitting around a table with a few pints, discussing how their new game should be played.

Little could they have known the exact magnitude of the can of worms they were opening. They invented sport that would, 150 years later, be worth tens of billions in annual revenue and followed by the vast majority of the planet.

A truly fascinating bit of history.

The exhibition, at the Auberge d'Italie in Merchant Street, is open today from 8.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Go and check it out.

Your say

"As an Arsenal FC supporter of some 60 years, and mindful of the FA Cup 4th round clash (due to be replayed following a draw result), I am quoting an extract from a report in Arsenal - The Football Facts on the memorable FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Cardiff City on April 23, 1927:

"'The game remained goalless until the 75th minute when, completely against the run of play, Cardiff took the lead. Ferguson, the Bluebirds' long-throw specialist, hurled the ball into the Arsenal penalty area which (goalie) Dan Lewis appeared to take comfortably.

"'However, he had one eye on the onrushing Cardiff forwards and allowed the ball to spin from his grasp and over the line. It was a real tragedy for Lewis, who would be forever remembered for this one unfortunate gaffe which presented Cardiff with the Cup. It also proved to be something of an historic goal for this was the first and only time that the FA Cup had been won by a team from outside England.'

"Given this history, Gunners supporters would be particularly pleased if their stars were to overcome this hurdle."
Reginald Mifsud, Sliema.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com