Beckham Rules out Managing but Hopes to play for England again

With no wish aspirations of leading the English team, David Beckham is adamant the players are to blame for the dismal World Cup 2010 campaign. However, he doesn’t think it will affect England’s bid to host the tournament in 2018.

Beckham went on to say that he would like to play in the 2012 European Championships. Beckham was ruled out of this year’s World Cup due to injury, but he was an unofficial member of Fabio Capello’s staff at the tournament.

In a recent statement Beckham said, "At the moment I have no interest in being a coach or becoming a manager.”

Beckham blames the players for the poor success of England at the World Cup, they were disappointing throughout the tournament and suffered a humiliating 4 – 1 defeat to Germany in the last 16. Capello has been heavily criticised since the tournament but Beckham insists it was not his responsibility.

Beckham says that, "The players are to blame. Without a doubt it was the right decision for him [Capello] to keep his job. When the players step on that field is up to them to perform. Speaking to the lads, and knowing them as well as I do, they know they didn't play and perform well enough. That is why we didn't go any further in the competition. Everything was set up for us, the preparation was right and everything the manager and his staff did was right. Behind the scenes everything in the camp was perfect. We just didn't perform. The lads would admit, and a few of them have already, that they just didn't play well enough in the games."

According to Beckham there are many young players that could find themselves a place in the team for the European Championships qualifications however; he has said that he wants to regain his own place on the team once he has recovered from an Achilles injury. "There is no need for an overhaul or the need to make big changes. I believe there are four or five players coming through that could come into the England squad and be given a chance, but I'm not manager and never will be. It's the manager's decision and he's experienced enough, and has been in football long enough and been around great players for his whole career, to know what is best. I hope to play this season for England and I've always said that I'll be available. I'm not ready to step aside but if I don't get picked again then I am very proud of my record - 100 starts in 115 appearances. But I still believe I have a part to play. Things might be different in two, three months so we'll have to see but like I said I never want to step down from playing for my country."

After his involvement with coaching the team in South Africa there has been speculation that he would one day switch to management. However, Beckham has said that he would rather coach kids at his academy, Management is not something I am passionate about and it is not something I have thought about, I love coaching kids, people know I love coaching kids, but being a manager - no. I have other interests that I want to fulfil before anything else. Then again, when I stop playing I still want to be involved in football in some way but I don't think it will be as a manager."

Even though he has said there is no chance of him managing the team, Beckham has said that he would love to see England play as the host nation in the 2018 World Cup. The last time England hosted the World Cup was in 1966 and it is not thought that there poor performance at this year’s tournament will affect their chances of hosting in 2018.

According to Beckham nothing “that happens on the field makes the bid suffer. There has been a lot of hard work going on for a long while now behind the scenes and I think there is still a lot of hard work to be done before 3 December and the decision. Fingers crossed that we get it because I think as a nation we haven't had the World Cup for a number of years and we would be ready."