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    Early Doors

    Novelty record?

    David Beckham is in line to earn his 108th England appearance tonight in Seville.

    However, while Fabio Capello has been happy to say that that the former England captain more than deserves his place in the squad, he is not guaranteeing that he will hand him a cap that will equal Bobby Moore's record for an outfield player.

    It could be said that Becks will reach the milestone via the back door somewhat by chalking up plenty of those caps from cameo roles off the bench. And that's exactly what ED is saying.

    While there is no doubting the achievement of the man who single-handedly brought the words metatarsal and sarong into the public lexicon - especially considering his form since joining Milan - the fact he has stayed in the picture is as much to do with his superior fitness, consumate professionalism and celebrity status as his on-field qualities.

    The fact that Beckham and Moore are both East London boys has only aided in drawing lazy comparisons between the two, but you are no more likely to see the former La Galaxy midfielder (can we say that yet?) in an advert for popping down your local pub than you ever were of seeing the World Cup-winning skipper sprawled across a bed in just his Armani kecks.

    Mind you, after Beckham's all-action performance in that Japan/Korea qualifier against Greece back in 2001, it's no wonder he's been barely moving at more than a canter ever since.

    During his time at Real Madrid the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan was good to Becks - he scored three times there in his last two seasons in La Liga.

    England fans will be hoping that run continues against the European champions, with the match moved to Seville in order to avoid the racist chanting that blighted the last time England visited Spain in 2004.

    Quite why anyone thinks that moving the game away from the country's cosmopolitan capital and bringing it to a more imposing ground in the rural south will change a thing is anyone's guess. Besides, ED is pretty sure that getting a train from one city to the other isn't that difficult.

    Who needs home and away friendly fixtures anyway? Nowadays, it's all about phoning in performances and making quadruple substitutions at neutral venues.

    The match between Brazil and Italy at the Emirates last night is a case in point. The game between the two most successful nations in the game's history was described by Italy boss Marcello Lippi as 'the derby of the world', although on the night his team simply turned up and played like Derby.

    As well as being a nice money-spinner for Arsenal, who are still paying for the construction of the ground dubbed Legoland by rival fans, the lack of home advantage added a tournament-like feel to what is essentially an injury lottery for club managers.

    England have experienced this themselves, when in 2005 Michael Owen scored twice late on to see them beat Argentina 3-2 on a Friday night at the Stade de Geneve in Switzerland, and venues don't come much more neutral than that.

    - - -

    Chelsea look set to build upon Monday's excellent decision to sack Luiz Felipe Scolari by appointing a part-time manager in Guus Hiddink.

    Considering they already have an owner who splits his time between London and Russia, employing a coach to do the same doesn't seem like the wisest way to compete for the trophies they are still vying for, the reason given for firing Scolari in the first place.

    Portsmouth benefitted from Felipao getting the boot as - after giving Tony Adams the elbow the day before for a record not even ED can defend - they were gifted a day out of the national spotlight to initiate their search for a new boss.

    To that end they implemented their strategic plan of action - wait until Chelsea make their move and then go for the guy the Blues don't. And so it is that they have made an approach for former England and Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson.

    Svennis has not been having the best time of it since he took the Mexico job, and he goes into tonight's match in the USA on the back of two defeats in his last three matches.

    The ice-cool Swede must have thought he was on to a cushy number when he saw the nation's inexplicable residency in the top 10 of the FIFA world rankings, but there are plenty of Mexican football fans who right now would prefer the Sven impersonator who did the rounds when Eriksson was appointed.

    For his part, Sven has asserted his commitment to his international job, which may be just as well for Pompey fans. ED has never fully got its head around the fact that Sven voted for Roberto Carlos as 2002 World Player of the Year.

    - - -

    QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Va Fangulo, Snape!" - An Italy fan at the Emirates has a few choice words for the Azzurri's Alan Rickman look-a-like, Andrea Pirlo, after the playmaker had his pocket picked by Robinho for Brazil's second goal.

    FOREIGN VIEW: El Salvador president Tony Saca has offered $10,000 for each goal the national team score in the World Cup qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago tonight. The tiny Central American nation last figured in the World Cup finals in 1982.

    COMING UP: Follow every dodged tackle, baffling formation change and failed attempt at a Mexican Wave LIVE when Spain host England tonight - kick-off is at 21:00 UK time.

    We'll also have LIVE commentaries on some matches that mean something - Northern Ireland travel to San Marino and the Republic of Ireland host Georgia in World Cup qualifiers - plus scoring of every other international match happening this evening.

    Early Doors

    Early Doors began life as a daily vehicle for mocking Rafa Benitez - and as such represented something a prototype for the modern internet. It has now evolved into a must-read morning feature from our team of football writers. Serious or silly, penetrating or puerile, Early Doors has always got something to say on the big issues. And there's still a fair amount of Rafa mockery.

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