Bye, bye David Beckham! We have by no means seen the last of Becks and his obnoxious wife Victoria, but signing in at Los Angeles Galaxy the other day effectively ended his serious football career.

David can bleat on all he wants about America having the potential to be a major soccer force. He may well be right, if judged on size alone, but it just ain't gonna happen.

Pele, George Best, Bobby Moore and a host of other major world football stars have all tried before in the twilight of their careers - but really it was all just a last lucrative pay day for them all as well as a means of keeping them in the public eye, so that their earning potential on the speaking circuit would be enhanced following their retirement from playing professionally.

'Trust me, you ain't ever going to break the stranglehold that American football, baseball and basketball has in the good old US of A'

If anybody can do it, Becks can, though, and the Yanks have come close with the staging of the World Cup and qualification for that event on a couple of occasions. But trust me, you ain't ever going to break the stranglehold that American football, baseball and basketball has in the good old US of A.

I once rattled round like a pea in a drum in the massive Coliseum in LA watching Brian Kidd perform for Atlanta Chiefs against Los Angeles Aztecs.They just don't want to know. Most of the "crowd" came from the local football-loving Hispanic population lapping up some soccer on the cheap made available to them because, like I say, the real Americans were happier at home munching on hamburgers, pouring Coca Cola or Pepsi down their necks and watching basketball on TV.

Sadly, Becks is going Hollywood after a couple of half-decent performances for England revived hopes of him resurrecting his international career. That has hit the rubbish bin, too, now that he has opted to play in a tenth-rate league 6,000 miles across the world.