Bobby & Becks

David Beckham will trot on to the field of dreams tonight to equal Booby Moore's record of 108 caps for England. Hold on; it's not a record. Peter Shilton (125 caps) holds that. Moore's record is for an outfield player.

Anyway. Some are up in arms* that Becks has made a lot of these appearances as a substitute. So? As EASports would say: "It's in the game." Bobby Moore gathered lots of caps in the quasi-internationals we called "Home Internationals" where we regularly stuffed the Welsh and Irish and had quite a tussle with the Scots. Moore's record is not an absolute ceiling. Anyway, Moore remained in the England team far after his best days were over. Sheer sentimentality.

If Becks gets cap no. 108 by coming on for the last 5 minutes, good on him. He has been a tremendous player for England and is worth every one. I can't remember the same furore when Moore passed Billy Wright's record. Perhaps we had more perspective then.

Moore was a great player but not England's greatest.

That would be Wilf Mannion.

*These are the same people who were up in arms when Beckham looked stranded on 99 caps and there was a massive campaign to get him Cap No. 100.