In the ‘oh, you don’t say’ moment of the weeks following the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, former England captain David Beckham, in a Yahoo! webchat on Wednesday, has openly admitted that the players in the England squad need to take full responsibility for England’s poor performance.

Capello did everything that he could have done” (suck up). “We didn’t perform” (“We”? You didn’t play mate). “The manager can do so much and then it’s down to the players” (oh really!? Tell us something we don’t know, like why Capello elected to stick with a 4-4-2 that wasn’t working, like why Capello let goal scorer Peter Crouch see so few minutes, or why Rooney was even playing looking so unfit).

Clad in sleeves of tattoos and a snazzy three piece suit furnished by the FA, Beckham somehow made it on England’s back room staff, a job that surely was some favor (or PR stunt concerning England’s 2018 bid) owed from his and England boss Fabio Capello’s Real Madrid days.

Seriously, what was Beckham’s purpose with the England squad in South Africa? Look good in a suit so TV cameras can send your face to your millions of adoring fans?

Time after time throughout the tournament, Beckham was seen on the sidelines with pursed lips and glaring eyes. A facade of an England player as looks of dismay and contemplation were captured by a camera miraculously shooting his ‘better side’ for the millions watching on TV to drool over (female) or snicker at (male).

Now I know I’m being quite critical of Beckham here. For his fans, I do in fact like him. He was once an effective player who served his various clubs and his country well. I just don’t see the point in his coming out and giving this interview so long after England’s elimination has been dead and buried and written and read about to exhaustion.

And to further my views on Beckham, I don’t see why he’s still associated with the England national team. Was his presence in South Africa a benefit or a detriment to England? What really was his purpose? Will he realistically play for England again? And why do the LA Galaxy let him trek the globe with England as they continue to pay his wages?

One thing’s for sure, Beckham’s obvious blame of the England players wasn’t his finest hour.