It has only been five days since David Beckham signed the contract with the LA Galaxy but in that time millions of words have already been spoken and written about the deal.  I felt that columns by Gary Lineker and Ian Plenderleith were both reasoned, informative and sober comments on the move.

Columns such as these were very much in the minority as "journalists" all round the world set new  "standards" while opting to reinforce stereotype views of the game in North America. The worst example was from a US based writer who wrote that if Beckham wants to watch the Premiership the only option he will have is a pub in Santa Monica!!

Perhaps there is a chance that at some point the soccer implications of Beckham's move will take precedent, although I doubt it.  Even so it will be interesting to see who else the Galaxy after and who will be expected to finish the opportunities that Beckham creates from set pieces and raking passes.

It is looking increasingly likely that Beckham will arrive in time for the start of MLS season rather than midway through - although this morning the MLS Commisioner issued a statement "clarifying" certain statements attributed to him over the last day or so.

Fabio Capello’s reaction to Beckham signing appears petty to the extreme and may in the short term proved to be ill-advised.  After all, managers are unable to choose when injury crisises hit and it would certainly be egg on Capello's face if he suddenly needed to turn to Beckham for help in the next couple of months.

Capello is under fire at the Bernabéu although the win over Real Zaragoza will have eased the pressure. With Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich acting more and more like a couple heading to the divorce court, speculation is rapidly growing that Mourinho will be packing up his ego and heading to Madrid.

The situations at Chelsea and Real Madrid brought to mind a wonderful description that Phil Ball wrote in his book “Morbo - The story of Spanish football.” Given Chelsea's stated intention to become the biggest club in the world it also contains words of warning for the Stanford Bridge club.

He wrote, “Nevertheless, there have been periods in Real Madrid's history when such ruthlessness has tended to exacerbate the internal problems of a club whose vaulting ambition has always ensured a state of “crisis” is never too far away.”

Amy Lawrence takes a look at Jose Mourinho’s battle with Abramovich, while Peter Jenson speculates on a move to the Bernabeu

Finally Jonathan Northcroft wrote an extremely interesting piece on the players who have not made the grade at Arsenal and Manchester United but who are considered by other clubs as extremely valuable properties.

Of the half a dozen magazines I receive regularly, none is devoured as quickly as “WSC – When Saturday Comes.” It was no different this month. The magazine arrived on Thursday and I finished it by Saturday morning.

WSC has been published in the UK for over twenty years and it continues to provide balanced comment while challenging the conventional wisdom. The website sums it up better than I can. “The aim of WSC has always been to provide a voice for intelligent football fans. We try to offer both a serious and humorous view of football, covering football in the UK and abroad.”

The August issue reviews Germany 2006. Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger looks at Germany’s hosting of the tournament and visiting fans reactions. The TV diary of the tournament reminds us that it was not only ABC and ESPN coverage that left a lot to be desired.

Mike Ticher applies some common sense to the ridiculous practice of kicking the ball out of play when a player is down while offering up some suggestions on some simple rule changes that encourage play to flow.

Ben Lyttleton’s piece on penalty kicks and England is enlightening while Robert Shaw puts Brazil’s failure down to putting commercial concerns ahead of the game.

Ian Plenderleith, who usually writes an informative monthly piece on websites, has a look at reaction in the USA to the American performances.

If you are looking for jingoism normally associated with English football magazines and tabloid newspapers, look elsewhere as you will not find it in “When Saturday Comes”.