David Beckham set new standards in daftness with his mohican haircut and he joined the loony list of celebs who sport horrible hairdos. JAMES KILNER reports

EAGLE-EYED punters at York Races may have been among the first people in the world to have had the dubious honour of glimpsing David Beckham's new hairstyle. His cap pulled down tightly over his eyes, Becks coyly kept his head covered, possibly to avoid the sun's rays, but more likely to avoid the gaze of the racegoing hordes.

It is said, however, that he did lift his cap at least once to scratch his head and those quick enough to catch a glimpse were left with one question. What on earth was it? It looked as though a strange animal, possibly some kind of rodent, was resting on his bonce.

Having given the official world premiere of his new barnet before England's game against Mexico, Becks is now proud to show it off to his adoring public, apparently unaware that he bears a striking resemblance to a white Mr T.

Wisely, he waited until the end of the football season to try out the new look, as the last time he tried this trick, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson demanded a swift end to its life.

The howls of derision which greeted the unveiling of the Mohican would suggest many are counting the days until the start of the new season and not just because they are missing the beautiful game.

For those with the best interests of gentlemen's hairstyles at heart, it's been a tough month. In part because of Becks, and also because of Craig Evans, the Welshman on the end of John Prescott's left hook, who was rapidly dubbed Mullet Man.

It was quite possibly because of this aforesaid mullet, which some found frankly offensive, that public opinion drifted inexorably in favour of the Deputy Prime Minister.

A mullet of such proportions was probably last seen adorning the neck of a First Division footballer in the 1980s. Chris Waddle, possibly. You can't get away from that link between dodgy hairdos and footballing prowess. Maybe Samson-like, there's strength to be found in the hair, as long as it's arranged in an appropriately disastrous way. King Perm, aka Kevin Keegan, would be a classic example - the naffer the hairstyle, the more skilful the player.

The pop music industry is another field which has traditionally attracted dodgy barnets as stars strive to find the epitome of cool and end up with egg on their faces when the hairstyle they've picked goes out of fashion in five minutes flat.

Even one of the most respected front men in rock, Bono from U2, confesses to sporting an embarrassing mullet in the early 1980s which spawned countless copies in the lower divisions of the English football league.

Then there's Michael Bolton.

But the thing is, no matter how utterly repellent it is, the celeb's unfortunate hairdo will be copied up and down the land. When Gazza went bleach blond during his time at Rangers, Glasgow hairdressers were inundated with requests for exactly the same look. Without a doubt, the Mohican will make a return to the streets of this country and you'll know who to blame.

But Simon Steuer, owner of Toni & Guy hairdressers, in York's Blake Street, said he was indifferent to Beckham's Mohican, because he has seen it a number of time before during his time hairdressing.

"I'm not shocked by it. It's just another look," he says. "But people do pick up on what those in the public eye are doing. There's been a lot of bleach crops because of Eminem and the same will probably happen with Beckham." Though it was a brave move by Becks, he is the sort of person able to carry off such a hairstyle, says Simon. "If you put that same haircut on John McCririck it wouldn't suit him," jokes Simon.

"He couldn't carry it off. But Beckham can."

He says that resurgence of hairstyles long since confined to the hairdresser's floor was very noticeable these days, even the much-maligned mullet-hairstyle.

"The way we interpret it is that we don't try to do the same as last time. We try to give a 21st-century version of the mullet, rather than making it like Michael Bolton's."

The problems come, however, when people try to design their hair at home, he says. "People try home colouring or a perm and they don't know how to tackle it. You've got to take advice from professionals." Simon adds: "The main thing is to do something you feel comfortable with. Someone will make a statement and some people will think it's nice while others will think it's really horrible."