Does anyone reading this seriously expect England to win the World Cup again during their lifetime?

Really? Honestly? I can’t say I do.

However, the question I suppose really matters is does Fabio Capello think they can? Would he be putting his reputation and pedigree as a manager on the line if he thought the best England can achieve under his leadership is the seemingly customary difficult passage through qualifying before failure (usually on penalties) at the finals?

Am I painting too gloomy a picture for you? I’m sorry if you think so, but I am merely trying to be realistic. We’ve won the World Cup once when it was played in our own back yard. And we’ve never even played in another major final before or since.

OK, we’ve had some glorious failures and a bit of bad luck. We’ve had plenty of fall guys, several suggestions as to who or what is to blame, and many people telling us they know how to put an end to 30/40/50 years of hurt.

But the fact remains that England have no divine right whatsoever even to make the semi-finals... because we’re not one of the best four football-playing nations in the world. I’d say we’d be lucky to scramble into the top ten actually (and don’t quote me FIFA rankings – America regularly make the top 20 according to them).

Put your national loyalties aside and tell me this – if someone gave you a large lump of cash to have a punt now on the winners of the 2010 World Cup, how far down your list of potential investments would you have to go before you got to England?

If you’ve got them in your top four, I’d probably lay that bet.

Yes we have one of the most exciting, most watched, most talked-about leagues on the planet. And we have some of the biggest names in the sport playing in this country. But how many of them are English?

If the Martians challenged Earth to a match tomorrow, how many Englishman would make it into the squad, never mind the starting 11?

Of course, with every new managerial appointment comes renewed hope, proclamations of intent from the players, and totally unjustified expectation from the man in the street.

I actually feel a bit sorry for Capello. He’s probably trying to square the circle as he attempts to find a winning, entertaining, balanced team, while appeasing the media, the public and his employers at the FA.

He’ll either succeed, become a hero and retire an honorary Englishman – or he’ll get the sack. I know where my money is.

Friendlies – football’s equivalent of a fire drill

Those who organise them tell us they are vital – those involved usually find themselves gathered out in the cold in no discernible order, not really knowing those around them and, when the real thing does happen, you know it’s going to bear no resemblance.

Yes, football friendlies and fire drills are blood brothers.

But this week’s is different. Isn’t it? The dawning of a new era and all that.

Who would have thought a friendly with the generally anonymous Switzerland would attract so much attention.

But it’s not about who we’re playing, it’s about Capello’s England putting on a show, sending a statement to the football world and whetting our appetites for the World Cup qualifying campaign.

I’m not suggesting Switzerland will be compliant in the tub-thumping, but I’d be looking to back England tonight. They’re a good thing, aren’t they?

Heck, I might even try one of the new Scorecast markets: Rooney and 1-0, Owen and 1-0. I’m not expecting a complete transformation in the usual friendly dross after all.

But it ought to be better than a fire drill – you got that Fabio?!