’86 England v Poland, 3-0

England had to endure a torrid start in Mexico when Ray Wilkins picked a suspension and Bryan Robson a tournament-ending injury. They went into the final group game with Poland in need of a result and, having failed to score against Portugal and Morocco, it looked as though Bobby Robson might drop Everton striker Gary Lineker. But Bobby Robson stuck to his guns and kept faith with Lineker, who duly tore Poland apart with a devastating hat-trick. The striker’s third after just 34 exhilarating minutes sent England’s fans into raptures in Monterrey.

’66 England v W Germany, 4-2

Fondly remembered for Kenneth Wolstenholme’s classic sound bite, Nobby Stiles’ false teeth and, of course, Bobby Moore lifting the iconic Jules Rimet Trophy, the final in 1966 was a match brimming with great goals and memorable incident. Goals from Martin Peters and Hurst helped England recover from going a goal down, but West Germans equalised in the dying minutes.  Cue extra-time and ‘that goal’. Having lost his marker with a neat turn, Geoff Hurst’s shot from the edge of the six-yard box bounced off the underside of the bar and was adjudged to have crossed the line. The West Ham striker went on to complete his hat-trick, sealing the Three Lions’ first ever World Cup triumph.

’54 England v Belgium, 4-4

With an average of more than 5 goals a game, the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland is the highest-scoring World Cup in history, and is likely to remain so. Notably, the West Germans recovered from an 8-3 humiliation at the hands of Hungary’s ‘Golden Team’ to beat the Hungarians, including the prolific Sandor Kocsis and footballing great Ferenc Puskas 3-2 in the final. England were not exempt from the goal-scoring frenzy and were left stunned as opponents Belgium came back to earn a draw after having been 3-1 down. An own goal from Portsmouth defender Jimmy Dickinson in the dying minutes levelled the scores at 4-4. The match is one of a number of amazing matches in this World Cup famous for comebacks and goal-laden scorelines.

Perhaps the most celebrated player to wear the number nine shirt at a World Cup is former Manchester United midfielder Bobby Charlton. The midfielder was an integral part of Alf Ramsey’s 1966 World Cup-winning side, playing in all 6 of England’s matches scoring 3 goals along the way. Charlton remains England’s record goal scorer, with 49 goals in 106 appearances – including, of course, that thunderbolt strike against Mexico at the 1966 World Cup.

Although less well-remembered, Nat Lofthouse’s goal scoring record for England is truly remarkable. England’s number nine during the 1954 finals in Switzerland, only Jimmy Greaves has come close to matching Lofthouse’s strike rate, which saw him score 30 times in 33 appearances.

At the last World Cup in Germany, Peter Crouch’s international teammate Wayne Rooney had the number nine shirt.  The United forward would probably be the first to admit that, after breaking a metatarsal shortly before the start of England’s World Cup campaign, he achieved less than expected in Germany – something he will no doubt be keen to put right this time around.

Having grabbed the winner in England’s group match against Trinidad and Tobago last time around, Crouch knows what it feels like to score at the World Cup. Footballers and football supporters are notoriously superstitious, but few would read much into the fact that England’s number nine has failed to score at the last two World Cups. With his prolific record and proven ability to get goals when it counts, not many would bet against Crouch adding to his impressive goal tally in South Africa.

I am not involved within professional football; I personally work selling external doors; I also offer a cheap mobile calls service and sell cheap hotel deals.

England have beaten Croatia in their own back yard, four goals to one. It was an awesome performance with players like Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard running the midfield. The Croatian team have been somewhat of a bogey team for England and it sure felt good to lay that ghost to rest with a comprehensive four - one win.

Capello is getting the best out of the team at the moment with the majority of the players plying their trade in the Premier League which is probably the most competitive league in the world. For some reason previous England teams played a rather slow continental type game, why? It really makes no sense at all. The manager is now playing a pressing game and has the players laying their lives, as the saying goes, on the line for the team.

In previous years the English National Football Team has flattered to deceive and a lot of members of the press have been very critical of them. The negative reaction has been more to do with the apparent lack of effort and passion, it was if they did not care. This was just not acceptable and hopefully has changed for good.

A successful English football team can lift the whole country and if the players can win the World Cup in 2010 they will be national heroes for life. Go for it England - believe in yourselves and bring the trophy home for our wonderful country.

Players like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Theo Walcott and Ashley Young will be the catalyst to victory in South Africa, I am convinced about it.

Think about some of the biggest sporting rivalries in history.  There was Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier in boxing, Chris Evert versus Martina Navratilova in tennis and Greg Norman versus Nick Faldo in golf.A healthy cricket rivalry continues between India and Pakistan.Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov have even made competitive chess seem exciting with their ongoing rivalry through the years.

But can any of these admittedly classic face-offs hold a candle to the colossal confrontation that occurs whenever the Red Devils of Manchester United clash with the Liverpool Reds?This could be the greatest rivalry in football, but it’s time to take a closer look at things to determine why it exists, and why it continues

1. The Northwest Derby – Matchups between the two clubs are often referred to using this moniker.  Liverpool and Manchester (the cities) have maintained a healthy competition since industrial times, and that sense of one-upmanship has apparently spilled over into the football world.

2. “The Greatest English Football Club” – Manchester United and Liverpool both lay claim to the title of The Greatest English Football Club.  A similar number of trophies have been won by each club, and they are also the two most successful English teams in European competition.

3. Fans and Money – The two clubs are widely-supported throughout the world and boast some of the most devoted fans in any sport.They are also ranked as two of the richest clubs in the world.

4.  Player Haters – As with a lot of football clubs, the fans can be downright hostile to each other sometimes.  With Liverpool and Man U, though, the hostility spills over to the players too occasionally.  United striker Wayne Rooney has publicly stated how he grew up hating Liverpool.On another occasion, Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard told a TV crew that, although he often exchanges shirts with opposing players, he would never have a Manchester United shirt in his house.

5. Transfers? What Transfers? – No player has been directly transferred between the two clubs since 1964; the few footballers who have played for both clubs always played in a different city in between. As recently as 2007, United left-back Gabriel Heinze expressed a desire to move to Liverpool, and a bid was made, but Man U rejected the bid and stated that Heinze would only join a foreign club if he chose to leave – all due to the age old rivalry.

The way these clubs are so passionate about their long-standing rivalry is inspiring, in a way.  I suppose some people don’t understand and think the whole thing is just silly.So, are you still wondering who’s the best club in football?  That’s easy.  Everyone knows it’s Spurs.

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