I wish Rooney wasn’t injured, I think the scan result is irrelevant at this stage. I’m a former Goodison season ticket holder and think this could have been his World Cup, if his temperament held up, otherwise it might have been Maradonna’s 1982 or Gasgoine’s 1990.

With Rooney I thought England had a great chance, but talk of this being the best England team since ‘66 is nonsense - 1970 was better than ‘66, and the 1990 team wasn’t bad either.

That said Sven, having gone mad enough to put Walcott in the squad might well play him as a get out of jail free card, and it could end up like Garrincha’s 1958.

If Brazil do what they can do, it’s impossible not to like it, but I have a feeling they’re almost too good (not to mention slow in a couple of places) and won’t have the guile to come back from an arguably inferior team beating them 1-0 with twelve minutes to go.

I fancy Argentina - if they can get out of that tough group - but Germany in Germany - look how well they did in 2002 when they were not up to much. Could be ominous. If the Czechs or the Dutch can play great football, they’ll get my vote. It’s Europe; it might rain.

It’s great football I want to see, not underdogs simply winning games and nothing more. In the FA Cup I can be happy with that, but every four years I want the best footballers in the world to play the best football in the world. Ronaldinho to do better than Zico ever did? Ronaldo to join Pele’s immortality, or stay at the average phenomenal legend level? I’m licking my lips.

Do you think Bobby Robson actually knows he’s not really the real manager? Has anyone told him? And do they remind him on a daily basis?

Who do you want to see win the big one?

Rooney has a scan today…but Fergie’s banned the FA from knowing the result!