’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 kept faith in Lineker, and his decision paid dividends as the prolific marksman weighed in with a devastating first-half 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. Alf Ramsey’s team fought back from an early goal and were leading 2-1 when the 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. Hurst later sealed his hat-trick to make England’s World Cup triumph certain.

’54 England v Belgium, 4-4

With a remarkable 140 goals in just 26 matches, the 1954 tournament in Switzerland remains the highest-scoring World Cup. Famously, in the group stages West Germany were soundly beaten 8-3 by Hungary’s ‘Golden Team’ that boasted the prolific Sandor Kocsis and the great Ferenc Puskas, only to then go on to defeat the Hungarians 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. This encounter with Belgium was just one of numerous memorable encounters in this World Cup that has gone down in history for its remarkable scorelines and great comebacks.

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. Croatia are currently ranked as the fifth best team in the world and they lose 4-1 to England.

Capello has targeted the strengths of England, the Premier League is the best league in the world and the pace of the games is quite incredible. For some reason previous England teams played a rather slow continental type game, why? It just does not make sense. 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 team were accused of lacking bottle, lacking character and lacking in spirit. 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. Come on lads, you can do it.

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.

Mention great sports rivalries and several could come to mind.  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.  There’s even been a classic rivalry in the world of chess with Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov battling it out in several matches over 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?Let’s have a quick look at why this great football rivalry 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 also are two of the biggest earning 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.  Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard meanwhile once told a television crew how, although he regularly exchanges shirts with opposing players, he will never have a Manchester United shirt in his house.

5. Transfers? What are Transfers? – There have been no direct transfers of players between the two clubs since 1964; the few who have played for both sides have always played for a different city’s club 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’m sure some people don’t understand how others can get so worked up about a game, and think the whole rigamarole is just silly.So, are you still wondering who’s the best club in football?It’s as clear as day, really.  Everyone knows it’s Spurs.

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