The last eight, aka squeaky-b u m-time, is upon us. It might not have been too pretty against the team from the highest and hottest place on Earth but it was enough. The main thing is that we're through and if we go all the way grinding out these kind of results I think most of us would take it, such is our craving for some kind of glory.

We have a lot to be thankful to the ever-improving Ashley Cole for, Bobby Moore would have been proud of that kind of defending. The only thing missing from this team is a high tempo. If we were playing quicker football going forward then I think everyone would be happy, players included.

But Sven insists on this patient approach and, until we lose, who am I to criticise him? One thing I will say is I would not be a happy man if I had taken time off work and spent ridiculous amounts of money on tickets, travel and accommodation to watch a campaign that has included three of the most boring World Cup matches so far.

We will raise our game against the better opposition, we always do, and Portugal definitely come into the category of quality opposition, even without Deco. The debacle that was Holland vs Portugal has won neither team or the "ref" any friends and we need a strong referee to clamp down on diving and the opposition trying to get us booked because they will try anything to gain an advantage.

If Ronaldo has stopped crying by Saturday he could be involved but without Deco I think this will be our game if we don't give Figo or Simao any free-kicks in dangerous areas. Rooney is desperate for a goal but is a victim of Sven's cautious tactics.

Even so his raw passion and desire and bionic fitness levels meant he was still a threat despite being isolated with his back to goal for most of the game against Ecuador. One reporter claimed in today's press that 'if there was a World Cup XI made up of the most over rated players in the tournament so far then Lampard would be captain'. Sums it up harshly but perfectly although the encouraging thing is that he doesn't go hiding and keeps getting in the positions. He just needs to find the back of the net.

A quick word for Graham Poll on 'that' mistake. It was a poor error for someone of his standing and he would be the first to admit it. But he should have had some help from his assistants, particularly the fourth official!

I mean these guys get the best seat in the house for massive football matches and are rarely called upon to do any "work". Surely he could have taken a break from pestering the managers (well Maclaren) to sit down and putting numbers on a board to take notice of what was going on in the game!?

And as ever FIFA, who are worse than the FA when it comes to ensuring the moral fibre of the game remains sacred, will probably come down on Poll like a tonne of bricks by sending him home. Sepp Blatter loves a scapegoat after all!

Last but certainly not least someone should tell Portugal's eccentric 'keeper Ricardo that revenge is sweet. Because when Rooney and co leave him crying in a heap on Saturday there will be no sympathy coming his way from me or the millions of other England fans that had to watch as he cheated his way to victory on penalties in Euro 2004.

Moving off his line for most of our penalties, then stepping up and taking his boots off before hitting the winning kick was enough to wind most people up. But the arrogant celebrations that followed should make Sven's...sorry...Maclaren's team talk much easier on Saturday.

COME ON ENGLAND!!!

England 2 Portugal 1

Lampard, Rooney.

We won the group, the first time we've done so in a major tournament since 1996, we're through to the last 16, we've avoided ze Germans and await Sunday's game against minnows Ecuador.

We should be feeling on top of the world, buzzing with excitement and brimming with confidence that we will cruise through to the quarter-finals. Instead I feel let down again, with a bad taste in my mouth from yet another failure by England and more accurately Sven to put on a decent showing for 90 minutes.

The Swedes were good opposition and Germany will struggle against them but after putting in our best half of football so far, blighted only by that awful injury to Owen, Sven failed us...again.

Not only has his decision to name just four strikers in the squad come back to haunt him but his reluctance to use "wonder boy" Theo Walcott borders on negligible! Jermaine Defoe, Dean Ashton, Darren Bent and Andy Johnson must be sitting at home thinking what might have been, had we a competent manager at the helm.
 

His substitutions were again negative, coming from an Italian Serie A background, Sven is used to shutting up shop to secure a result. But we see time-and-time-again this is not in the make-up of English players.

It's not just that we are we not particularly good at closing the game out, it is almost an alien concept to our modern players who are used to the cut and thrust of the Premiership.

Rooney showed his frustration when subbed and probably reflected that of millions watching at the time. I don't think he seemed that tired or flagging in the second half, he was just seeing less of the ball as a result of the way England were playing. I think his anger was more at Sven's negativity rather than a selfish sulk at being brought off. The guy is a born winner.

One thing I must say is how impressed I was, for most of the game, with the performance of Hargreaves in his natural position. I had reflected many people's views when said I hoped he was never given another game for England but credit where it is due, he played well and looked hungry and we looked better for the prescence of a Makelele type player in our midfield, well for the first half anyway.

Joe Cole scored the individual goal of the tournament so far and Gerrard got his second in as many games so certain things are looking up. But we must see more of Lennon (Beckham, while priceless with his passing and from set-pieces) looks out-of-sorts and young Aaron has been class when he has played and gives us anotehr dimension in that, like Joe Cole, he can waltz past a player with ease. And any full-back will tell you they are reluctant to push forward when they know such a quick and deadly player will be in behind them at the drop of a hat.

Worryingly we are now left with just Crouch, who played well without really threatening, to partner Wazza after Owen was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament earlier today. But I think Sven will choose to bring in Gerrard and play him off Rooney in a five-man midfield, although at the moment there is a strong case to drop under-performing Frank Lampard - but has Sven got the guts?

Ecuador will cause us problems. They are quick, strong and powerful and well organised. Having watched their three games so far I think they play a lot like Bolton, flooding the box for long throws and using their target men well. So we will need to drastically improve our defending, particularly from set pieces, if we are to make it through to the quarters. We should be fearless and confident but I can't help but feel that if we win the World Cup this year it will be in spite of Sven rather than because of him.

COME ON ENGLAND!!!

Prediction: England 2 Ecuador 0

Rooney, Lampard.

So it's Friday, we're through to the second round of the World Cup, Rooney is back, Aaron Lennon has been a revelation and for once Sven showed some guts and made good, positive substitutions.

But we're still not happy. Why? Because we want to win with conviction, style and a certain finesse befitting the quality players we have the luxury of calling upon. Not by pulling the opponents hair to gain an aerial advantage despite being one of the tallest players at the tournament. A precious goal and fair play to him but it does not hide an otherwise inept performance from Liverpool man Peter Crouch.

I think the real England, you know the one that is capable of going to Germany and thumping them 5-1, the one that destroyed a great Dutch team 4-1 almost 10 years ago to the day, will stand up and be counted against Sweden.

Although I had this game down as a draw originally I am now confident, given that the Swedes will have to come at us and will not be shutting up shop from the word go, we can beat them quite comfortably.

We will come good in the next couple of games, if Sven listens to people like Terry Venables who I believe has the perfect solution to address the lack of fluency on display against Paraguay and for the best part of an hour against Trinidad.

In my opinion Venables is right to suggest that Michael Carrick should be brought in to hold the midfield and allow Lampard (who's World Cup report card would read: must do better) and Gerrard to attack games in the same manner they do for their club sides, because at the moment one, if not both, are being stifled.

The performances of Ashley Cole, Lampard, Robinson and Owen are cause for concern but again we shouldn't make a 'seven-headed monster' out of this. Would we rather Ronaldo? Ok he's off form, it happens to every pro, but the guy is not even working up a sweat in trying to make things happen for himself, very sad to see.

In fact that well-known scholar Ian Wright hit the nail on the head when describing how it was like watching the great Mohammed Ali fight Larry Holmes, it was cringeworthy to see a player of his excellence and pedigree amble around looking totally disinterested with the game he once graced.

Can we win the World Cup? Ask anyone outside of England after our two performances so far and they'll laugh at you but we know we can. When England won the Rugby World Cup they played boring territorial tactics but won the damn thing.

Then coach Clive Woodward was always saying he gets paid to win and how he wanted to win at any cost, 'it doesn't have to be pretty' he used to say. It's an almost German attitude, and how many World Cups have they won? Three times the amount we have.
 
Everyone wants to win with classy Brazilian-esque performances from front to back but 99 per cent of people from any country in the world would probably be more than happy with seven 1-0 wins to lift the World Cup.

If we made it to the final and won, we will be remembered for winning the World Cup, nobody remembers how the winning team got there.

Ecuador or Germany then in the second round. Ecuador look solid to be honest, perhaps more impressively defensively than Germany. They remind me of Bolton in the way they play and are well organised, committed, powerful and quick.

The Germans seem to have the tempo and fluency we are currently lacking going forward but with our defence (aka John Terry) on form, I can't see either of them giving us any real headaches. But I would rather play Ecuador based purely on the fact Germany are at home and could gather a steely momentum about them come the knockout stages.

As I write this Blog, Argentina are crushing Serbia 3-0 and doing so in style. It seems whoever wins the World Cup is going to have to beat them on the evidence thus far.

COME ON ENGLAND!!!

Well it's finally here then! The World Cup 2006, five weeks of unadulterated football involving the best players from across the globe. Just the job! Many of those world-class players feature in Sven's side and as always England expects.

But rightly so. With the talent at his disposal it will be a complete failure if we don't get to the semi-finals at least.

I'm not a big fan of the Swede, but I will be fully behind him to do well this summer despite the inexcusable 'fake sheikh' incident. It will be nice to get stuck into the action rather than amble through the miles and miles of media coverage that has been dedicated to a certain boy wonder's foot day-in day-out for the last six weeks.

But the concern is understandable I suppose. With Rooney we can be awesome, without him we are a strong team that will be over-reliant on Owen producing the goods. And should something happen to Owen we will be forced to go with the untried, untested and ultimately unproven partnership of Peter Crouch and Theo 'the Premiership football virgin' Walcott up top.

Walcott has showed a couple of flashes of his already famous blistering pace in the few minutes he has played during our build-up matches and the much-maligned (particularly by myself I must admit) Crouch is carving himself a decent reputation with some nice goals, including his hat-trick against Jamaica. He has even body-popped his way to iconic status with his now famous robot celebrations. If the coverage of his robotic rhythms is anything to go by, you'd think he invented the dance!

So can we do it? Course we can but for once I am putting the reigns on my emotions and not letting myself get carried away with the hype. Saying that qualifying from the group should be academic then after that it looks as if it could be Germany or Poland if the groups are true to the form book and current rankings.

As our 'national anthem' proudly roars we are the 'land of hope and glory' but I'd say we're more the land of hope. We've only tasted glory once, back in 66', since then it has been one heartbreak after the other.

Off the point slightly I just want to register my dislike for the official World Cup song, as Baddiel and Skinner showed in 1996, the song needs to be catchy, lively and passionate, and I just don't think Embrace have, well...embraced those things.

The Talk Sport song is much better and will be belting out all over the place before long. As I write this we are waiting news on Rooney's second and most crucial scan, I've got everything crossed as I'm sure millions of others have too. Be it with or without him let's get behind the boys and hopefully, 40 years on, Beckham and co will be emulating those immortal pictures and memories of Bobby Moore, this time lifting that heralded trophy high into the German air, now wouldn't that be wunderbar!

Damo's predictions:

England 2 Paraguay 1

Owen and Gerrard.

England 3 Trinidad and Tobago 0

Owen, Lampard and Rooney.

England 1 Sweden 1

Beckham.