ENGLAND CAN'T WIN

New English FA chairman Greg Dyke suggested that the prospect of winning the World Cup 2014 looked extremely unlikely, but manager Roy Hodgson does not share the same opinion.

He thinks that England can not only qualify for the World Cup automatically, but they can also win the competition as well. England have not won a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup, and it was also primarily attributed to the home support. Since then, they have exited major competitions at quarter-final stage itself.

Amongst the competition that includes the likes of Spain, Brazil, and Italy, England look underequipped when it comes to squad strength. They are also devoid of great technical players, which has been the cornerstone of the success achieved by Spain in the last five years. Dyke recently said that England will be set up with the hope of winning the World Cup 2022, as it seems like a more realistic ambition than winning World Cup 2014. Hodgson remained very realistic about the chances of England qualifying as group winners, but he is more upbeat when it comes to their performance at the tournament itself.

In the first major tournament under Hodgson, England went out of the Euro 2012 in the quarter-final stage.

"I don't think anyone realistically thinks we are going to win the World Cup in Brazil. It doesn't mean we can't do well in Brazil as long as we qualify," said Dyke to the BBC. "We don't see it that way. None of us, with the team, ever saw it in that way. And we don't believe our chairman sees anything as a doomed mission. He also said in his speech how much he supports the team and hopes we get to Brazil and do well," said Hodgson in response to the comments by Dyke.