Written off before the tournament has even started, England do not stand a chance at the World Cup...or do they...?
CLICK HERE to read why the Beautiful Game would forget about Rooney at its peril, check out our exclusive with some heroes of 1966, and cure those penalty jitters as Sky Sports counts down 50 days to kick-off
Even long before Football Association chairman Greg Dyke's cut-throat gesture last December greeted England's World Cup draw, Roy Hodgson and his players had been widely written off ahead of this summer in Brazil.
No more 'golden generation'. Forty-eight years and counting since Jules Rimet at Wembley. What is the best formation? Will Rooney finally do it on the big stage? Who replaces Walcott? It will be too hot. And do not mention penalties!
We have all heard the reasons / excuses of why England will not win the World Cup but what is to say they cannot go all the way?
From Raheem Sterling to Luke Shaw or Adam Lallana to Daniel Sturridge, Hodgson has an array of young, in-form talent from which to select and they will be relishing the chance to shine after impressive seasons in the Premier League.
Add to this the learning experience of England's manager at Euro 2012, an inspirational and experienced captain in Steven Gerrard, star man Wayne Rooney, and players who will be keen to make a point of an underdog tag, and there could yet be a surprise or two in the future.
To get the perfect formula for World Cup success, we have tracked down heroes of '66, found a solution to those penalty jitters and asked the experts to call some of England's big selection issues.
WATCH OUT FOR WAYNE
There is no escaping the fact that Wayne Rooney has been a disappointment at World Cups. England's star striker of the past decade has yet to score at a finals and the Manchester United man has never lived up to expectations at the biggest tournament of international football.
In previous competitions, Rooney has often been seen as England's best - or, maybe, only - hope. He was expected to light up the 2010 World Cup after a season in which he had scored 26 Premier League goals but it failed to materialise.
However, after United's terribly unsuccessful current season, could things be different this summer? There is perhaps not the same level of attention on Rooney and this could suit him perfectly.
Questions have been asked of Rooney's form and fitness and he has not scored as many Premier League goals as his standout campaigns in 2009/10 or 2011/12 (see below).
But, in the deeper role he now more frequently occupies for United, his all-round game of goals and assists compares favourably to many. Indeed, this is the first season in his Premier League career when he has scored 15 or more goals and also contributed 10 or more assists.
Meanwhile, Rooney's league goalscoring this season may not rank alongside some of the other top World Cup forwards who are playing in European club football but this is not necessarily a bad thing.
That his assists total is equal to Barcelona and Argentina's Lionel Messi and only less than Liverpool and Uruguay's Luis Suarez (see below) is a considerable asset for England, particularly with the prospect of him playing behind Liverpool's 20-goal man, Daniel Sturridge.
That Rooney has achieved these stats in a struggling United team reflects even better on an improved individual player - who, at the age of 28, will be at or around the peak of his playing days.
If he can maintain his fitness, Rooney has the maturity, developed game and reduced worldwide focus which gives him a chance to finally come to the party at a World Cup. The rest of the
