’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. Lineker’s third goal after just 34 minutes sent England’s fans into raptures and they were roused into a spontaneous conga line in the sparsely populated stands 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. Goals from Martin Peters and Hurst helped England recover from going a goal down, but 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

The ’54 tournament in Switzerland remains the highest-scoring World Cup, with 140 goals scored in 26 matches. In the quarter-finals, hosts Switzerland took a 3-0 lead over Austria, but the Austrians recovered to win 7-5, and in the group stages, eventual winners West Germany were thrashed 8-3 by Hungary’s ‘Golden Team’, which boasted such legends as Ferenc Puskas and Sandor Kocsis. 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. A last-second own goal from Portsmouth defender Jimmy Dickinson put paid to England’s hopes of coming away with all two points and levelled the scores at 4-4. The match is one of a number of amazing matches in this World Cup famous for comebacks and goal-laden scorelines.

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.  India and Pakistan still have a healthy cricket rivalry going on.Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov have even made competitive chess seem exciting with their ongoing rivalry through 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.The cities of Manchester and Liverpool have been in competition since industrial times, and that sense of being rivals has permeated 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.On another occasion, Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard told a TV crew that, although he often exchanges shirts with opposing players, he would never have a Manchester United shirt in his house.

5. Transfers? Are You Kidding Me? – No player has been directly transferred between the two clubs since 1964; the few footballers who have played for both clubs always played in a different city 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 suppose some people don’t understand and think the whole thing is just silly.So, which side is obviously the best club in football?That’s simple.  Everyone knows it’s Spurs.

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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. The Croatian team have been somewhat of a bogey team for England and it sure felt good to lay that ghost to rest with a comprehensive four - one win.

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.

The English press and supporters have been very critical of the team over the last few years, quite rightly so as they have not been playing anywhere to the levels that they should be. The team were accused of lacking bottle, lacking character and lacking in spirit. This was just not acceptable and hopefully has changed for good.

If somehow the team are able to win the world cup the players will become instant heroes, heroes for life. Go for it England - believe in yourselves and bring the trophy home for our wonderful country.

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.