DAVID James admits having to suffer the agony of watching the Euro 2008 finals from afar will inspire England when they launch their bid to qualify for the 2010 World Cup this weekend.
And he says Fabio Capello's side should try to emulate Spain who, like England, had gone a lengthy spell without any trophy glory before winning the Euros in Austria and Switzerland.
England take on Andorra in Barcelona on Saturday before confro
nting the more demanding task of facing Croatia, the side who knocked them out of the Euros at the qualifying stage, in Zagreb next Wednesday.
James said: "Watching the European Championships, rather than playing in them, will certainly have an impact.
"Croatia and Russia, who were in our qualifying group got to the latter stages. You think, 'Had we got there, it might have been us in the final' so there's a lot of frustration. Hopefully that will translate into an eagerness for individuals and the team as a whole to make sure we do the job this time around.
"With Spain winning the tournament in the summer, and the length of time they had gone without winning something, I think we should really be focusing on trying to replicate that.
"The 1966 World Cup win was a long time ago and the whole squad wasn't born the last time England won it.
"We have the best league in the world, so I think we really need the focus to have a proper go at winning this World Cup."
James believes the lengthy build-up to the first competitive match of the Capello era via five friendly internationals will prove to be beneficial.
He said: "With the timing of the appointment of Mr Capello, he has had the opportunities to look at different systems and how players work together. The run-in to the first qualifier will have been invaluable."
Meanwhile, James' Portsmouth and England team-mate Jermain Defoe has put his new-found confidence down to loving life at Fratton Park.
"I have benefited from moving to Portsmouth and I am so glad I made that decision," said the 25-year-old.
"I was at Spurs for three-and-a-half years and most of the time I was really happy. I had some great moments there. But towards the end, it started to get difficult. There comes a time when you need to move on, play football and be happy again. That is what happened to me."
The full article contains 421 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
