I'm not saying England won't win 1-0, but do you really think they'll try and park the bus for 70 minutes? One of the problems with England is they're not as good as they think they are and, as such, are likely to underestimate Slovenia. So, I don't think they'll see protecting a slender lead as an option.

There's also the fact that the way they're playing, I'm not sure they can protect a lead for that long, especially against a fairly slick passing side

I predict Capello will unveil a shocking new tactic which will allow Heskey and Rooney to break through the resolute Slovenian defence:

thoughts before the tournament started 1 - 0 to England with a goal off Crouchys boney arse in the 89th minute.

I got the Brazil / Ivory Coast score right last night, so let's see if I can do it again...

Wayne Rooney (2) Joe Cole (1)

as England come flying out of the traps, all guns blazing, metaphors mixed and goal-scoring boots primed and working. The Cole's Joe and Ashley, the latter bombing forward like a man possessed, lay on chance upon chance for Rooney and Crouch who each net twice in the first half hour, despite the Slovenian keeper performing heroics to keep the score down. Then - and this is where it gets a bit surrealistic - Fat Frankie puts an absolute belter on target and makes it 5 at half time. Meantime, Upson plays a blinder in defence, not letting those pesky Slovenians so much as sniff an opportunity, and James in goal starts doing handstands to stave off the boredom. England take their foot off the throttle in the early second half but Rooney wants that hat trick and gets it. Defoe comes on for Crouch and gets the 7th. A nation rejoices and our status as WC favourites, at least in our own minds, is restored.

Then we lose 2-nil in the last 16, Terry red carded and Rooney in a strop.

Rooney and Lampard sent off by half time.
Terry walks off after 10 minutes of second half.
Capello already on board 737 for Trieste before the final whistle.
Beckham in tears on the touchline.
England fans engage in massive vuvuzela riot.
FA expelled from FIFA.
Nation takes up hurling.

"I'm not fussed whether England win or lose."

Strange way to start a post which is entirely about whether England will win or lose. I'm one of the millions who was so dismayed by Friday night's performance that I pretend I couldn't care less. Wednesday afternoon I shall be in a pub, screaming at a TV. Let's not fool ourselves.

an awful lot of 'applauding the fans'...

Danny Baker suggested on his show on Saturday that England aren't playing well enough to go out yet - basically his theory is that England only go out of tournaments once they've started to play well. And if you look at 1986, 1990, 1998 & 2002 he may have a point. Though admittedly we didn't produce a single decent performance last time round.

So I'm predicting that we will beat Slovenia on Wednesday, either with a fantastic performance, or we'll somehow manage to scramble a result followed by a decent showing in the last 16. And then we'll go out.

Baker also said that England were so bad on Friday, there was a "grandeur to their mediocrity". I liked that.

that England win the final group game

do OK and get past a mediocre team in the last 16

we all get excited

go out in the quarters despite a "brave" and "gutsy" performance, possibly down to 10 men, and probably on penalties

As Danny Baker said on his FiveLive podcast - "I've seen this movie before"

I'll go for 2 - 0 to England.

Friday night left me shaking my head, pretty much for the next few days. Being a fan of lower league football, where expectations are relatively low (please, no last day limp over the line to safety this season lads) you feel you are prepared to see dross served up by the team you support. But Friday was, well - inexplicable...

Anger seemed pointless, in the circumstances.

2-1 Slovenia

We can then get on with watching some decent footah without dealing with inexplicable hysteria

...with little interest in the outcome, I'm going to say that England are going to fuck it entirely, and come out with either a 0-0 or a 1-1. My only reason for this belief is that everyone reckons they're going to scrape a win and get through, as per, and an upset feels about due.

But it probably won't be a great performance

Capello will ditch the 4-4-2, put Joe Cole down the left and Gerrard behind Rooney (Lampard dropped).
Upson will play well, Lennon will do nothing (again!) and be replaced by Wright-Phillips. Rooney will finally score, then lose the plot. Replaced by Crouch who scores the second by virtue of standing in the right place when the Slovenain goalkeeper drops a cross.

Prediction 2-0

who wandered into the maw of doom (a.k.a. the England changing room) the other night, I'm expecting at least fifteen hundred interlopers to be prowling the tunnel after full time on Wednesday night, looking for the same lumpen group of overpaid prima donnas slouching and sweating in their designer trackies, but this time toting ill intent.

I better remember my wedding anniversary or I'm a dead man!

Restore some pride and play up to their ability. I will then forgive them last Fridays performance. That's how football works for me.

1-1, and a red card awarded to a frustrated Terry when there's ten minutes left of the game.
Also, tomorrow "capricorns will have a romantic Tuesday if they choose to pursue romance. Otherwise practically nothing will happen."
Straight from the reliable pages of my daily tabloid!

the odds on favourite to replace Fabio Capello will be named as Roy Hodgson.

Well, it can't be duller than the football. Can it?

P.S. I am hoping that Eddie announces the Eng./Slov. result from the stage

Macy Gray - Do Something:

Get up, get out
And do somethin'
Don't let the days of your life pass you by
You got to
Get up, get out
And do somethin'
How will you make it if you never even try?
Get up, get out
And do somethin'
Can't spend your whole life tryin' to get high
You got to get up, get out
And do somethin'

... I'll predict he'll drop Terry, stick to 4-4-2 with Upson and Dawson (boomps-a-daisies) as his central defence pairing, start with SWP, Lennon, Daddy G and and Lumps in the midfield, and play The Hesk and The Roon up front... Slovenia will get a goal just before half time ... England will equalise with ten mins to go then the Slovs will score a second ,,, 2-1

Despite having a fantastic first half of the season for us Lennon just hasn't been the same since he got injured. SWP shouldn't get anywhere the team ahead of Joey Cole.
I'm not convinced by Gerrard playing up front with Rooney, he seems really out of sorts at the moment, but given the alternatives of Crouchy or Heskey (too slow and wasteful) or Defoe (off form and not the quickest of football brains), I think it's worth a go.
I don't think Capello will have the guts to drop JT, despite Terry behaving like a sulking adolescent. Again, Dawson's had a good season for us but I wouldn't trust him to start such an important game playing alongside Upson who doesn't deserve his place in the squad in my opinion.
I've got a feeling we'll win quite easily on Wednesday night and then anything can happen - you need a bit of luck, a bit of confidence and a few people hitting form at the right time. The Italians came good in 2006 (they probably will again).
Look at Chelsea - we absolutely murdered them at White Hart Lane towards the end of the season - it ended up 2-1 but it should've been 6-0. They never looked back after that and won the double.
The Algeria game was awful but I don't think it'll be repeated.

due to work, so it will be an absolutely brilliant game. England will play with the style and flair of Brazil and will beat Slovenia 3-0 or 3-1.
I'll watch the next game and we'll limp out to a last minute tap in after a moment of hesitation and confusion between David James and John Terry.

May be a mixed blessing, easier on the nerves.After last Friday though, not optimistic.They played like they were pissed.Terry has a lot to answer for, has his own agenda, it may be too late.

Since 1982 England have won just 30% of World Cup games shown on ITV, but 62% of matches on the BBC. So everything's going to be alright :-)

England need to make changes after this World cup. Firstly sack Capello and start again with an English manager who can speak English. His first job should be to drop Terry permanently. His second job should be to ensure that Gerrard and Lampard never play in the same team - It doesn't work. Next he should ensure that he does not take any players who have not fully recovered from an injury to a major competition regardless of their reputation. When you are restricted on number of players you can take where was the sense in taking King, Ferdinand and Rooney? We did it before with Bryan Robson. Will we ever learn from our mistakes??
My forecast is we will scrape a win tomorrow and draw next game losing on penalties and will return home unbeaten over 90 minutes in any game and the press using that as a crumb of comfort.

Glastonbury trying to get in to see it on the big screen.

it's just been announced the England team are to get a new coach......

it will be picking them up from Heathrow airport on Thursday morning!