"God answers my prayers everywhere except on the golf-course."
Then and now
England was based in Rio de Janeiro for the 2014 World Cup, 64 years after their World Cup debut in the same city. A few things have changed.Travel
2014 – England came via USA but a direct flight from London would take 11 hours.
1950 – England had a 31 hour flight with 4 stops en route.
Preparation
2014 – A series of warm-up games in the same time zone and similar climate.
1950 – four days training in London.
Knowledge of opponents
1950 – Magazine articles
2014 – Some opponents will be club team-mates, many will have faced them in club or international matches. Computer and video analysis.
Food
2014 - The England party of 70 includes a chef and a nutritionist.
1950 – Standard hotel fare.
Ball
1950 – Made of cowhide.
2014 – The Adidas Brazuca, a synthetic ball developed over 2-3 years.
Boots
1950 – Heavy with toe-caps and ankle protection.
2014 – Custom designed for each individual player who has a lucrative boot contact.
Shirt
1950 – Plain long-sleeved woollen.
2014 – Designed by Nike who will hope to sell two million replica shirts.
Media
1950 – One small paragraph in the The Times.
2014 – 18,000 media from all over the world will report on the World Cup.
Outcome
1950 – England humiliated by USA.
2014 – So not much has changed then!
Photo: Getty images for Sony