GLENN HODDLE will announce his provisional 30-man squad for England's World Cup challenge at lunchtime today but Chris Sutton won't be holding his breath. Not only does the Blackburn striker know he won't be included, he believes he has no chance of ever playing for England while Hoddle is in charge. That is the legacy of Sutton's refusal to play for the England B team earlier in the season and the Blackburn star knows there is no way back even after his winner against Alan Shearer's Newcastle on Sunday left him tied as joint top goalscorer in the Premiership on 18 with Michael Owen and Dion Dublin. ''I realise that it will probably need Hoddle to go before I get a chance and that might be a long time,'' he admitted. ''My only regret is that I miss out on the international scene. Sutton, still Blackburn's record signing at £5m, scored the last-gasp goal that beat Newcastle on Sunday to send Rovers into Europe. He has scored 21 times in all this season to pass the 50 barrier for Blackburn and was also named Blackburn's player of the year on the day his former partner Shearer hardly got a look-in for Newcastle. While England's top stars prepare for a month in France, Sutton will be planning a holiday and ''a few games of cricket''. He admitted: ''Obviously it's nice to finish joint top scorer and pick up the player of the year accolade. I have been involved in a good team that has created a lot of chances and we are delighted to be back in Europe. For much of the season it looked as though we were going for a Champions League place and the way we fell away was disappointing. But I've felt we've been more like our old selves recently and qualification for the UEFA Cup is marvelous. Though he is philosophical about missing out on France 98, only Sutton himself will truly know what he feels if, as expected, both Ian Wright and Les Ferdinand are named in Hoddle's squad today, officially for next week's Wembley friendly with Saudi Arabia and the Hassan II International Cup games in Morocco against the hosts and Belgium. Despite Wright's long-term injuries, the coach believes the Arsenal striker's infectious good humour can be a vital asset in the fraught weeks ahead and as long as the Gunners' front-man does not suffer a set-back he can expect a place on the jet to France as well. Ferdinand may be a slightly more surprising inclusion, but he also appears to have played himself back into Hoddle's thoughts in the final weeks of the season. With Michael Owen likely to go to France as first reserve to the Alan Shearer-Teddy Sheringham starting duo and Wright set to be on the plane as cheerleader, Ferdinand is unlikely to make the finals, but he seems to have jumped ahead of Andy Cole and Dublin, even though they totalled 25 and 22 goals respectively this season.

HODDLE'S SHORTLIST: ANDERTON IN, LE TISSIER OUT?   DARREN ANDERTON and Ian Wright are today expected to be handed the chance to prove to Glenn Hoddle that they will be fit enough to play in the World Cup. But the likes of Matt Le Tissier, Dion Dublin and Jamie Redknapp could discover their France 98 dreams are finally shattered as Hoddle sharpens his mind. This lunchtime the England coach will announce the squad of players for next week's Wembley friendly with Saudi Arabia and the Hassan II International Cup games in Morocco against the hosts and Belgium, and Hoddle has already said his shortlist will comprise no more than 30 players. That means certain heartbreak for some of the players who believed they were still in the frame for France just a few short weeks ago, and despite his hat-trick in the B game, and the run of form that has brought him ten goals in his last ten games, Le Tissier seems set to be one of the men handed the black spot. While Hoddle publicly backed the Channel Islander in the aftermath of the home defeat by Italy, he has been markedly less positive about the Southampton man since. One reason for that has been the international emergence of Paul Scholes. Anderton, by contrast, looks likely to repeat the comeback from injury that saw him earn a place in Terry Venables' side in Euro 96. Redknapp's catalogue of injury woes could cost him dearly, with Anfield team-mate Dominic Matteo also set for disappointment. Men on the borderline at this stage of the selection process include Stuart Pearce, Rio Ferdinand and Ray Parlour, while Kevin Pressman will not be too expectant when the announcement is made at lunchtime. Possible squad: Seaman (Arsenal), Walker (Spurs), Martyn (Leeds), Flowers (Blackburn), G Neville (Man Utd), P Neville (Man Utd), Southgate (A Villa), Adams (Arsenal), Keown (Arsenal), Campbell (Spurs), Pearce (Newcastle), Le Saux (Chelsea), Hinchcliffe (Sheff Wed), R Ferdinand (West Ham), Beckham (Man Utd), Ince (Liverpool), Lee (Newcastle), Gascoigne (Middlesbrough), Batty (Newcastle), Butt (Man Utd), Scholes (Man Utd), Anderton (Spurs), Merson (Middlesbrough), McManaman (Liverpool), Shearer (Newcastle), Sheringham (Man Utd), Owen (Liverpool), Cole (Man Utd), Wright (Arsenal), L Ferdinand (Spurs).

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