GOALKEEPERS David Seaman (Arsenal, Age 34, Caps 40) The best in the business. A Euro 96 hero, and those spot-kick heroics could make him one again. Unflappable and exudes the confidence his defenders love. 365 Says: The most obvious choice in the entire squad. Nigel Martyn (Leeds United, Age 31, Caps 7) George Graham is convinced the Cornishman is second only to Seaman, and his displays for Leeds have done little to shake that view. Excellent temperament, with superb reactions. Ultra-reliable. 365 Says: Late run into squad, but place justified by excellent season with his club and fine display behind shaky England defence against Belgium. Beneficiary of Ian Walker's percieved mistake against Italy at Wembley. Tim Flowers (Blackburn, Age 31, Caps 11) Many, especially down Ewood way, think he has only Seaman ahead of him, and his reactions would suggest that this is true. Has recovered from a bad spell a couple of seasons ago but held back by injury. 365 Says: Probably second choice behind Seaman, though has worryingly few England starts under his belt if anything happens to the Arsenal man. DEFENDERS Gary Neville (Manchester United, Age 23, Caps 27) Consistent for club and country and versatile too - able to play as wing-back or in the defensive trio. Never lets himself down. Truly reliable. 365 Says: Another simple choice for Hoddle, who now has to decide if Neville's best spot is in the middle, right back, or right wing back. Tony Adams (Arsenal, Age 31, Caps 51) A changed man, almost serene, after winning his battle with the bottle, yet his attitude to the game has not changed. Still combative and rock-solid, able to draw on his experience. 365 Says: Brilliant bloke, the Premiership's top defender. Has improved immeasurably since he was humiliated by Marco Van Basten at the 1988 European Championships. Mind you, he had to!. Sol Campbell (Tottenham, Age 23, Caps 16) A man-mountain in every sense, an immense physical presence who has grown with every England cap. Physically so strong and a natural athlete. Has risen to all his challenges. 365 Says: Has come on at domestic level to the point where he challenges Adams as the league's top stopper. Now needs to make the same leap at international level. This is his chance. Gareth Southgate (Aston Villa, Age 27, Caps 25) Hero - and spot-kick villain - of Euro 96, the intelligent and unassuming Southgate suffered from the spotlight's gaze. Confidence restored, he has convinced Hoddle of his attributes. 365 Says: England need one centre back who's genuinely good at passing. Gareth is it. The surprise inclusion of Rio Ferdinand will keep him on his toes. Martin Keown (Arsenal, Age 31, Caps 18) Forgotten man during the Venables era but called back from the wilderness by Hoddle. Probably the best man-marker in the squad if Hoddle wants one. 365 Says: If Gascoigne's story is the nightmare, them the unglamorous Keown's is the dream. The Double and a place in the World Cup squad? What odds would Martin have got at the start of the season? Improves every year. Rio Ferdinand (West Ham, Age 19, Caps 3) The fact that many at Upton Park compare him to Bobby Moore says it all. Naturally gifted with pace and a good brain. The long-term choice as possible England sweeper. 365 Says: The shock inclusion. Is he as good as the Upton Park apologists say? Would Hoddle really trust him against the best in the world? He probably hopes he doesn't have to make that decision. Along for the experience. Graham Le Saux (Chelsea, Age 29, Caps 25) The most articulate member of the squad and desperate to make up for his Euro 96 injury heartbreak. Gives real penetration on the left flank if sometimes less than secure defensively. 365 Says: Good player and fellow, but his unchallenged inclusion demonstrates the dearth of talent in this position since the decline of the Sansom/Pearce dynasty. Let's hope he stays fit!. MIDFIELDERS Paul Ince (Liverpool, Age 30, Caps 39) The self-appointed 'Guvnor' - and revels in that no-nonsense reputation. Still talks at 100 miles an hour but has calmed down on the pitch from his Italian experience. A true competitor and Hoddle-enthusiast. 365 Says: Obvious choice, but will miss mate Ian Wright's presence and Paul Gascoigne's passing. England have only lost one game when Ince and Gazza started. David Beckham (Manchester United, Age 23, Caps 1) The sheer talent is undeniable, along with his dead-ball ability. Question marks remain temperament-wise, and he is still to give a truly convincing England display. The ideal stage for him. 365 Says: Gazza's disappearance means that the time for David to translate ridiculous amount of talent into international success is now. The pressure is well and truly on; the lad from Leyton must step up... David Batty (Newcastle, Age 30, Caps 31) Old-fashioned Yorkshire terrier, but just what you need in tight situations. Deceptively good on the ball as well, a real link-player. 365 Says: A lovely lad and the sort of bloke, as the cliche goes, that you'd like with you in the trenches. But they weren't waving yellow cards around in the trenches. Fluid teams like Romania and Colombia will shred a team down to ten men so David will have to watch his step... and his studs. Paul Scholes (Manchester United, Age 23, Caps 7) Took to international football like a duck to water, leaving Hoddle suggesting he could be ''the jewel in the crown''. Vision, strength, an eye for goal and no absence of pace either. 365 Says: Good cover if Sheringham's poor form continues. The emergence of Michael Owen and the inclusion of Les Ferdinand means that he's now unlikely to be needed as an emergency striker, as once seemed to be the case. Robert Lee (Newcastle, Age 32, Caps 17) Desperately unlucky to miss Euro 96 at the death, Lee has proven his versatility and commitment under Hoddle. One of the game's good guys. 365 Says: A Hoddle favourite but surely lucky to make the squad. A sentimental choice by the manager Darren Anderton (Tottenham, Age 26, Caps 18) Almost a forgotten man at international level. Cursed by injuries since Euro 96, but Hoddle always kept a place open for him. Versatility is a big plus. Can play on either flank or through the middle. 365 Says: The incredible lateness of this admittedly proven international's arrival on the scene brings with it its own pressure. The exclusion of Gascoigne means that he'll be even more relied upon to produce telling runs and passes. More pressure. Steve McManaman (Liverpool, Age 26, Caps 21) Despite those never-ending Barcelona rumours, arguably his most consistent club season. Can run the legs off any defender. If only he could finish better! 365 Says: There were those who felt that Macca - inconsistent at international level since his outstanding Euro 96 - wouldn't make the cut. It's to be hoped that his relief at inclusion will get the best out of him. And one of his great goals. Paul Merson (Middlesbrough, Age 30, Caps 18) Has risen Phoenix-like from the depths of his booze and drug problems to shine once more for club and country. His main strength is his passing, and he can also operate in a number of positions in midfield or attack. No longer so skilled at running past opponents. 365 Says: Inspirational story to be sure, but under what circumstances will he possibly play?. FORWARDS Teddy Sheringham (Manchester United, Age 32, Caps 33) Redefined the striking role by his willingness to drop back and probe from deep, and knows instinctively where Shearer will be. Intelligence makes up for his lack of pace. 365 Says: Great player, despite his season of uncertainty at old Trafford, but must recover his form. Owen would probably already have his place were it not for the fact that Hoddle would then have to change the whole system. Alan Shearer (Newcastle, Age 27, Caps 39) Hoddle's 'Captain Marvel', a talismanic leader from the front. Top scorer in Euro 96 and cannot wait to take on the world in France. Strong, brave and deadly and should be better for his late start. 365 Says: His recent experiences as a lone workhorse for Newcastle have shown that even the finest, most determined players, can't do it without support and service. Hoddle mustn't isolate him. Michael Owen (Liverpool, Age 18, Caps 5) Anfield's 'boy wonder', whose Premiership debut was only in May 1997. Prodigiously gifted, with electric pace, willing running and a killer eye for goal. 365 Says; England's ace in the hole, even if too much is now probably expected of him. Having got rid of Gascoigne, Hoddle will now face endless questions about the chances of Owen starting. Les Ferdinand (Tottenham, Age 31, Caps 17) Hit by the Spurs injury jinx but probably the best in the air in the 22. Admits he provides an ''alternative'' to the rest. 365 Says: Scraped in because he has shown he can play with Shearer. Probably won't get a chance to prove it.

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR GLENN...   So, we've finally, and sensationally, seen Glenn Hoddle's World Cup squad. It is a brave and, of course, notoriously controversial group. If it goes on to win the tournament then no one will question the wisdom of Glenn's selections. But, given the quite earth-shattering nature of the squad, if it fails to reach at least the semi-final then Hoddle (what with his faith healer, his 'overcoat' and his decision to give Gazza the elbow) will be represented as a maniac. It's far too soon for all of that but Football365 still feels the need, before the action starts and everone else gets on their 20/20 hindsight glasses, to ask the following questions… 1. If Gascoigne wasn't fit for the World Cup, surely it would have been apparent at these 'high-intensity' training sessions that Hoddle has been so keen to reassure us about. Why waste two matches on a player who you knew was not up to it? While it may have given the public a chance to see just how off the pace Gazza was/is, and therefore help justify the manager's decision, wouldn't the time have been better spent giving his other creative midfielders, Darren Anderton, Steve Macmanaman and, crucially, David Beckham more chances in the centre of midfield? 2. What happens if anything happens to Graeme Le Saux? Leaving out both Hinchcliffe (presumably because he looked so poor against Saudi Arabia) and Phil Neville (presumably because of his international inexperience) means that if the Channel islander goes lame, England will be forced to play his brother Gary out of position, Sol Campbell out of position or Steve MacManaman out of position. 3. With Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, Martin Keown, Gareth Southgate and Gary Neville already competing for two places in the centre of a back four, or three places in the middle of a five, why take along Rio Ferdinand, who has had even less international football than Phil Neville? 4. In nearly all of England's matches away from Wembley, Hoddle has picked two ball-winners, Ince and Batty, in midfield. With the omission of Nicky Butt and Phil Neville, there is no get-stuck-in cover in centre midfield. What happens if Ince or Batty gets injured or, just as likely, suspended? Will Hoddle favourite Rob Lee, overrun by Arsenal's Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit (both in the tournament) and Ray Parlour (bizarrely left out of even the try-out squad), be asked to have a go at a role to which he is not best suited? Or does it require a complete change of strategy? 5. As a club manager, Hoddle's wing backs were full backs pushed forward; Terry Venables' were wide midfielders pulled back. Doesn't this squad force Hoddle to follow the Venables route, against his nature and experience as a coach?

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