Perfect preparations

There were no luxury preparations in 1966

By James Standley BBC Sport Online

A generation ago 11 men produced England's greatest moment of sporting glory, winning the World Cup in front of their home fans and thrilling the nation.

In two weeks' time their modern-day counterparts will begin their quest to win England's second World Cup in a very different environment from the one the legends of 1966 played in.

For a start the likes of Beckham, Owen and the rest will be playing in high temperatures and sapping humidity halfway round the world from home.

They will also be living in the lap of luxury, with a back-up team employing the latest technology to ensure peak physical fitness.

Back in 1966 England's back-up was top-notch for the time.

David Seaman is one of those who benefits

But as the heroes of that famous year freely admit, their environment was a bit more spartan than the luxury familiar to the current England squad.

Jack Charlton and George Cohen, two of the rock-solid back four that helped England on their way to immortality, spent their pre-tournament holidays running on the beach to keep fit.

"We were given a week off and I remember going down to Brighton and staying with a friend of mine who lived on the coast down there," said Charlton.

"I went running along the beach every day to keep myself going, and then we went and reported to Lilleshall.

"We were there for about two or three weeks and then came down to London to prepare about a week before the competition started."

We never had the facilities they have now

George Cohen

The squad lived and trained at the National Sports centre at Lilleshall, a far cry from the spectacular Jumeirah Beach Club in Dubai where England are warming up.

"The facilities were very comfortable, but certainly not anything on the grand scale of Dubai, which I know," said Cohen.

"Certainly we never had the facilities they have now."

Injuries to England players are now matters for national concern and all manner of gadgetry is employed to nurse the players back to health.

Back in 1966 the standard of care was just as high, but there were no hydrotherapy baths, oxygen tents and vacuum boots to protect broken bones.

"We didn't have any thing like oxygen tents - I don't think they'd been invented. We just had good surgeons that took care of us," said Cohen.

"I don't know if any of these new things work. If they do all well and good, but there wasn't anything like that in our day."

Cohen and his teammates created history

The technology that surrounds football now may be far more complicated than before, but Charlton believes football remains a simple game.

"All you need for football is grass. Grass and goalposts, that's all," he said.

"Lads will run about, they'll find their own way, you just need to put a few shirts down and you've got a pitch. There's no problem."

Maximise

That may be good enough for a Sunday afternoon kick-about in the park, but it is not the sort of thing you can imagine the methodical Sven-Goran Eriksson approving of.

The England coach will do anything he can to maximise the chances of his side, but even that may not be enough to emulate the England team of 1966.

That will take team-work, skill and luck.

And, as Charlton and Cohen will tell you, mankind has yet to invent a machine that can produce any of those vital factors.

The legends of 1966 were supporting the launch of the Orchid Cancer Appeal, founded to tackle prostate and testicular cancer.