Greg Dyke, the newly appointed chairman of the F.A, has set two targets for England's national side; firstly, to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2020, and secondly, to win the World Cup in 2022. These targets were outlined in Dyke's speech earlier this week, but just how achievable are they, or are the completely delusional targets for our seemingly declining national side?

First of all, who even is Greg Dyke? He may be one of the most powerful men in English football right now, but his name is not particularly established, neither is it a name that many have heard of before. Dyke is a former Broadcast Journalist and Football Manager, who now finds himself at the head of one of the largest organisations in Britain - read more about Greg Dyke here.


The other thing to be speculative over is how far away these targets lay. Reaching the semi-finals of European championships has always been a target that has seemed achievable in recent years, but our luck of the draw (or lack of it) has meant facing the likes of Italy and Portugal in the quarter finals, both of which we lost out to on the dreaded penalty shootout. But 2020 is just under 7 years away, and so its unlikely that some of the current English heroes will be in the squad come that tournament, or they may be called upon as last resort substitutes. The likes of Cole, Gerrard, Lampard and Terry (currently 32, 33, 35 and 32 respectively) are definitely not going to feature in the multi-national 2020 tournament. Meanwhile, players such as Rooney, Hart and Cahill (now 27, 26 and 27 respectively) could feature, should no-one prove to out-class them in the next seven years. So, who will make the squad?

Unlike nations such as Spain and Italy, who have dominated European football in recent years, England aren't entirely focused on developing youth players right from the start. Spain for example, they start their national youth system from under 15's level, and if you look at most of their superstars now - Casillas, Pique and Iniesta - they have all started their international careers from around the under 15/16's level. England's youth policy isn't quite as dedicated as this. Up until Under 18's level, England have a "Schoolboys" team to enhance their young players, but it simply doesn't work as effectively - you don't even have to be English to play for England Schoolboys, you just have to go to school in England: Ryan Giggs played for them!

Giggsy captained England's Schoolboys in the late 80's

But, our main youth focus lies with the under 21's side, managed by ex-Middlesbrough player Gareth Southgate. His side features names such as Jack Butland, Luke Shaw, Tom Carroll and Wilfried Zaha, who has just made a £10m move to Premier League champions Manchester United. All of these players are promising and prized assets of England's future, but the question is, can they succeed when it's their time to hit the senior level? That is a question who's answer we'll just have to sit and wait for.

Then again, there are a few members of the current senior squad who will still be up for selection come 2020. Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Jack Wilshere and Kyle Walker (22, 24, 21 and 23 respectively) all feature in this year's squad, and have all seen a fair amount of success each time they put on the white jersey. But, even if our squad does strengthen, what will the other European threats be like? We can almost guarantee that strong youth systems can mean that Spain and Italy will still have strong squads, but as for nations such as France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Portugal, the future is less clear.

Management is also an issue. England's recent international failings have often been blamed on the employment of foreign managers. But now, with Englishman Roy Hodgson at the helm, hope seem to have rejuvenated in the squad and the fans. An English manager in the team makes a massive difference. He'll bring passion, drive and desire to succeed, and will feel exactly as the players feel, and he's much more likely to influence them than an Italian or, well, a man with a brolly. "Woy" might not be as charismatic as Sven, but he's bought much needed hope to Englishmen across the country - although Fabio Capello had a win percentage of 66% in 42 games, Roy's record currently stands at 55% in 18 games, but with a major tournament just around the corner there is much time for improvement.



Now, with the semi-finals of Euro 2020 being a somewhat realistic target, what about the World Cup, in 2022? Well, ask any fan and you'll get exactly the same response - "no chance". They might have a point, but is there any chance, no matter how small, of use getting the the final and being crowned Champions of the World of Football?

It is a tiny, minuscule possibility, but it is nine years away - and as we all know, that's a bloody long time in football - so I don't see why we should write it off. Yes there will be no Rooney, Lampard or Gerrard, but there will be a new batch of stars ready to take on the challenge, and attempt to drive us to success. It all depends on the key factors; management, the squad, other countries squad strength and the luck of the draw.

However, and I'm sure you'll agree, our primary focus should be on the two upcoming international tournaments - Brazil 2014, and France 2016 for the Euros. Most of the current players will be available, and the squad right now is the strongest since the turn of the Millennium, in my opinion. With 55% wins and much more time for improvement, I can't see Roy Hodgson being booted out of the national side, and so consistency is between now and then is possible, and it is vital.

With the final two qualifiers coming up, one tonight against Moldova at Wembley, before flying out to Kiev to play Ukraine on Tuesday, England are looking to come away from the games with six points, leaving them in a strong position to directly qualify to Brazil, without a dreaded playoff against France.

Can it be done, can we win the World Cup in 2022? Or should we follow Glen Hoddle's targets, and aim to win a European Championship before then?

With the dry summer of sport, fans have had to find alternative ways of entertaining themselves. And, as we all know, many football fans can attain symptoms of minor insanity when there's no football on the tele.

So, after a long summer, we've been gifted with several extremely entertaining parody videos, as well as a plea to United from one of the most famous men on the planet. Take a look at our pick of the best three below.

3. Usain Bolt's plea to United

2. Thrift Shop - Arsene Wenger ft. Ivan Gazidis

1. Mourinho phones up Moyesy

When you think of Southampton, you may think of a solid youth system that brings in the money, and not much else. However, recent times have seen that change, and especially since the appointment of Argentine manager Mauricio Pochettino, there has been a very different feeling around St. Mary's.

So, what's changed? What's happened to the Saints we knew, and couldn't help but love before? Well, they've improved and developed leaps and bounds since their torrid day, on May 15th, 2005 - the day that saw the Saints relegated after 27 years at the top of the English game. In possibly the closest relegation fight ever in the Premier League, no team was mathematically relegated before the final day began, and although they could have stayed up, a 2-1 home loss to Manchester United saw Harry Redknapp's side go down in 20th spot.

After Nigel Adkins was out the door, and Argentine Pochettino stepped in, So'ton finished in a respectable 14th in their first season back in top division football. Although fans were delighted, those in the rafters of the hierachy at the club wanted more, which provoked a new lease of life in the Saint's spending scheme.

In previous years, we've seen the likes of Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gareth Bale all emerge from the infamous Southampton youth programme, and it's become widely known on one of the best young player systems in the UK. Although going about your business in this way is a great way of saving money, it can't work for too long - as we've seen with Arsenal recently. But what Southampton have managed to do, is get out of the habit before it's too late.

That's right. They've started spending money... big, big money. With Rickie Lambert in the form of his life at the moment, the Saints have blown a whopping £12.8m on Argentine striker Pablo Osvaldo, £12.5m of Kenya's robust playmaker Victor Wanyama, and highly rated Croat defender Dejan Lovren, for £8.5m. The big spending makes the ambitions at St Mary's incredibly clear - they're going all out.

What can we expect from this though, has their youth system fallen to pieces?

Well, not in the slightest. Southampton's youth policy is still producing extrememly talented youngsters, most recognisably 18-year-old Luke Shaw, an exciting young prospect who plays at left back. Southampton were extremely quick to get Shaw's signature in their books after a cracking first season at just 17 years of age, and on his 18th birthday, Saints confronted him with the offer of a five year deal.

Shaw had the year of his life last season, impressing many across the country in a Saints shirt.

All of this bodes well for Southampton. After an decent finish in last season's campaign, big spending show's that their sights are set higher up that table, and they're most certainly in the runnings for a top ten finish.

Southampton have clearly used their brains, a strong youth system is now merging with an outgoing bill for big name transfers, and it's all looking good for the lads down South. All I can say is, it must be an exciting time to be a Saints fan.

Several pundits and media centres around the world are seeming to have a tough time remembering the names and faces of the Manchester United squad!

Above, see NBC's Dutch mix up, as they labelled United prolific striker Robin van Persie as a former Reds' goal getter Ruud van Nistelrooy!

Below, can you spot the mistakes that the BBC made on the first week back of match of the day?

Who said Welbeck had lost his touch? Still think he's overrated and isn't good enough for the Premier League or England? Well, be prepared to eat your words as he scored his second of the day with one of the finest chips you'll see this season.