We can't win World Cup

He feels the burden of expectation will do more harm than good in the Far East for Sven Goran Eriksson's men.

England have drawn Argentina, who knocked them out in 1998, Sweden and Nigeria in the first stage.

Hill said: "I think Sven will deserve a knighthood if he gets England beyond that first group. It's a tough one. It's not impossible but the chances are that we won't qualify."

Hill, who lives in Hurstpierpoint, is worried that the public are already convinced that England will succeed in the wake of their 5-1 thrashing of Germany.

He said: "I don't want to be England's only pessimist and nobody wants to hear bad news.

"I don't take the opposite view for the sake of it. But if everybody looks at our chances optimistically then it is bound to end in tears and that does nobody any good.

"I know from my own journalistic experience that you write in black or white.

"If you want to sell newspapers you build up hopes and if it doesn't work out you give everyone a cosh over the head for letting you down.

"I have a television programme on Sky every Sunday when I talk to journalists. They are the culprits but they argue that they have to do it or get fired. But it would help the public if they took a more realistic assessment of the situation.

"It's so difficult to get a team and a nation to go into a World Cup with the right attitude.

"The last four or five England managers will tell you their role is just like an invitation for a crucifixion.

"The reputations of perfectly sensible, decent, intelligent, workman-like guys were left in tatters and they were looked upon as idiots because their team didn't win the World Cup for England. Graham Taylor was even dubbed a turnip.

"The 5-1 win in Germany was delightful but unfortunate because it gave people a false impression about England's capabilities of producing miracles at the drop of a hat.

"I think our performance against Greece puts our chances in better perspective because we struggled and David Beckham seemed to play them on his own.

"I understand how things get built up but I also see the unfairness of it when individuals, teams and, to a certain extent countries, suffer through false optimism."

Hill feels the England squad has yet to fully develop into one which will win the World Cup in Japan and Korea.

He said: "We have some promising players but they are children in football terms, although they have the potential to go the whole way.

"Look at the Liverpool group, players like Jamie Carragher, Stephen Gerrard, with his energy and dynamism, Danny Murphy and Michael Owen. They also have Emile Heskey. West Ham have the likes of Joe Cole.

"They are the first products from the academies that have been set up and prove that our production system is improving as we play catch-up to the likes of Holland.

"They'll be old enough to win the World Cup in six years time, they aren't now.

"It's lovely to encourage them to an extent. You can pull off miracles but only when you don't expect them.

"You have to have perspective. If you don't know where you are, you'll never find out what you want to be. You'll never arrive, because you won't start from the right place."

Hill feels the temperatures and a long league season could be factors next summer.

"It will be hot and that won't necessarily be in our favour. The finals will come at the end of a tough season and our Premiership is as tough as any. I feel sorry for the England manager who has to pick up the pieces, give the players a rest and at the same time as working on ideas that they can put into a match.

"Look at David Beckham. He has been criticised for his performances with Manchester United lately, but the emotional and physical exhaustion he must have felt after running until he dropped for England against Greece will have taken more out of him than a regular 90-minute league game.

"There is so much more effort and fitness needed these days.

"Key players don't like it when club managers pull them off after 60 or 70 minutes, but all they are trying to do is make sure they have something left in the tank and that in turn will help England."

Hill believes the cause would be also be aided if the entire England camp believed that they will not win the Cup.

He said: "If the players' attitude was 'okay, we know we can't win but we know we've got some young players who might be capable of being in a team that wins one day, we won't get too disappointed if we get a goal against us', then we might sneak one or two results.

"My approach to England is you're not expected to win anything and I don't think you will, but make me a liar.

"I hope for Sven, the players and our own sakes that we don't get disappointed if our expectations are too high."

Hill believes England can take plenty of positives from the finals. He said: "It's a building exercise. I'm looking forward to seeing how those players perform against the very best in the world.

"They will be learning and if we could pick our way through the group, everyone can take pleasure because it means our football is going in the right direction."

Hill feels Beckham and Eriksson, central to England's campaign, will stand up to the pressures.

Beckham was sent off against Argentina three years ago, but Hill said: "David Beckham has come a long way since then. He has matured incredibly well and will cope.

"I think Sven will too. I met him when he first came to this country. He had a charm and a quietness, but you could see how his brain was ticking over and absorbing all the time.

"He reminds me of Walter Winterbottom who was an England manager in the Sixties. But if he was to say not to expect too much, like I have, he will be told that he was making excuses before he'd lost, so he can't be honest!"