There are some occasions over which even an itinerant 65-year-oldEngland manager can find himself getting kittenishly excited. With England due to play Brazil at Wembley on Wednesday, a bravura friendly to kick off the FA's 150-year anniversary celebrations, Roy Hodgson admits the prospect has already kept him awake a little. "I was trying to remember and as far as I can tell this is the first time I've played against Brazil," England's manager said, casting his mind back through a career that has also included spells in charge of Switzerland, the UAE and Finland.
Hodgson has also been counting up his own managerial caps ("I think I'm up to 90") spurred on by the impending minor chord fanfare for another of his players reaching the 100 mark. For all the grander themes to a match that will also mark Luiz Felipe Scolari's first back in charge of the future World Cup hosts, Wednesday will also provide the occasion, barring injury, of Ashley Cole's 100th England appearance, a grand achievement for a player who perhaps more than any other draws into focus the occasionally ambiguous relationship between England's supporters and the outgoing crop of Premier League all-stars.
