And he believes Fabio Capello's side should attempt to emulate Spain who, like England, had gone a lengthy spell without any trophy glory before winning the Euros in Austria and Switzerland.

England take on Andorra in Barcelona on Saturday before confronting the more demanding task of facing Croatia, the side who knocked them out of the Euros at the qualifying stage, in Zagreb next Wednesday.

James said: "Having watched the European Championships, rather than playing in them, will certainly have an impact.

"Croatia and Russia, who were in our qualifying group got to the latter stages.

"You think 'had we got there it might have been us in the final' so there's a lot of frustration.

"Hopefully that will translate into an eagerness for individuals and the team as a whole to make sure we do the job this time around.

"With Spain winning the tournament in the summer, and the length of time they had gone without winning something, I think we should really be focusing on trying to replicate that.

"The 1966 World Cup win was a long time ago and the whole squad wasn't born the last time England won it.

"We have the best league in the world so I think we really need the focus to have a proper go at winning this World Cup."

James believes the lengthy build-up to the first competitive match of the Capello era via five friendly internationals will prove to be beneficial.

He said: "It's a major factor. With the timing of the appointment of Mr Capello, he has had the opportunities to look at different systems and how players work together.

"With that, he will have been able to work out his back-up plans because, with international football and the nature of injuries and form, it can be difficult to play the same team in two consecutive games.

"The run in to the first qualifier will have been invaluable."