Time to let the gatecrashers in

With the Premier League season now drawn to a close, our heads are immediately turned in the direction of Don Fabio and his task of selecting a provisional World Cup squad.

At this juncture, I could have inserted a lazy election-based analogy about how one man must make a decision that will combine the talents of representatives from red, blue and God knows what other colour teams for the good of the country. But that would be lazy, so I won't.

Instead, I'll cut immediately to the chase: who will make the initial squad of 30, from which Fabio Capello must pick his final squad of 23 for the World Cup finals in South Africa?

Some players are guaranteed their place on the plane; Gerrard, Lampard, Terry, Ferdinand and Rooney - please proceed to the departure lounge. Others such as Defoe, Milner, James and Johnson would be both heartbroken and amazed not to be on the final list, whilst those on the fringes such as Upson, Carrick and Wright-Phillips may have their passports in their hand but will just be starting to sweat a little.

And so our attention turns to those looking to gatecrash the party. The provisional squad is essentially designed for this group. The potential gatecrashers, if selected, will have just a two week training camp and two friendlies to prove they are deserving of a place in England's squad for the finals in June and July.

Every team at the World Cup needs a wild card, and it's usually the gatecrashers who represent this member of the pack. Think Paul Gascoigne in Italia '90, or even Sir Geoff Hurst for the committed nostalgics out there. They bring an element of surprise to games that come the finals, opposition so keen to stifle Rooney and break down Terry and Ferdinand will not have accounted for.

Players in contention for the initial 30 include Fulham's Bobby Zamora. As someone who's seen Zamora miss chances from every conceivable angle, it still seems bizarre to be mentioning the words "Bobby Zamora" and "England" without the words "will never play for" inbetween. But Zamora has excelled during Fulham's heroic Europa League campaign this season, and deserves the chance to at least show Capello what he can do.

Scott Parker is another player who must surely be in Capello's thinking. Parker last played for his country in England's disastrous 2-0 defeat in Zagreb, but has been in outstanding form for West Ham this season. At times it has seemed as though he has played the opposition on his own and with Barry injured and Hargreaves yet to prove his fitness, he may be the best defensive midfield option we have.

Staying in midfield for the moment, England's left side problem (copyright circa 1991) has been eased in recent years by Joe Cole's consistency. But the Chelsea midfielder is only just rediscovering his form after a serious injury, and will need to have a ready-made replacement should his form or fitness falter. Step forward one Adam Johnson of Manchester City.

Yes he is raw, yes he was playing Championship football six months ago and yes he is completely unproven at international level. But Johnson has pace to burn and in international football, that's like finishing third in a popularity contest and still managing to have the winner and runner-up fighting for your attention. Remember what I said, no lazy election analogies.

Other players who should expect to receive a phone call from the FA today (or email, text, tweet, wall post) include Phil Jagielka - who although not spectacular, has the advantage of being able to fill in at right back and defensive midfield - and Tom Huddlestone, whose fine passing and thunderous shot makes up for his almost complete lack of mobility.

And so in the unlikely event that Don Fabio reads this blog before announcing his squad today, he will at least have a few pointers to work with. Whatever he decides, the rest of us won't have to wait very long before we are in on the secret, and that's when the World Cup countdown really begins.