SS England sunk a long time ago, as the FA's new chairman Greg Dyke is fully aware Let me spare the commission the bother. 1, It has not happened. Regardless of the Uzbek "Russian" linesman's indulgence in 1966, and without denying the undiluted horror of the last two World Cup campaigns, the alleged "decline" is a continuation of the status quo. 2, Nothing will be done about that. 3, Once again, eerily like 2, it is not possible for any radical change to be made. It is impossible because radical change requires power, and power depends on money. Since the Premier League has all the money and power, and no intention of relinquishing either, the FA's role is that of an enfeebled constitutional monarch. Dyke could challenge the Premier League over the release of players for England duty, a quota system to favour native talent, and so on. He could even ignite a civil war. James I tried something similar with Parliament to establish who was boss, I believe, and much good it did him. In fact, Dyke has no desire for war. If he needed a reminder of the power balance involved, Wayne Rooney's withdrawal from the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers, due to a slightly gashed forehead, on the very day he gave his speech provided it. He may also be aware that the story of the England team since the Second World War has elegantly mirrored that of Britain itself. They are tales of mismanaged decline dictated by two paradoxical emotions. One is an absurd sense of entitlement to a place at the top table: we won the war/we invented football, and so have an eternal right to remain a great power. The other is an inferiority complex stemming from a refusal to accept and act upon the reality: we won the war but were bankrupted/we invented football but could never play it well ... and it just is not fair. In 1953, England were crushed 6-3 at Wembley by the Hungarians, and three years later Britain was crushed in Suez. In each humiliation the clues were plainly visible, but blind eyes were turned to them in the cause of clinging to the comforting facade of continuing great power status. If Parliament finally accepted the reality with the Syrian vote (still an open question), perhaps Dyke tried to do the same, and went largely unheard, when he outlined a history of inadequacy that long predates the invasion of foreign footballers. Ignore the straight-faced, confected optimism, and accept that this is no fool. He may have salvaged TV-Am with Roland Rat, but Greg Dyke understands very well that the SS England is not a sinking ship, but one that sank irretrievably long ago.