It’s a clever ploy from the FA to keep excitement in check as the traditional World Cup bandwagon starts the engine.

If the evidence of the latest underwhelming friendly against Denmark is not warning enough not to get too hyped up for England’s hopes, then just listen to the song.

Forget the John Barnes rap, the street march to Vindaloo or the ultimate ear worm of Three Lions, let’s just rehash an old Take That tune.

So we get Gary Barlow, music’s Mr Safe Hands answer to Roy Hodgson, re-recording Greatest Day. It wasn’t then – and it certainly won’t be in a few months’ time in South America.

Even better, he’s backed up with a collection of backing singers picked even more randomly than some of Roy’s recent caps.

You want Ricky Lambert, Jay Rodriguez and Fraser Forster? Good old Gazza (Barlow, not Gascoigne) has brought in Katy B, Eliza Doolittle and Conor Maynard.

Nope, me neither ...

And why not throw in a choir of former England internationals? I’d say stars but Carlton Palmer seems to have got a gig. Presumably Graham Taylor went through the lyrics with him during a team breakfast.

Clearly the current bunch were just too busy to get involved or, more likely, it wasn’t part of their contract. I bet the ink is still wet from frantically scribbling in that disclaimer.

It’s all so predictable and uninspiring.

And that brings us neatly to the squad itself.

Veteran Denmark boss Morten Olsen summed it up neatly as he waved goodbye to Wembley on Wednesday night. “Good luck at the World Cup. You will need it ...”

It was no outburst of sour grapes at losing to a late goal in a meaningless friendly. It was the most prudent point of the evening.

His own team are not going to Brazil but they still unsettled England enough to confirm the general fear that this summer’s sojourn will not last long.

The fact that Daniel Sturridge’s late goal – the first scored in the last three internationals at Wembley – was celebrated like the decisive strike in a cup qualifier said it all about the low expectations.

At least Sturridge showed that he is capable of carrying prolific club form on to the England stage. The same could not be said for most of the others, Wayne Rooney in particular disappointing once again when those lions are on his left breast.

It will need more than Dr Steve Peters, the sports psychiatrist used by Liverpool and Steven Gerrard, to inspire this bunch into world-beaters – or even, Uruguay-beaters.

England have tapped into the expertise of Team Sky guru Dave Brailsford, whose use of psychology and positive thinking has played a significant part in their dominance of the cycling scene.

We’ve seen with City, the effects of working with locally-based John Muranka on the likes of Luke Oliver, James Hanson and Gary Jones.

But mental strength has to be matched with the ability to compete equally with the quality of opposition you will face. That’s where England will come up short.

Controlling the “inner chimp”, as the corner of the brain influencing thought process is often described, is all very well but it’s going to need much, much more to get the 1966 monkey off England’s back.

Greatest Day? I’d happily settle just for an okay one against Italy.