THEY say nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.

But it’s nevertheless pretty tempting to hark back to the World Cup moments of yesteryear.

Such fond recollection will no doubt be at its peak over the next few days, as Russia prepares to host the 21st version of the tournament - and all of the razzmatazz that goes with it.

After all, they were always so much better when you were a kid, weren’t they - especially if you were born in England at some point in the 1950s.

Personally, my first memory of watching the competition was as a football-mad nine-year-old, staring in awe at the television (with my completed Panini sticker album probably close by) as Gary Lineker banged in a wonderful hat-trick against Poland to help England qualify for the knockout stages of Mexico 1986, a feat enhanced somehow by Barry Davies’ wonderful commentary and Jimmy Hill’s over-excited summarising.

A few days later, my boundless joy turned to youthful angst as Diego Maradona single-handedly (no pun intended) saw off Bobby Robson’s men in an emotionally-charged quarter-final against Argentina.

Sadly, such heartache was to become a familiar feeling for me and pretty much every other England supporter in the World Cups that followed, not least four years later at Italia 90.

However, the emotion that followed our crushing penalty shoot-out semi-final exit at the hands of West Germany in Turin was more pride than dejection, such was the vibrant performance of Robson’s youthful side in that memorable tournament, where Gazza’s tears flowed, Roger Milla danced and Rudi Voller…well, you get the idea.

Rather annoyingly, England did not qualify for the World Cup staged in the USA, four years later.

But in a funny way, that probably brought more realism among England fans; it perhaps ensured a more measured appreciation of the tournament as a whole.

We have qualified for every World Cup staged since then and the outcome has been pretty similar in all five prior to Russia; high expectancy prior to the tournament that ultimately fails to be realised, inevitably ending in failure, recrimination and in some cases, accusation.

David Beckham’s treatment after his red card France 98 is a case in point - whatever happened to him, by the way?

Since 1990, the furthest England have advanced at a World Cup is the quarter-finals, a feat achieved by Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side at South Korea and Japan in 2002, after they were beaten 2-1 by Brazil in the last eight.

But even that match had Three Lions fans spluttering into their breakfast cornflakes at goalkeeper David Seaman’s inability to stop Ronaldinho’s curling effort, sparking more retort from the nation.

The mere thought of England’s disappointing display under Roy Hodgson in Brazil four years ago, where they failed to make it out of the group stages, sends a shudder down the spine; it is a sobering reminder that progression at this summer’s tournament should not be taken for granted.

Yet the fact that England head to Russia unbeaten in over a year with a young squad who genuinely seem to enjoy playing under Gareth Southgate offers hope that this tournament will be, at the very least, one where the national team might be remembered fondly for the right reasons – even if it does all end in glorious failure for our boys once again.