After 34 years of international frustration, England fans will cling to anything which offers the slightest glimmer of hope as we prepare for Euro 2000.

So regardless of the result against Brazil tomorrow, we can all be buoyed by the Football Association's decision to go back to the future and appoint Burton Menswear as the official tailors to the England team.

The last time England turned up to a major tournament in suits made by Burton we won the World Cup. But back then most football teams chose the '50 shilling tailor' for the big event.

How times have changed. These days England's millionaire play-ers can not only afford designer labels but are often asked to model them. Stars like David Beckham and David James are fashion icons in their own right and attract the interest of trendy magazines like Esquire, GQ and FHM.

Back in 1966 the best Jack Charlton could have hoped for was the front cover of Shoot.

That's why the decision to pick Burton Menswear is certain to raise a few eyebrows among England's clobber conscious followers.

Two years ago Britain's most successful designer Paul Smith was asked to produce the suits for Glenn Hoddle's World Cup squad. Although Hoddle's decision to opt for a beige two piece attracted controversy, most people agreed that England were one of the smartest teams at France 98.

Despite that, the FA have ditched Smith in favour of a retailer synonymous with football.

'Okay, so Burton will never be Armani,' said their spokesman Simon Oliveira. 'But we have had years of experience at doing this.

'Back in the 1960s and 1970s all the big clubs going to Wembley always used Burton. And if fans are looking for a reason to be positive about our chances then the last time we did this was in 1966 when we won the World Cup.'

The suits will now undergo some final adjustments before being presented to the lucky 22 chosen by Kevin Keegan on 6 June. For Burton Menswear's tailor Gordon Richardson, it is the end of a lengthy process which started back in February before England's friendly with Argentina at Wembley.

According to Oliveira, the process of fitting up players who have since been injured, or relegated from Keegan's thoughts, has been a real challenge.

But, he added, that they were only caught out by one selection.

'We are having to rush around a bit to get Nick Barmby fitted,' he explained. 'I think even Kevin hadn't thought about him until the last minute.'

As for choosing the colour and cut of the suits, that was left to a five man committee who took into account the opinions of every England player in with a chance of going to Euro 2000.

Alan Shearer, David Seaman, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell and Keegan made the final choice of grey. But David Beckham still had a major say in how the suits should look. Oliveira said: 'We sat down with every player at the start of the process to ask them what they wanted and while most were in and out fairly quickly, David Beckham took about half an hour.

'He was there for a long time going through the fabrics and we have paid particular attention to his opinions. In fact the final cut may have a more modern look thanks to his input.'

For Burton Menswear, already the High Street's second largest brand name for men, it is a chance to shake off its cheap and cheerful tag. Although suits similar to the ones being worn by England will be available for around £150 during the tournament, they are hoping the association with the team will make them trendy again.

'We want to re-energise the brand,' said Oliveira. 'We have always been accessible for people to buy and have nationwide appeal.

'We do made-to-measure suits for around £300 and, although the FA liked what Paul Smith had done for them, there was a feeling, I think, that he wasn't accessible for your average fan.

'We have always been accessible but I think we've had a problem with image. Hopefully this will show people that you don't have to pay cat walk prices to get a cat walk cut.'

Forget the image. If England follow in the footsteps of the class of 66, it's unlikely the FA will ask anyone else to make their suits again.