IF FAITH really can move mountains then Paul Gascoigne is about to justify Glenn Hoddle's belief that far from being over the hill he can still be England's inspiration for the 1998 World Cup.
Hoddle appears to have convinced himself that, despite recurring injuries a loss of pace and continued evidence that the player no longer has the stamina at this level, Gascoigne will have a crucial role to play in the Slaski Stadium in Chorzow tonight when England face Poland in group two (Network 2, 7.30 p.m.).
England face Poland seeking a win to revive their chances of topping their qualifying group, but knowing a draw would virtually guarantee them second place with a strong chance of going straight into next summer's tournament in France as best runners-up. Only a defeat would pose worrying questions about England's ability to qualify at all.
From what he said yesterday, the only doubt Hoddle has concerning Gascoigne is whether or not he should start tonight's match. While he is satisfied that the bruised calf Gascoigne suffered at the end of last Saturday's friendly against South Africa is sufficiently healed, the England coach still has some reservations about asking him to play 90 minutes on a big pitch with so little competitive match practice behind him after his earlier foot injury.
"It is not a question of taking a gamble with Paul," Hoddle explained. "Even if he is not at his best he can still create a little bit of magic for somebody else. He's not going to be loo per cent, yet I saw enough last Saturday to suggest that there is a good possibility we can start with him here. But it's a massive pitch and the last 20 minutes are going to be very important. I have to take that on board as well."
The fact that Gascoigne, before being carried off in stoppage time, was finishing the South Africa match rather more strongly than he had performed earlier in the game, may have persuaded Hoddle that he should be on at the start now. The alternative would be to retain Robert Lee as a more brisk but less subtle foil for Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham, on whom England's hopes of winning in Poland for the first time since 1966 will mainly depend.
The principal reservation about Gascoigne is that, given the present Polish team's penchant for striking quickly and economically on the counter-attack, he will be a liability if he starts to take strolls with the ball and gets caught in possession.
Poland are without the injured Marek Citko, who gave them the lead at Wembley last October before Shearer struck twice to bring England victory, but reports that their captain Piotr Nowak was unfit have turned out to be wishful English thinking.
To some extent Hoddle will be looking for a repetition of the patience and composure his team showed against Georgia in Tblisi in November. With David Batty curbing the threat of Georgi Kinkladze, England took a 2-0 lead through Sheringham and Les Ferdinand
A similar performance in Chorzow would leave Hoddle well satisfied, but this is going to depend as much on his choice of a back three as his final decision on Gascoigne. Tony Adams's commanding presence will be badly missed and Gareth Southgate was badly exposed by the Poles at Wembley.
With Gary Neville and Sol Campbell the likeliest starters, the remaining defensive position would appear to lie between Southgate, Stuart Pearce and Martin Keown. David Beckham and Graeme Le Saux will be operating wide on the flanks, although Phil Neville's prowess as a wing-back against South Africa may give Hoddle pause for thought.
Gascoigne, however, remains the focal point of what has become not merely a critical game in the qualifying process but a significant test of the England coach's faith and judgment.
