BLACKBURN Rovers midfielder David Bentley has lifted the lid on why England have failed in the past.

And the 23-year-old is hoping for a clean slate with new manager Fabio Capello.

The Italian's first match in charge will be a friendly against Switzerland in February, and Bentley is hoping to be in that starting line-up.

And he insists he has no fears about wearing the Three Lions on his chest.

Bentley said: "I'll tell you what's scary. Try going to the top of that Gaudi cathedral in Barcelona. There's a little rail between you and this unbelievable drop. Now that's scary!

"Playing for England is not frightening, it's brilliant. You should enjoy every minute of it. You're playing football for your country. It's every kid's dream and some of us are lucky enough to do it."

Bentley believes that if his fellow players manage to relax and enjoy themselves, England will reap the benefits.

He added: "The England scene can be a strange place.

"I expected a lot of banter, like we have at Blackburn. But people just keep themselves to themselves. It is maybe a reflection of how the modern game is that everyone looks after No 1.

"We don't even share rooms any more. So, after training and a meal, you end up back in your own room staring at the ceiling until next day.

"You are not allowed out and there are security guards all over the place. But I'm an ordinary bloke who likes a social life. That doesn't mean getting boozed up. It just means getting out and mixing with people.

"I don't want to be shut away with just a Play Station for company.

"I've talked to my agent, Rob Segal, about this many times. I think it's so important. At home I go out and play snooker, go to the shops, a restaurant or even the pub. With England, you are locked in with nothing to do and nowhere to go.

"If I've had a good night out, I'm buzzing in training the next day. But if I have to stay in, I'm not as lively.

"Football is all about having the freedom to express yourself. Yet England players are cooped up in a hotel outside of town.

"A lot of the foreign teams stay in city centre hotels and get out and experience a new culture, so they never get bored. It keeps their minds active.

"You know what the Croatians did the day they beat us at Wembley? They went shopping in Harrods.

"We need a new attitude around England, because whatever has happened in the past hasn't worked. You play because you love to play and if you don't love to play you won't flourish."

He added in a national newspaper: "We don't want people to be robots."