Geller brings his paranormal skills to Barnet

A friend of Reading chairman John Madejski, Geller was invited to bring his influence to bear on the Royals during the 1994-95 season.

True, Reading did enjoy a good season, although they lost to Bolton in the Division One play-off final.

Fans, however, were not entirely convinced that Geller was the catalyst for success.

Some claimed the burial of deceased club hamster Miss Ellie in the Elm Park goalmouth sparked their winning run, while others, controversially, suggested the footballers themselves were responsible.

In Euro 96, Geller detected some bad energy ahead of the semi-final against Germany.

He claimed he foresaw trouble when Gareth Southgate stepped up to the penalty spot during the shoot-out.

In fairness, that sense of impending doom was shared by about 25 million others.

Somehow, Uri Geller knew Southgate would miss

And in the 1998 World Cup, Geller was pictured in the centre pages of a national newspaper, holding a ball and urging England fans to rub the image before the second round clash with Argentina.

But even the collective will of millions was never, ever going to compensate for David Batty taking a spot-kick.

Still, Geller freely admits: "I'm not a miracle worker, but if millions of people focus their minds on David's foot and visualise the bone knitting together we can unleash a powerful healing force."

And things are already looking up for Beckham.

Medical experts are now saying he could be back in action in six weeks - before England's first match against Sweden.

Whether or not that is down to Geller's paranormal intervention, it is difficult to say.

But desperation creates curious behaviour, and even the most sceptical England fans could find themselves playing along with Geller's paranormal games.