45 years of hurt, 45 years of excuses
I see myself as a passionate and proud Englishman and the euphoria I feel when England score a goal or win a match in a major International tournament gives me an unrivalled feeling of jubilation. So why is it thus far I have yet to witness an England team go the distance and win the illusive trophy the English supporters crave so much?
We can discuss shortcomings at previous tournaments, and look to blame misfortune as the reason we haven’t won a trophy since 1966 – Maradona’s hand of God, the agony of penalty shoot out defeats in 1990 and 1998 to Germany and Argentina respectively, Sol Campbell’s disallowed goals in ’98 and Euro 2004. If one of these moments in time had turned out differently maybe our name would be on the World Cup more than once. I genuinely believe true champions will triumph over adversity to achieve their goal, can we say we have been unlucky for 45 years?
There are many contributing factors that can be linked to why we are still waiting to see an Englishman lift a World Cup or a European Championship aloft. The Premier league is littered with foreign stars plying their trade at the expense of young English talent. Don’t get me wrong, some of the finest foreign players inhabit the Premiership and contribute to, arguably, making it the best league in the world. However, as a nation I think it’s fair to say we have suffered at International level as a result of this.
The current Spanish and German national sides have clearly put an emphasis on nurturing home grown players at grassroots level which they benefited from at the last World Cup. Germany’s young side gave an accomplished account of themselves including the drubbing they handed out to England. The Spanish went on to win the tournament, albeit not in the most convincing manner, but with some sublime passages of football along the way.
In England our young players often find themselves playing second fiddle to young foreign players in reserve sides which is detrimental to their potential development, and consequently has a knock on effect to the National side. While this maybe the case, it is also important to point out that recently quotas on home grown and English players have come into affect in the Premier league which bodes well for the future. Young players such as Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Daniel Sturridge, Lee Cattermole, Martin Kelly and Kyle Walker are being given opportunities at top clubs.
It could also be suggested that the reluctance of English players to venture abroad to play is having an adverse affect on the National team. Aside from playing for their clubs in European competitions none of our current squad, with the exception of David Beckham, have experienced another countries’ domestic game. I see this as a downfall, as other International players who play abroad have first hand insights into leagues, such as the Premiership, and can use the experience gained to the advantage of their national teams.
Some blame can also be attributed to the media for the failure of our National side. Before each tournament there is a great deal of hype surrounding England’s prospective chances of winning a World Cup or Euro. The media is undoubtedly the most influential mean of enforcing certain beliefs upon the general public. Therefore, the media’s portrayal plays a pivotal role in contributing towards the supporters’ expectations, and the players’ fear of failure. Ahead of the impending Wales vs England qualifier Craig Bellamy has been quoted in the Daily Mail as saying “Are England players scared? I remember Steven Gerrard, before playing Andorra, saying he didn’t want to give the ball away because he was afraid of the boos”. Professional players who are earning in excess of £100,000 a week should surely be able to deal with such expectations and be able to deliver on the biggest stage of all….
Is the future of English football bright? Will the European Championships in 2012 be fruitful, or are we destined to live in the shadow of ‘66 for years to come?
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not good enough simples! never come close since 66 never even reached a final! look up your history italy for example have had horrendous bad luck and have still been one of many countries to be proved vastly supperior to the english. Even when foreigners wernt in the premiership you were rubbish. overhyped and talentless
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Man on the Tyne Bridge Reply:
March 25th, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Typical Yid, moan moan moan. If your not happy, P!55 off and support Azarbyjan. Land of Hope and Glory!!!!
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Boleyn Boy Reply:
March 25th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Be better if the yiddo just p!55ed off to Azerbaijan and took his deluded mates with him! Real’ll give ‘em all a goooood reason to moan tho!
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Fear.
We’ve seen plenty of sides at club level and international level who can raise their game, play to their strengths, fight and sometimes beat those who are better than them.
The English mentality seems to be more fearful of losing than willing to win, which is why we’re about as exciting to watch as Roberto Mancini’s dreadful Manchester City side.
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As an additional point, how many of the so-called ‘golden generation’ will feature at Euro 2012?
Is that competition really that big a deal? Why not do what Germany did last year and take a young side. Their national side was stale, then they built it around a 21-year-old and impressed in South Africa.
We don’t ever take risks. I don’t mind trying things and losing, but sticking with perennial underachievers who have never worked well together just does not make sense.
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Tom MacGregor Reply:
March 26th, 2011 at 7:06 pm
Good point about the golden generation, and I personally think the majority of them will be included in the squad for the Euro 2012, providing we get there that is. While qualification should be a given, this is something only time will tell. I think we have an abundance of talent at our disposal it’s just down to who is fit and who Capello selects come next summer.
I think we do have to treat the competition as a big deal. The major tournaments only come around every two years and we want to give ourselves as much chance as possible to win them when they do. Having said this, I completely agree that we should take a chance on some of our younger players. At this current moment in time I would go with a similar formation to the side Capello went with today against Wales. Terry is clearly going to be leading the team into the competition, but who should partner him? Ferdinand, Dawson, Jagielka or Cahill? Maybe even someone like Smalling will have progressed sufficiently by the time the tournament comes around. The starting midfield for me would be Parker, Gerrard and Wilshere. The wing positions would be a choice between Adam Johnson, Walcott, Milner and Ashley Young, with Bent, Carroll, Defoe, Crouch and Rooney as the options up front.
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I say sack the FA big wigs and put young Top EX players in place . Sack Fabio . Drop Rooney , Terry , cole , lampard , and try out the under 21s side that always seem to do better than the senior side . Every 2 years i seem to be saying “this is the year we will win it ” but for the last 30 years of me watching my beloved England play I get more and more disappointed.
All i see are over paid pampered footballers who think that because the are loaded they are entitled to win ! They are not men they are scurrying GREEDY rats that love themselves and don’t think twice about going with a prostitute or having an affair with another players wife and still take the captaincy ! Apologies are not what is needed . Sack the lot of them and rebuild !
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