After the latest England exit from an international tournament – on penalties of course – the manager, Roy Hodgson, declared himself, "delighted with the players, and the way they've responded to the demands of an England shirt. They've shown they're capable of stepping up to the plate." Is he kidding?
The Groundhog Day inevitability of yet another dismal attempt to compete with a top football nation prompts the thought that perhaps it would be better if the England team withdrew from international competition for a while. Because until the culture of our national game changes from the grassroots up, England will never win a major tournament. That's never, ever.
The next World Cup in two years is in Brazil. England will not win it. In fact they might not even qualify. But if they do it's highly likely that the same old failings will emerge. An inability to pass the ball and keep possession will prove terminal against a top team – as exposed so mercilessly by the sublime Andrea Pirlo, who ran rings around England's midfielders as they huffed and puffed during Sunday night's game. Full story...
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The Groundhog Day inevitability of yet another dismal attempt to compete with a top football nation prompts the thought that perhaps it would be better if the England team withdrew from international competition for a while. Because until the culture of our national game changes from the grassroots up, England will never win a major tournament. That's never, ever.
The next World Cup in two years is in Brazil. England will not win it. In fact they might not even qualify. But if they do it's highly likely that the same old failings will emerge. An inability to pass the ball and keep possession will prove terminal against a top team – as exposed so mercilessly by the sublime Andrea Pirlo, who ran rings around England's midfielders as they huffed and puffed during Sunday night's game. Full story...
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