Let it be clear, this is not a rant. This is not a knee-jerk reaction. And this is not a personal dig at the current manager or players, first team or prospective squad hopefuls. No this is a rational assessment of whether or not England can realistically win either a World Cup or European Championship, in the foreseeable future (for arguments sake, we will say the next 50 years).
England clearly have some talented players. They have produced some of the biggest names that the game has ever produced and will continue to produce players that excite fans and warrant huge transfers fees for their clubs. However, whether or not the players being produced are deemed world class is another matter.
England always seem to go out of major tournaments through either bad luck, injuries to key players, poor refereeing decisions or through a lack of quality in many different areas of the pitch (more often than not the penalty spot being one of them). But why is this?
Much has been made of the Premier League and its power and influence, the need for a winter break, a salary cap or legislation that encourages home grown talent but is it more simple than that? Are England simply destined to never win a major trophy?
The numbers are against England. Major tournaments are obviously only every two years and it is a truism to say that there can only be one winner. There is obviously no spontaneous or equitable pattern as to who triumphs at major tournaments, apart from usually the team that performs the most consistently over the four or so weeks will win.
Does England’s history matter? Does the style of play and coaching that the national team displays mean that England will never win at the highest level? Do England think too much of themselves, in terms of expectation and actual ability?
The answers to these questions are not clear but if England are to win a major tournament and end many years of hurt, it appears that an awful lot has to change. But what?
