da bet7： 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?
da bet vitoria： 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.
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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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