Why England Lose

Now the South African dust has settled on the sun baked dirt pitches found in the shadow of Soccer City and the din of the vuvuzela ebbs away, it feels like it might just be possible to cut through the crap, conjecture and downright silliness to once and for all paint a realistic picture of England's World Cup performance.

So how did we get on then? Well, yes, not great obviously. Given the class and status of the players that England can boast in their squad, they certainly would have hoped they could compete with the best teams in the world. Unfortunately, of course, they couldn't.

Despite doing well in their opening game, England struggled against relatively weaker opposition and inevitably fell by the way side when meeting a super German team.

A disappointment then, but should we have been surprised? Our FIFA ranking before the tournament was 8th, which would suggest a probable quarter final exit, though meeting Germany at an unusually early stage, i.e. the last 16, ultimately meant England still kept to what FIFA would suggest was their likely form.

There is an unfortunate belief in England that it is our God given right to succeed. That we really ought to be the best in the world at the game we invented. We hold puerile grudges. We still can't get over the Germans ('Two World Wars and one World Cup'). They got over us a long time ago, they really don't care.

In fact, I'd go further to suggest this stubborn mentality actually damages England's potential for success on the world stage, our literal geographic distancing, let alone our cultural divide, from the rest of the continent makes it more difficult for England to understand what's required from international tournament football.

The strength of the Premier League is ironically somewhat to blame. Our English players, remain in England, reluctant to play abroad and are therefore limited in their footballing education compared to other nations top stars.

It could be argued that Spain succeed with the majority of their stars based domestically at just two clubs but the key to that was an undying commitment to their own style of football above all else.

England historically play with tempo and power, getting to the bylines, crossing to tall centre forwards with a direct style of play (not to be confused with a long ball style). In defence, we are organised and willing to put everything on the line. It's not pretty and therefore often it is doubted in terms of its validity - fatal.

If we aren't prepared to win by being 100% committed to our own style (for better, for worse), instead wanting to compete on a technical level with the best nations, we have to be willing to go and seek the schooling, a footballing 'Grand Tour'.

Here are some of the best articles I've read about England in recent weeks. I don't agree with all that is said but it's better than buying into the notion that our 'failure' is down to overpaid stars, a foreign manager or a lack of goal line technology.

Why England Lose
Capello's Critics and Hindsight Bias'
Flawless Spain are a Footballing Pain - I Blame the English Parents
England's Identity Crisis
England's Fear of Crossing Borders

Despite the heavy dose of realism here, it still won't stop me hoping, that someone, somewhere might be able to change things for the better. 66, 90, 96 are all years in which we were proud of the England team, only once were we actually winners of the tournament.