Good effort and England did well to get this far but nationalistic pride aside we were not in the same class as the remaining teams. I am club AND country. Support both equally. Losing tonight is as painful as when Charlton get knocked out of a competition 2 games from possible glory (albeit very rare that Charlton get within 2 games of cup final glory).
I'm proud of the players and Roy has shut up a lot of people including myself this tournament with putting out an organised and spirited team. It would have been daylight robbery if we had nicked it but such reasoning doesn't make it any less crushing to go out on penalties again.
However it once again underlines the necessity to really sort out our game at grass roots level if we are ever to be serious contenders at international level.
This is what worries me. We have acknowledged a fundamental problem in our national game from youth up to the top but have failed to address it.
Was watching the game with mates and family and my brother (in his late 20s) said at training with his amateur Saturday team last season he asked his Portuguese team mate what he thought of their training session and how it was different to training in Portugal. They were doing passing drills and his mate said that in Portugal they had all that down as 7 or 8 year olds and became accomplished at such technical aspects from an early age.
Our game is very much around the physical aspects which is evident when you see the kids who make it at academies in this country...usually the big, athletic kids who have a growth spurt ahead of the their peers. Thing is the top class nationals sides seem to nail the technical and tactical aspects from an early age and then grow physically whereas ours seem to rely on the getting stuck in attitude. It makes for an exciting premiership but we come unstuck when it matters at international level.
I remember Craig Johnston, a member of the all conquering Liverpool sides of my youth being really passionate about this issue a few years back ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0aBiTnUqW8
but nothing changed. We talk a good game but we need to really change our game at a fundamental level.
I despaired when the post match pundits didn't address this after the game tonight and instead just made blaise comments about World Cup qualifiers.
Everyone makes mistakes but only fools repeat them.
It is about mentality, approach and attitude towards the game.
I love our national side as does any red blooded Englishman and it is so painful to see us repeating the same mistakes again and again. Someone needs to rock the comfy shirt and tie brigade at the Sweet FA and really shake up the game over here from top to bottom.
We have the population, the facilities and the interest in this country to achieve better than we do so something in our current system or psychology is inherently wrong and hindering us from doing so.
It's unfair as we are such a passionate football nation but we are being failed. Until we really address the football development from the parks to the premiership in this country we'll continue to be the almost rans.
