This is such a Kewell article, Rob

#Bazookathatviduka

I don't say that's very often, but I agree 100% with everything you put there.

Cheers guys

I do agree, but I think in the last decade we should have reached at least a semi with the likes of Rooney, Gerrard, Terry, Cole, Ferdinand and Lampard. The next crop of players doesn't look a patch on them individually which is why there is so much frustration.

100% agree.

Serbian

But equally that could be a good thing. Gerrard and Lampard for me were world class players but not necessarily team players who could share the 'ego workload'.

Perhaps the next generation will be less ego driven and more team driven.

I do see what you're saying, however I do feel the quality we have available has dipped recently

Until the U-21 Championships, most people thought our up and coming generation was far more promising than our current generation.

Some good points by the OP but the fact is the talent pool is just not there anymore. The current class is not a patch of the titans of yesteryear.

"Until the U-21 Championships, most people thought our up and coming generation was far more promising than our current generation."

To be fair, most of them weren't even there!

SKA

But that wasn't a true representation of the up and coming youth players.

There was no Ox, Welbeck, Wilshere, Jones, Smalling, Sterling and Zaha was playing with an injury. Put those players in with the better ones who were already with the squad and it would have been a whole lot better.

Some good points by the OP but the fact is the talent pool is just not there anymore. The current class is not a patch of the titans of yesteryear.

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C'mon Red, as one of the smarter guys on here it's not like you to be so lazily dismissive.

But that wasn't a true representation of the up and coming youth players.
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I know, it was a response to Pride of the North.

I know, it was a response to Pride of the North.

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oh, fair enough

Most of the frustration comes from having a brilliant crop of players (Cole, Terry, Ferdinand, Lampard, Gerrard, Beckham, Rooney) all around to play together and fail to reach the semis of any competition. 2004 Euros and 2006 World Cup saw a very good England side which should have done better.

Sometimes you will underachieve (2010) and sometimes you will overachieve

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i wouldnt say we have ever overachieved.

1990 was a good world cup for England, who really were unfortunate not to win it.

had things gone our way in the semi against germany, then i believe we would have beat argentina in the final.
dont forget this was a team including the likes of an emerging gazza & platt, Robbo, lineker, shilton, butcher.

jump forward to euro 96, and again this is a tournament we were more than capable of winning, and had gazza been an inch taller we would have made the final.

England are in decline though, but a lot of this is down to the fa bringing in managers who are scared to make changes.

C'mon Red, as one of the smarter guys on here it's not like you to be so lazily dismissive.

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he has a valid point.

you look at the squad now compared to past players in their prime.

you have a rb in johnson who is inferior to Neville
cbs in cahill and jagielka inferior to terry and rio

up front we have Rooney who blows hot and cold.

you go back 10-15 years ago we had shearer, sherringham, owen, frdinand, andy cole all vying for places in the england front line.

we now have rooney, sturridge, defoe, welbeck, bent and agbonlahor

Exactly that Dunc - we've had a procession of yes men managers/coaches over the years and from where I'm stood that's not likely to change anytime soon.

England are in decline though, but a lot of this is down to the fa bringing in managers who are scared to make changes.

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How do you work that out? England had a very progressive line up and formation against Brazil in February and played amazingly well. There is a lazy cliche of Roy as some kind of master of anti-football but with the right players available he showed just what England can do.

England are in decline though, but a lot of this is down to the fa bringing in managers who are scared to make changes.

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one swallow doesnt make a summer mate.

we got rid of Sven, and what did the fa do??

they replaced him with his assistant.

now, having worked with sven for a number of years, and having an input into tactics and how things were run, why the feck would the fa think mclaren would be a worthy successor??

things were going to be exactly the same as before

You forget a certain Capello came in and got England playing some amazing stuff. Their 9 goal demolition of Croatia over two games was a couple of the best England performances i've ever seen. Lampard and Gerrard both played well together in midfield.

It's not all rosy in the FA and there are some idiots that work there but fans have to believe and know that there are also a lot of very good people working there who actually want to make a change.

You forget a certain Capello came in and got England playing some amazing stuff. Their 9 goal demolition of Croatia over two games was a couple of the best England performances i've ever seen. Lampard and Gerrard both played well together in midfield.

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as i said, one swallow doesnt make a summer.

for every decent performance ( ala croatia) there is a batch of abysmal performances ( ala the entire world cup campaign after).

the same with Roy, we were awful in the ukraine during the euro's.

these are players who are paid tens of thousands a week to appear in one of the best leagues in the world, so they have ability, yet they cant raise their game when it comes to representing their country.

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Comment deleted by Site Moderator

I genuinely think people were so confident about the 2010 world cup and England's chances after such a great qualifying round that the poor play during that tournament crushed peoples England hopes and dreams forever.

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i dont think they were.

every two years people dust off their flags, buy their england shirts, decorate their cars, and every two years england fail to deliver.

its certainly a case of hope and not expectation.