An Exciting Run But The Long Wait Goes On

As a way of signing off after more than a month of posts related to international football in general and England, in particular, we cast a final look over the Euros through red, white and blue spectacles.

‘Four more years! Four more years!’ It’s an unedifying chant that we may well hear more than once in the run-up to the US presidential elections this autumn.

Lovers of the England football team will also be haunted today by the thought of that expression as a punishment sentence – the time span before we, realistically, have another chance to win big on the international stage.

Ok, like the democratic process, the show now moves on to America – as well as to co-hosts Canada and Mexico – for the 2026 World Cup finals. 

But are we seriously likely to prevail in what might well be a sweltering mid-July New Jersey final in two summers’ time after coming up short as gallant losers once more in Berlin last night?

It’s tough being an England fan. If penalties or the Germans or controversial refereeing decisions don’t get us, the hope does.

Three of those four did for us in the home staging of the 1996 European Championships when Skinner and Baddiel started telling us it was coming home. Well, the 30 years of hurt they sang about will have stretched to 60 years by the time the World Cup finals kick off…..how depressing is that?

We have gone as close to glory in these last few weeks as we deserved to. Closer, in fact, considering the humdrum level of performance in a tournament in which Gareth Southgate’s side were blessed with a very favourable draw and passage.

Rarely have we played in a manner which encouraged us to think the big prize was coming our way. Spain have beaten Italy, Croatia, Germany, France and England….they are true champions. We couldn’t beat Slovenia, were barely a minute from going out to Slovakia and have only really provided any thrills with a handy knack of pulling back from the brink.

We at Wolves Heroes expressed support for the manager in the face of outspoken mid-competition criticism – a view we based on how much deeper England have been going in tournaments on his watch.

Two final defeats and another in a semi-final add up to journeys that proved well beyond his predecessors. For that progress, we should be grateful to him…and how close was that late winning Spanish goal to being reviewed and possibly disallowed for offside?

With improved outcomes come increased expectations, though, and those who had every right to pick over the carcass when England were humiliated by Iceland in Nice in 2016 now see fit to complain at us finishing second best to an outstanding Spain team.

‘Southgate should be doing much better with this gifted golden generation’ is a familiar lament. Often made by those who seem to overlook his role in developing this very group across seven or eight years and for a few seasons while in charge of the under-21s prior to that.

The culture of this squad has felt good throughout his tenure. They’re an easy group to like and he clearly has their respect. He has even had us winning penalty shoot-outs!

But another opportunity for glory has passed us by and we await the fall-out. A resignation letter from Southgate appears likely in the coming weeks and it will be interesting to see whether his successor finds his reign a tough act to follow or whether he builds on this solid base and finds the few sprinkles of star dust that have been lacking this summer.