Re: World Cup. England's chances.
Posted: 12 Jul 2018, 20:09
I was 10 when i first got into football by watching Italia 90. At the same time i started getting into watching the tennis at Wimbledon and the England test cricket team.
The cricket team were humbled by Australia in the ashes where Shane Warne tore us a new one. We were ranked the worst side in the world at one point shortly after. As the years passed i could see glimpses of improvement and hope that one day we could match the Aussies, only to get a reality check every couple of years. Then in winter 2004 we travelled to the West Indies and ripped them apart. A new side had evolved which had seen the benefits of reform in the domestic game several years prior. That led nicely into the 2005 ashes series. The rest is history, but for me personally it felt like a personal triumph that I'd stuck with the side and believed that one day they could get there as the best in the world.
As for Wimbledon, much was made of the lack of British talent in the early 90's. Then we had that hope every year that Tim Henman might develop into a player who could challenge the 2nd week of the tournament. Year after year he tested our nerves, and he just never quite made it to the final. Enter the new British player on the scene in Andy Murray. Once he had matured he showed he could mix it with the Federers and Nadals ofthe world. When he finally became champion, it was another little bit of my list ticked off. I hoped and believed that i would see a British champion one day. Then he went and repeated the trick a couple of years later.
What I'm getting at is that i still believe and hope that one day we will see our football team evolve and compete in finals. As with cricket, a lot has changed behind the scenes with our youth international sides. There's clearly some talent there as they are winning tournaments at U17 and U19 levels. We still need to solve the conundrum of getting those lads into Premier League first teams more regularly, otherwise the playersthey are coming up against internationally will develop quicker and overtake them. But for now i can see green shoots of growth following the dark days we've experienced in the last few toutnaments.
The manager and players need to remember that whilst we've done well here, this tournament is gone, it's the next one that matters now. Because we reached the semis in Russia, doesn't give us a head start in Euro 2020. We have to start again and prove that we can grind results out in knockout games like Columbia and Sweden on a regular basis. I'm excited to see what Gareth will do with this side next. Will this formation serve us well in qualification? Who is the next young player to step up and make a name for himself? I believe there are good times ahead. As much as last night was tough to take, we've been sorely missing these sorts of occasion.
I don't believe we will be waiting another 28 years to play in another semi final.
The cricket team were humbled by Australia in the ashes where Shane Warne tore us a new one. We were ranked the worst side in the world at one point shortly after. As the years passed i could see glimpses of improvement and hope that one day we could match the Aussies, only to get a reality check every couple of years. Then in winter 2004 we travelled to the West Indies and ripped them apart. A new side had evolved which had seen the benefits of reform in the domestic game several years prior. That led nicely into the 2005 ashes series. The rest is history, but for me personally it felt like a personal triumph that I'd stuck with the side and believed that one day they could get there as the best in the world.
As for Wimbledon, much was made of the lack of British talent in the early 90's. Then we had that hope every year that Tim Henman might develop into a player who could challenge the 2nd week of the tournament. Year after year he tested our nerves, and he just never quite made it to the final. Enter the new British player on the scene in Andy Murray. Once he had matured he showed he could mix it with the Federers and Nadals ofthe world. When he finally became champion, it was another little bit of my list ticked off. I hoped and believed that i would see a British champion one day. Then he went and repeated the trick a couple of years later.
What I'm getting at is that i still believe and hope that one day we will see our football team evolve and compete in finals. As with cricket, a lot has changed behind the scenes with our youth international sides. There's clearly some talent there as they are winning tournaments at U17 and U19 levels. We still need to solve the conundrum of getting those lads into Premier League first teams more regularly, otherwise the playersthey are coming up against internationally will develop quicker and overtake them. But for now i can see green shoots of growth following the dark days we've experienced in the last few toutnaments.
The manager and players need to remember that whilst we've done well here, this tournament is gone, it's the next one that matters now. Because we reached the semis in Russia, doesn't give us a head start in Euro 2020. We have to start again and prove that we can grind results out in knockout games like Columbia and Sweden on a regular basis. I'm excited to see what Gareth will do with this side next. Will this formation serve us well in qualification? Who is the next young player to step up and make a name for himself? I believe there are good times ahead. As much as last night was tough to take, we've been sorely missing these sorts of occasion.
I don't believe we will be waiting another 28 years to play in another semi final.