Hodgson says Germany were poor once

ANALYSIS

Roy Hodgson was appointed for a number of reasons, one of which may have been to lower expectations.

On that at least, he did not disappoint.

No one expected England to do well, and even if they had managed to beat Italy – which would have been a great injustice to football – they would have been taken apart by Germany.

England’s football management seem unable to have grasped what other countries understood long ago, namely that the emergence of Spain as World Champions heralded a new, more exciting way of playing the beautiful game.

Even the Germans with all their successes behind them understood that.

So also Holland and Russia, who despite failing to progress in this tournament can build on their performances.

For in spite of their flaws, those teams are still a work in progress.

Sadly, that can not be said of England.

And the reaction of FA Chairman David Bernstein to this unsatisfactory England exit from another major tournament does not bode well for the future either.

He believes that England can build on their performances.

In fact, the best that can be said of this bunch of overpaid, overrated and uninspiring team of players is that they resemble Dad’s Army.

And with the rivalry between Spain and Germany dominating football in the way that was once reserved for Brazil and Argentina, that will not be good enough.

Sadly for the home of football, that will mean riding your luck before the inevitable – namely the pathetic sight of Dad’s Army Coming Home.