We waited four years for this. Where was the passion, the pride? The shooting was woeful, the passing poor and the movement non-existent. Ok so we didn’t expect to set the world alight but a first round exit still hurts. I thought we would at least get through the group, give one of the big boys a scare in the knockout rounds. People talk about how club football is more important to players than internationals and on this evidence I would have to agree. These guys have been amazing week in week out for their club sides, why can’t they do it at this level? I know it will be said that we don’t play enough international games and that the players don’t fully know how each other plays. That excuse doesn’t wash with me, if I went for a meeting with another office and completely screwed up could I say, “sorry but I’ve never worked with them before?” No I couldn’t, completely ridiculous. Also, why can’t we pass at this level? They ping balls left and right every week, they get to a tournament like this and they can’t even move it two feet without giving it away. It’s shameful. These players need to look at that badge on their shirt, remember who they are playing for. If they don’t want to play for the national team then I know millions upon millions of people who do.

And what is it about managers making stupid substitutions? Taking off our most creative midfielder or the striker with most goals when we need to score? They don’t do that in the rest of the season so why now? It is as if someone has put so much pressure on them that they panic. Maybe it is the media, if we play well one game we are going to be champions, if we play badly one game we are the worst team in the world. Never has a set of people be so powerful in building players up then knocking them down.

So where next? Will we just put it down to being unlucky? Probably. Will we decide a path for future glory? Probably not. Will we do this all over again in four years time? Most definitely.

Maybe it is my fault, maybe I shouldn’t get so excited, dare to dream and will my team on. Should I be more realistic or should our team be more positive? I now want to know what it was that caused this. If I am being truthful I don’t really know, to be honest I don’t really understand. I just feel sad, frustrated, fed up and can only think, we wait four years for this.