To ask why the England team (the men) keep falling at the final hurdle, (well virtually at the final hurdle,) at the football World Cup ... and The Euros too?

Because they are a good team but not good enough. Argentina and Spain have a level of flair and style of football that we lack. The premier league is about huge men battling it out. The Le League teams play a completely different style of football and are just more creative.

Sorry to point out the obvious, but only one team can win, so every other single team will fall - whether at the first or last hurdles.

eg Scotland - haven't made it to the World Cup in 20+ years, and celebrated the fact they did this year. The fans were impeccably behaved, had the time of their lives, created lifetime bonds with the host cities' residents, tidied up after them, spent a fortune while there, and came home again having lived the experience of a lifetime.

England fans - behaved better than usual (my own theory is that this is so they weren't shamed against the Tartan Army's behaviour). Yet, last night, fights in Atlanta and New York - and possibly elsewhere - with arrests made. They got to the semis, yet fans kick off when they get beaten. My own FB yesterday was full of posts highlighting how much domestic violence increases on the day/evening after an England defeat.

It's horrific.

Anyone on here who is Scottish will tell you - when you go on holiday abroad, and any of the locals say, "Are you English?" When they hear, "No, Scottish," they are completely delighted, due to how they witness their behaviour. We were in Greece a couple of weeks ago, in a smallish resort, and one pub closed on the night of the match, saying that they didnt want to be involved if anything kicked off. They screened every other teams' matches.

I don't think anyone in Norway ever thought our team was going to win the World Cup, so therefore we rejoiced for every win and were pleased they got as far as they did before they got knocked out. In England, it seems like there is an expectation that they are going to win, and so anything but that is seen as a failure. Maybe there needs to be a change of attitude among English fans? They did well and got far. They were never going to win.

We were the better team in the first half we just let ourselves down instead of opening up that chanel to our strikers we closed them down and let Messi rule

Good question eastern because every single interview I've seen he couldn't do more to praise his team etc

If there is an epidemic of anxiety amongst children because they do not have the ability to win at sport, then perhaps they need to be taught about resilience and finding their own talent where they can excel. Elite athletes should be applauded, not dumbed down because somebody’s feelings may be hurt.

I don't really follow football other than major tournaments like the World Cup but is it not simply that England get knocked out in the final stages so often because that's about their level?
Hockey is my sport and England men are currently ranked third in the world. The Hockey World Cup starts next month. It is not beyond imagining that they could win - a favourable draw, bit of luck or an outstanding individual performance or two could propel any of the top few teams into the final. I'll be very disappointed if they get knocked out early as they're a great team who should do well. But if they lose a semi? Que sera, sera. I'll be a bit sad but pleased that they've reached where the rankings would suggest they should (especially given that the top 2 teams have home advantage ths year).
I don't think it is so much that the England Men's football team fail to achieve, more that the nation has unreasonable expectations. Isn't it just that they get very close because they're very good, but don't win because they're not quite good enough?
(That said, I did think it was a bit bonkers to try to defend such a slender lead for so long against a team like Argentina who have form for this kind of thing, but what would I know?)

We won and if Pence had the courage to overturn the fake result we would have won. Forevermore jr will be known as the stolen World Cup. The fake news unpatriotic media will not accept this but we need to fight fight fight to get the cup.

The cheating foreigners stole it from us and it is our manifest destiny to win the World Cup.

It was Hart who tried to give the team credit (former England goal keeper). Rooney's criticism is an actual joke. He should rewatch his performances for England.

Argentina are the best team in the world. It's bloody hard yo win against them. The England players fought hard and did nothing wrong (but the manager made mistakes). However to get a barrage of criticism from a player who never had a sniff of a semi-final with England and was consistently terrible, it just beyond belief.

It lives rent free in some heads. 😁

We didn't even qualify in 74, 78 and 94.

In 2014 we didn't make it past the group stage.

Historically the quarter finals seem to be about our level.

We're a top 5 team. Sugababes were a successful pop group. Kim Clijsters was a successful tennis player. Jennifer Lawrence is a successful actress. We're just not Taylor Swift or Roger Federer.

But also we have a sort of annoying combination of entitlement and risk-aversion which leads us to try and defend when we're 1-0 up instead of trying to score another. We've historically had quite unglamorous footballers and tended to play boringly and defensively. Right now we've actually got unusually creative and attacking players and we can play attractive football but the national psyche hasn't quite caught up to this.

Sixteen I think ?

God I agree with PPs - the second it was over Wayne Rooney was laying into everyone. The team gets built up and it's coming home and then torn apart - every single time. Some of the unhinged spittingly angry clips from TalkSport commentators were awful too.

I am very much not an England supporter, so I can say that I can never understand this mentality. The team is good, not great and not legendary. Good enough for the last 8, and the last 4 is an achievement.

There was a commentator beside Rooney (can't remember his name) and he was desperately trying to say well done for hard work but the presenter and Rooney steered away from that to how shite they were. Incredible!

It's very, very difficult to be the best team in the world.

England are good.
Some teams are better.
Plenty more are worse and went out before them.

It's the whole point of a tournament.

If you follow the media of other top football teams they do the same with their teams. That's not unique to the English media.

I think people need to go back and watch a few of the England World and Euro Cup games during Rooney & Co's time. 😂 Capello's time as manager was one of the highlights. You will then want to kiss the feet of the current team!!

Sometimes they play well until the semi final or final but then it all goes to pot. It’s just the better played team won. But they did well to get as far as they did.

Because they're not as good as they think they are.

Sadly, the English media hypes everyone into believing that not only are they the greatest team in the world, but that it's their right to win the World Cup, or any similar tournament. And if they fail to do so, it is the other countries' fault; they play dirty, they cheat, everyone's hates them, etc, etc.

Perhaps approaching these events with hope rather than expectation, with humility rather than arrogance, and being realistic rather than deluded about their chances, would make the moment of exit a time to appreciate how far they got, not sing about "60 years of hurt", when it's a self-inflicted wound.

Not to diminish this but this win was back in 1966 when there were only 12 teams playing. there are now 48.

And this is the message BBC is given and the Message children are hearing in schools when they talk about it doesn’t anyone else think it’s absolute crap? No wonder there’s a bloody epidemic of anxiety.

Yes, quite. I’ve had to say this to several people (men). Be fucking PROUD! Other countries would be so overjoyed to get this far, look at the reception the Norwegian team received, their PM was fucking leading the rowing! Scotland don’t become so miserable, they have a great time. Hell, Wales and Ireland don’t even qualify!!! They wouldn’t behave this way if they had gotten this far. We’re so bloody miserable sometimes and people are already calling for Tuchel’s head. Our team have done brilliantly, fantastic players. Euro’s are here in two years and we will do great then too.

We aren’t the best in the world and that’s okay, they did a great job. Be grateful.

I don't really think what happened 60 years ago has got much relevance to the state of English and world football today.

How is it the "same old story" when England played in 4 semi-finals and 2 finals in the last 5 tournaments?!?

England could only have dreamt of such consistency at tournaments during the time of the so called "golden generation". I think people forget how bad England was and how amazing this team has done. They were not even in the same stratosphere as this team.

Scotland only qualified because they increased the number of teams.

16 more teams than normal.