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?

[GorgeousSpringtime]

Not an England-team bashing thread, but why, oh WHY do they - the men - keep falling at the final hurdle (well, virtually the final hurdle,) every time at the football (soccer) World Cup - and the Euro Cup too...?

They do so well, and get so far, and then BANG they're out. Nearly always in the top 8, or top 4, (and the top 2, in the World Cup once, and a couple of times in the Euros I think,) but never the winner. (Not since 1966 anyway!)

Is it nerves? Is it that they're so anxious to win that they keep making silly mistakes? Are they just not quite good enough? WHAT IS IT? Why do they keep getting so close, but just never manage to get the win?!

As I said, I am not bashing them, and they did well, and I am proud of them, but I just get so frustrated that they can't quite ever get the win!

!

Because they are good but not the best in the world. Unfortunately they think they are best in the world so they are always disappointed when they lose.

Ok, I take it back, then.

Agreed, the men's team had a good chance, but weren't good enough on the night.

I do wonder how much piss taking Reece James gets from his sister Lauren considering she's won a tournament

That's not chance.

Argentina scored more goals because they were the better team.

Scrappy, obnoxious little thugs, sure. But overall more talented than the England team.

In this case because the manager lost his mind and made some catastrophic decisions.

Also because Harry Kane went missing.

I also think the early poster who mentioned seeding had a point but I wouldn't have fancied our chances against Spain in the semi either (let alone the final).

Probably right there, but people just really WANT them to win. Nothing wrong with that. The vast majority of people alive today (in the UK) don't remember the 1966 win, so people would just like to see them win - just once even - in their lifetime!

Then again, only 8 countries have ever actually won the World Cup, so England are still up there with the elite.

It's just since 1966, there always seems to be someone better!!! And they always get SO close, and it's bloody annoying. (IMO!)

They were good enough their /managers tactics let them down.

We could have used Lauren last night

I’m not a football fan, but it seems to me as though England has drawn pretty insignificant sides in the earlier rounds and then got knocked out once against the bigger guns?

But they don't always get 'so close'.

They haven't been in a final since the one they won, and only in three semis. Quarter finalists is probably their most frequent position. So they usually perform respectably, but are rarely serious contenders for the trophy.

A bit like France then?

Argentina have the better manager and they have Messi (I hate him but he seems to only get better with age 😡).

England needed the manager to make difference substations to give them some breathing space. They could have held on had the manager made different subs. The England bench was quite good

The way the draw lands mean England tend to always get fairly easy teams to initially compete against. Then when they get further they fail because they just aren’t as good as they think they are and the other teams are better.

FTFY.

England haven't underperformed. There are simply better teams. There can only be a one winner and while FIFA rankings are not always a great indicator, the fact that England has never been ranked number one indicated that they've not been the best team in the world. They are currently ranked number 4 and they've made it to top 4.

Pray tell which world-beaters Argentina played on their way to the final. They barely got past Egypt with some cheating and help from referees, yet none if their fans rip into them for an easy draw.

Playing Mexico in a he Azteka is definitely not an easy draw!!!

Exactly this. When France lost to Spain there was disappointment from French fans and the media - but they were largely frustrated and not hostile like the English fans and media.

Even Tuchel - he was hailed a genius putting Dan Burn on at the end of the Mexico and Norway matches - Burn was our 'secret weapon' according to the media - yet Tuchel the same last night and now (of course) he's an idiot. I do wonder if he hadn't made the defensive changes and Argentina had still won (highly likely) would the fans and the media be saying 'Where the heck was Dan Burn?' Probably ...

I agree and I wish they'd stop playing that song on the radio everytime England had a match I'm sure it's jinxed! (joking in case someone decides to have a go)

This is the gutting part.

They aren’t very good, but for some reason the English can’t accept that. They don’t play well as a team, if they could bottle half the spirit of a team like Cape Verde they might be in with a better chance.

I’ll hand it to them though, they seem to find a new way to lose every time!

They're not 'falling', they're losing to genuinely BETTER teams!

We do not currently have the best International squad in the footballing World and hence we are beaten by those who do.

Spain, Argentina and France are better teams.

Don't be surprised if we lose on Saturday, too.

I'm watching it again now from 56 mins in we start to dimmish as we come under relentless arge attack...and the game becomes smaller and smaller

Well said.

I would like to see "Three Lions" consigned to the bin, but New Order should definitely have another crack at a song or update their original.
And get rid of Beckham as 'ambassador', money grabbing/attention loving hanger-on. Why not have a Lioness there as an ambassador? Surely they would have more relevance in terms of age and success.

Because it was the wrong move at that time .

What I want to know is why is Jude Bellingham so rude? I saw him slap the back of an Argentinian player’s neck at the end of the match. Not into football here but I saw the end.

I’m Welsh so can be objective- to be blunt they just weren’t good enough to beat Argentina.
You can have the best strategy/overcome nerves and all the rest of it all you want but at the end of the day sometimes the other team are just stronger.
When Wales get in the World Cup we are just super proud of them for getting there and aren’t expecting them to win the whole tournament so just happy to see them there however far they get.
Maybe England fans should try that - England have done really well in this WC so be proud of them for reaching the semis. They lost out to a stronger team, they still played well and deserve respect and praise for that.