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!

!

Absolutely this. It is also sad that a lot if fans can’t accept this, and be objective annd realistic about it. So many make up excuses such as biased ref or the other team was cheating.

I echo the comments that England are not great but good.
Always the bridesmaid but never the bride.
Please no flaming for this comment, it's just an old expression to denote how somebody can be good but not great.

I also think it's time the 1966 and '30 years of hurt' - now 64 by time of next World Cup! - gets put to bed.

Given their ages, 69 and 62 respectively, I suspect songwriters of Three Lions only Skinner remembers it but not Baddiel, anyway.
Nobody under 67 is going to have a clear memory of '66 so it gets more absurd with each passing World Cup!!

Well said.
Argentina were the better side. Full stop.
The calm and nerve to score two goals in the 85th and 92 minute.
I am in awe of it.

Utter faith in themselves.
Anybody see Messi looking to the sky?
I don't know if he's religious. I'm an an atheist so no axe to grind, but it's as if they feel they've got a God given right to be there.

Footballers pay is nowt to do with people using food banks. You might as well say that nobody should have any spare income until food banks are eradicated.

Yes, and as others have said they pay huge amounts of tax. Haaland's team, Man City is a major employer and source of income for Manchester.

In an abstract sense, yes, it's wildly unjust that someone gets half a million a week 'for kicking a ball around' while nurses and teachers struggle to get by. But that has nothing to do with what Haaland, Mbappe or Kane get paid.

Well said Peppers.

Yes you're right they were the better side they're just so unlikeable, tiny men fouling left right and centre. The Falklands tatty bed sheet crap, they're just a load of little shits.

Obviously none of that counts when it comes to winning but you look at Norway, England even the Mexican fans who were good natured in defeat and it's just a shame that the argies don't understand sportsmanship and class.

Best thing that could happen is to reinstate England to face Spain in the final. What a lovely little deterrent that would be for their future antics. In the absence of that extreme measure, all of those idiots involved should be banned from the final. Not that I will be watching but I hope Spain thrash them any which way they can.

The oddest thing about the grubby little anti-English banner was some of that team are quite happy to be on the payroll of an English football club. Shame they don’t have the balls to unfurl their banner at Anfield or Old Trafford.

With the exception of Messi, who is broadly speaking a class act, they’re a team of total shithouses. I hope Spain spank them into next week.

Yep and fans have long memories. They can expect a lot of hostility IF they come back to play for their respective English clubs.

😂😂

Not sure I agree about Messi being a 'class act'. Wasn't he found guilty of tax evasion a few years ago? Also, while he's not holding up the 'Malvinas' banner, he's there cheering along right next to them.

He's obviously a generational genius in football, but I've always found him unlikable. Yes, I'm sure he's devastated.

I feel exactly the same as you about him. He's good friends with Beckham, who was visibly upset at our exit. I'm sure it will remain civil between them but I'd be seeing Messi in a different light. The final's going to be the Messi show, as far as commentators are concerned.

Understanding sportsmanship and having class has nothing to do with winning though.
I get the sense that they feel they've got a God given right to be there.

I don't think they're unlikeable at all.
The nerve, the not ever giving up, all admirable qualities.

Though I have to say that I could not help but think that Tuchel's decisions made me think, does he want England to lose?
(I'm not English but I like the team, your average England football fan gets on my nerves, though. So I was sort of neutral about who won.)
I just don't know why he did what he did.

England just do not have what it takes.

I really, really hope that 1966 gets down played now. And that bloody Three Lions song.
The only people who will have a clear memory of '66 will be on their mid-70s by 2030.

I don't know and I'm not going to ask how old you are but I remember It was about 30 years ago that they really laid it on thick about '66, probably getting nostalgic in' 96 because it had been such a long time.
Nostalgia is always resorted to when nothing better going on.

Enzo Martinez had been in trouble with a racist chant video before

And he isn't the only South American player.

Remember Suarez, and the t-shirts in support?

Let's not forget the accused rapists who also played this time round.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/21/thomas-partey-england-ghana-handshake

'Understanding sportsmanship and having class has nothing to do with winning though'

Yes which is why I said obviously none of that counts when it comes to winning.

How can you think they're not unlikeable?! The fouls then the fake Falklands claims? They aren't a nice bunch <yes thet has nothing to do with winning it's just an observation>

How many times?
That was because 30 years ago was Euro 96 which was played in England
It was about football ie the tornament coming home not that England should win
In fact the lyrics suggest that like always despite the hopes and dreams of the players and fans
We know England will cock it up at the last minute.

The two are not related. He’s not physically taking money away from people who then need to use food banks. You could use that argument about anyone who is paid a high salary and has disposable income.
As others have said, football clubs contribute a lot to their local economy and are a huge employer of local people.

Totally agree the whole “we won in 1966” we are great is now embarrassing and needs to be put to bed. I think this is often a reason that non-English players do not support England as they’re still banging on about this win from 6 decades ago.

My son came home from school saying his mate was singing “one World Cup and two worlds wars” 🤦🏼‍♀️

this is embarrassing on so many levels, one the child (or the parents) don’t really understand the significance of it being directed at Germany so makes no sense on its own. Secondly, England did not fight these wars alone as they fought as part of Great Britain, the British Empire, and a massive global Allied coalition. And thirdly, the World Cup win was 60 years ago…

People aren’t pretending to find the women’s game exciting. Some of us actually do. In fact, season tickets for Manchester City Women have sold out this year so that’s a lot of people ‘pretending’.

I find comments like this quite pathetic really. It’s absolutely fine to say it’s not something you enjoy but to say people are pretending to enjoy it is ridiculous. Who are you trying to convince? It all sounds a bit misogynistic tbh.

Most English people dont beleive that though
The 3 lions on a shirt song says the complete opposite in fact
England are a good team not the best but still good there is slways hope in every tournament that they might just do it this time and the further they get the more people start to think that just maybe they will win
They dont seriously think they are the best team ever .

Just look at the Arsenal women games attendance.

My feelings too. Hope they lose spectacularly to Spain. That crappy sheet 😜.

100% this. ^ Argentina didn't deserve to win, but that's JMO of course.