England Aren't Failing, They Have Just Never Been That Good

England lost to Iceland, eliminating themselves from EURO 2016. Disappointment was rampant. Coach Roy Hodgson resigned. England must hire a new coach and grapple with the broader malaise afflicting English soccer. That sounds familiar.

The Iceland loss is neither a seminal moment, nor a nadir, nor a turning point. Nothing has been lost. That acrimony is English soccer. England have (almost) never been any good.

England have produced three quality tournament runs. Two happened at home.

They won the 1966 World Cup in England. The English had two all-time greats in Bobby Charlton and Bobby Moore. European refs may have been content to watch Pele get kicked out of the tournament. Geoff Hurst’s goal did not cross the line. Still, this was a legit achievement.

England reached the Euro 1996 semifinals at home. Alan Shearer (5 goals) was the tournament’s top scorer. The English beat the Netherlands 4-1 in the group stage. They beat Spain in the quarterfinal on penalties after drawing, then lost to Germany in the semifinal on penalties after drawing.

The apex of English achievement off home soil was the 1990 World Cup. England reached the semifinal and lost to eventual winner West Germany on penalties. Here’s another way to look at that tournament. England won one match, 1-0 over Egypt, in the regulation 90 minutes.

England’s defining tournament win off home soil? It doesn’t really exist. Belgium or Cameroon in extra time in the 1990 knockout rounds? Paraguay, Denmark, or Ecuador in Round of 16 matches? England did beat Argentina 1-0 in the group stage in 2002.

Beating Michel Platini’s France 3-1 in the first group match in the 1982 World Cup looks the best in retrospect. It’s often forgotten, as England flamed out without a goal in the second group stage. France caught fire and took Germany to penalties in the semifinal.

Many England fans (have) and would point out the 5-1 over Germany in Munich during 2002 World Cup qualifying. Of course, Germany beat England 1-0 at Wembley that cycle. Germany also ended up going to the final at the actual World Cup. But, why ruin a good story?

England did win a World Cup 50 years ago. Of course, the takeaway from that final win for the next 50 years was that England could just show up and do it again with the right mindset.

West Germany doubled down on tactics and preparation. England has not reached a major tournament final since 1966. Germany has been to 12.

The point is not England failing. It’s that England have given little reason in 40-plus years to expect otherwise.