Let's be brutally honest, England have been terrible at the UEFA Euro 2016. They needed a good start, and what they got was an extremely average Russian side (who lost all of their other games) sucker punching them at the last minute, and Gary Cahill crouching down and mouthing "f*** me".
That set the tone for the competition, and whatever positivity was achieved in the win against Wales was lost in the stale possession based football against Slovakia. There was a lot of positivity when England drew Iceland in the round of 16, but the way they played a capable Portugal side made it clear that they weren't ones to lie down and take things for granted.
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It is difficult to pinpoint a select few people who caused the situation, but well, I will try my best, some of them being more obvious than the others. By the way, I couldn't resist an "Honourable mentions", read on.
#1 Joe Hart
Joe Hart is one of those who shouts gusto to every player when they come out of the dugout, says the right things in front of the media, and owns up his mistakes. The problem is there has been an awful lot of owning up for his own good.
I am sure he would have apologised to everyone in the dressing room after making a meal of the Gareth Bale’s free-kick, and I am sure he will apologise again for his mistake of letting in a shot at the pace of a pass back go through him. With the quality of Fraser Forster and Jack Butland waiting in the wings, one wonders, how long apologies will keep him on the side.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola has started looking for a new goalkeeper.
#2 Wayne Rooney
There was a lot of talk about Wayne Rooney's position in the starting lineup before even a ball was kicked off. After, being abject for most of the season as a lone striker for Manchester United, he dropped back to a midfield role and hit every third ball long to the right-back. Then came the Paul Scholes comparisons, and the backing of ex-players/ pundits/ jobless people.
Admittedly, he wasn't England's worst player, he was even good for a couple of games, relatively controlling the tempo of the proceedings. But, the game against Iceland saw everything that is wrong with the Rooney in midfield. Without his signature crossfield ball, he looked incapable of providing incision and offered hardly anything in the game.He was supposed to lead the young guns, he was supposed to be the inspiration. All he was, was the player who got substituted for Rashford.
In other bad news, he decides to NOT retire.
#3 Gary Neville
I might be a little harsh here, but being the defensive coach of the team you have to own some of the blunders your group of defenders game. England's defence was hardly under real pressure in the competition, but the times they were, they looked a step away from major brain freeze.
The way the defence waited for K. Sigþórsson to shoot reminds me of the 'Statue' of Liberty. This caps off a terrible few months from the former Manchester United captain, after being sacked by Valencia, and losing most of the goodwill he earned with his refreshing in MOTD.
Sorry, Gary, I guess you celebrate and sink with the team.
#4 Roy Hodgson
The general consensus was that Hodgson made up things as he went, well, I don't completely agree with the idea. He started the competition very positively, playing his wingers in the wings (points for that) and then he did exactly what English fans didn't' want him to do, got swayed by the media. If Rashford is you only player capable of going past players, giving him just five minutes is just criminal/
His biggest mistake was having just two wingers in the squad, he had more or less decided that he will be playing with the formation 4-3-3 in the competition, putting all his balls on the Lallana and Sterling box. I never thought, I will wish that Andros Townsend would be selected for the squad, and just for that, Roy you are culpable.
Ohh, and the fact that he made Harry Kane take freekicks and corners.
Honourable Exclusions: Raheem Sterling, Delle Alli and the collective media (including us).
#5 Harry Kane
This one was (is) debatable, but I refuse to make a twenty-one-year-old player who has no control over the amount paid for him a scapegoat. And, besides I have had enough of 'Sterling' jokes to last me a lifetime.
Harry Kane was supposed to the flag bearer, was touted to be the top-scorer, the pride of London to conquer Europe, instead he took corners with a knuckleball technique. Harry Kane was the top scorer in the premier league with twenty-five goals, but as the tournament went on, he looked more like the striker who was on the bench for a second tier Norwich.
Admittedly, he got nowhere near the service he gets for Tottenham, but he is culpable of doing generally nothing in all the three games he has started. Not, only that, he successfully blocked the position from England's only bright spark in the game against Iceland, Marcus Rashford (in spite of playing only five minutes). So Harry, the Iron throne is all yours.
