Another false dawn for England?

As we all enjoy the latest outbreak of 'summer' with BBQ's and beach shorts, I can't help but think that it wont last past the weekend. Sure enough by this time next week, it will be back to the woolly jumpers and scarves we're used to. Followed by a night in curled up in bed with the heater on full blast watching another random documentary about cuckoos (trust me I've been there) pondering why those sunny days have disappeared. And maybe the same could be said about the England football team.

With yet another International break approaching and another 'crucial' qualifier against another mighty footballing nation, this time Slovakia, maybe it's time for the FA and England fans to take stock and take a long hard look at themselves and this current squad. Fabio Capello has now been in charge for just over 15 months and the reversal in fortunes is plain to see. After the joke that was Steve McLaren, the FA decided to go back down the route of an expensive foriegn coach. And so far it seems to have paid off. Barring a huge collapse and loss of form, England seem to be cruising through their World Cup qualifying campaign. So why the need to find negatives when everything is going so well?

Well the reason we ARE doing well is surely reason enough. So many times in the past, England's football team has been in 'crisis'- the 'golden era' of Gerrard, Lampard, Owen, Terry etc failing to live up to their potential and show their club form for their country- just one in a long line of so called 'failures'. For years England have tried to find the 'answers' and a quick fix to what are deep lying problems within the English game. Going from one England manager to the next, spending fortunes on huge long term contracts, only to sack the bloke a few years later and pay him millions in compensation. But now it seems that the FA have found a man in Capello who can change the England team from nearly men, who reach quarter-finals of major competitions, only to crash out in heart breaking fashion, to a team who can take on the world's best with no fear.

This is the time where we should be looking at what Capello has done RIGHT. It is easier to build from a position of strength than it is to drag yourselves back from the depths of failure. If the FA can pinpoint why England are performing so well, and why the players are performing so much better, then the national team can begin to gather some much needed continuity and consistency. A blueprint of English football needs to be discovered and developed. An English style and mentality, a footballing identity that can be passed on through the age groups, needs to be found. Capello has sewn the seeds for this but now the FA need to look after those seeds and help them grow. Extra funding in the youth academies of lower league clubs needs to be increased, better facilities need to be built, and better coaches need to be brought in. But all this takes time, and this is where the supporters come into the equation.

England teams and individuals no matter what sport, have always faced huge expectations from the English fans (and i count myself as one of them). And whilst this can be one of England's strongest weapons, it can also be their downfall. As the fan's expectations grow, it seems English teams crumble under the pressure. Barring the rugby union team in 2003, every time expectations grow, the public seem to be left disappointed.

But are the English supporters expectations fair? The last major competition the England football team won was on these shores in 1966, over 40 years ago. Since then two semi final penalty shoot out heart breaks (in World Cup 1990 and in Euro 96), are the closest England have come to any kind of success. But yet every Euros and every World Cup, the English media and English public seem to think we are favourites! Maybe it goes back to our colonial routes, where the British conquered all before them, or maybe it's just pure optimism! But one thing is for sure, when expectation and interest subsides, the English national teams always seem to thrive... until with the new found success, comes expectation once more, followed by failure.

Take for example the England cricket team. 2 or 3 years before the Ashes in 2005, interest and expectations were pretty non existent. This led to them going into that Ashes series as underdogs and little hope of winning. Yet they managed to produce a truely memorable performance and win against all the odds. However since that amazing success and increased media attention and exposure, England seem to have fallen to pieces. The embarrassing defeat in the Stanford twenty20 and the test series defeat in the West Indies evidence of this. After a series of fiasco's and high profile departures, English cricket has been left in a farcical situation. Too often the case when it comes to our national side.

So maybe English football should learn from its sporting counterpart's mistakes. The ECB failed to capitalise on the success they found, and have since paid the price. The RFU failed to build on their World Cup success, going from one coach to the next, and from being ranked number one in the world to being ranked lower than Argentina! And too many times in the past the FA have attempted to paper over cracks in the England national set up.

It seems to be the English mentality to knock a team when it fails to fire on all cylinders, yet criticise a team when it is doing well. Instead, the norm is to expect more and more, until the new found expectations are not met. Only then is something done about the predicament we find ourselves in.

Now is the time for the FA and the supporters can make a difference by doing what is best for the team. The FA must build on these foundations for the future and hopefully transfer this short term success into long term success. As for the supporters, we must be patient, understanding and loyal. The players need to feel confident and relaxed, the boos and unfounded expectations need to stop. In place there should be unity and national pride, and above all realism. Only then can our national teams begin to perform to the standards we know they can. And only then can the structure within English sport be strong enough to withstand any disappointments or failures, without having to start all over again.

So as you watch England play Slovakia at Wembley next week in your thermals, and a nice warm cuppa, remember that like this sunshine, England's success might not last. But eventually, if we wait long enough and cope with enough rainy days, the sun and the glory days may well return, and we can enjoy a nice long hot summer of English success.