90 was the first World Cup I remember and is still my favourite because of England’s run, which was very exciting at the time. I was only a kid but I don’t remember any animosity towards that team- I certainly wanted them to win that shootout and I think everyone else around me did too. Same goes for 96 I think.Originally Posted by Rjk
By the 00’s that had changed: I generally wanted them to do well going into tournaments but the ridiculous sense of self entitlement meant I was relieved when they bowed out. I think the major turning point was the premiership. The hyperinflation of players pay meant mediocre players were on superstar wages and expectations rose in line with salary rather than ability. Teams who were no more able than that 1990 squad went into tournaments with the expectation of getting to the semis at least, because they were considered the best players in the world based on the flawed logic and assumption that the Premier league had the best teams and players in the world.
We still have a lot of that today, the pundits speak fluent premier league but know nothing of players in other leagues and seem surprised when they turn out to be as capable as the lauded stars of the self-declared best league in the world. But to be fair I do think Southgate has played a blinder in resetting expectations and picking a team rather than individuals. I’ve never seen trippier before but he looked great yesterday and I’m looking forward to watching them again against Belgium. That first 30 mins was as good as I’ve seen at the World Cup so far.
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