Can England end 44 years of hurt in South Africa?

March 23, 2010

It was during Euro ’96 that Baddiel and Skinner famously sang the words “thirty years of hurt, never stopped me dreaming” as their hit single, Three Lions, captured the spirit and belief of a nation who believed that the England football team could win their first major competition since winning the World Cup in 1966. Fast forward 14 years and five major tournaments later and ‘thirty years of hurt’ has turned to ’44 years of agony’ but still, the English public has never stopped dreaming and once again, the belief that the waiting will soon be over is sure to be thriving as the England squad head to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup.

The question however remains whether the dreaming is justified. Does the current England team harbour a realistic chance of ending their 44 year wait for glory in South Africa? The realist within any Englishman would probably say no, whilst the romantic in him will continue to dream until their fate is sealed for definite, usually with a hard luck story attached and more than likely from 12 yards out!

There is no denying that the England team has come close to glory on several occasions; in the last nine tournaments that they have taken part, they have gone out in the knockout stages on seven occasions, five of which were a result of a penalty shootout defeat. The other two failures can be attributed to the infamous ‘hand of God’ incident in 1986 and Seaman’s error which cost the team a place in the semi finals of the 2002 World Cup.

With ‘Lady Luck’ having clearly failed to shine on the Three Lions in recent times, the optimists will be hoping that is due to change in South Africa, where the more desperate England fans can take further hope from that fact that the host country is not unfamiliar with the sound of roaring Lions!

However, whilst luck is sure to play a vital role in determining England’s fate in South Africa, the key to ending 44 years of hurt lies primarily with manager, Fabio Capello, and the 23 players he decides will make up the squad. Consisting of a collective of talent which many pundits have dubbed ‘the golden generation’, it cannot be denied that many of the England players heading to South Africa do posses the ability to be called World class at club level. The only thing that eludes them is repeating the form that has resulted in this reputation on the International stage. Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney account for over half of England’s starting XI and would arguably feature prominently in any of the other 31 teams at the World Cup. The support cast is made up of seasoned international players and established Premier League players and the likes of Gareth Barry, Emile Heskey, Peter Crouch and Matthew Upson can all be relied upon to perform for their country.

Wayne Rooney is without doubt England’s talisman and much of England’s success in South Africa will depend on the Manchester United’s form and fitness. He is currently in the midst of the best season of his career, having scored over thirty goals with several games remaining and is on track for World Footballer of the year alongside the likes of Messi and Ronaldo. If Rooney is fit for the World Cup and can emulate the kind of goal scoring form he has been in domestically, there is no knowing where he could carry England and is alongside side Spanish duo, Fernando Torres and David Villa in the Golden Boot odds. The last time England had a player of such enigmatic ability; it was Paul Gascoigne who helped guide the team to the Semi Finals of the World Cup in 1990.

The England odds of winning the World Cup in South Africa currently have them as third favourites behind Spain and Brazil, a testament to the current personnel and management but also brings added pressure. The two teams ahead of England in the betting are probably justified, Spain are without doubt loaded with talent through the team and Brazil with five World Cups to their name cannot be underestimate, however, like many of the other leading protagonists, Brazil have questions to answer such as their ability to win the competition outside of the Americas and whether their current crop of talent is as good as those from tournaments past. The squads of Italy, Germany and Argentina all have similar questions to answers and whilst the England team aren’t without questions, they are certainly one of the livelier contenders for World Cup glory.

Whether Fabio Capello can bring an end to the 44 years of waiting remains to be seen but with a favourable Group England should be able to at least make the Quarter Finals and from there, who knows…This could be the best chance of England winning the World Cup since 1966 and in Fabio Capello there is no better man to oversee that challenge.

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