Why I fell out of love with the England football team

Would anyone have genuinely been proud last year to see Wayne Rooney and co. with the World Cup in their hands? My greatest fear, back when I was still filled with the usual optimism, was that Rio Ferdinand, then England captain, would follow in the hallowed footsteps of the great Bobby Moore. There would have been no escaping his smug, gormless image, strewn across the entire world's media. Rio is no hero. Thankfully, Emile Heskey, in his first moment of brilliance, put paid to that with a ruthless but effective challenge in training ending Ferdinand's hopes of even a holiday to South Africa. These are not footballers to look up to. Rooney was arguably the world's best footballer for a spell in the season leading up to the tournament, but I would have no pride in laying claim to Rooney as English. The nation is no longer proud of its football team. There are not the heroes that there used to be - no Shearers, no Beckhams, no Stuart Pearces. You could never have questioned Pyscho's commitment.

What happened to the spirit of Euro '96? Is it all Gareth Southgate's fault for missing that penalty? Maybe everything would have been different if that had gone in, and we'd have gone into the penalty shoot outs that followed full of confidence. Was it Beckham's moment of madness against the Argentinian's, or was it the knocking down of Wembley's iconic Twin Tower's that was the death of the Three Lions? The loss of pride in England's national team reflects a terminal lack of pride in our nation as a whole. The fact is people just aren't as patriotic anymore. I just got back from a month travelling around America, and believe me, you cannot move for the Stars and Stripes. It has been approximated that there will be 100 million American flags sold this year. This figure sounds completely bonkers to the English, who are only used to seeing our flag stuck on cars and flying from bedroom windows for about two weeks of the year, every two years. It is getting to such a stage, with public patriotism so low, that for many the first thing that springs to mind when seeing a Union Jack or St George's cross is the despicable racism of groups such as English Defence League.

To concentrate on matters of sport, England no longer seems to produce the kind of players who inspire. There is a belief with some critics that the influx of foreign talent, such as Gianfranco Zola and Dennis Bergkamp, that the worldwide success the Premier League has brought will inspire players to become more interested in skill and the importance to entertain. However, it is one thing watching your heroes, and quite another being able to replicate it, as my Dad would often demonstrate in the back garden. No matter how much he idolised Georgi Kinkladze, he could never quite match the touch of a player more similar to Lionel Messi than any other in Premier League history. For any of you who can't remember 'Kinky', i cannot recommend this video enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq6y3Cf8sBA

Simply, it is players like this that England are missing. There hasn't been an English player since Paul Gascoigne with the same thirst to run at defences.

There must be some other reasons for the nation's lack of patriotism. From thinking back to my youth, and from talking to fans of older generations, international football was the pinnacle. Now not only I, but I would venture the majority, would rather see their club team succeed in the League or in Europe than see the national side win. This has gradually happened over the last two decades, arguably because of the enormous success of the Premier League. It may also be because having had the England side hyped up to ridiculous levels by the media before every major tournament, we are destined to failure, and the only chance most fans can see for success is with their club side. According to the media, our 'Golden generation' of Gerrard, Lampard and Becks were to flourish in 2006, and now that that chance has flown by quicker than Rooney's studs towards the crotch of Ricardo Carvalho, we are left wondering when our next chance will be. You should not support a team just because they win, but success has certainly helped the image of our national sides in sports like Cricket, Rugby and Cycling.

Patriotism works best when there is a clear opposition; America has its War on Terror, the England football team has the Germans and the Argentinians. It is partly for this reason that I have been supportive of the frequently debated revival of the Home Nations competition. The atmosphere when we played Wales in 2004 was just brilliant, despite my Mum having to cover my brothers ears from what the fans were claiming the Welsh enjoyed doing to sheep. There is nothing better to stir the nation than an old rivalry. I could not have been a bigger fan of my country's national team. I've been to nigh on 60 England games in the last 15 years, including France '98 and beating Germany in Euro 2000, but even my enthusiasm is beginning to wane.

Hopefully, we have a good game tomorrow against the Welsh, and give the home of football something to be proud of.