So that was it folks. If you didn't know it before Saturday you should now. England have got about as much chance of winning the next World Cup as I have of indulging in bedroom aerobics with Cheryl Cole.
And yet a very large proportion of you refuse to see it. You fail to see that Shaun Wright Phillips couldn't cross a pools coupon. You fail to see that Englands midfield is flatter than Kiera Knightlys top rack. You fail to see that Ben Foster and Robert Green are shakier than a nervous jelly in an earthquake. You seem to think that because its England they have some sort of divine right to bring home the goodies from South Africa next year. Why do you cling to the belief that because its England they are going to automatically whip the worlds arse at anything even when your own eyes are telling you that they would struggle to beat a 5 year old in an egg and spoon race?
And its not just football, its everything. Why do you assume England should be the best cricket team on earth? Or the best rugby team? Why really should the rest of the planet sit up and listen when Gordon Brown or the Queen speaks? England, and more generally the UK is a medium rate nation. It has a medium sized population, a medium sized economy and if anything it positively punches above its weight in just about every form of human endevour. Its leaders have a global respect that those of larger nations such as Germany and Japan fail to command. Its culture and language is both admired and imitated the world over and it still carries a weight internationally out of all proportion to its size. Yes it was once stronger but the Empire is long gone. The days when you could walk from Cape Town to Kuwait City and not once leave British controlled soil are no more. The map is no longer pink. Surely it is time to face the inevitable, down size expectations, accept that a quarter or semi final place in a World Cup or an Ashes win or even a top five finish in the sodding Eurovision is actually pretty good going all things considered and start being content with what you have got.
The UK, it seems to me, is a nation that can't shake off its past. A country that is always looking backwards rather than forwards. We see it in its attitude to Europe (I mean can anyone, anyone at all, give me one good reason why it SHOULDN'T join the Euro?), we see it in its foreign policy, we see it in its continual clinging to tradition for traditions sake even if one person in a million couldn't tell you why. Now I am not saying its time to ditch the monarchy, get shot of all the pomp and bullshit, and forget the last 1,000 years. Of course I'm not. But what I am saying is that to only look backwards is to stagnate and to stagnate is to fall further behind. If you want to celebrate a World Cup win or a major foreign policy triumph or whatever you have to work for it, not rely on the fact that because its England it will be delivered on a plate. The world is going forward folks and its high time a lot of you got your arses into gear and went with it.