After a pretty painful three weeks England are finally on their way home after that dismal 4-1 hammering by Germany in the World Cup round of 16.
For the fans it feels like an all too familiar rollercoaster of built up hope and expectation ahead of plummeting, bitter disappointment.
The debate as to where this World Cup went wrong will now begin. But, as the wildly differing theories currently on offer show, there is no one reason why this year's bid for glory has failed. The football odds may have suggested the side would do well, but many factors mean they didn't.
Fabio Capello has to take some of the blame. It appears his stubborn and rigid use of 4-4-2 failed to get the best out of his squad, while his promise to only play fit and in-form players was broken with the selections of Ledley King, Gareth Barry and Emile Heskey.
It also seems that his strict disciplinarian approach, while useful in short bursts, began to grate on the players during their extended spell together in South Africa.
Though if I was paid thousands of pounds a week and then had the chance to play for my country at a World Cup, I think I could cope with a few strict rules for a couple of weeks.
The players need to take their share of the blame. Pampered to the extreme by their clubs, their arrogance and feelings of self importance permeated through their dismal performances as they sought to blame everyone else - including the fans - for their dismal showing. They were not good enough technically and didn't show the required mental and professional character in order to progress further.
But what has changed from qualifying when the players lost just one game and topped the group? Well it appears that the strain of a long and physical Premier League campaign left them drained and jaded.
There was no buzz or spring in the step of the England players. Wayne Rooney carried Manchester United this season but since being rushed back from an ankle injury in April he has not scored a goal and looked a shadow of his usual self in South Africa.
If we are to have a fit and fresh squad going into a major tournament then we need to introduce a winter break. If that can't be done with the present system then the Premier League should be reduced to 18 teams.
As it is, England is the only major league in Europe which doesn't have a winter break, and the World Cup 2010 betting suggests the likes of Germany and Holland are on track for World Cup success, when we're already back home.
The FA should wield the power to make these changes in English football but the Premier League, with all its financial muscle, holds all the aces.
Their number one aim is profit and while they continue to brutally chase the pound signs the England team will suffer.
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