It’s not easy to write, and it probably won’t be easy for you to read. I like the England national team and I know I’m not the only one. I still believe English footballers are amongst the finest in the world. I am one of those who always believe that England is a team full of the world’s greatest footballers—a team that would be able to fulfill the dreams of its supporters across the land one day. Perhaps, the saddest thing on the earth is that there are many England fans whose desire to see the team fail is much more sincere than their desire of happiness at success. I hope their sincerity pays off at the EURO.

I wanted to look at the likes of Campbell, Ferdinand, Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes, Rooney, Beckham and Owen and drool at what they would have achieved in the big international tournament. But that next international tournament came and is long time gone, and at such times I was left with a crushing sense of anti-climax. Today we have Kane, Rashford, Maguire, Foden, Rice and so many to name. But, why do we consistently underachieve at a major tournaments? The reasons are manifold. Gareth Southgate, on the other hand may have broken that mould. Southgate is the best manager England has had since Glenn Hoddle.

England staged the European Championships in 1996 is known as a successful campaign to date. However, they have never made it to the finals of the competition. The last time England made an impression in a major tournament was at Euro 1996 when they were only an outstretched leg away of Gazza from qualifying for the final. Since then, they have consistently under-performed at major tournaments. Nadir was the failure to qualify for Euro 2008. Whenever England is playing a match, red and white adorns every inch of every pub, a symbol of hope: the English flag.

Can England lift the trophy? I’m going to say yes. It would take a lot of luck, very hard work, extraordinary effort, and things to go their way. After getting to a World Cup semi-final three years ago, now there is an expectation on them. Fact that the players are there with the talent we have, I hope we get to be at the finals. England has always had talented players, they’re a really good group of players, who desperately want to do well for their country. Physically they’re strong, mentally they’re strong, and I think they have a chance.

Do you know what else is synonymous to England and Football? The Premier League. The EPL is rightly hailed as the most exciting league in the world. In most European leagues, the title is often a matter of interest for two rival clubs, maybe three, but in the EPL, there are often six to eight clubs who could realistically be crowned champions. The English Premier League is way ahead of the others when it comes to supplying the creme de la creme for major competitions. As fans, we have an enormously superior view of the EPL as being the best league in the world. We thrive in the excitement and goals that the football provides.