Most non-football/non-English fans seem to have difficulty getting their head around why such an extended fuss is made when we lose in a major tournament

I'm not talking about the press, their job is primarily to make profit, so it's easy to ignore their whines

But the reason it's so hard for genuine fans to take is not the fact that we lose, it's the WAY we lose

You can go as far back as Euro '96. Gazza being as close as you can get to poking the ball in the net, Anderton hitting the post, and losing on penalties to Germany. France '98: Beckham getting sent off, Campbell's disallowed header and again, losing on fucking penalties. Euro 2000: Phil fuckin' Neville and Glenn Hoddle - a combination poor enough to ruin any nations hopes. Japan/Korea '02: That skanky Ronaldinho goal after being 1-0 against Brazil. Euro 2004: Rooney getting injured, another disallowed Campbell goal and FUCKING PENALTIES. This world cup: A debatable sending off, and yes, penalties

With the exception of Euro 2000, all of the above situations could have been avoided. I know shit happens, BUT IT'S ALWAYS FUCKING US