Not sure that's totally true. It was the best overall set of players England have had over the past 30-40 years. Yes, it wasn't all brilliant football, but we went toe to toe in major championships with teams considered the best in the world, sometimes winning, but mostly just losing after lady luck shone on the opposition - but never outplayed.

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England may do better in 2016 in the Euro with a lot more coming from the youngsters..

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I disagree. I would put the Bobby Robson teams of 86 and 90 (and possibly the years beyond that) above the "Golden Generation", and by quite some way.

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What Costa Rica and others have shown this World Cup is that there are no easy games anymore once you get to the tournament. England need to improve every 4 years just to stand still. But what really let us down this time was our defence the back four are poor and the worst back four for many years
. Hart is also only average at this level he did nothing wrong but nothing spectacular either he could of saved Suarez is second goal IMO.

Going forward we look pretty good IMO and the future looks ok maybe even pretty good in that department. We also have a few young defenders coming through Flanagan Stones Clyne and a few others who would be no worse than the shower of shite that the current back for are.

I think we can improve and get back to a quarter final team I don't think we can win a tournament though. England have always been shite we didn't qualify for a major tournament in the entire 1970s when our League was mostly full of Englishmen. It's down to technique which we are getting better at but so are the rest of the world.

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As much as I love the teams of 86 and 90. Our success in those tournaments was down to luck and having a world class finisher in Lineker. Euro 88 we lost every game in the group stage we were utter crap even worse than this world cup

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I've been hearing this for as long as I can remember. Recent winners of the World Cup don't exactly suggest a seismic shift in world football. A few European and South American teams have continued to dominate, with a few entertaining cameos from other nations.

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There is no question that other "lesser" nations have been improving. Winning it is a different matter but England have been close only once in 50 years so we are and always have been an also ran. The trouble is the other also rans are getting better and better.

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I find it interesting that Italy and England both played crap after playing in Manaus. Maybe they left their games back in the Amazon jungle. I think a total of four matches are being played there. It will be interesting to see how the other teams fare in the games AFTER Manaus.

Gerrard has for sure has had the worst year of his life- falling over at Anfield losing control in the title race and heading the ball to his liverpool team mate playing for a different country - effectively knocking england out of the world cup

Woy has done worse than capello 4 years ago and if you look at the records our best england manager by far in recent years is sven goran erikisson - 2 world cup quarter finals and a euro quarter final - why not try and get him for a second spell?

As for the tournanent it is wide open - brazil look very poor compared with the likes of chile, costa rica and mexico. France, germany and holland look really good and i expect one of them at least to reach the sf at least

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96 euros by far the best team in a generation IMO
No team since then has played as well or excited us as much
Still, Euro qualifiers to come soon so not long before we can be pissed off again

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Always going to be subjective opinion, but I don't agree. In 2002, we only lost to eventual winners Brazil, 2-1, in the QF, after being at least their equal all game, losing to a freak hit'n'hope (possible miss-hit) from Ronaldinho that caught Seaman napping. This after we'd beaten 2nd favourites Argentina, and Group A winners Denmark.

In 2006 we topped our group, again we reached the QF - and this time were knocked out on pens, after being on the end of a harsh sending off (not for the first time!!). And this, after a pretty lacklustre tournament (I blame eriksson and his ability to suck the enthusiasm out of any side)

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At least we went out on 90 mins this time and not penalties!!

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I'm over it. 

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I would agree Nick.

Whether or not the "Golden Generation" were better in terms of ability than Bobby Robson's England teams in 86 and 90 (the latter year especially) is irrelevant IMO. The fact remains that no recent England World Cup side has managed to equal SBR's team in 1990 in terms of how far they went in a World Cup, let alone better it.

In 1986 and 1990 England were only finally eliminated from those World Cups by the eventual winners, although that said they only just managed to get through their group in 86 thanks to Lineker's hat-trick against Poland having failed to score at all in their first two games. Yes, Maradona's infamous handball goal should have been disallowed, but tbh even if it had been, I'm not at all convinced it would have altered the final outcome of that game. I've got the whole game on DVD as broadcast by the BBC at the time, and Argentina for me had more overall posession and more chances. England were very defensive that day and to me almost looked as if they were playing for penalties; they only became more attack minded after going 2-0 down at which point SBR sent John Barnes on and nearly made a miraculous recovery.

In 1990, England just made it through the group stage and then rode their luck somewhat against Belgium & Cameroon in the last 16 and QF respectively, but they just made it through both games. They then took what I still regard as the best German side I have seen all the way to a shoot-out in the semi-final. Not many people before that game had given England any chance at all as the Germans had been fantastic in the group stage, so it was no mean feat for England to push the Germans as far as they did that night. At no point that night from what I remember did England look as though they were playing for a shoot-out as they made a decent effort to try and win the match before the end of normal and then extra-time, as did the Germans. IMO, they came out of that particular shoot-out defeat with much more credit than Eriksson's team did in 2006 after losing on penalties to Portugal in the QF. After Rooney was red-carded that day, England just seemed to accept that it was destined for a shoot-out. They ended up  paying dearly for that approach at the end of that day.

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Apart from the second half of the 4-1 defeat by the Germans in the 2nd round in 2010.

 

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I was never into it as the outcome was so obvious.

Am really enjoying this World Cup though. Best for a long time

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It would be so funny if Iran managed to take the lead against the Argies.

Great goal by Messi right at the end, but the Argies are gonna have to up their game big time in the knock-out stages if they are going to have any chance or reaching the final, let alone winning it. They have been lacklustre at best so far while managing to narrowly win their first two games. They were hammered by the Germans 4 years ago; were they to meet Germany again in this tournament, based on how the Argies and the Germans have played thus far in this tournament, the Germans would have to be the favourites again for me.

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Gutted for Iran they were superb 2nd half. Took a bit of genius from Messi to win it. Iran proving there are no easy games anymore at a World Cup. Still think Argies will get to the final to face Germany.

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For crying out loud! We're now been fed the line that the target is (and was always) Euro 2016. What a load of bull. It's also insulting to England fans who've spent £thousands on going to Brazil to watch only 2 competitive games and 1 friendly.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/10916705/World-Cup-2014-It-is-time-to-ditch-Club-England-nonsense-and-get-back-to-basics-in-time-for-France-2016.html 

FWIW I'd sack Woy and get Mourinho or Martinez in. At least they'd not be so grey.

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A repeat of 1990; great game that was- not!

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David, we were talking about the 'Golden Generation' era; by 2010, it had passed. Rest of my post that you selectively quoted showed this clearly.

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By 2016, despite club rivalry, I hope van Gaal sorts out a permanent role for Rooney that suits his game where it is now. I don't like him, but feel a bit sad that the greatest English footballing talent of his generation - and watch him in Euro 2004 if you forget just how good he was - has never yet come close to fulfilling his potential.

Anyway, I hope it sinks in to some players that signing for a 'big' (read moneybags) club early in their career, only to be stockpiled 'just in case', will ruin them. They should stay or sign with the sort of club that won't hoover up potential talent by throwing crooked money at them, only to loan-out 20-odd players every season, before the players, having had their career stalled, disappear into obscurity.

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I think the peak of the Golden generation was Euro 04. Started with a close loss to a very talented French team 2-1. Then a 3-0 win over the Swiss. Then a 4-2 win over a very talented Croatian side. Then in the quarter final a 2-2 with the Portuguese only losing 6-5 on penalties. 4 great performances in a row can't really complain.

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Agree with both of those points.

Great world cup with the majority of games highly entertaining and one or two goalfests.

V hard to predict as there has been more than one outstanding side.

Ive got a sneaking feeling that France could win it,they are playing some awesome football and going forward

look like scoring lots of goals,a very good side to watch.

Brazil look ordinary with only Neymar and Alves carrying the others

Argentina not firing and relying on Messi way too much

Holland and Germany both in with a good chance

I would be suprised if the final didn`t include at least one of France,Germany or Holland