How did you view the England national team between 2003 and 2017?
I remember when I was very young during the 2002 World Cup, when David Beckham was captain, and the excitement surrounding England was absolutely huge. Even at that age, I remember how much of a big deal it felt whenever England played with family and friends with me wearing my England Jersey.
But looking back at the following 15 years, particularly the Rooney era, I always felt increasingly underwhelmed by the national team. Despite having some fantastic individual players, England just never seemed to live up to expectations. By the 2014 World Cup, when we finished bottom of our group, it felt like much of the excitement and enthusiasm had disappeared.
Personally, that whole period put me off following England, and even interest in football in general from the mid 2000’s.
Since the 2018 world cup though I’ve found myself genuinely excited about watching England again, and it’s even rekindled my interest in the Premier League. I’ve followed the national team closely ever since and actually look forward to international tournaments now.
I’m trying to work out why that 2003–2017 period felt so underwhelming compared with both my memories of 2002 and the years since 2018.