Woy's World Cup revolution ends in winless whimper

When the groups for the 2014 World Cup were announced, it was obvious that England were in a sticky predicament.

Group D consisted of Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica, the only group in the Cup that contained three previous winners of the coveted trophy.

Back at home, the press downplayed England's chances of success, but deep down, nearly every fan I spoke to thought England had a chance. Maybe even a good chance. 

Of course, it wasn't meant to be - with England ending the tournament bottom of the group, with no wins and just a solitary point to their name. It was billed as the 'group of death', but for the English, it seemed like a group of disappointment.

Is this really the future of international football for England? With the dismantling of the so-called golden generation, the next batch of young lions had a great chance to break free of the shackles of the past - but failed at the first hurdle with no wins at the World Cup for the first time since 1958. (1)

As England's solitary World Cup win will be 50 years old by the time Euro 2016 comes around, the idea of silverware seems even more unlikely. At least the team will have time to mature over the next two years - but next time, let's not get our hopes up too much.

It'll probably just lead to more disappointment.