England Football

[vernonk]

If so many British sports teams can improve drastically in a couple of decades, as shown in these Olympic Games, why can't our football team become World beaters?

[Berniecuddles2]

overpaid and simply not good enough

[-Talbot-]

You need an exceptional team to win the World Cup .....failing that you need a very good manager a decent team and a fair amount of luck to win.

In the past 30 odd years we have been lacking at least one of those and on too many occasions lacking all 3

[EDDIE51]

Because our Premier league rely on importing foreign players instead of nurturing and building up the skills of British players.

[Kathyan]

Overpaid prima donnas and the thought that one man makes a team.

[jackthehat]

When the defence are strong, we have a stuttering strike-force and vice-versa. Throw into the mix a series of 'tinkerers' as Manager and a style of play seemingly at odds with the remainder of the world.....and you are some way to getting your answer.

[DSJ]

Do we have a team competing in the Olympics, or is that a silly question?

[jackthehat]

No, we don't.
A 'Great Britain' football team doesn't exist.

[mushroom25]

//instead of nurturing and building up the skills of British players//

training is very expensive and getting results from it takes time. whereas by importing already trained talent from elsewhere the premier league chairman gets an instant return on his investment. with so much money at stake in the modern game, no top club can afford to do otherwise.

[ChillDoubt]

Footballers don't get up at 5 a.m. 6 days a week to practice their chosen sport, they generally work 9-12 with Mondays (if they've won) and afternoons off to do photo shoots, pose for video games etc.
Cyclists ride for hours and even days with cuts, grazes (Geraint Thomas rode the Tour de France for over 2 weeks with a fractured pelvis) and take it as part and parcel of their profession.
Rugby players get cuts, sprint off the pitch, get stitched up and race back on at the earliest opportunity. Footballers scream, roll around and feign injury for the merest of tackles, often in an attempt to get their opponents sent off, yet the authorities in charge of their game do nothing. Do that as a rugby player and the RFU would take a very dim view.
Footballers tend to abuse and harangue referees with little or no sanction. Other sports won't tolerate such behaviour.

Basically, it's all in the mindset. The likes of Tommy Smith, Terry Butcher and Stuart Pearce are relics, hard men of a bygone era when strong tackles were meted out and received in equal measure, without any theatrics, drama or screaming at the referee to issue a card.
English footballers in particular lack desire, commitment and a will to win whilst putting their body on the line, combined with no real interest in wearing their countries jersey with great pride.

[wolf63]

I like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlYSm2BYehk

[ichkeria]

The simple answer is that there are countless Olympic events and only 2 international football events that anyone cares about. And we play as four different associations in the Euros and World Cup. So not really a fair comparison

[jourdain2]

Greed and too much money. Also sports reporters are overwhelmingly male football fans.

[1rovert]

Olympians do their best for their country.

Footballers do as least as they can, to get as much as they can.

And they usually have to cheat to get it. I often wonder, how can you say you are good, when you cheated to get there.