60 years of hurt but how many more before England finally celebrate a major trophy win?

[p]60 long years of hurt, and 30 since Baddiel and Skinner opined that football was coming home, in a song now synonymous with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/j9N9ZNFA/"]England[/a]'s failures.[/p][h2]Football still hasn't come home since that glorious day in 1966[/h2][p]It wasn't coming home in 1996, and hasn't been since, despite the Three Lions getting closer to major tournament victories in the recent past.[/p][p]Back in 1966, England was a different place. Two decades after WW2 had finished, the country was still being rebuilt, and the national team were on the cusp of giving the country one of the greatest days in its history.[/p][embed guid="adac31ee-6f5e-4fb6-b0df-e8526b87d112" url="https://x.com/England/status/2082708014918738094" social-type="twitter" /][p]Wembley Stadium, the most iconic of venues, would play host to an England vs [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/germany/ptQide1O/"]West Germany[/a] final that would capture the attention of the entire country.[/p][p]So much so that the 32.3m who tuned in to watch on their television screens that day is still a record for the most-watched programme in English television history.[/p][h2]West Ham trio were influential[/h2][p]96,924 patrons crammed into the stadium to witness what turned out to be a magnificent final that wasn't without controversy.[/p][p]In many respects, that final and the 'rematch' which followed in the 1970 tournament in Mexico, set the scene for the subsequent rivalry between the two countries.[/p][embed guid="376a8d95-33a9-4eb3-a5d3-973704848161" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPQvekloS8U" social-type="youtube" /][p]With [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/west-ham/Cxq57r8g/"]West Ham United[/a] having been successful at Wembley in the two previous seasons, in the FA Cup final of 1964 against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/preston/x8IDVcbi/"]Preston North End[/a] (3-2), and then again in the European Cup Winners' Cup final of 1965 against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/munich-1860/byXHwsJa/"]TSV Munich[/a] (2-0), the World Cup final represented a chance for something unique to unfold.[/p][p]That's because England were captained by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/moore-bobby/GUs3yRFU/"]Bobby Moore[/a], then of the Hammers, of course, and with club colleagues [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hurst-geoff/Ao3hiEKc/"]Geoff Hurst[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/peters-martin/vL7djYZ3/"]Martin Peters[/a] also in the England starting XI, the East London outfit had the chance to see three of their players help make history.[/p][p]Little did anyone realise how influential the West Ham trio would be.[/p][infobox id="c5ce5f5a-ccb6-468f-9fce-bb4a330c372a" /][h2]Le Tournoi doesn't count[/h2][p]Until [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mbappe-kylian/Wn6E2SED/"]Kylian Mbappe[/a]'s treble against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/argentina/f9OppQjp/"]Argentina[/a] in the 2022 World Cup final, Hurst's hat-trick remained the only one scored in the FIFA showpiece, and with Peters adding the other goal to help England overcome their opponents 4-2, it's understandable why some people still say that West Ham won the World Cup that year.[/p][p]At that moment, being on top of the football world, there's little likelihood that anyone would dream that 60 years on, England still hadn't added to that victory with another major trophy. Suggesting the win in La Tournoi in 1997 somehow counts is, frankly, preposterous.[/p][embed guid="36cfbce9-bbe4-4899-b240-671a42fe1f1e" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5bWnqKMHT4" social-type="youtube" /][p]Whilst there have certainly been improvements to England's set-up, both in terms of the creation of St. George's Park in 2012 and the playing style under more forward-thinking managers, the fact remains that the Three Lions still lag behind their European and South American counterparts in terms of trophies won.[/p][p]Save for the odd times that hopes have been raised amongst supporters - Euro 96 in particular springs to mind - England have always appeared to settle for being the bridesmaid and never the bride.[/p][h2]Collective acceptance[/h2][p]It's as if there is a collective acceptance that the national team just haven't got that X factor to get them over the line when it really matters.[/p][p]The evidence is there for all to see, too. Just look at the way in which Thomas Tuchel demanded his England team retreat against Argentina in this year's tournament, when La Albiceleste were there for the taking.[/p][embed guid="0dc32411-a138-4058-9220-ef676a5125ca" url="https://x.com/England/status/2077499215148650712" social-type="twitter" /][p]Or the way in which [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/southgate-gareth/t4YlwJ0P/"]Gareth Southgate[/a]'s squad succumbed to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/croatia/K8aznggo/"]Croatia[/a] in 2018, despite taking the lead and being well on top in that semi-final.[/p][p]Whether the block is mental, physical or a mixture of both, it just isn't good enough for the inventors of football.[/p][h2]How many more years of hurt?[/h2][p]A country that has taken the lead not just in sport, but in many other aspects, is back down at the bottom of the mountain after conquering the summit all those years ago.[/p][p]A slow but steady decline that is taking decades to reverse.[/p][p]One can't help but feel that if England could just get the monkey off its back, it could usher in a new era of dominance from the Three Lions, as the St. George's Park experiment finally begins to see the fruits of its labours.[/p][p]Until then, it's back to the drawing board and hopefully only a few more years of hurt...[/p][infobox id="8a8311c3-81b3-440e-8b49-36091db073d1" /]