Roy Hodgson is the biggest scapegoat of course, and he’s already paid for his blunders with his job. The England Manager was out of contract at the end of the year, and it was mandated that his side “do well” in order for him to continue leading Three Lions.
So much for that. Hodgson’s team looked uninspired, listless and incompetent as they crashed of out of the 2016 European Championships at the hands of Iceland, a country 1/190th their size in population. Iceland, a country most internationally known for their critical role in the 2008 global financial meltdown, gave England their second “Brexit” in four days.
Except this time England left Europe in a manner that was not by choice. Iceland has about as many people as the city of Leicester, and they’re now resembling the Euros version of what the Foxes were to the English Premier League.
How small is Iceland? Their TV market is roughly the same size as that of South Bend, Indiana, USA. Nevertheless they are now through to take on host country and consensus favorite France in the Euro quarterfinals.
Today truly marked a major upset. England was considered the fourth most favored nation to win the Euros. If you are going to wager on the Euro quarterfinals and beyond, there are a few things you should know. Firstly, this offer code for bet365 is the best free bet offer available on the sports betting market today. Secondly, France is your favorite, with Germany the second most likely side to win it all. Defending champion Spain joined England in crashing out today, Italy and Belgium (the benefactors of a soft bracket) are contenders too.
For a potential long shot, consider the winner of the Portugal versus Poland match-up. The former are experiencing a CR7 fueled resurgence while the latter are the team no one wants to play right now.
For England moving forward, the infamous “50 years of hurt” continues after an effort that was described by Englishman announcer Ian Darke (who called the game) as “clueless” and “calamitous.” This disaster, one of the biggest upsets in football history, led to Roy Hodgson stepping down.
“I know we are in the results business,” Hodgson said. “Now is the time for someone else to oversee the progress of this young, hungry, group. They’ve been fantastic and did everything I have asked of them.”
Hodgson made some inexplicable decisions tonight, with starting Raheem Sterling and waiting until the 85′ to bring Marcus Rashford obviously at the top of the list. Ultimately, the buck stops with him, but there’s so much blame to be spread all around to so many people here.
Harry Kane had an awful tournament and he blew a decent chance to equalize. His Tottenham Hotspur teammate Kyle Walker displayed atrocious defending on Iceland’s first goal. Speaking of “optional defending” Arsenal man Jack Wilshere looked very much like a guy who hasn’t played in a very long time. What was he doing out there?
Goalkeeper Joe Hart made two brutal mistakes on the two goals that slipped by him. Wayne Rooney converted the very early penalty kick but towards the end of the match looked like a man that needed to be subbed out.
Social media has been absolutely brutal on Hodgson and his team, as they should be. The back pages of the British tabloids will be even nastier tomorrow. Today was a great example of why so many Three Lions supporters believe their team is indeed cursed.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram