So yet again England lost on penalties after blocking out one of the big teams in 120 minutes, our only tactic when it comes to the crunch and the heat is on, it seems. We never beat the big boy's in 90 minutes in international tournaments, especially when the suns out. We never score more than one goal in the big matches. We are not a big team and Italy are. Our guys are dim, ignorant and scared. Their guys are winners.

The cunning F.A. plan this time around was to dampen down expectations by employing the world's most boring manager, Roy Hodgson, the theory being the press wouldn't turn on him just yet because he is not a flash git and damaged goods like Terry Venables and Harry Redknapp, two managers well capable of getting average England players to semi-finals. They walk like the players, talk like the players, drive the same cars and wear the same clothes as the players, the sort of guys the pampered players would look up to. An intelligent old guy who speaks five languages and knows the game inside out is easy to walkover. If Redknapp wasn't considered because he plays less tax than Jimmy Carr then I would have gone for Alan Pardew at Newcastle United. He is bespoke in the bling criteria and the new Redknapp, a man who got his name embroided on to the seats of his Bentley.

So where did it go wrong? Well we turned up for starters and so the coach driver must take most of the blame. Secondly the managers England employ still put fear in the players (or fail to take it out) and so their games quickly strangled, rigid defensive systems that kill freedom on the ball. You could see against Italy that the English defense (who were excellent again, mind) were scared to move the ball through the midfield. Parker played well but Gerard is always too deep and never seems to get in the box to deliver his obvious talent. He timidly sits in front of the back four and zings in those crosses, which are rather good, but no one brave enough on the end of them, apart from four Italian defenders. You can see that anxiety and worry on his face at every interview, on or off the field. I have always thought he was over-rated because of that. Ad what a dull man to be captain? There is fear in that midfield that if they f**k up they will be blamed and so instead of playing an aggressive pass or serious of triangles the ball rolls back to the defense and they give it to Joe Hart to blast down the pitch after being pressured by the Italians, and so lose the ball. Responsibility has been passed on, quite literally. It just saddens me to see how scared this great nation has got. The Great Bobby Robson took that fear away in Italia 90 because the players knew they had guys like Gazza on the pitch who were not afraid. When the chips are down and the game drifts away the guys have the cushion and comfort of millionaire's salaries to fall back on and so some of the will to win lost for England.

If England had been playing Germany on Sunday night it would have been 4-1 again, the Italian forwards very poor for once, Gomez and Podolski ripping us apart again. They would have done in the semi-final. But the match for me was summed up the impudence of Pirlo's performance, on the pitch in general play and taking that penalty, a guy not afraid to make mistakes and so more able to deliver the killer ball. It's the Latin and German arrogance that wins matches, the belief they are better and the courage to take risks. Paul Gascoigne had it, as did John Barnes and Chris Waddle. But the FA has even bashed that confidence and flare out of Wayne Rooney, a sensation in Euro 2004 but his goal against the Ukraine his first tournament strike since Euro 2004, 8 years off oppression and dumbing down killing his game and goals. 'Don't express yourself kid as you are showing up the other lads! He looks crap in an England shirt because there is simply no one as good as him to snap and zing quick passes to ad off. He doest trust his fellow players to be able to pull off the one-two's that wins games. Instead he drifts in and out of the game looking to do it all on his own, three Italians on him when he does and so out of the game, weighed down with responsibility. How is he going to be able to do that alongside Andy Carrell, a man who moves like Gordo Brown on the dance floor and with the first touch of a pervert in a girl's school. Rooney in the Italian or French side would be ideal.

Joe Hart has the confidence and ability to be great yet one big blunder from being dropped, such is the England mentality to blame keepers, going through ten keepers in ten years, Buffon remaining unchallenged in that period for Italy. We need to rebuild the England team set up the way the cricket team did and throw money at success, the way the British Olympic cycling and rowing teams became all conquering. The kids need to be taught skill and not just play for results by percentages. They need to enjoy it and express that flare on the ball, the way Spain keeps the ball. For me the answer is simple: Its time for Ian Hollaway to be the England manager! Now that would be fun.