At the final whistle, England's players went through the motions of celebrating their place in Russia against a backdrop of empty seats as fans trudged to the exits. Eriksson's gilded group never made it past the last eight at any major international tournament, but at least they flirted with greatness. If England fail as badly as they have in their last two tournaments, Southgate would do well to keep an even lower profile. "They might find it difficult to find much love for me with my history with England, but I've managed to shoulder that for 20 years!" With so little to cheer in recent years, England fans have almost abandoned all hope and that should take a little pressure off Southgate and company in Russia.

Source: The Nation Bangkok October 08, 2017 23:48 UTC