Why England's overpaid prima donnas have no incentive to win

I remember my first great sporting doctrine well. It came out of a defeat that caused more heartache, tears and tantrums than any England qualification effort.

“It’s all right Harry, it’s not the winning that counts, it’s the taking part.” Wise words, indeed, when your seven-year-old has just hit the corner flag from the penalty that could so easily have sent Upton Junior Under 8s home with their tails between their legs. Rather less so when grown men, paid more in a week than the average fan sees in a year, seem to be clinging to the same motto when asked to play well for a measly 90 minutes to see their country through to qualification and glory.

Isn’t it always the case that the young boys (and girls) of England seem to be drilled in anti-winning ways from a young age? ‘'It’s the taking part that counts, so long as you did your best. No shame in being the underdog, you don’t want to be one of those poncey little show-offs, anyway’'.

Even the dizzying heights of the Premier League seem to infuse people with the idea that avoiding relegation and humiliation is the No.1 priority. Winning can come later, far down the list, somewhere beneath getting a high-enough gate to pay for a new coffee stand with the club logo on the cups, surely a far worthier effort.