Steve McClaren's team weren't the first to under-achieve (and they won't be the last). But they're in good company.
'There is no doubt Steve McClaren’s side will be remembered not as the 'Golden Generation’, but as an embarrassment'
In the wake of England’s embarrassing failure to qualify for Euro 2008, it seemed appropriate to look at some other sporting under-achievers to make us all feel a little better about the abject failure of McClaren’s side.
It will also remind us that it’s not just English footballers who implode so spectacularly and fail to meet expectations.
The All Blacks: In the years between Rugby Union World Cups, the New Zealand All Blacks tend to play the most scintillating rugby on the planet. On paper they look fearsome and they beat most of the sides they come up against comprehensively. They have won eight out of the 14 Tri-Nations tournaments that have been played, and tour Europe with huge success.
It is no surprise, therefore, when they are usually installed as favourites for the World Cup. But ever since their only tournament win at home in 1987, it seems as soon as they reach the knock-out stages for the Webb-Ellis trophy, the wheels come off. For some reason they never reach the potential shown between tournaments. Maybe it is a mental thing, over-confidence or pressure, nobody really knows. Either way, for the amount of talent on show over the years, the All Blacks haul of one World Cup seems a major under-achievement.
The New York Mets (2007 season): This September I went to New York and saw the Mets beat the Houston Astros convincingly at Shea Stadium to extend their seemingly unassailable lead at the top of the Eastern Conference. With 17 games to go, they had a seven-win margin over the Phillies. What followed in the two months after that victory was one of the most spectacular collapses in baseball history as The Mets lost 11 of their next 16 games, allowing the Philadelphia Phillies to tie them with three games left.
The Mets lost to the Marlins 8-1 in the final game of the season, while the Phillies went on to win their final game 6-1 against the Nationals and clinch the NL East by one game. No one can quite pin down the reason for this amazingly poor run of form. All we know is that it was statistically the second-worst collapse in baseball history and had New Yorkers crying into their hot dogs and weak beer all through October.
The Spanish football team: Spain has a reputation for under-achievement in the FIFA World Cup, their best finish being fourth place in 1950 despite often being among the pre-tournament favourites. La Selección is usually filled with some of the most gifted and technically proficient players on the planet, and La Liga is arguably the finest league in the world. Since the 1980s the Spanish have tended to romp though qualification, only to bottle it when they get to the finals and normally come a cropper in the quarter-finals, often to teams that man for man, they should be beating. Their form in major tournaments has become a national joke in Spain. If they didn't laugh, they would cry.
Colin Montgomerie: There is no denying that the Scot is a fantastic golfer, and his achievement in winning the European Order of Merit eight times is impressive. However, there is a tag that hangs round his neck like a millstone: ‘The best player never to have won a major’. He's been a runner-up on five occasions and many people suggest this is down to his putting, probably the weakest area of his game. But whatever the reason, there is no doubt Monty’s major record is a serious under-achievement. When you compare Monty's statistics with some of the players who have tasted victory in the four majors, you wonder what on earth the Scot has to do to end his losing streak.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 will go down as a black day in English football. There is no doubt Steve McClaren’s side will be remembered not as the 'Golden Generation’, but as an embarrassment. However, it is nice to remember it’s not only the English who suffer these sporting calamities.
Can you recall any other under-achievers? Post your comments below or submit an article to Sportingo.