We have recently seen a very long and thorough investigation into the structure of the way we develop our players in England due to our failure to qualify for this summer's European Championships.

But there is one main point that not one person on the FA panel has mentioned - the role of the media. TV and newspapers have a responsibility to our national team almost as great as the head coach, the players and the FA. The media loves to create hype around a player or manager, but what they love to do more is tear that person apart when it starts going wrong.

Can we as a nation really be proud of the weight of expectation that we put upon our football players? The main reason why we have such high expectations of our national team is because the media - our so-called pundits who should be teachers to the general public - keep on reminding us that we have the best league in the world and our "golden generation" should be amongst the favorites to win any major tournament.

They create mass hysteria before every World Cup and European Championship - and then slaughter our players for choking under the pressure and not producing the goods when it matters.

Look at the English rugby team. In the last World Cup, they were simply written off as no-hopers after an early defeat to South Africa. And yet they turned it around and eventually made the final, where they narrowly lost to the same South African team.

Can we not just once back our team before and after the big games and the big tournaments? If the players have it burnt into their minds that if they fail they are letting an entire nation down, it can only have a negative impact on them. This weight of expectation has been known to ruin careers - just look at Darius Vassell.

Another big issue within our game is that the common fan is being priced out of supporting the national team. Everything is turning more corporate in the game these days. With the £798million that was spent on the new Wembley it is no surprise that the common English fan is having to fork out more and more.

This, in turn, has a massive effect on the atmosphere and the once-supreme form which England had at home. You only have to look at the last tournament we actually did well in - Euro 96 - when we were playing at home, playing good football with good players. We even had a new song that made everyone stand up and sing, creating the unique atmosphere that is now slowly diminishing from the modern game.

The final Euro 2008 qualifying match against Croatia is the perfect example of what is happening. After Croatia had made it 3-2 and there were still 13 minutes of normal time to be played, you would hope the crowd would lift the team and give them the boost that they needed. But that didn't happen.

Maybe one idea would be to see the FA set up an organisation run by true fans, responsible for creating a good atmosphere. They could be put in small groups and placed strategically around the stadium to start songs and get the crowd to push the players on.

First and foremost, though, we must find an identity as England fans again. We need a song that represents us, one that every fan knows and can sing. The importance of identity is huge in creating a positive atmosphere. It holds a vital key in making Wembley a fortress, which then builds a base for our players to perform to their true capabilities.