England learn hard way

England may find themselves in the semi-finals of Euro 2012 tomorrow night or they may be boarding a plane back to London; but whatever the result against Italy in Kiev it appears Roy Hodgson’s side may finally have learned the lesson the world has been waiting for them to grasp for so long; the art of humility.

For years now the Premier League has been celebrated across all national barriers — from Liverpool fans in Singapore to Manchester United supporters in South Africa. But the England team, by contrast, have been the pariahs of world football, the team everyone loves to hate.

However, there is evidence here in Poland and Ukraine that public opinion towards them is thawing and that the Football Association and their players have finally woken up to the realisation they needed to make changes.

The reasons for their reputation, of course, have been political as well as football-related — nobody could pretend any different. But the biggest complaint you hear — and you hear it time and time again — is that England are arrogant and have an inflated opinion of their own worth; one that isn’t backed up by performances or results.

The problem is English boys are brought up on stories of when Britannia ruled the waves; they are told their country had the first industrial revolution; that it invented parliamentary democracy; that it installed an underground tube system in London when other countries were still travelling by horse and cart; that its poets and playwrights are the best in the world; that its comedians are so funny that Germans and Americans are not intelligent enough to understand; and, of course, that it even invented football.

There’s nothing wrong with that; who wouldn’t be proud of such achievements? But it’s not difficult to see why it engenders an inner belief, despite so many decades of evidence to the contrary, that England is still at the centre of everything, both on and off the field. And, let’s face it, that can be rather annoying.

Two things, however, have helped the FA wake up. The first was the miserable performance of the England team at the World Cup in South Africa, when the players were heavily criticised for being hidden away at their remote training ground.

The second was the FA’s disastrous bid for the 2018 World Cup, which saw them gain just two votes (one of them their own) despite wheeling out David Beckham and Prince William to lead an exhaustive campaign.

So it was only then that it dawned on English football just how unpopular it had become.

It was as if Dorian Gray had looked in the mirror and suddenly seen the picture in the attic staring straight back at him.

The change in attitude of the England team since then has been marked. They have mixed with the public in Krakow, signing autographs and holding open training sessions; and they have taken a genuine interest in the history of Poland by visiting Auschwitz and Schindler’s Museum — a stark contrast to Cape Town in 2010 when a trip to Robben Island was organised but not a single player could be bothered to go.

That was a shameful snub that left England’s reputation at an all-time low; but opinions are definitely thawing in Poland where they came into the tournament as underdogs — which certainly helps in the search for empathy. The players, too, have been careful not to overstate their ambitions or to show the kind of arrogance that in the past suggested ‘a country like England’ should always be expected to win against Johnny Foreigner.

But there is another aspect to their personal growth; the fact that England have finally come to terms with what they are.

So often in the past you sensed the glamour boys of the Premier League seriously thought they could be Brazil if only they found the right manager to bring it out of them. But now, under the pragmatic Hodgson, the current crop simply want to do what they do best; work hard, stick together, never give up — and try to win games.

“You are what you are, aren’t you? And you have to make the best out of that,” midfielder Scott Parker said yesterday. “At this present moment, we’re doing a good job. There’s definitely a spirit inside the camp, inside the players.

“It’s what we’re known for: spirit, as an English nation and team. People say it doesn’t win you tournaments, but we are what we are. Ultimately, that’s our base and I’d like to think we have that base back.

“Whether we can develop and move on from that, I’m sure we can. But, ultimately, we have that base to fall back on. You don’t want to be surrounded by negativity, or reading things that aren’t nice about yourselves or the team. So we’re delighted the way it’s going.”

It’s certainly a pleasant change to hear a fellow Englishman talk that way and if Hodgson’s side do beat Italy and go on to reach the final in Kiev you can only hope the lesson remains learned; because nobody wants to see that painting in the attic making an unpleasant return.

That’s a line stolen of course from Oscar Wilde, who, I have to point out, was Irish and much, much funnier than any Englishman I’ve ever met.

So we can all start somewhere.