England: World Football's Biggest Underperformers?

Another draw in Montenegro has dented England's chances of qualifying direct for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. In a tight group featuring EURO 2012 hosts, Poland and Ukraine, England have so far failed to fire in qualification for the World Cup in Brazil and had reignited questions as to whether England's football team, the team playing the country's national sport are world sport's biggest underperformers.

England boast several of the world's most well known footballers - Joe Hart, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard & Wayne Rooney. Plus England has the best league in the world, the English Premier League and some of the best football academies in the world which have produced the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck, etc. 

And this has generally been the case for English football over the years with the likes of Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Michael Owen, Paul Ince, Paul Gascoigne, Bryan Robson, Gary Lineker, etc. all world class players but when pitched together  they've just never performed.

Has gumption been a problem? The contrast could not be starker between England's football and cricket teams - both of course played away from home in the last 12 hours. One showed gumption, guts and courage to hold on amidst tremendous adversity and odds for a draw at the death. The other just melted and then gave up weakly at the death. 

Perhaps Matt Prior and Monty Panesar could show Steven Gerrard and co how to show some bottle at the death and not concede the winning moment or equalizing goal to the opposition .

Anyway more highlights from this round of World Cup qualifying -