It is right to grieve for the elimination of the England squad from Euro 2000. It has been a death of sorts, a sporting death. Go ahead and weep for them. But remember that resurrection is a certainty in sport. Every team is reborn.
Every hope sprouts again.
The seeds are already sown. The defeat of Germany, and the slaying of a bugbear older than most fans. And the grim satisfaction that we took the Germans out of the competition with us. The unquenchable fervour and ferocity of every player in the squad. We took no prisoners and carried no passengers.