It’s the hope that kills you – Luke Chadwick’s view on the Euros

As another summer of tournament football comes to an end us England fans were left with heartbreak as football again didn’t quite come home! But memories were certainly made as we made another final and there were most definitely some amazing moments if a little nail-biting at times. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the reaction to Jude’s overhead kick when we thought all hope was lost, the five perfect penalties, Ollie Watkins stunning last-minute finish, and even in the final Cole Palmer’s cold-as-ice finish that sent the country into ecstasy if only for 15 minutes or so!

And that’s what football is all about creating memories that will last a lifetime which is a mantra here at the Football Fun Factory. I’ll certainly never forget those moments listed above and how good it felt celebrating them with family and friends as the tournament brought people together in their droves. Now of course we were all left ultimately disappointed but what football teaches us is that at times you have to hold your hands and accept the best team won in the end and without doubt that brilliant Spanish team deserve all the plaudits that they have rightly received.

One thing that I’m desperate to see in my lifetime is to see England win a major tournament as I’m sure every English person reading this is. But it’s also important to recognize how far we have come as a team and squad under Gareth Southgate’s tenure, as a nation we now expect to reach finals which certainly hasn’t been the case in the past. I know we have a wonderful squad of players but reaching the business end of tournaments is never easy despite the talent we have at our disposal.

Gareth has done a brilliant job and has achieved more than any other England manager since the late great Sir Alf Ramsey. Being in the industry for a number of years as a player I completely understand fans’ frustration when things aren’t going well and criticism comes with the territory but during this tournament, I really don’t understand a lot of the negativity that has been aimed at the manager and the team. Of course we all want to see free flowing football but that doesn’t always happen no matter how talented the players in the squad are and in tournament football the result always comes before the performance and that’s exactly what the squad did all the way up to the final.

And that’s the beauty of football. As a fan we all have opinions and I’m sure many people have very different one’s to mine and ultimately we didn’t achieve what we set out to do. But I know in a couple of years time those hopes and dreams will be back as we hopefully go into the World Cup even stronger for this experience ready to bring football home……………… Well here’s hoping anyway!