10 Reasons For England Fans To Be Optimistic After World Cup 2018

Before the World Cup, many England fans felt disillusioned by the national side. They'd been burnt too many times before. But then England beat Tunisia. And then they put six past Panama. They lost to Belgium, but the job was done and England were out of their group. Not only that, but they'd played well, and people took notice.

All around the country, at a time when difficult issues were on a lot of people's minds, the English population perked up and came together to celebrate something as pure and simple as a football tournament. Even people who didn't normally care about the game were taking an interest, Baddiel and Skinner's Three Lions was blaring out of homes up and down the land, and the scenes when England beat Colombia and Sweden were simply spectacular.

If England are going to win anything in the future, they'll need the fans on their side. It might sound like a cliché, but the presence of the "12th man" is hugely important, and the players repeatedly spoke out about how great it felt to see the country behind them. In the past, fans have perhaps put too much pressure on England players or criticised them too harshly, but maybe this World Cup has taught us how important it can be to simply cheer them on.