The predictable wailing and gnashing of teeth that follows England's exit from any major tournament has started in earnest.
Yet while the focus, not surprisingly, has been on the manner of the defeat at the hands of the Germans and Frank Lampard's goal-that-should-have-been, the real issues will no doubt be either buried or ignored in a xenophobic tabloid frenzy.
The Uruguayan team of officials and the national side's Italian manager have already come under fire; the players too have been slated.
There can be no denying that there are problems within the English game; employing too many mediocre foreigners in the Premier League has undoubtedly had a negative knock-on effect on the national team and the nurturing of home-grown players.
The lack of a comprehensive, centrally run nationwide youth development system - as exists in Germany - is depriving the game of a steady stream of talent and the merits of such a set-up, as evidenced by Joachim Low and his team, were plain for all to see in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
But the feeling of deflation in defeat is even more acute for England because of the nation's lofty opinion of itself and its footballers. For far too long the English - and in particular the country's media - have been dismissive of teams from other lands not for any reason other than ignorance.
