Perceptions are relative. If expectations are high, delivery has to be high otherwise you will be deemed a failure. But if expectations are low, you can get away with a less than stellar performance. And inconveniently expectations are not static, and therein lies a problem for both central and local government and for Roy Hodgson. When the World Cup draw was made, expectations for England were low. But predictably, we have allowed ourselves to ignore the numerous difficulties (facing two countries above us in the world rankings) and the hope that this time it really would be different had steadily built.
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