ISN'T this traditionally about the time where fingers get pointed?
But who do they get pointed at? I think the world and his proverbial mother agrees that England's World Cup showing was simply not good enough.
But where does that leave us. Not good enough. Who wasn't good enough? The players, the management, the preparation? Why did we flop so dismally.
I still think our best 11 should beat the German's best 11. But it was never going to happen. Okay you can argue if we'd gone in at 2-2 it might have been different.
And that has some merit. The England dressing room would have been bouyant, the German's deflated. Papering over some huge cracks for me though.
They still carved us open at will. It's all very well blaming Matthew Upson, he's playing alongside a former captain with vast experience. Terry didn't step up to the plate, didn't take responsibility for his inexperienced partner.
Gerrard didn't cut it on the left, but you had to feel sorry for him, It's not his position, and you have to ask why he played the whole tournament there. He's an attacking central midfielder, and one of the best in Europe at that.
We played him on the left, and he floundered. Which other nation in the world would play it's only genuinely world class player completely out of position? And all to accommodate Frank Lampard. Lampard or Gerrard. Not both. It's the conundrum that's baffled about four England managers now.
Rooney. Did he play? Where on earth was he? What position was he playing. I kept seeing him bringing the ball out of defence, but we had no centre forward.
And why did we substitute James Milner, arguably our most creative player.
England have great players. But they were not a team. And for that, perhaps you have to look at the management. Capello's iron rule might be okay for three or four-day get togethers. Perhaps in a tournament it's just too much.
They looked a beaten side from the off, playing with the world on their shoulders. Or playing with the manager on their backs. Playing with fear is never a good thing.
England's failure was not about a 4-1 defeat to Germany. It was about all four games. 1-1 with the US was not good enough. 0-0 with Algeria was a disgrace. And even the 1-0 win over Slovenia was not exactly thrilling stuff...
Some of those players need to take a long, hard look at themselves and accept the fact that they are not quite as good as they think they are. Must do better.
And back to Lampard's 'goal'. Shocker. It's the World Cup for crying out loud. The world's biggest footballing spectacle. The technology is there. Use it...
So where's my money going now. Personally I can't see past Argentina. With one possible exception - the tough, well drilled, organised Uruguayans... I think they'll make at least the semi-finals, and if they do.... well, watch out world.