THE GUARDIAN: GOLDEN GENERATION PASSES ON AFTER 12 FRUSTRATING YEARS (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jun/28/england-golden-generation-world-cup-2010)

There was no golden generation after all. But let us be generous, for once, and say without irony that a bunch of gifted footballers finally disappeared into a Free State sunset last night. Although their deeds in the shirt of the national team may never have matched their promise, what they accomplished in the colours of some of the world's biggest clubs certainly validated their authenticity as individuals. If they failed to bring home the expected trophies from international tournaments, at least they gave us plenty to talk about.

The truth is that they had been slipping away, one by one, for some time before the end came last night. The first of the core members to take his leave was Paul Scholes, whose disillusionment led him to retire from international football after the 2004 European Championships. Next went Michael Owen, his England career ended by an inability to persuade Fabio Capello that his full effectiveness had been restored after a series of debilitating injuries. The third was David Beckham, who had regained the coach's trust but whose Indian summer was ruined by an achilles tendon injury in March. Then Rio Ferdinand was abruptly excluded from participation in the 2010 World Cup by a twisted knee in a training session eight days before England's opening match.

Now, following yesterday's defeat by Germany, the chances are that we have also seen the last of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard at a major international competition. Both can look forward to years of useful life at club level but their lease on an England shirt has expired and whoever picks up the threads left by Capello will need to be thinking in terms of a fresh start.

Gerrard and Owen are 30, Lampard and Ferdinand 32, Beckham and Scholes (whom Capello, at his wits' end, tried to recall) 35. They made their senior international debuts between 1995 and 2000 and share an aggregate of 421 caps, which would have been many more but for injuries, a long suspension and Scholes's self-imposed exile. In football terms they are now senior citizens. Advances in kinesiology and other fitness sciences mean they will be with us for a while yet but no longer as the standard bearers for a perhaps unwisely expectant nation.

Together they symbolised England's hopes of turning the Premier League's astonishing global popularity into a second World Cup trophy in the FA's cabinet. At the start of their journey they were young, gifted and – with the exception of the admirably stubborn Scholes – hugely marketable, but now it can be seen that their pinnacle probably came that sunny late afternoon in Shizuoka, when they faced Brazil in the quarter-finals of the 2002 tournament in front of 47,436 spectators whose replica shirts were divided equally between the white of the European side and the yellow of the South Americans.

The vast majority of those fans were Japanese, and the ones who had elected to support England were, almost to a man, woman and child, wearing the names of Owen or Beckham inscribed on their backs. Those old enough to remember the Beatles' impact on Japan, almost 40 years earlier, identified a similar popular culture phenomenon. Owen gave England the lead and in that moment they seemed fully the equals of the best side in the world. Had Beckham or Scholes succeeded in preventing the move from which Rivaldo scored the equaliser or had Ronaldinho's audacious free-kick not been allowed to dip under David Seaman's crossbar, history might have been very different.

After that defeat the climate changed. Anticipation was no longer untainted by apprehension. At home the excitement grew greater every time they set off for a World Cup but underneath it was a feeling that disappointment would not be far away. The fans believed, and did not believe. They were prepared to give unconditional support while reserving the right to castigate those who failed to fulfiltheir dreams, even though most of them knew, deep down, that those dreams were no longer realistic. Their apprehension was shared and after their first two matches in South Africa even Capello was speaking of the "fear" of the tournament exhibited by these highly experienced players.

The immoderate affluence of the leading Premier League players began to turn the leaders of the golden generation into easy targets and at the 2006 World Cup they allowed themselves and their entourage to become a laughing stock. A sense of entitlement finally overwhelmed what had once been a bunch of ordinary lads, essentially no different from, and no less talented than, those assembled by Alf Ramsey in 1966.

It distorted their behaviour off the pitch and led them to believe that success on it was no more than they "deserved" – the most popular word in their lexicon when, after losing a penalty shoot-out to Portugal, they were lamenting the premature departure from their luxury headquarters in the hills of the Black Forest as though the talent and superior motivation of lower-ranked teams were some sort of offence against nature.

So the era that began on a hot June night in France 12 years ago with a flash of lightning – Owen's scamper through the Argentinian defence – and a roll of thunder – Beckham's red card – is finally over. Now we can see how that defeat in Saint-Etienne defined the generation: a moment of deserved exhilaration closely followed by the confrontation with catastrophe. And when the end came, it was a real coup de grâce, appropriately flavoured with controversy and delivered by merciless opponents.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/27/world-cup-2010-germany-player-ratings & http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/27/world-cup-2010-england-player-ratings
The Germany XI rated 85 in the second-round match against England in Bloemfontein and advance to face Argentina. Photograph: Tony Marshall/Empics Sport
Manuel Neuer 6
Made a series of smart saves but was at fault for Upson's goal and was almost beaten twice by Lampard, whom he saved well from late on.

Philipp Lahm 7
Did not need to do much but the captain was a steadying influence at the back and rallied his young team when they threatened to wobble at 2-1.

Per Mertesacker 8
Identified as a potential weak link after his performance against Ghana but was impressive in keeping England's often toothless attack quiet.

Arne Friedrich 8
Was a largely calm, composed presence in a well-organised back four.

Jérôme Boateng 7
Shackled James Milner effectively, preventing the Aston Villa player from getting telling crosses over in the way he did against Slovenia.

Bastian Schweinsteiger 8
Largely sacrificed his attacking instincts to play a more deep-lying role than he is sometimes used to. The heartbeat of the side, he provided a superb ball for third goal.

Sami Kheidira 8
A composed, assured performance, providing a platform for those in front of him to quickly turn defence into attack.
Thomas Müller 9
Ran the show from start to finish for Germany, combining superbly with Podolski, Ozil and Klose and capping a man-of-the-match display with two clinical finishes.

Mesut Ozil 8
Ran riot around the English defence, as demonstrated when he raced past Barry for the fourth goal that underlined Germany's superiority going forward.

Lukas Podolski 8
Was less involved than the other members of the attacking midfield three that terrorised England on the break but showed flashes of brilliance – not least the killer second goal from the tightest of angles.

Miroslav Klose 8
Great finish for the first goal and was a constant thorn in England's side. Provided an outlet in the way Rooney never did and led the line superbly.
Substitutes

Piotr Trochowski 7 (for Müller 72 min)

Was a lively presence up front, albeit after the stuffing had been knocked out of England

Mario Gomez 6 (for Klose 72 min)

Did little of note, but did not have to with the game already sewn up

Stefan Kiessling n/a (for Ozil 83 min)

Too little time to make an impact

England's starting XI rated a combined 52 out of 110 in the 4-1 beasting of Bloemfontein against Germany. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images
David James 6
Started well, providing comfort to a back four in danger of being overrun. But was left exposed too many times and, despite making good saves from Miroslav Klose and Mesut Ozil, was perhaps at fault for the second goal, when he should have done better from a tight angle.
Glen Johnson 4
Offered little going forward and defensive frailties were all too apparent, particularly when badly caught out for the second goal.
John Terry 4
Culpable, like Upson, for the first goal. His full-blooded but increasingly static style was no match for the quick feet around him.
Matthew Upson 4
Horrendously caught out for the first goal, when Klose powered past him. The West Ham defender looked uncertain all afternoon and was repeatedly pulled out of position. His headed goal renewed hope but was not enough to compensate.
Ashley Cole 6
Tried to get forward as he had against Slovenia but failed to do so with any effectiveness. Was caught out by Germany's repeated raids down the right in the opening stages but was offered little protection by Gerrard.
James Milner 5
Tried to get forward and get crosses in but was well shackled and afforded little space. Unable to beat his man for pace, he too often looked inside and played a square ball instead.
Frank Lampard 6
Drove forward and got on the ball more often than in first three games and appeared to have found his shooting range. Was denied a legitimate goal by a linesman and may well have had two more. Now looks destined never to score a World Cup goal.
Gareth Barry 4
Hailed as the man who would unlock the potential of this England side by providing a metronomic passing base but he failed to protect his back four or offer any base from which to build. In mitigation, may still not be fully fit.
Steven Gerrard 5
Was unable to drive his team forward when they badly needed it, apart from a 20-minute spell either side of half-time when he was more involved. Stuck to his post on the left but was unable to influence the game.
Wayne Rooney 4
Started more brightly, holding the ball up well and passing sharply. It was not to last though and before long he cut the same frustrated, disconsolate presence that has become familiar throughout this ill-starred tournament.
Jermain Defoe 4

While the Spurs striker was perky and available against Slovenia, here he offered little threat. Hit the bar with a header when harshly flagged offside
Substitutes

Joe Cole 4 (for Milner 63 min)

Sent on to try to rescue the game but did not get on the ball nearly often enough to do any damage.

Emile Heskey 4 (for Defoe 71 min)

Made no impact.

Shaun Wright-Phillips n/a (for Johnson 87 min)

No time to impress.