England have established themselves as one of the best teams in Europe in recent years, but the long wait for a trophy since 1966 continues.
There have been near misses down through the years but, after successive quarter-final defeats to Portugal in EURO 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, a particularly wretched barren period was ahead of England.
Failure to qualify for EURO 2008 was followed by a second round and quarter-final exits in 2010 and 2012, before they failed to even progress from their group at the 2014 World Cup.
After the humiliation of defeat to Iceland at EURO 2016, England entered the 2018 World Cup at possibly their lowest point this side of 1966, and defied expectations with their run to the semi-finals, where they ultimately lost to Croatia.
We all remember it all too well. Football fever took over England. Those "across the water" - as Apres Match would say - really thought football was coming home. Waistcoats sold out in M&S. It was a surreal time.
Perhaps it's fitting then, that the play written to tell the story of that tournament - yes, you read that correctly - seems to be a suitably cringeworthy production.
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New clip shows cringe scene from England football play
Everything about 'Dear England' seemed horrific to us in concept when it was first announced by the National Theatre last year.
The production was written by James Graham and debuted at London's Olivier Theatre last June.
'Dear England' stars Joseph Fiennes as Gareth Southgate, with depictions of the major players of the tournament. From Jordan Henderson to Dele Alli to Raheem Sterling, the entire playing squad is depicted on stage - and footage from the play shows the cringeworthy depiction of the discussions within the England changing room.
Shared by the National Theatre earlier this week, the clip shows Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Marcus Rashford, and Raheem Sterling comparing their personal accolades and debating which of them is the best player in a dressing room that somewhat resembles a liminal space.
We're not entirely sure why Sterling needs to be doing handstands while recounting his "Player of the Month" victory, nor what exactly the joke is with Jordans Pickford and Henderson sharing the same name.
'We are not worthy' 😜
An exclusive clip from Dear England. pic.twitter.com/AFl0eUiRNU— National Theatre Live (@NTLive) January 4, 2024
We'll admit that we're a bit biased, but it's a seriously tough watch.
It's hard to tell if the scene is leaning in to the cringeworthy banter that can often surround football spheres - but it certainly does a good job of amplifying it, whether intentional or not.
The depiction of Harry Maguire as something of a hybrid between Prince Harry and Matt Smith is a particular highlight.
Unsurprisingly, the deeply earnest on-stage retelling of England's last three major tournaments has gone down a storm in London, with UK critic reviews strong. Based on the evidence of the above clip, and the sympathies of the Irish fanbase, we're not sure that positivity would spread as far as our shores.
'Dear England' moved to London's West End last August and is in the closing stages of its run at the Prince Edward Theatre.
If you want to subject yourself to some peak 'Three Lionsing,' you can catch a screening of the play in Dublin in the coming weeks. The Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield will screen a filmed version of the play on January 25 as part of their partnership with the British National Theatre.
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