Greg Dyke is throwing one radical proposal after the next, pundits and journalists are scrambling for a prophetic solution, and the England faithful are all at a loss as to when the next 'Golden Generation' will surface. And ultimately, from Roy Hodgson and Wayne Rooney to Trev and Steve in on their lunch break at work, it all boils down to one question: where are we going so desperately wrong?
Being an English football fan hasn't been a particularly pleasant ride of late. We genuinely believed that the only way was up after our pitiful cameo at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but after limping home from Brazil with a measly point to our name, the plight of the Three Lions looked more beleaguered than ever. And as we struggled to force a 1-0 win over an Estonian side who were down to 10 men for pretty much all of the second half, the usual holiday of encouraging Qualifying Rounds isn't quite living up to expectations either. We can't allow the occasional drubbings of San Marino to convince us that we're potential world beaters.
There's an increasingly growing number of people in the UK of the opinion that the answer is staring us right in the face. And that answer? Futsal. For those who aren't aware, Futsal is the South American version of 5-a-side, and is currently reported to be the fastest growing indoor sport on the planet. If you're looking for testimonials to the power that Futsal has for nurturing young talent, there's a wealth of global superstars both past and present queuing up to sing it's praises: from Pele and Zico right through to Cristiano Ronaldo, Oscar, Neymar and pretty much the whole invincible Barcelona side of late (yes, including Messi).
Inspired in part by FC Barcelona's phenomenally successful Futsal Academy, The English FA have set aside significant amounts of investment for the integration of Futsal into our national game at grassroots level. They've acknowledged Futsal's core importance to the progress of our national game, and with the Premier League, the Football Foundation and the Football League all on board, it's only a matter of time before Futsal establishes itself as a household name alongside the players that endorse it.
And it's not just the governing powers that are working hard to bring Futsal to the masses. @Futsal Group are the UK's market leaders when it comes to providing an authentic version of the game. Their HQ in Birmingham is the largest indoor football venue in Europe, and their key regional hubs in Leeds and Swindon are about to be joined by their latest venture in Oldham, developed in partnership with Oldham College.