World Cup 2014: England have become a laughing stock

Stuart Pearce has claimed England have become the laughing stock of international football.

The former England Under-21 boss says the Three Lions have got no chance of progressing because they are so bad at developing young players.


Nottingham Forest manager Pearce said: “Other countries must look at us and laugh.


“The answer never lies at major tournaments, it lies in the years in between the major tournaments and the development of our young players.


“Other nations send more of their players to the younger tournaments. They go to the younger tournaments and win more regularly than we do.

“We, as a nation, haven’t won anything for 60 years at senior level. We haven’t won anything at Under-21 level since 1984.


“The Under-19s haven’t won anything for decades. The Under-17s are the only team over the last five years that have been successful. They’ve won the European Championship twice.


“It’s because our best young players are available at that age group.


“When they go beyond the Under-17s that the clubs start pulling them out and we start upgrading them. The age group below becomes weaker. It waters down the whole process.”