Back in Blighty just in time to have feeble heart broken

Elders are supposed to handle things better than youngsters – experience is typically an asset when faced with most challenges – but the opposite applies with regards to England football fans.

Teenagers and 20-somethings took the defeat to Croatia incredibly well, speaking positively about the future for the young England side and immediately shrugging off the World Cup near-miss. I saw smiles and laughter from members of this generation just seconds after the final whistle – a sense of jubilance about a fun run to the semi-finals. They were not carrying the baggage of history.

Thirty-somethings were less secure in their emotions, while 40-somethings, a group of which I recently joined, were in pieces. The pain of four decades watching England failures, married to the realisation that time on Earth is running out, created a maelstrom of despair.