They've been disappointing, but they've also been quite shit at times.
The starting line-up in the crunch qualifier against Croatia for Euro 2008 had Scott Carson in goal, a back four of Micah Richards, Portsmouth's Sol Campbell, Joleon Lescott and Wayne Bridge, and a front three that included Shaun Wright-Phillips and Peter Crouch.
The 23-man squad for the 2010 World Cup contained a 39-year-old David James, Rob Green and Birmingham City's Joe Hart as its goalkeeping options, Glen Johnson, Michael Dawson, Stephen Warnock, Matthew Upson, Jamie Carragher and perma-crock Ledley King as defensive options (John Terry and Ashley Cole being the only other two), with attacking options outside of Rooney being Defoe, Crouch, Wright-Phillips, Lennon, Milner and Heskey.
The 2012 Euros squad had Glen Johnson, Martin Kelly, Leighton Baines, Joleon Lescott, a 20-year-old Phil Jones and Phil Jagielka as defensive options, Scott Parker and a 21-year-old Jordan Henderson expected to pick up the slack in midfield, with Andy Carroll, a 21-year-old Danny Welbeck, a 19-year-old Oxlade-Chamberlain and Stewart Downing among the attacking options.
By the 2014 World Cup, the back four was Johnson, Cahill, Jagielka and Baines, the midfield was a 34-year-old Gerrard and a 35-year-old Lampard, while we banked on Sturridge, Welbeck, Wilshire, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Smalling, Jones, Lallana and Barkley to underpin the "new" generation.
The starting eleven for the side that lost to Iceland in Euro 2016 had Gary Cahill, Chris Smalling and Danny Rose in its back four, and a midfield of Eric Dier, Wayne Rooney and Dele Alli.