When it comes to football, what do Spain, Holland and France all have in common? Better than England a battle hardened follower of the Three Lions might say...
Yet, actually, none of these international powerhouses even made it to the under-21 European football championships. It's a little unfair that England's young stars have been widely criticised for 'flopping' at a tournament that that trio weren't good enough to make.
Today Germany crashed out with a 5-0 defeat against a Portugal side that beat England 1-0. Presumably the same mob that came out with the tired old cliches about England's side will be hammering the heirs to the world champions' shirts now too?
The worst thing about the England national team is not the quality of the football, it's the ridiculousness of the reactions to it. Win a couple of games and we're tournament winners in waiting. Lose one and everyone should be sacked, the Premier League must be reformed and the players are roundly pilloried.
When it comes to the under-21s the reaction is even more tiresome. Yes, we need to get more of our young talent into Premier League starting XIs and yes we should pick our best available players in the age category.
But these tiresome circular debates do little good for the players who are actually there. Spending time moaning about the lack of Jack Wilshere or Ross Barkley will do little to instil confidence in their replacements.
Likewise there is little recognition that only 8 teams can make this tournament. Losing in the group stages of the under 21 Euros is hardly comparable to the adult sides. Our track record of reaching these events is excellent and no-one has an entitlement to win.
I also feel we've lost track of what the point of the under-21s is. Yes tournaments, results and competitions are important - but the ultimate goal is to groom the next generation. The only way to judge how much of a 'flop' or not Southgate's side is is to look back on this lineup and see how many make it as full internationals.
Southgate himself has gone from England senior manager in waiting to under fire, a trajectory that befell his predecessor. The side themselves are now being labelled 'mediocre' on the radio by the likes of Danny Mills and Joey Barton - rent-a-quote players who will know a thing or three about mediocrity.
In saying this I do think there is a need to address the 'stage fright' our youngsters encounter on such occasions (nothwithstanding selection and injuries). Yet the reaction to this tournament is part of the problem.
I can't help thinking that some lessons could be learned from England's one day cricket team. Battered and bruised from a pathetic World Cup showing (and you thought the u21s performance was bad) the team has turned its fortunes around by letting its young talent loose.
The biggest and most refreshing change in 50-over cricket for England has been to remove the fear of failure. Players are sent out to attack, express themselves and be aggressive.
It's tempting to say that this is how the footballing young guns should play. It's certainly too simplistic to say 'all out attack' is the way forward - but the aggression and freedom to express themselves is key.
Yet, when it comes to the cricketing revolution this summer, patience has also been key to the success. Fans and media have embraced the new regime and accepted that defeats and set backs are inevitable when a team sets out to play a riskier but more exciting way.
Are we ready to accept that our young up and coming footballers will make mistakes and lose games? Until we are the straightjacket will be on and the fear of failure will inhibit the way our young stars go about their business.
I can't help thinking that that mentality - over and above team selection, formations and managers etc, - is important to encourage and nurture our under-21s. If we're to do that - and match England's exciting cricketing turnaround on the cricket field - the long-term benefit for the senior level could be telling.
That means that, as the public, we too must play our part and stop simply trotting out criticism from the sidelines. This negativity is part of the problem.
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