England: Road to Euro 2012

Expectations on England are always high before a major football tournament. Most would agree that more often than not, the team has failed to deliver what has been expected. With a new manager in Roy Hodgson and the return of Steven Gerrard as skipper however, hopes would be more mixed, bordering on reserved than lofty bordering on impudence.

The World Cup in South Africa was not a happy outing for Fabio Capello and his men. The team was out in the Round of 16 stage to leave fans disappointed yet again. There however, was no disappointment for them in the qualifying stages of Euro 2012.

Pitted against Montenegro, Switzerland, Wales and Bulgaria in Group G, England bullied their way ahead.

Jermain Defoe scored a hat-trick against Bulgaria at Wembley as the hosts won 4-0. The Englishmen returned four days later to go past Switzerland with a 3-1 win.

There was slight despair when Montenegro came visiting and walked away with a goalless draw but rivals Wales, in March 2011, went down 2-0 in Cardiff to prop Capello's men up again.

England had another draw, against Switzerland, to follow. This despite being down 0-2.

Full points were taken when Bulgaria and Wales surrendered to England but a berth in the main event was yet to be assured. Going into the final match, against Montenegro, a 2-2 draw was enough to see 1966 World Cup winners through to main draw.

Come June though, England will go into a group that may not pose a mammoth challenge but one that has the ability to make the most of the team's inherent flaws - France, Sweden and Ukraine.

Hodgson however has to look within his men to get the most from his team. Having taken over just a few weeks before the tournament, the former Liverpool manager has Gerrard as his deputy which would mean an understanding from which the entire unit can benefit.

Although Gerrard has been battling injuries for some time and the defence line will be without Rio Ferdinand, who was left out of the squad, Hodgson would want to prove his worth and there can be no bigger challenge than Euro 2012. Supporters though would best be advised to keep expectations to each match as it is played out.