South Africa 2010 was quite possibly England's worst ever World Cup finals showing in recent memory, both in terms of performances and future positives.

Arriving in South Africa as third favourites behind Brazil and Spain, the traditional excuse of the coach not being up to standard had been removed well ahead of time with Italian supercoach Fabio Capello holding the reins.

What transpired was a pathetic group stage showing before finishing second behind the USA in ‘The Best Group Since The Beatles'. England were then on the receiving end of their biggest ever World Cup defeat to their fiercest rivals.

In their 12 World Cup finals since 1950, England have reached the quarters or better eight times. The last occasion they failed to reach quarters was France 1998, when they lost on penalties to Argentina after David Beckham's sending off.

I vividly remember the post- match news bulletin back in England that night too, which exclaimed that despite the exit, an 18-year old Michael Owen had offered hope for the future with his wonder goal against La Albiceleste.

In Korea/Japan 2002 England got revenge over Argentina by beating them in the group stages and halting their progress, before beating Denmark 3-0 and then losing to eventual winners Brazil in the quarters.

Four years ago England topped their group, before being edged out on penalties in the quarters to Portugal. Much like Australia's Brett Holman, a traditional hate figure of the home fans emerged as a shining light, as Owen Hargreaves did enough to muster hope for the future.

But what of this year? What shining specks of light made it through a dark time for English football?

Australia will have their heads held high after goal difference impeded progress from a tough group, while Holman emerged as a player of talent with years on his side. If group draws were swapped, I have no hesitation in suggesting Australia would have progressed from Group C while England would have found themselves rooted to the bottom of Group D.

The player positives like we saw with Holman are non-existent for England. An over-the-hill squad with an average age of 28.7 provided a substandard swansong for the veterans and nothing in terms of emerging talent on the other end of the scale.

The experienced trio of Terry, Lampard and Gerrard failed to craft a lasting legacy in what was realistically their final chance of World Cup glory.

Young prospect Joe Hart could only look on as 39-year old David James took over from gaff-prone goalie Rob Green. You could contest that 24-year old James Milner showed promise, but a few well-placed crosses in a series of predictable moves and performances is clutching at straws.

England's other younger players - who are already in their mid-20s - include Wayne Rooney and Glen Johnson.

Rooney actually has a lot to thank Johnson for, as without the inept right-back, the burly Manchester United front-man would have been England's most ineffective player in South Africa. No, I haven't forgotten Rob Green, who made one shocking mistake in a single game, while Rooney was pathetic for 360 minutes. How one of the top five players in the world turned up in South Africa so out-of-form, with completely the wrong attitude, and produced such a dross series of performances is a difficult conundrum to decipher.

Twenty-three year old Aaron Lennon couldn't hold down his starting place, while 26-year old Michael Dawson didn't get any game time in an injury plagued backline.

In short, England will need players to emerge in the coming four years if they are to challenge at Brazil 2014. With the entirety of this England squad coming from the EPL, it is likely their domestic league will form the breeding ground for the next generation.

As has been discussed numerous times before, the EPL might be the best league in the world, but that's because of its foreign contingent. The top teams garner the global stars, while the also-rans harvest the best of the rest from around the world. The chances of four to five world class English players emerging before Brazil 2014 is so remote it is not worth considering.

English-born, I remember recalling tales from my grandfather as a child about England's1966 glory and a comforting comment he offered was "Don't worry, England will win it again in your lifetime". I'm beginning to have my doubts.