Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn has admitted that England are "brittle" when it comes to major international tournaments.
The Three Lions crashed out in the first knockout round of Euro 2016 at the hands of minnows Iceland last night - a result which was quickly followed by the resignation of manager Roy Hodgson.
Glenn insists that there are still positive signs for England, but acknowledged the need to address their record at tournaments, which has seen them win just six knockout games since winning the World Cup in 1966.
"Having been a fan before doing this job, having mingled with fans on Monday night once I took off my FA jacket and tie, I get it. There are a lot of good things that have been done in the England set-up that we can build on but we're not denying the fact that the perennial problem that when it gets to the business end of a tournament - and we are in the tournament business - England seem brittle," he told reporters.
"We need to understand why that is. It's not a particular issue Roy Hodgson's had to face, people before him have handled it too. When it comes to the games that really matter, the business end of tournaments, we've come up short.
"It's something we've dealt with for many years. I think the problem is there's not one single thing to point to and say 'if you fix that it's going to work'. We have to accept it's a national imperative that we become more resilient in tournaments, that we punch our weight in a way we haven't been able to, not for 50 years."
Glenn also refused to rule out appointing a foreign manager as Hodgson's replacement.
