Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn has suggested that England should not solely blame a lack of homegrown players in the Premier League for the national team's failure to deliver success.
The Three Lions recently booked their place at Euro 2016, with Wednesday evening's win over Switzerland maintaining their perfect record in their qualifying group.
Glenn has admitted that while the arrival of overseas players has been a factor in England's struggles in tournaments, it should not be looked upon as the only reason.
"[Success] is not a silver bullet," Glenn told The Independent. "The 30 years of hurt that are now 50 years of hurt. We really started not doing well and underperforming probably from the mid-1970s, with a few blips.
"Let's not pick on the pantomime villain of the Premier League and say the only thing wrong is the lack of homegrown players. Looking at it mentally, [the homegrown player ratio] may not be perfect but it's not bad either. We've got a good crop of players.
"The England team individually have got great value. Looking at this like helpless victims is not the right way to go into a tournament and it's not the right way to run a business."
Glenn has also stated that the future of manager Roy Hodgson will be reviewed after next summer's Euros in France.
Steven Toplis
