England crashed out of the World Cup against an all too familiar backdrop of heroic failure and agonising over yet another crucial missed penalty in a major championship.

But as the Three Lions packed their bags on Sunday there was much about the circumstances of their exit that felt like a break from the past.

No anguished wailing about tactical failings or technical ineptitude. No demands for a root-and-branch review of English football, and no calls for a change of manager.

Instead, a growing consensus that Gareth Southgate should -- if he wants to -- be allowed to continue for at least one more tournament.

The 52-year-old manager was roundly lambasted after his team's two previous tournaments, blamed for an inability to tweak his gameplan mid-course during the 2018 World Cup semi-final loss to Croatia and last year's European Championship final defeat to Italy at Wembley.

Yet as the desert dust settled on Saturday's 2-1 loss to France, few were accusing Southgate of tactical incompetence.

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