Resilience is an important aspect of sport, and in life.

The nation was united in disappointment again as England failed to cross the line and win a first major tournament since 1966.

It wasn’t a surprise that Gareth Southgate called time on his reign as England manager. To his credit, he has managed to normalise expectations that we will reach the later stages of tournaments. He has two Euros finals and World Cup semi-final and quarter-final appearances on his CV as a manager.

But questions will remain as to how he was unable to get more out of the likes of Bellingham, Foden and co.

With so many winners in the squad, why were we so reliant on having to come from behind, and late intervention?

With such an abundance of attacking talent, why was our progress in the tournament based on great performances from the likes of defender Marc Guehi and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford? We were a better side when Cole Palmer was playing, so why didn’t he start?

Would another manager have got more out of the players and had a more effective tactical strategy? And why are we now reflecting on a handful of memorable moments, rather than how well we played to reach the final?

The tournament was so nearly a disaster of Euro 2016 proportions. We were seconds away from being knocked out by Slovakia. Eventually, we were found out. The reality is that we came up short.

England’s players will bounce back. They showed resilience to reach the final and we can have no complaints about losing to the better side. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but not as tough to take had we lost on penalties or been the better team.

Resilience is a word all too familiar to Reading fans. The current state of the club – and how long it has been dragging on for – is a prime example. That is the reality of being a football fan, but it is usually reserved for the disappointment of losing a game. And Royals fans know all about play-off final heartache, of course.

One of the biggest disappointments of my career was being relegated from the Premier League with Reading, especially the manner of it.

I have bitter sweet recollections of that season.

After the high of finishing eighth in our first Premier League campaign, a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in front of 75,000 fans in our opening game was a decent start to the season, especially as we finished the game with 10 men. Some of you might remember my cameo appearance in that game, which lasted all of 37 seconds until Rob Styles decided he didn’t like my challenge on Patrice Evra.

We took the lead against Chelsea in our first home game thanks to Andre Bikey, but another second half red card followed for Kalifa Cisse and goals from Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba ensured we finished with nothing to show for our efforts.

But a 1-0 win against Everton at the MadStad, courtesy of Stephen Hunt, completed a decent start to our second Premier League season, with four points and two clean sheets against United, Chelsea and Everton.

We struggled after that, including the 7-4 and 6-4 defeats away to Portsmouth and Spurs, and we were up against it after a run of eight games without taking a single point.

March saw us revive our hopes of staying up, thanks to a run of three wins and a draw in five games – including a 2-0 win against Manchester City.

But six games without a goal and a run of four defeats in five games, including a 2-0 home loss to our relegation rivals Fulham, meant that a 4-0 win at Derby on the final day of the season was not enough to keep us up. Fulham pipped us to the post on goal difference.

It's no secret that I regret moving to Stoke. I was happy at Reading.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel now, if reports are to be believed. But if the coming weeks do include a new owner announcement, don’t expect a quick fix. Whoever takes over is inheriting a mess that will take time to sort out.

There are some green shoots of recovery already emerging with the women’s set up – and I’d like to congratulate Lilly Morris, a 12-year-old I have been coaching, for securing a place with Reading FC Women’s Under 13s.

Lilly was the only girl in the Wokingham and Emmbrook Under 13s Jaguars side last season and won their player of the year award. She has also been selected to represent Berkshire at Under 14s level.

Lilly has been one of the best players I have coached since starting my academy. She has a fantastic attitude and I am happy to hear that she has been given the recognition she deserves. I have no doubt that she has a bright future ahead of her.