The NYer on England's Rubbish Performance in European Competitions

Well by jove...it's not often that my two passions -- literature and soccer -- combine, and it's even rarer that the New Yorker writes pieces about European soccer. This one is so brand-spanking new I have yet to read it:

http://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/englands-european-soccer-woes

The unceremonious exit of Everton FC from the UEFA Europa League, at the hands of Dynamo Kiev this week, means that there are no English teams in the UEFA Champions League or it's lower-tiered cousin, the UEFA Europa League. This is a little disturbing, since the EPL purports to be the richest club league in the world both in terms of money and talent, and yet its clubs are getting bounced from European competitions like unruly teenaged drunks at a TGI Fridays.