No sports fan likes to see their team get humiliated. I never found it easy to go into school, work or university on a Monday morning if Rangers had suffered a bad defeat at the weekend.
And I suspect that a few English cricket fans will be feeling that way tomorrow as they head out the door in the morning after Australia completed a 5-0 Ashes whitewash earlier today. However, the obituaries on English cricket shouldn't be written quite yet.
Let's not beat around the bush though. England were absolutely destroyed by the Australians in every department as they struggled to deal with Mitchell Johnson's ferocious bowling and Brad Haddin's counter-hitting in particular. Factor in some dire performances by senior players, Jonathan Trott returning home and Graeme Swann's retirement, then this was an utterly shambolic series from England.
People have been calling for captain Alastair Cook, coach Andy Flower and batting coach Graham Gooch's heads throughout the series but this isn't a time for England to panic. They haven't suddenly become a bad side overnight. It is true that this isn't a great Australian side. Infact, the teams are evenly matched and England had beaten them 3-0 only a few months previously.
From day one Australia looked fitter, hungrier and sharper in every way and Cook was simply out-thought by his Australian counterpart Michael Clarke. However, this England team are now in transition just like they were after a 5-0 humiliation in 2006/2007 down under.
England have lost some massive influences in the dressing room over the last couple of years. Captain Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood and now Graeme Swann have departed. Matt Prior looks to be on his way out whilst Kevin Pietersen and Jimmy Anderson aren't getting any younger. But England rose from the Ashes in 2006/07 and can do so again. These senior players will know they have let the team down but they haven't become bad players in this series.
A top order featuring Cook, Pietersen, Bell and hopefully a refreshed Trott is a match for any in world cricket. And with Broad and Anderson leading the attack, England still have a top class line and length bowling double act. And there are a lot of promising youngsters coming through right now.
Andy Flower has already described the 5-0 loss as the "end of an era" and I have to agree with the England head coach, but it shouldn't mean the start of a spell in the doldrums for England. Look at the emergence of Ben Stokes with the bat and ball over the last couple of tests. It's too early to start labelling him the next Flintoff, but he looks a confident player.
Joe Root is still only 23 and has proven he can handle big games in test series against Australia this summer and against India in 2012 on his debut. Gary Ballance replaced him in the last test and whilst hardly setting the world alight, he has averaged over 50 in first class cricket and that isn't to be sniffed at.
Factor in wicket keeper Jos Buttler who will be playing in the One Day internationals and players such as opening batsman Nick Compton and fast bowlers Steven Finn and Boyd Rankin who will be going away to improve on their games, then England can still have a bright future.
Andy Flower has had a shocking Ashes but this is a man who led them to three Ashes victories in a row and to number one in the world. He deserves a chance to reinvent this England team again.
However, I do agree with former England captain Michael Vaughan who says that Kevin Pietersen should be appointed as vice-captain. Flower and Cook are very much "Yes" men. Pietersen is disliked for obvious reasons (he can be arrogant, he throws his wicket away too much and has fallen out with players in the past) but KP is creative and still the wicket opposition teams prize the most. He should be at the forefront on the field, helping Cook plot and plan. He currently stands out like a spare part.
England didn't panic after losing 5-0 in 2006/07 and went onto become the best test side in the world. With a mixture of experience and exciting young players, they can reach the top again. Call off the hounds.
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