They used to call football hooliganism the English disease, but with the Italians doing a pretty good job of taking on that unwanted illness, there is still something which makes us the sick men of European football.
We have seen it at the World Cup, European Championships, Champions League, Uefa Cup and even in pre-season friendlies, but still it let's our teams down.
It's not complicated and it's not clever but, despite a steady succession of failures through the years the lessons apparently have still not be learnt if Newcastle's performance against Zulte-Waregem is anything to go by.
Some call it technical ability, some call it passing ability or keeping possession, but I call it the basics and English players, I'm afraid, just don't do the basics well enough.
I was at Leyton Orient's London derby - if you will bare with me - with Brentford last month when the Bees scored a last minute equaliser. There was bad defending in the area, but the real reason it happened was because Orient could not run down the clock by keeping the ball away from the opposition.
That is in Coca Cola League One, so perhaps it can be excused, but the problem goes much higher than that - just look at the national side. While most European sides - and I would include Belgium in this - can pass the ball around, keeping possession for minutes rather than seconds, English teams simply aren't comfortable doing this and cling on to victories with big hoofs - that's a technical term by the way - up the field to clear the danger or desperate punts to put the ball out for a throw in.
Newcastle United's passing against Waregem was awful and rarely did they manage to string more than four or five together to create something which might be termed a "passing move." Against a team like Waregem that's ok because, to use football speak, with all due respect the Belgian pub team, sorry part-timers, did not have the quality to punish them.
Unfortunately, while the Magpies have been extremely fortunate to be drawn against such a team in the first knockout stage, far better teams await, starting with AZ Alkmaar or Fenerbahce in the next round. They will gratefully receive Newcastle's mis-placed passes and aimless punts up field and then they will make United's players run around frantically trying to get it back again.
Okay rant over, for now because Newcastle did actually win the game and, in another piece of football speak, you can only beat the team that is put in front of you and Glenn Roeder's side did that pretty comfortably in the end.
There were a few encouraging performances as well. Titus Bramble was highly impressive in the centre of defence and there is a growing belief among us hacks that the big centre half is better suited to European football. Not great when your daily job is the Premiership, but interesting don't you think?
Kieron Dyer was busy in the centre of midfield, although he must not allow his frustration at poor passes to show so obviously on a football field as it can't be good for the confidence of his teammates.
Nolberto Solano was once again superb at right back - erm, although that was his man who scored Waregem's consolation goal and made it 17 games without a clean sheet - and Damien Duff, ah yes, Damien Duff was actually, vaguely, positive in what he did.
If Antoine Sibierski has been a pleasant surprise at Newcastle United, Duff has been a major disappointment. I don't think anyone thought, at £5m, that the Irishman was a bad signing from Chelsea, but he has looked short of pace, penetration and, at times, interest.
Quite what happens to talented players at Chelsea - Shaun Wright Phillips anyone? - I'm not sure, but Duff needs to be nurtured back to full form. Yes, injuries have not helped him, but that isn't an excuse for the number of tepid performances we have seen from him.
If Roeder is to be believed, nobody is more annoyed than Duff himself, which is encouraging to hear, so hopefully his evening in Ghent is the start of a late season revival.
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