ENGLAND lost their place at Euro 2016 and their manager in a dismal 90-minute nightmare in Nice.

Here, the Daily Echo’s Simon Carter picks over the bones of their latest tournament trauma.

1 HODGSON HAD TO GO

Hodgson brought many positive characteristics to the post of England manager. He is bright, worldly and respectable but that is not good enough and he was right to fall on his sword.

For all his qualities as an individual he has proved defiantly ineffective at improving the team’s prospects on winning important football matches.

His tournament record is woeful, with three tournaments and no victories in knockout fixtures.

He got many key decisions wrong in France, but his immediate resignation was not one of them.

2. DO WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE A HART?

Something is badly awry with England’s number one, Joe Hart. He should have done much better when Gareth Bale put Wales in front in Lens and was once again culpable in letting the opponents go ahead here.

Squirm He got down quickly enough and got his arm across to Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s low shot but yet again let it squirm over the line.

England’s most-capped player, former goalkeeper Peter Shilton, has long harboured a scepticism about Hart and those doubts increasingly seem sound.

Saints ace Fraser Forster cannot be far away.

3. ROTATION HAS NOT HELPED ENGLAND

There is no doubting Hodgson’s decision to make six changes for the goalless draw against Slovakia represented a gamble that backfired.

Not only did they fail to top their group, they also left themselves in a position where half-a-dozen changes were essentially inevitable against Iceland. Surely Wayne Rooney could have done with more bedding in time in midfield; surely Dele Alli has the legs to cope with the full rigours of tournament football; surely the constant chopping and changing up front has affected rhythm.

Hodgson rolled the dice and lost.

4. ROONEY’S CONVERSION CAME UNDONE

Rooney rightly won plaudits for his efforts in his new deep-lying role against Russia and Wales, but here he seemed every bit a man out of position.

His passing was unusually ragged, his positioning confusing and at times he seemed to be assisting neither the attack nor defence.

When he came off he had probably been the poorest performer on the pitch.

Whether his late conversion has any future - at club level under Jose Mourinho, or with his country - remains to be seen. But in hindsight it seems clear he needed more time to hone the necessary skills than he was given.

5. ENGLAND HAS A NEW UNDERDOG TO CHEER

Once the recriminations, disappointment and blind fury begins to dissipate, English fans could do worse than throw their support behind Iceland.

They have been an inspiring presence in France, outperforming all expectations on the pitch and winning friends everywhere with their almost familial brand of support.

If England are a casualty in one of sport’s most remarkable underdog tales, so be it.