"It bothers me that we didn't get further in the past couple of seasons because but there is no point looking backwards when the promise we see in front of us is so encouraging.
"I am very bullish about the present team. When you are rebuilding, there are two things you need; courage and patience. We have shown both of them.
"We're still waiting for this team to win something and waiting for them to come together as a team.
"They can't be regarded as good as the '99 team unless they win what the '99 team won. That's the name of the game.
"It was more of a settled team in '99. They'd been together for quite a long time. We had good continuity and a really good understanding.
"It will happen for him i[Rooney] in Europe, he'll explode eventually.
"I'm hoping he continues the form he's shown in the last few weeks. He's come back to his best. The stage will not affect Wayne. His temperament is fantastic.
"I do think England has the strongest contingent across the board. Spain has three teams left, Italy three and we've got four, so that's a good indication. But it's also the strength of our teams compared with the other countries.
"We have a chance. We're getting better, closer every time. Who knows, we may even have an all-British final. I'm positive a British team will be in the final. Some years since '99, we have been unlucky, others we've not done as well as we should.
"It would be disappointing but probably symptomatic of the fact we have been rebuilding. When you're rebuilding, you need courage and patience and we've shown that."