Every English football fan should feel let down by the sordid revelations of the Wagatha Christie libel trial.
Before each season and ahead of every international tournament, we convince ourselves our heroes are pulling in the same direction; focused on the challenges to come.
We invest our hope in those players for club and country, but Premier League footballers are precariously perched on their pedestals, built and maintained by the hands of PRs and agents, who control everything.
So, the last eight days at the High Court has been an eye opener.