Whisper it: “Come on England. You can do it!”

The national team’s Euro campaign doesn’t have the usual pizzazz this time around. There’s a dearth of new, young talent, while some of the classier, older players are sidelined with injuries.

That said, there are a couple of big pluses.

Firstly, there’s less hype and unreal expectations to weigh heavily on the players.

And, secondly, there’s Roy Hodgson, who’s got a decent track record at getting great value from less-than-stellar teams – and securing results against the odds. Remember Fulham’s own Euro adventure? He’s possibly the perfect candidate as manager, given the circumstances.

Hopefully we won’t be eating our words in a couple of weeks. But you wonder if a few strokes of technical genius throughout each game could make all the difference? We’ll wait and see. 
  
In the world of procurement, there’s a similar point to be made. Budgets may be under more pressure than ever before.  But there’s the opportunity to do something quite remarkable, thanks to some behind-the-scenes genius.

The best purchase-to-pay solutions will sharpen end-to-end performance and maximise agility.  They’ll be robust too – and won’t go to sleep at pivotal moments.

Meanwhile, the view from the dugout is clearer than ever, allowing real-time insights into spending levels. Managers can influence buying behaviour directly – and monitor every contract to get the best value.

Ultimately, it’s about results: You get to keep more of the silverware.