Fans hit back after Rooney slams boos
June 19, 2010
England supporters have defended their right to boo the team after Friday's dismal goalless draw with Algeria.
Fans at Green Point Stadium did not hide their disgust after England put in what was seen as one of their worst displays in years.
But Wayne Rooney was clearly furious with the fans' reaction, saying into a camera at the final whistle: "Nice to hear your own fans booing you - that's loyal supporters."
England fans have never been slow to make sure the players know their thoughts. Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard have been targeted by the boo-boys in the past, while David Beckham got in trouble for making an offensive gesture to fans after England lost to Portugal at Euro 2000.
Rooney can hardly be surprised that the fans turned as England mustered just five shots on target against an Algeria side which had never before kept a clean sheet at the World Cup finals. And the Football Association have also asked for answers after one fan managed to breach security to confront the players in the dressing room.
Richard Sanderson, a fan from Lincolnshire, told Sky News: "Rooney had the worst game he's ever had for England. The lack of effort put in by the English players was unbelievable. They're not fit to wear the shirt.
"With the effort they put in and the money we've paid to get out here, if they think they deserve the English fans' applause they can think again."
Another fan, Steve Stoddart, said: "For us it's cost a lot of money to come out here. We are loyal supporters. The England players at the end never came over and clapped the crowd. When I go to watch Bristol City they always come over at the end and we always applaud them, no matter how bad they've played."
Lee Ible, 25, who opted against paying £150 each for tickets from a tout told the Daily Telegraph: "I'm glad we didn't now. After that performance I'm very glad we didn't bother. I think there was just a bit of fear and a lack of creativity. Fabio Capello needs to give the guys more freedom to shine."
Julian Jackman, 61, said: "The team just didn't turn up. There was no fire, it was as though they felt they'd done enough just by being there."
Coach Fabio Capello, whose position will surely be untenable should England fail to advance from what looks to be a weak group, said after the game: "This is not the team I recognise from training or from qualifying. We missed too many passes, lost too many balls. It was not a good game. We have to do better.
"It was incredible the mistakes we made. It was incredible for the level of the England players. We have another game to play. It's our last chance to continue in the tournament. The players know what they have to do."
England have not gone out in the group stage since 1958.
Jermain Defoe says England must accept the hostility
"I think it is part and parcel of playing at this level,'' he said. "You can understand fans getting frustrated and obviously they have travelled miles to come and support the team. But I think it's important for the fans to stay behind us because the lads are devastated we didn't win tonight.
"We want to do it for everyone back home, for our families, the boys, the manager and everyone. It's not nice to get booed, to be honest, especially when you try your best and it's difficult out there. Everyone is frustrated but we've got players who have been there and done it before, playing in major tournaments.
"We're a great side so it's important to keep going. Wednesday is a different game, we'll go into it confident and go out there and win the game. I know people look at the fixture and think we should win the game quite comfortably but that's never the case.
"It's difficult because at this level no game is easy, especially at the World Cup, and I thought Algeria played well to be honest. They made it difficult for us.
"When they lost the ball, they got back in their shape. I thought they were organised. We tried our best and had a little bit of bad luck with some opportunities, especially in the second half. I thought we were the better side. We put them under pressure when the game got stretched.
"With a little bit of luck we would have scored. But I think it's important for us to keep the spirit, and keep working hard in training, and on Wednesday we'll win.''
Gareth Barry believes Rooney's role of talisman should not be questioned.
"We know we need Wayne,'' he said. "Wayne, at any time, can produce something magic.''
Defoe concurred: "As a forward, when you don't score for a few games you get frustrated and maybe you slash at things. But Wazza is a great player.
"He might nick a hat-trick in the next game, you never know. The good thing about Wazza is he always works hard, always tries and he wants to play well every game. He's got that spirit.''
Barry played his first match of the tournament having missed the 1-1 draw with the United States while recovering from injury. Like his team-mates he was guilty of a poor individual and collective performance and was reflective after the match.
"It is disappointing,'' he conceded. "Obviously, it was a big game for us today and we wanted to take three points. Our performance was probably a little bit flat, not attacking enough, but we're still in it.
"There were not really too many clear-cut chances. For England, that's the least we expect. We make the chances, like we did against the US. We didn't win the match, but we came out knowing we probably should have.
"We have to be confident. We spoke about it in the dressing room. We're going to stick together in the next few days. Everyone knows we'll do enough to get through. We play a very good team, so we have to put things right.''
Barry and Defoe both revealed Capello's attempts to rally the troops after two poor performances left them needing to beat Slovenia on Wednesday to ensure they do not go home.
"He (Capello) is disappointed, but he knows everybody needs to stay calm in a situation like that,'' Barry added. "We'll look at the video, and see what we didn't do right today. And hopefully put it right on Wednesday.''
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