As Fabio Capello slumped down the tunnel of the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, having witnessed an abject first half display from his England side, he could be forgiven for becoming lost in his own thoughts.
As the Italian pondered introducing Joe Cole—a move that would ultimately ensure victory against a resolute Andorran side—he could also be forgiven for failing to register the reaction of England’s travelling fans.
Like his predecessor, Steve McClaren, the new England manager and his players walked off to resounding boos from around the ground. Abuse was hurled at the management and the players, with little doubt being left as to exactly how the sizeable travelling faithful felt about their performance.
There to cheer on the heroes, those in the stands had quickly turned against the team on the pitch. Their crime? Being level at half-time in an away World Cup Qualifier against a side that had conceded an average of 2.5 goals in its last 11 home games.
England subsequently went on to record a comfortable 2-0 win. But the reaction of the fans will live a lot longer in the memory of all who were there.
Something is intrinsically wrong with this picture. The boo-boys in Barcelona no doubt consider themselves “fans” or “supporters” of England—but is such a description remotely accurate?
Supporter (n) one who promotes or advocates, an adherent.
Criticism, insults, and a chorus of abuse—all these seem incongruous with the dictionary definition of a supporter. Perhaps the description of England’s “Barmy Army” needs changing.
Judge (n) to pass sentence on, to condemn.
This description seems far more sensible. The role of the England follower seems no longer to be to cheer on their beloved national side, but rather to form an opinion about how the side are performing, based on some predefined criteria (not often entrenched in fact), and react accordingly.
Booing at half-time in a World Cup Qualifier, especially an away match, seems to me an exercise in futility. Was it ever likely to spur the lads onto victory? Was it going to make the players on the pitch think, “Yes, we must go out and win this convincingly for our devoted supporters”?
I doubt it.
However, this is not intended as a criticism of the modern England “judge”. I would never suggest that those in the terraces should not express their feelings, negative or otherwise. Just as they cheer a goal, they should criticise errors.
They have a right to their opinion—and on Saturday had every reason to expect more from their team. But does that warrant their subsequent reaction, at that time in the game?
I disagree with the fans’ reaction on Saturday, but I don’t blame them for it. They are just the puppets, directed by an ethereal puppet-master.
The media.
Seemingly, the arbiters of public opinion.
34 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Jon Marum 9 months ago
Brillaint article, Alex...
I really couldn't agree more with what you have presented. The media get carried away and as such don't keep their hopes and expectations (and their articles) in check. To some extent the Premier League is to blame. There is a lot of hype surrounding "the best league in the world" which causes us to believe that good players are world class. England have at most 2 or 3 world class players whereas before the 2006 world cup the press would have had us believe there were eight. Rooney is world class, Gerrard is world class but the unrealistic expecations (as well as most of the time not being played in their preferred positions) has often meant that have been shackeled, unable to perform to the best of their abilties.
You're right though, nobody dares criticise the media and until somebody does things won't change. There are a lot of ills within the English game and the media simply seem to have a sadistic pleasure in condemning the english national side.
Getting to the world cup quarter finals is good going. It means you're top eight in the world. England unquestionably have the potential to be better but unless our expectations are kept in check then the pressure will keep on getting to the players.
With regards to the booing in the andorra game i thought it was unnecessary. We had played ok, we were going to win the game but the pressure the media had put on the team to annihilate Andorra means that the fans feel they have the right to boo as soon as things aren't going striclty to plan.
The media must get on side with the england team, stop haunting them and encourage them. The players are proud to play for england, most of them anyway, but they are so scared of failure they are again shackled.
As I said this is just one of the problems. The england team need to play with more poise and consideration on the ball at international level. Posession is 9/10ths of the law and possibly even more at internaional level. We have incredible passers of the ball but for some reason their technique often lets them down on the international stage. Changing the mentality of our players, our coaches and our national media is key!
The potential is there, but I fear that it may never be realised...
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Alex Dimond 9 months ago
Crikey Jon, this is almost long enough to be a separate article! All I will say in response is......I think I hear the sound of someone hitting a nail on the head...
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Jon Marum 9 months ago
Haha yes well your article struck a chord with me, it was excellently written!
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Tim Oates 9 months ago
The Andora game could have gone alot different, if the energetic work of Walcott in the first 15minutes had been converted into goals. Capello's mind was on the Croatia game and rightly so, this was the stroll in the park before the big date. As for the 'lobster fried' England fans, get behind your team, it's an awesome group of talent. No one thrives from abuse.
Good article Alex.
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Shyam Parthasarathi 9 months ago
Nice article Alex.. the media and also the fans' expectations to a large extent have been a major problem for England in the past few years..
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Alan McGuinness 9 months ago
Brilliant article Alex, pretty much sums up my feelings with regards to the media and their effect on the fans and English national team.
The media do have very high expectations of England and I think some players are overrated and built up too much. For example, Wayne Rooney has scored 5 goals in 4 years for England, which is a shocking record. The hype surrounding him hasn't been justified. More realism is needed, but I don't think it will happen.
The boos that ring out at seemingly every England game is just stupid in my opinion. Frank Lampard gets booed nearly every time he turns out for England. His performances for his country haven't been brilliant but Gareth Barry and Steven Gerrard have flattered to deceive on numerous occassions, but don't seem to be subjected to the same scrutiny. Fickle is the word that springs to mind.
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Alex Dimond 9 months ago
Thanks for the comments Alan, really appreciate it.
Glad to see we share similar views, hopefully one day we will be in a position to actually change the mentality that surrounds the team, because at the moment the media are doing nothing but harming England's chances.
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Ismail Ayub 9 months ago
I'm really glad that Bullard has been called-up to England, because he is a player who would give 10000000000000000000% in the 3 lions shirt. His effort is second to none, and as it's his first time in the shirt, he'll be raring to go. I love Bullard- He embodies the spirit which every England player should have...
O and nice article :-P
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Yoosof Farah 9 months ago
Fantastic article Alex, and I'll remember this time to give you a potd vote and 5 stars. I fully agree with what you say, and I think it is the fans and the media that is the problem for England, their expectations are way too high.
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Andrew Kearney 9 months ago
Fantastic article, echoes the sentiments I've felt for some time.
England, and its media in particular, are too arrogant for their own good. If you look at England's 'failures' under Eriksson you'll see they lost in quarter-finals to Brazil and Portugal (twice on penalties). Correct me if I'm wrong but those sides weren't exactly mugs.
It was our arrogance that cost us in the last campaign, we regarded the whole thing should be a formality and came unstuck in games against Croatia, Russia, Israel, and Macedonia who aren't actually bad sides.
We overhype any English player who can kick a ball straight and fail to pay any respect to our opposition. Everyone complained about the dismal performance against Czech Republic but no one stopped to think about why they are ranked higher in the world.
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Simon Williams 9 months ago
Great article Alex.
Unfortunately the majority of football fans in England are like sheep. It just needs one loud voice to air a negative opinion, or a positive opinion, and many more will follow.
The press have been aware of this for decades, and so use it and abuse it for all its worth.
The mentality of booing players is nothing new. You see it in our club teams all the time when things are going badly, I have seen it at my team Peterborough United on numerous occasions, and this is replicated up and down the country.
Of course it's rare in the premier league, because those at the top are usually performing well (or well enough), and those at the bottom usually expect to be there (there is no point booing Stoke, or Derby, or Hull, as their was no expectation anway). You get exceptions, such as Newcastle, Sunderland, West Ham, clubs with huge crowds where expectancy is almost always higher than return.
The booing culture for the national team just mirrors the culture up and down the country. In the digital media age everyone is a football pundit, everyone is a football manager, everyone knows how they could improve their team and which players they would not let near the shirt.
In England, the 'supporter' is almost dead, replaced by the 'consumer'. In a consumer society, when you are not happy with your goods, you complain, and that epitomises the modern English football fan.
I don't know where it will end.
All I know is that I have tickets for the England v Kazahkstan qualifier in October, and whatever happens on Wednesday, I will be going to Wembley to support my country and watch a football match, nothing more, nothing less.
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Alex Dimond 9 months ago
Very true Simon. I don't have a problem with booing players, especially after a poor performance, but I think at half-time in an international match it should be slightly different. If the 'fans' have travelled so far, and spent so much money, to support their country, they should do that for the full 90 minutes. By all means express your dissatisfaction after the final whistle, when it cannot adversely affect the result.
But while the game is still up for grabs, it is only fair to do all you can (i.e. cheer) to help them gain the desired result.
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Benjamin Rogers 9 months ago
the media had a little efect because they are the ones who can say things which influence people and fans and put players off their game. however, the players should take most of the blame they are the ones who should focus and feel some pride when playing for england, and egnor all the speculation surrounding them.
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Andrew McNair 9 months ago
Great work Alex. A new level of article here on Bleacher I do believe.
I have booed before at Ibrox a couple of times and it's been because my team hasn't as far as I'm concerned put in the effort we as the fans deserved as was eventually proven when we lost out on this years Champions League.
The club took those boo's on board and with plenty of changes in many departments we thumped Celtic a month later.
Should England beat Croatia it'll all be forgotten but boo's or no boo's the performance against Andorra was poor and there is a time and a place for booing I believe.
I wouldn't have been booing in Barcelona but I'm not English :)
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Alex Dimond 9 months ago
Totally agree Andrew, there is definitely a time and a place for booing. If players want fans to cheer a goal, they should also accept abuse when they fail to perform.
I just feel half-time in an important away match is not the time and place. The boys, especially after Terry's 'fear' admission, really needed encouragement and support at that time, not criticism.
After the match, well then I would be the first to boo if I felt it was deserved!
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Eric Gomez 9 months ago
I think it's ironic that you gave this article such an inflammatory and broad title when you go on to criticize the English national media for spurring on the idea that England will never live up to standards in order to sell papers.
You're article is on the front page, after all - and is drawing a good amount of comments.
As people who comment on the world sports and as would-be or amateur journalists, I think we should set ourselves apart by what we write and not how we present it. You can catch eyes and build a reputation with quality writing (which you do possess, for example) instead of tabloid-like scandal.
Your article is well-written and goes on to pretty much torch media and consumers alike for their almost ravenous hunger for controversy and the meeting of extremely high expectations from the England side, however, the title is what draws you in - when you read the article (or even before you do, if you have half a brain), you realize this broad, sweeping statement was meant exactly for that - to get you reading this article. It's the very definition of irony.
If you don't make it as a journalist, try politics. Pots call kettles black all the time in that field.
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Alex Dimond 9 months ago
Eric, I see where you are coming from with your comment (and I couldn't help but smile at the irony you perceive too) but I don't quite think you are on the money. I don't believe the title is 'inflammatory' - depending on how you read it, it is just a balanced question. Out of interest, what sort of title would you have recommended?
And I think you are slightly off when you say the headline is ironic in relation to the content of the piece. If it was, then I would spend most of the article slating the media for writing 'inflammatory' headlines to draw the reader in - but I don't think there is any point where I actually do that.
Having said all that, I take on board what you say - as you are right in many respects. We should try and set ourselves by what we write, without needing to resort to tabloid-like scandal. I didn't want to 'scandalize' this article, that wasn't my aim - but if it came off that way to you then it is something I will keep in mind in future.
And I might look into this field you call 'politics'. It sounds like a lot of fun and games go on in that field!
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Bela Trimmel 9 months ago
Amazing, Alex. Simply amazing.
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S B 9 months ago
I pretty much agree. Great stuff. Much needed article.
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Alex Dimond 9 months ago
Oh S, you disappoint me - I expected more banter from you! Having said that, your response was what I was secretly hoping for :)
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Salomon Gonzales 9 months ago
Fair play to you mate.
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Thomas 9 months ago
Forgive me for being behind the times, but England won against Andorra right? I've been too busy to pay attention.
Anyways, I do think that the press has something to do with England's performance. The more pressure on a team, the more it's harder to perform. England is probably the hardest country to please in terms of soccer success. GReat article Alex.
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Joe G 9 months ago
Excellent article, Alex. I like to follow as many matches as possible on the Guardian's minute-by-minute reports, and those journos, while hilarious, have at times openly rooted for England to lose. I think there is some definite trickle-down from the media to the fans.
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mark andrew 9 months ago
Amazing , it took me 5 minutes to stop gawping at the screen , your work is mesmerising .
Sorry I didnt read it sooner ( Busy being narked off by Lewis Hamiltons unfair penalty )
I reckon your spot on , the fans want success , this means pressure on the players not to let their people down , we all know that pressure = panic , etc..... and when they are under the cosh , they panic , when they panic they play poorly .
The media Quadruple this pressure - panic as it then becomes public , the players then have a massive amount of pressure on their shoulders to keep the fans happy and sock it to the media , it doesnt work that way though , the players are under enough pressure by just wearing the 3 lions on their chest without the fans and media jumping on their backs .
I get a bit frustrated at England players performances , we have at least 6 of the squad are champions league winners , so why cant they perform on the pitch for England ?????? Pressure and Panic thats why . , but still , they are doing a damn sight better job than i could do on those pitches
5 * and POTD without saying really , but I said it anyway :0)
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Stefan Vasilev 9 months ago
get your article published in some newspaper and we might see some changes. :) Great article , Alex.
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Salaar Arshad Shamsi 9 months ago
Alex Dimond, you are absolutely fantastic! IN ONE WORD - YES!
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Matt S 9 months ago
Yes, yes, YES. Great article. Unfortunately half the idiots that follow the national team wouldn’t have the intelligence needed to grasp the fact that newspapers don’t actually tell the truth and would be shocked to find out that England aren’t the best team in the world and shouldn’t have won every tournament in the last 50 years if it wasn’t for one reason or another.
There’s no harm in aiming for the top (indeed, what’s the point in competing at all if you’re not looking to win) but expectations *must* be realistic. There’s some top quality football nations out there and England should be looking to stay in the Top 10 of these at the moment, that’s probably around our level at the moment and three successive quarter finals under Erikson was pretty good going. Shame the media told the fans that we should have been winning all these tournaments…
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Daniel Kaiser 9 months ago
I agree with the other commentators: it`s an excellent article and it hits the nail on the head.
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Jon Marum 9 months ago
Just another point I thought I'd put out there after re-reading this.
It's about expectations of the England team, occasionally we have produced great performances where the whole nation gets really excited- which means expectations hit the roof!
Im talking abt smashing Holland 4-1 in Euro 96, the 5-1 win over Germany in Munich, the 3-2 friendly win over Argentina before the world cup in 2006 and Rooney's breathtaking display in Euro 2004 against Croatia. Its hard not to get swept up in the furore that surrounds these victories, because you can see how England can actually play!
It seems that the team pay for playing well because the media ramp up the expectations after these wins, and consequently the pressure too. The media need to exert some more professionalism - credit when its due, and criticism when its needed... but as professionals they really shouldnt need to resort to the hyperbolic headlines and sensationalist writing that maligns the England side.
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Anthony Sanchez 9 months ago
Seeing John Terry lifting a trophy, ANY trophy! is my worst nightmare. Keep booing england fans! well written article Alex.
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Karen Patel 9 months ago
Great article, and you're absolutely right, England are hyped up to be one of the greatest national teams in the world when in reality they are near enough the opposite.
Yet there is so much pressure on them with each game, and every performance is scrutinised by the media and fans. Obviously they are not completely to blame: the players are being paid ridiculous amounts of money and with a manager the calibre of Capello we all have the right to expect more from them.
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Steven Ho 9 months ago
It should be blamed on Sven and Steve McClaren who instilled rubbish-ness into them for six years.
Give Capello some time. I'm certain he'll prove them wrong.
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Willie Gannon 9 months ago
Alex,
You've taken one of the reasons I mentioned for England's failure over the last few years and ran with it. What I breezed over in a few paragraphs you have taken and produced an article of real quality. I make no bones about it when I say that this is one of the best things you've written.
Give yourself a pat on the back.
If you can continue to produce excellent articles of this nature then I will look forward to reading your name in the football pages someday,maybe then someone from the media might try and give a balanced view instead of vegetable shaped headlines.
Willie.
5* and potd
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David James 9 months ago
Fact is we are a country built around performance and our culture is a bigger influence than the media. Us English folk, are built up on a culture of victory, look at British history et al. and anything less than victory is more than unacceptable. Our expectations are influence by the media, we scrawl through paper tabloids looking for latest transfer briefs to excitedly speculate with our nearest and dearest - but our permenent love is with our club sides.
We are undoubtably a club-proud nation, built up on the 60's hysterina of supporting your own home town club and the rise of European Football propelling dominance of clubs inter-continentally. Viewing figures recognise that we watch more club football than International football in-season - few watch and adore the African Nation Cup because of it's location in the calendar. The World & European Cup is adaquately poised in the summer off-season months where it is guarenteed full viewing potential of the public.
If Fans boo a player it is their natural adverse reaction to play poorly - it's in our culture, because when we are not loved, our confidence and heads drop. One must look at the likes of Ronaldo, to recognise that greatness can come from hatred and that as a footballer you must play the game and not to the crowd.
Footballer's know the media is there to play against them, if you talk to many of the top players, they don't read speculation, because they know it will effect them - that is why, pre-empted by agents, or not, players outrightly deny any knowledge of this speculation.
You can't beat the media - the media is there to create and divide opinion. It doesn't effect players at club level, so why should it effect them at national level? It's purely a footballing faux-pas - if you play 11 players on a pitch who don't play together, your performance levels will be lower and the fact footballers are so used to their club sides, means that is another lower performance level as it will be a different style of play. The only way to bridge this divide is to build a squad from Schoolboy to Full National Caps.
That will never happen - so how do you beat the media? You don't - you just have to bribe them.
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