Is it ok to boo your own team?

[Burgey]

Agree with this, it's the performance not the result.

Especially in a WC. I mean, in a friendly or whatever, can understand being a bit lax about things.

It happens in all sports to an extent, but quite astonishing it would at a WC. I mean, Ausrealia lose to the Bangers in an ODI in 05, but when they played a team like Ireland at the WC in 07, there was no suggestion of complacency - they just dished out a flogging.

Guess I just find the performance of England in that game perplexing tstl.

[PhoenixFire]

Absolutely reckon it's OK. If people have forked our £1000s to travel to SA to watch England play like that, which was an absolute bag of ****e, then I reckon they're perfectly entitled to show their displeasure by booing them. The players need to either toughen the **** up or start actually proving they're worth the stupid amount of money paid to them.

[Smudge]

Yep, no problems here. Didn't see the game, but the reports suggest the performance completely lack passion. And if you can't get fired up for an international game at a World Cup, you shouldn't be in the squad.

[BoyBrumby]

Originally Posted by Burgey

I wonder though, if the thought that England has some divine right to proclaim teams like Algeria as demosntrably inferiror is no small part of the problem.

Gerard expressed a similar view when he came off, his mindset basically just assuming the notion of Algeria being competitive is anathema.

Think that attitude from a pro is crap frankly. If that's the way they think then no wonder they played so listlessly, without any passion.

Seemed they were just waiting for someone else to make it fall into place.

I wasn't suggesting we should automatically sweep teams like Algeria aside, but if one looks at any accepted measurement of the net ability/worth of an international side (recent results, rankings, players' domestic performances) then I reckon it's fair to say Algeria are demonstrably inferior. From memory they'd lost 6 of their last 7 games before they played us.

There is something wrong tho, whether it's fear or failure, hubris, techincal ineptitude, fatigue or a combo thereof. Capello needs to crack heads; bloke's a proven winner wherever he's been so his ability isn't in doubt. Same can't be said of the players.

[Spark]

TBH it's not just that you didn't win - an unlucky draw can still be a perfectly respectable, even commendable, performance. However, England never looked like winning. That was the difference.

[Ikki]

Pretty sure Gerrard gave credit to the Algerians but was taking the blame for himself and the team for playing poorly as, by any realistic measure England are the superior side. In fact, the hypocrisy is the fans expect England to beat Algeria yet have a fit that the players themselves may think that they're the better team and should expect to win.

[GIMH]

I agree. I remember during the T20 Wc in 09 (the one we didn't sweep all before us in, FTR) Pietersen came out and said "we should never ever be losing to the Netherlands, it's a disgrace" and I was made up he said that.

Defoe's comments (Brumby's sig) on the other hand...

[nightprowler10]

Absolutely okay to boo IMO. I booed my tits off when I watched the Bulls blow a 17 point lead and lose by 10 to the Grizzlies and I'm the biggest Bulls fan I know. Some performances simply deserve the booing.

Of course at least half the time I was saying Boo-urns....

[GingerFurball]

Originally Posted by BoyBrumby

There is something wrong tho, whether it's fear or failure, hubris, techincal ineptitude, fatigue or a combo thereof. Capello needs to crack heads; bloke's a proven winner wherever he's been so his ability isn't in doubt. Same can't be said of the players.

For all his pedigree, over the last 6 weeks Capello has made some strange decisions that someone like McLaren would have been absolutely slated for.

[Burgey]

Originally Posted by BoyBrumby

I wasn't suggesting we should automatically sweep teams like Algeria aside, but if one looks at any accepted measurement of the net ability/worth of an international side (recent results, rankings, players' domestic performances) then I reckon it's fair to say Algeria are demonstrably inferior. From memory they'd lost 6 of their last 7 games before they played us.

There is something wrong tho, whether it's fear or failure, hubris, techincal ineptitude, fatigue or a combo thereof. Capello needs to crack heads; bloke's a proven winner wherever he's been so his ability isn't in doubt. Same can't be said of the players.

Yeah, I know you weren't suggesting it, but I wonder if the players have that mind set is all. It was like they'd all had a valium half an hour before the match. Just a bizarre performance all round.

As everyone's noted, if they'd had an unlucky draw or whatever, so be it, but I honestly couldn't believe they played the way they did. And i was supporting them, certainly not barracking against them.

Dunno why that is tbh. Have always supported England at the WC, guess it was all those years we never made it, and they had the players I was most familiar with from watching First Division/ EPL all those years.

[Matteh]

Think shared language plays a huge part in identifying with other countries in a sporting context. Will usually happily back England, Scotland, Wales, Irelands, Australia, New Zealand and the USA over pretty much anyone.

South Africa though...naah.

[Burgey]

Yeah, probably a fair point. Same reason why I won't support the Yanks

[Langeveldt]

If I had forked out a lot of money to see either England in the early stages, or France play like they did, they'd be getting a boo-ing from me.. Completely justified..

[Langeveldt]

Originally Posted by Matteh

Think shared language plays a huge part in identifying with other countries in a sporting context. Will usually happily back England, Scotland, Wales, Irelands, Australia, New Zealand and the USA over pretty much anyone.

South Africa though...naah.

Yeah true.. Although the amount of support for the USA has been excessive I've found.. For a country that many consider it fine to hate, they have picked up a lot of fans since SA's exit

[Jono]

Originally Posted by Burgey

Yeah, probably a fair point. Same reason why I won't support the Yanks