Gerrard: England deserve Wembley boos

10 August 2010 14:24
Captain Steven Gerrard admits England deserve to be jeered by supporters during tomorrow's friendly international against Hungary.[LNB] England are expected to be given a tough time by fans following their disappointing World Cup campaign in South Africa this summer.[LNB]Gerrard told today's press conference: "I'm expecting a mixed reaction. I'm sure there'll be boos but we have to take it on the chin. We deserve it, we let them down.[LNB]"Hopefully, with time, we can show them we are a good team and that we're desperate to make them happy."[LNB]Asked if he would boo the national team, he added: "I probably would."[LNB]Coach Fabio Capello received a lot of criticism for his man-management and tactics during the World Cup but the Football Association chose to stick with the Italian, and Gerrard has no doubt it was the right decision.[LNB]He said: "I've got big faith in this manager. It would be very stupid and naive not to have that moving forward. He's a fantastic manager.[LNB]"You can't shift all the blame onto the manager in these situations. We have to share the blame and take it on the chin together."[LNB]Capello said yesterday he did not know how to improve the mindset of his players, who he described as playing with fear rather than confidence.[LNB]Gerrard continued: "All the players will listen very carefully over the next couple of days and looking forward. Obviously things didn't work out in South Africa so we have to listen to the man who has the experience and follow his lead."[LNB]Gerrard continued on Sky Sports News: "The manager spoke on behalf of all of us yesterday.[LNB]"For me there are no excuses at all. The simple message is we have to show how sorry we are by our performances on the pitch.[LNB]"We have to study where we went wrong on the pitch against Germany and try to put those things right. The mental side of things will only improve by winning games."[LNB]The Liverpool midfielder added: "I don't feel I was played out of position in South Africa. I felt I did a decent job. I'll play anywhere and won't cause an issue.[LNB]"But I'm not going to lie and say it's difficult to be playing for England because it is. The results haven't gone the way we would have liked.[LNB]"But hopefully three or four games down the line we'll have given a bit of confidence back to the supporters and you guys (the Press) because at the moment it is tough."[LNB]On the retirements of Paul Robinson and Wes Brown, Gerrard added: "If the manager picks you to play for England my opinion is you should come and play - but players are different. Some have injury problems, some are frustrated for being left out of major tournaments.[LNB]"I don't know how I'd deal with that situation but there is no way I was going out after the experience of South Africa - I want to go out on a high.[LNB]"I've got total confidence in the manager, his coaching staff and the players around me that we can change things around and become a good team."

Source: Team_Talk