England's woes are not the fans fault

Filed in archive England on September 10, 2008

Why has Wembley suddenly become a nightmare venue for England?

For years Wembley was a fortress. The team played in front of flag waving fans in a serious show of patriotism. With the possible exception of Euro 1996, England often let down the fans but still they supported them.

Now, with the humiliating failure to qualify for Euro 2008 some of the fans have turned on the players and started to demand more from their well paid, over-hyped representatives on the pitch.

Unused to this justifiable criticism the players have started talking about a total lack of confidence and the anxiety of the fans at Wembley getting to them. Even Fabio Capello has said that he would rather play away from Wembley. He says the pressure exerted by the fans at home is too much for the players to bear.

I wonder if the manager and players have considered the fact that the supporters pay an awful lot of money to be entertained and if they are short changed, they have a right to voice their displeasure.

This is not a chicken and the egg situation. The poor performances came first. The criticism came second.

The players need to look at themselves, not talk about fans draining their confidence.