by Sun Meilan

Created on: June 20, 2010

England fans were prepared to watch England stroll to victory during Friday night's match against Algeria. It should have been a straightforward match; it was anything but. The England team looked uncomfortable, played badly and were eventually booed by their own fans - something virtually unheard of from a usually deeply loyal band of fans. Viewers back home were also less than impressed, and there has been much debate over what on earth happened to make them play so badly. 

The booing clearly did not go down well with the team. Wayne Rooney, known for his occasional outbursts, couldn't control himself from retaliating. As he walked off the pitch at the end of the game, he turned to a television camera, saying: 'Nice to see your own fans booing you....that's what loyal support is...'. Clearly angry and frustrated, it wasn't just what he said, it was the tone of voice and it didn't go down well with the fans back home, who well and truly denounced him for his high-handedness. 

Rooney has clearly since regretted his outburst and has apologised to fans - although whether this was at his own instigation or was something that he was persuaded to do remains to be seen. His statement, reported in the Telegraph and most other British newspapers, was as follows: "Last night, on reflection, I said things in the heat of the moment that came out of frustration of both our performance and the result. For my part I apologise for any offence caused by my actions at the end of the game. The most important thing now is to regroup, be positive and work towards winning the game on Wednesday. To do this the players will need the support of the fans more than ever."

The apology has gone a little way towards appeasing angry England fans, who point out that his massive salary gives them the right to expect him to play well, especially after those who have gone out to South Africa have paid a fortune in airfares and hotel costs. There is also a suggestion that Rooney isn't really sorry for what he said; he is just sorry that he did it so publicly. There is little doubt that he will be incredibly unpopular if he doesn't show improved form on Wednesday night's match against Slovenia - which will provide England's last chance to go through to the next round. 

Rooney has undoubtedly been rash. However, it is obvious that he reacted so badly because he was disappointed and angry with himself and the team and being booed on top of that is bound to have affected him. He should have been able to keep himself under control, but he didn't. England fans now need to get past this. As Rooney admits, the team needs the support of fans and few of us want to see England out of the World Cup and sent home in disgrace. We need to put Friday night and Rooney's behaviour behind us and hope that whatever affected them was an aberration. It isn't just the team that needs to regroup; the fans do too. Go England!

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