COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) – While England won their group at Euro 2024 their humdrum scoreless draw against Slovenia on Tuesday, the third dull performance in as many games, had frustrated supporters poking fun at coach Gareth Southgate and his team.
Even Irish-owned airline Ryanair got in on the heckling, writing in a post to the team on X: “That’s enough, let’s get you home.”
The tepid draw launched numerous amusing memes, including a photo of a man sitting facing a brick wall under the words “Watching England play football.”
Another showed Southgate planting an England flag at the top of a manure pile, with the words “Group C.”
England, who could muster only two goals in three games, enjoyed 70% possession on Tuesday but despite boasting four of the best attackers in European soccer this past season, had just four shots on target.
Many England fans in Cologne beat a hasty exit well before the final whistle, and many of the ones who stayed angrily booed the team off the pitch. A few hurled empty beer cups in Southgate’s direction, which had the manager looking shell-shocked in the post-game press conference.
“When there’s such a strong association with what the national football team represents in so many ways, and when you don’t have success there’s always going to be a love-hate relationship,” Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou said during Tuesday night’s television broadcast.
“Everyone talks about history and the group that win something will leave that behind,” he added. “It is natural to feel hurt when criticism comes your way.”
Former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville said Southgate’s men “looked so basic in the first half.”
“It was a struggle to watch but it moved forward a lot in the second half even though we didn’t get the result but there was glimpses of what we can be,” he said during the broadcast.
“England have Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Kobbie Mainoo, Phil Foden — massive, massive talents and we cannot afford to mismanage them.”
Neville believes the 19-year-old Mainoo will start in Sunday’s last-16 game at midfield in place of Conor Gallagher, who had started on Tuesday in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold. Second-half substitutes Mainoo, Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer were among England’s bright spots on an otherwise dreary night.
Southgate, who guided England to a place in the 2020 Euro final where they lost to Italy in a shootout, said he understands supporters’ frustration and will bear the brunt of the criticism, but made a plea to fans to at least support the players.
“I understand it. I’m not going to back away from it. The most important thing is the supporters stay with the team,” Southgate said.
“I understand the narrative towards me and that’s better for the team than it being towards them. But it is creating an unusual environment to operate in. I’ve not seen any other team qualify and receive similar.”
England’s last-16 opponent is yet to be determined.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Toby Chopra)
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