John Terry blasts another substandard performance from England fans

JOHN TERRY has called on England fans to raise their game ahead of tonight’s World Cup Qualifier against Croatia. The England skipper said that supporters’ all-round performances must improve if they are to go to Zagreb and out-sing their talented opponents.

Terry’s call to arms comes after a substandard performance against Andorra which suggested that the national side’s support have not learnt the lessons from a disastrous Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.

The England captain said: “We all know that there is a lot of talent out there on the terraces, but they just aren’t putting in the performances at international level that they do for their clubs.”

“There’s no understanding in the middle of the terraces, and the Sheffield Wednesday band looked lost and isolated up front.”

Despite eventually out-singing the largely amateur Andorran contingent by a two-song margin, the English supporters looked short of ideas and lacked cohesion in a dull first half in which they failed to take their chants.

As the half-time whistle blew the England players booed their fans off the terraces, angry with another performance that suggested supporters were out of touch with their team, and no longer considered supporting England to be an honour.

Debate has raged over the problems with international fandom in this country, with many pundits blaming the influx of foreign fans into the Premier League in recent years.

Head of the England supporters association Tim Clarke said: “Some English fans can’t even break onto the waiting list for season tickets at big clubs because of the amount of fans coming from abroad. How is a fan meant to perform at an international level if their only taste of domestic action is reserve and Rumbelows Cup games?”

However, others believe that it is this sort of isolationist attitude which has harmed English fandom in the last few decades, and called on England fans to embrace foreign techniques such as firecrackers, jumping up and down waving their shirt above their head, and sustained car-horn tooting in town squares after victories.

“We can’t go on living on the glories of the boys of ‘66,” added Crozier. “Yes we were probably the best fans in the world back then, but times have changed. And to be honest, I’m still not sure if the crucial third chant crossed the line that day anyway.”

Published November 24, 2008

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