MX23RW : Sunday, November 24 21:44:53| >> :600:196992:196992:

Gareth Southgate: 'We need backing from England supporters'

Gareth Southgate: 'We need fan backing'
© SilverHub
England boss Gareth Southgate hopes to see supporters get right behind his players, but admits that patience will be required.

Gareth Southgate has admitted that the onus is on his England players to entertain supporters, having been booed during the win over Slovenia.

The Three Lions ensured their place in next summer's World Cup finals by earning a 1-0 victory at Wembley Stadium on Thursday, secured through a last-gasp Harry Kane strike.

That late goal was not enough to appease some fans in attendance, however, which also proved to be the case during the disjointed display when eventually seeing off minnows Malta 4-0 last month.

Southgate hopes to work as one with England supporters, but says that patience is required from the stands following years of underperforming on the field.

"The players need a chance to grow and they need the country to get behind them," he told reporters. "We are picking up the consequences of decades of disappointment and this group are nowhere near as experienced as those teams.

"We have to keep winning football matches. The more we can play football which excites people and scores goals, the more we will win people over. We have tried to be as open as we can be. We are in an era where it must be difficult for fans to relate to players because of what they earn. But these are good kids, desperate to play for England.

"You are always at tournaments to win football matches but you also have to be thinking what is realistic. I don't know how far the team can go at the moment, but what I do know is that we have got a group of players who I am proud to manage because they want to pull on the England shirt."

England round off their World Cup 2018 qualifying campaign with a trip to face Lithuania in Vilnius on Sunday evening.

ID:309011: cacheID:309011:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2876:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Jack Butland sits injured during the international friendly between Germany and England on March 26, 2016
Read Next:
Jack Butland to start against Lithuania
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Vikings
@
Bears
FT
Lions
24-6
Colts
6pm
Patriots
@
Dolphins
FT
Buccaneers
30-7
Giants
6pm
Chiefs
@
Panthers
6pm
Titans
@
Texans
6pm
Cowboys
@
Washington
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Raiders
9.25pm
49ers
@
Packers
9.25pm
Cardinals
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!