Perhaps Gareth Southgate’s greatest achievement at the England helm has been to inculcate a sense of togetherness in his squads. This had been noticeably absent in teams under those who preceded him: at one point, for example, the first-choice central defence partnership, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, refused to even talk to each other, while the two best midfielders, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, seemed unable to play together.
Strangely, this change was symbolised by some inflatable unicorns. The players were photographed laughing and messing about in a swimming pool during Southgate’s first tournament, the 2018 World Cup, at which he took his team further than any England outfit had in decades. Suddenly what had previously been stressful international football meant fun larks with rainbows. The squad was akin to a bunch of lovable lads on holiday, mates on tour. It was one for all and all for one.
‘All you do every week is moan about Conte… Moan, moan, moan. I’m sick of it’
Then, after the penalty shootout in the Euro 2020 (but played in 2021) final, this united front took a sterner turn: online abuse of penalty missers Rashford, Sancho and Saka saw the rest of the squad respond in collective outrage. The England team’s unity by now felt more urgent.
But a downside of all this togetherness and positivity has been a growing tendency to conflate unacceptable abuse with completely normal – and indeed healthy – moaning. This syndrome was on display in the aftermath of the lacklustre opening 1-0 win against Serbia on Sunday night. First there was man-of-the-match Jude Bellingham denouncing ‘negative themes’ and tetchily defending his new midfield partner, Trent Alexander-Arnold: ‘I know people talk a lot of rubbish… I thought he was brilliant.’
Then vice-captain Kyle Walker, expanding on the same theme, said: ‘The media like to build up a storm and put thoughts in your head that probably shouldn’t be there… All of these players are fantastic players.’
While I appreciate the pair defending Alexander-Arnold, I think most supporters would agree that he looked more like a panicking fullback in midfield, like Andrea Pirlo circa 2016, or indeed Tom Brady at assorted Super Bowls.
He certainly did not look brilliant. Neither did Phil Foden. Which is not to say that both may not grow into their roles and into the tournament – and I hope they do. But for fans to do a bit of carping around the more disappointing aspects of the opening performance is emphatically not some kind of heresy or betrayal. On the contrary – it’s the fans’ role. Many if not most football supporters are innately pessimistic: about their team, its prospects and often, yes, its players. Complaining about them is a central rite of their support.
A colleague who is a long-suffering Spurs season ticket holder spent the whole of the 2021-2 season complaining loudly about the new manager Antonio Conte and his tactics. In the final game of that season, the bloke behind him had had enough: he suddenly turned on my friend in a passionate outburst: ‘All you do every week is moan about Conte… Moan, moan, moan. I’m sick of it.’
But this is what real football fans are like. They do moan. Their reserves of hope and optimism can be exhausted after just 20 seconds of a new season. They can repeat the same tedious diatribes almost verbatim, game after game, week after week, for an entire season. They bitch, they whine, they endlessly complain. And most of them deep down enjoy doing so. Moaning is how they express their fandom. A disappointing outcome that they have predicted in advance is central to their sense of footballing identity. It’s what’s Spursy about supporting Spurs. And when things go really wrong they are not afraid to confront failure head on. The subject of terrace chants can quickly flip from, ‘You’re so shit it’s unbelievable,’ to a self-admonishing ‘We’re’.
One of the reasons players seem to have become more touchy about criticism is undoubtedly the rise of online and social media abuse. This ranges from the faceless troll types involved in that 2021 post-penalties racism to those tiresome YouTubers who have turned theatrical complaining about football teams into a monetised pseudo career. But these people are a world away from the regular or traditional match-attending supporter who just wants to sound off to anyone who will listen. It is, after all, a vital part of their match day experience.
Southgate and his players have made repeated references to blocking outside ‘noise’. And if this helps them to focus then so they should. But please don’t try to silence your own supporters. They’re not your enemy, they’re on your side. They want you to win – they just don’t expect you to.
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