WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING:FRANK LAMPARD will start tomorrow's World Cup qualifier against Croatia at Wembley aiming to secure the victory that would ensure passage to the finals in South Africa and has offered Joleon Lescott words of support after the Manchester City defender was booed by England supporters in Saturday's friendly win against Slovenia.
Lescott’s protracted €27.3m move from Everton, where David Moyes had publicly questioned his attitude, has ostracised him from a section of England’s support with the country’s second most expensive defender following Lampard and Ashley Cole in enduring abuse from the team’s own fans.
Criticism of Lampard centred upon what some perceived to have been substandard performances for England, though he began his road to redemption by scoring what might have proved a critical penalty in the 3-2 defeat to Croatia in the final game of Steve McClaren’s reign.
“Maybe people respected the fact I stepped up and took that penalty at a very difficult moment, particularly because it had been a funny period for me before then,” added Lampard. “Booing is part of the modern culture. It is unfortunate but, as players, we have to take that as the way it is. I have had a little bit of it, Ashley has too, but the only benefit out of it is people will come out stronger. It makes you tougher.
“I don’t know Joleon well but, from what I’ve seen, he’s tough. The timing of his move was unfortunate. He is just trying to forward his career in an upward direction but, because it was so prolonged, people make a lot of judgments. He has never shown me he is not putting in 100 per cent effort and trying to do his best.”
Meanwhile, David Beckham confronted the unthinkable last night. The veteran has moulded his immediate career plans almost entirely around the sole aim of convincing Fabio Capello he deserves a place in England’s World Cup squad. However, with memories of Paul Gascoigne in 1998 abounding, his would be a sense of acceptance rather than outrage should he not be selected.
Gascoigne wrecked a hotel room and acted like “a man possessed” according to Glenn Hoddle when informed he would not be included in 1998.
“I’m an England fan,” said Beckham when offered a similar scenario. “If I don’t end up being in the squad that goes to South Africa, that won’t mean I won’t still be supporting the lads and wanting them to win. I want to be involved but, if I’m not selected, it’s because the manager believes he’d have a stronger squad and stronger players without me. I would accept that.”
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