GARETH SOUTHGATE has given his thoughts on the angry reaction from the Wembley faithful after defeat to Iceland under the arch.
England were looking for the perfect send off before heading out to Germany for the Euros, but instead were booed off the pitch by their own fans after a lacklustre effort saw them lose 1-0.
The friendly was supposed to be a breezy confidence builder against a team some 68 places below England in the Fifa world rankings, with a population the size of Bournemouth.
Instead it knocked players' confidence as they trudged off the pitch to the disappointed boos of Three Lions fans - a noise Southgate can only hope doesn't ring in their ears through until next weekend's opener.
But the England boss isn't hiding from what was a shocking performance as he sympathised with the opinions of the boo boys inside Wembley.
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When asked what his message was to the booing supporters, he said: "I completely understand [the boos]. We didn’t play well enough to keep them excited within the game.
"We had some very, very good chances which normally would be finished which could have given a different complexion to the game and of course would have affected the confidence of the opponent.
"But that would have masked some flaws that were apparent tonight. From my perspective, I’ve learned a lot from the game.
"It does focus the mind that any sort of complacency that talent is going to get us this trophy and that we only have to stroll in…football is not like that.
"You’ve got to be spot on in every aspect of the game to win any game at this level and we were a long way short of that tonight and Iceland deserved their win."
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He went on to reiterate that he understood why the fans would hit out at their own team after such a performance.
Adding: "I have no qualms with the supporters' reaction.
"To have the fans with you here obviously makes a massive difference, but you have to give them enough goalmouth action.
"You have to play well enough, press and win the ball with intensity to keep them with you during the game.
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"It’s not the night we wanted, the performance was not on the level it needed to be.
"It’s far from an ideal night, I’m not going to dress up the disappointment but we have to stay calm because we know what needs to be put right."
England can put it right next Sunday when they take on Serbia in their first game of Euro 2024.
But it won't be an easy affair against star players like Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic and former Premier League bagsman Aleksandr Mitrovic amongst the ranks for the Serbs.
Southgate could have to do it without his best central defender too as more injury woes hit the England camp during the 1-0 defeat to Iceland.
John Stones went down in the first half and needed lengthy treatment on the pitch before being hooked for his own good at half time.
However, Southgate doesn't seem overly concerned that the Man City star will be out of action long term.
He explained: "John we decided at half-time there was no point in taking any chances because we’re obviously so close to the tournament and he’s a very important player for us.
"We think he's probably okay."
