Lampard fears the Wembley crowd could yet turn on England if their final European Championship qualifier with Croatia does not go to plan.Moaning Lampard Deserves The Boo Boys!
Lampard fears the Wembley crowd could yet turn on England if their final European Championship qualifier with Croatia does not go to plan.Do England deserve to qualify after some ridiculous, poor performances and poor results, in a group they should have "stormed"?
The fact is ... the chance of making Euro 2008 is now on a plate. And if the players blow it THIS time, the likes of Lampard should take all the flak thrown at them.
We are very lucky to be in this position, and if McClaren and his £100,000-a-week players haven't got the bottle to see it out ... don't blame the fans!
Chelsea midfielder Lampard, no stranger to the boo boys for both club and country, and he must ask himself why.
Lampard: "There was a very real prospect we'd be walking out on Wednesday night in front of 90,000 England fans who wanted to vent their anger and disappointment.
"The fans would have wanted to vent their frustration and we, as players, would have had to accept that.
"There's still the chance that the mood of the England crowd will change if we don't get the result we want, that we need against Croatia.
"No-one ever wants to be booed or abused. But we know that in the current climate it's a situation that's impossible to ignore.
"I have endured a lot of abuse in my time.
"First when I was at West Ham and now that I am at Chelsea.
"I have developed a thick skin and I can deal with it now.
"It just doesn't sting me anymore like it did in my early years.
"But it will hurt me if the Wembley crowd turns against us.
"We have the best fans in the world and if they get behind us they can make a huge difference.
"Having said that, if we don't get through then a lot of people are going to complain, will want to have a go and we must be big and brave enough to accept it."