Cole (l): Has the support of his team-mates
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Capello's England rally round Cole
England coach Fabio Capello has hit out at the fans who booed Ashley Cole at Wembley - and has told the left-back he retains his full support.
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Cole's inexplicable blunder led to Kazakhstan's surprise goal in the home side's 5-1 World Cup qualifying win.
Although Capello had called for the England fans to get behind their team, an element of the 90,000 sell-out crowd reacted immediately and jeered Cole every time he touched the ball.
Football Association officials were at pains to stress it was only a minority of fans involved, but Capello feels their actions were counter-productive.
"The supporters have to understand these things are possible," he said.
"When you play and work in sport, you can make mistakes.
"If that happens, you have to support the team. It is not good to boo one player. (The fans) were supporting the team - but when Ashley Cole has the ball they boo. I do not understand that."
Cole's Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard has often been jeered at Wembley in the past, while Tottenham's David Bentley was verbally attacked over his decision to pull out of the England Under-21s squad last year so late that coach Stuart Pearce had no time to call up a replacement for the European Championships.
The FA are keen to ensure the England fans - who have cleaned up their act in recent years - remain fully behind the team.
"It is unacceptable to boo Ashley," said director of communications Adrian Bevington.
"(Stand-in captain) Rio (Ferdinand) has said the supporters should be ashamed of themselves, and quite rightly so.
"We want different supporters to the ones who were booing.
"But it is not completely one-way traffic. We had a massive crowd, the vast majority of whom were fantastic in supporting the team.
"In the end, there were as many people making their own presence felt by shouting down those who were booing as those who were booing in the first place."
Capello offered Cole some reassurance immediately after the game, although he too had words of praise for the majority.
"I told Ashley it is okay, and there are no problems," he said.
"But someone in the dressing room told me the crowd clapped Ashley Cole after the game. This is very important - because overall, I think the crowd were fantastic."
Ferdinand, who scored the opening goal, said: "The booing was disappointing because overall the fans were very good and made it an intimidating atmosphere for the opposing team.
"It was good to be in an environment like that. But then that happens, and it leaves a sour taste in your mouth.
"I am sure those people who booed on reflection, when they sit at home, will be a little bit ashamed of themselves - and they won't do it again."
Ferdinand believes the crowd reaction must be put into context.
"Has there been trepidation about playing at Wembley?" he asks.
"I think there has been a bit of agitation, and maybe there were more nerves than usual - because of the atmosphere there had been in the last few games.
"I saw a definite positive change in the way the fans got behind us, especially in the first half.
"It is an ongoing thing. We have to make sure we keep the fans happy, keep them smiling, keep putting backsides on seats - and if we do that by winning games, I'm sure we will turn it all on our side."
Midfielder Lampard added: "The booing is a negative, because I think Ashley Cole is the best left-back in the world - and I am fortunate enough to play every week alongside him at Chelsea.
"People make mistakes, from football players to everyone in life. Ashley has been faultless this season and has made one mistake.
"There was some booing, but I think there was a reaction as well from people who tried to clap him and were trying to help him get over that."
Striker Jermain Defoe, who scored England's final goal, said: "Personally speaking I was very surprised at the reaction towards Ashley.
"It was a little bit harsh. He has always played well for England, and I hope the fans can take it back in the next game and just get behind him - because he is a fantastic player.
"Ashley didn't deserve that at all. He is one of the best full-backs in the world."
Emile Heskey admitted defenders are more likely to come in for stick from the fans than forwards.
He said: "If a striker makes a mistake, he has got the chance to put things right and score a goal. If a defender makes an error, it can cost a goal."
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Your Comments
chelseatillidie (Chelsea fan)
"Let me get this right. Firstly, playing at home is supposed to be an advantage and yet these muppets ruin the advantage we have at Wembley by making it a couldren of hate for our OWN players, how thick can these fools be. What happens when we get a penalty, no-one will step up to take it for fear of the potential backlash! No one forces you to pay to go these games, so use your brain power and get behind the team, otherwise save your poxy money and boo from your living room. Secondly, a few boo boys have been interviewed since the game on Saturday and the large majority have claimed it is Coles off the field activity's that they are booing (like our friend hoxtonhockler on this post). If this is the case and it is judgement on such behaviour that you feel you need to condemn, then don't go to Wembley but instead visit the Jeremy Kyle show. What is our game coming to! This is football, put your heat magazine down! "
TrueBlueSimon (Chelsea fan)
"When Mark Hughes came to Chelsea he claimed that the most common thing he heard when he met a Chelsea fan was "I used to hate you at United". The reason was that as a player Hughesy was horrible, and so the only fans who would ever get behind him were his own. In Ashley Cole we have a similar situation in that he is pretty much unanimously disliked as a player (though probably mainly because of his adverse off the pitch publicity) but this doesn't stop Chelsea fans getting behind him every week. The reason for this is that like Mark Hughes in his day, Ashley Cole is arguably one of the best in the world at what he does so Chelsea fans are able to put aside their opinions of him as a man for 90 minutes every Saturday and wholeheartedly get behind him. What I find so disappointing is that some England fans continue to view him through the tinted glasses of a partisan club supporter even when he is playing for the team they pupport to love until they die, England. Suerely once he has the three lions of England emblazoned on his chest he becomes one of us, a proud, patriotic Englishman? So why was he not treated as such on Saturday evening? To hear people spouting that they paid their money and were therefore entitled to boo if they so wished utterly incredible. Can these people not see that their small minded attitude to one England player can be so detrimental to the rest of the team that we could end up losing? I would like to think that Saturday's boo boys can see the idiocy of thier actions and learn from it, sadly I doubt that many of them will."
oghominene (Chelsea fan)
"hoxtonhockler and gunnerzed, it is people like you who kill football. I don't know how the moderators of teamtalk will allow your kind of contributions when they are so bias and plain stupid. If we are allowed to just say anything we feel like saying, then this is not a worthy forum to come make ones opinion"
hoxtonhockler (Tottenham Hotspur fan)
"i don't think Cole was booed by the crowd just because of the sloppy back pass that under different circumstances could have cost a world cup final place for england... It was because he's a slack brained dullard with little grasp of the real world, a vastly higher opinion of himself than anyone has a right to expect, the sort of thug that if he weren't a footballer would be embroiled in crime and the type of retard that once his pea-brained wife has had a sprog by him will be divorced by her and taken to the cleaners. my two cents"
Ronny. (Manchester United fan)
"pspotts: its ignorant people like you living in their little bubbles that irritate me. Mistakes happen, you get over it and move on. Football is a well-paid job at the end of the day. If every time you attempted your job (if you have one!) and you got abused, bet you wouldn't carry out your tasks to best of your ability. Furthermore, you'd probably whinge and moan that it wasn't fair. However, Cole as a person, I dont like him at all. He is an arrogant little tw@t but doesnt deserve the abuse he got."
gunnerzed (Arsenal fan)
"He deserves a tough time, he walked out on his boyhood team for an extra £5000 a week and broke all the rules to do so. Then cheats on his wife. Alround class act. He could have been a hero but he ruined it for himself. I'm sure he can cope."
chelseaprince (Chelsea fan)
"those kind fans are the main reason england plays badly at home.it happened under SM,it is happening now under Don FC.until it stops,the players will not be composed enough to put in their best,and that in turn will affect the overall productivity and effectiveness of the team."
ajewhu (West Ham United fan)
"Not a big fan of Cole as a person, but he did not deserve the abuse. Seems to be a standard response in football these days, very sad."
pspotts (Manchester United fan)
"Why should we support Cole? I am sorry but the supposedly "best left back" in the world doesn't make a mistake to that degree. He plays for one of the best teams in the world, he shouldn't be making mistakes like that. He is subpar in my opinion"
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