Roy Hodgson says results did not merit England fans’ standing ovation

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jun/25/roy-hodgson-england-fans-standing-ovation

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England departed the World Cup with a spluttering goalless draw against Costa Rica and an admission from management and players alike that they did not merit the standing ovation granted them after the final whistle from the nation’s travelling support.

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard had led their team-mates over to the area housing the bulk of England’s 4,000 fans in this arena at the end to applaud them for their backing in Brazil, with Roy Hodgson eventually joining the players out on the pitch.

The stalemate with the group winners left England bottom with a solitary point to show for their efforts in Group D, with the squad due back at Luton airport on Wednesday.

“We feel emotional because the fact is we wanted to do so well in the tournament, to get out of the group,” said Hodgson, who retains the backing of the Football Association despite the country’s briefest stay at a World Cup in 60 years. “We weren’t alone in wanting that and not succeeding in doing it, of course, but we’ve spent the last two or three days talking about how disappointed and sad we are. The first two games were quite close and went against us, so we came here with nothing to play for.

“We wanted so much more. But I don’t think any fair-minded person would suggest the team didn’t show the right spirit or commitment. We didn’t suggest at any stage we actually had nothing to play for, and our fans appreciated that. They gave us an ovation that, obviously, our results didn’t merit. They were quite brilliant. We are so sad and disappointed for them because we know what they’re going through. We are very grateful for the emotional moment at the end where they showed their support.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Lampard, who had captained the side on what was his 106th and, most likely, his last cap for his country. “It was absolutely amazing,” said the 36-year-old of the supporters’ response at the final whistle.

“It made you proud to be an Englishman playing for the country with fans like that. From in and around the hotel after we came out here, they followed us in a good way. They were immense. It makes you feel a bit bad we have not given them a longer stay but we are very proud to have a following like that.

“It was a disappointing tournament, obviously. We should have won this game as we had the chances and played some nice stuff, in bits. It was a difficult game for us to approach and I thought we did as well as we could, but it was a shame not to get the win to take home. It was not difficult to motivate ourselves but hard to know we were going to get knocked out regardless.

“The motivation was to do something positive. The youngsters will have seen the fans back the manager and were singing for him. They can see the squad is young and the young players will benefit from this bad experience. If the fans stick with the younger players and encourage them, they will help them.”

There were solid displays by Ross Barkley and Luke Shaw, on their first competitive starts, against the group winners with Hodgson also praising a new-look back line for keeping the team’s only clean sheet of the tournament. “It would have been a massive disappointment to have gone home with zero points,” said Shaw, who will address his own club future once back in England. “It was amazing to be playing in the biggest tournament in the world, a dream come true. I don’t want to stop here, I want to keep getting better and better. But this [experience] is something to remember.”

“It is down to the likes of Luke and Ross now,” added Lampard, whose contract at Chelsea will expire next week. “If they perform for their clubs, they will get there. The manager will want to bring players through and, if they perform, they will get their chances at this level. They certainly have quality. They are impressive.

“There are no big heads among the kids who have come through. No kids coming in and thinking they can stroll about. They are trying to do the right things even though we have not got out of the group. They have applied themselves, trained well and showed glimpses of their quality at times. The disappointing thing is that the team has not done it. We clearly need to improve otherwise we would not be going home. It is about the future and looking for them to get better.”