Terry appeals for cheers not jeers
John Terry has hit out at the further booing of England midfielder Owen Hargreaves during Saturday's single goal World Cup win over Paraguay in Frankfurt.
The Bayern Munich player had been jeered when he replaced Gary Neville as a half-time substitute during the recent friendly international with Hungary at Old Trafford.
And it was a similar story when Hargreaves was introduced into the action in place of Joe Cole with eight minutes remaining at the weekend.
Hargreaves recently admitted he “anticipated” such a reaction because he is seldom seen in action by England fans and plays in Germany.
Terry said: ““I was aware of the booing when Owen came on against Paraguay and that was disappointing.
“I thought he did well when he came on, particularly in the last couple of minutes when he made some great tackles.
“We’re here as a team and I would just ask the England fans to get behind every one of us because their support means so much to us. The expectation is there because we have such a great squad. We’re here to go all the way.”
England will qualify for the last 16 if they defeat Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday after winning their opening tournament game for only the second time in the last 10 attempts.
Terry said: “Paraguay were tough and they could do reasonably well in this group. Let’s be encouraged by the result.
“It was the first time we had won our opening game in a major tournament since 1998. We went to Frankfurt, got the three points and that was the main aim.
“If we beat Trinidad & Tobago on Thursday we’ll qualify but we want to finish top of the group. That is important.”
England could clinch top spot in the group on Thursday if they win and Sweden and Paraguay share the spoils in their meeting.
Midfielder Frank Lampard believes the Swedes, held to a shock goalless draw by Trinidad-Tobago, could have another tough battle on their hands.
He said: “You have to give Paraguay credit. We’d watched videos of them, seen them beat Argentina, and they were no mugs at all and Sweden will find it hard against them.
“Some people were expecting us to beat them comfortably, especially after the early goal, but that’s not the way it is. I firmly believe they will give Sweden a very tough game.
“It’s a great result for us in terms of the group, particularly with the other match ending in a draw. We are in a good position but need to win our next game to build on that.”
