Can we not cheer any more, either?

When I lived in Spain I was a season ticket-holder at Atlético de Madrid. The club is famous for its passionate fans, and the Vicente Calderón is widely regarded as having the best atmosphere in La Liga. However, the fans did have one annoying habit – they booed everybody and everything. They booed Torres for always falling over, Raúl for switching allegiance, and referee Díaz Vega just for being alive.

I made a conscious decision in my first match there not to join in the booing. I refused to be negative or jeer people who had more skill than me. I found it contrary to the spirit of the game. Who am I to boo anybody?

Yet during the England-Kazakhstan game, when the fans booed Ashley Cole, I didn’t notice. In fact it didn’t even impinge on my consciousness until the commentator started going on and on about the incident. I was more annoyed by his chuntering than the booing itself.

I was also following the game on live text, and to my amazement – and intense disappointment – the popular journalist in charge of the feed became the new Mary Whitehouse with more shocked hyperbole and a holier-than-thou tone.

So I had to ask myself, why am I more irritated about the reaction than about the incident itself?

WHO ARE YA?

The fans have been badly treated of late. In 2000, 2002 and 2004 England limped out of international competitions. In 2006 a pathetic showing at the World Cup was followed by offensive attempts to grab more cash by publishing mediocre autobiographies, a trend which has continued unchecked to the point where Jamie Carragher has published a book in which he admits what the rest don’t have the guts to – that country is secondary to club. Then England failed to qualify for Euro 2008 because the players (Beckham aside) couldn’t be bothered.

At the start of qualifying last month England scraped past Andorra. And now against an under-21 side hastily cobbled together from debutants and mid-table clubs, England need a foul on the keeper and an own goal to get started.

The spark shown against Croatia was apparently just to tease the fans. They are understandably frustrated.

STICKS AND STONES

The English are treated with disdain in Europe for many reasons – historical enmity, tabloid excess and the behaviour of drunken holiday-makers spring to mind. Yet perhaps the most obvious reason is the behaviour of the “fans” who follow England. Marseille 1998, Charleroi 2000, Bratislava 2002, Albufeira 2004, Stuttgart 2006, the list is endless.

At home monkey chanting and other racist taunts at West Ham, Spurs, Gillingham and Swansea have been allowed to develop into the shocking recent treatment of Sol Cambell.

Some would say it’s only the minority. By the same token, only the minority was booing Cole. And the point is, they didn’t attack anybody, make racist comments or demand to see him hanging from a tree. They just booed. Infinitely preferable to violence.

SUPERIORITY COMPLEX

We mustn’t forget that England fans have high expectations, although those expectations are grossly out of proportion to any evidence of greatness. England have won nothing since a referee-assisted World Cup over 40 years ago. Blind faith, fair enough, but the delusional idolatry of such obviously mediocre players as Gerrard, Barry, Lampard and Cole – watch the Kazakhstan game again, then compare to the Spanish Euro champions – is staggering in the extreme. Who do the fans think they’re kidding? In that sense I agree the booing was moronic in that it stems from expecting dressage from a donkey. But don’t discourage them from seeing the truth. Of course, they shouldn’t boo. They should just vote with their feet.

“JUST ONE MISTAKE - HE DIDN'T MEAN TO DO IT”

This is how many fans and journalists reacted. Funny that, it was different when Rob Stiles made just one mistake, with much less at stake too. Sorry, I forgot, there’s more cash involved in the Premier League.

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Yes, you were wondering when this topic would rear its ugly head! Two hours after the England game had finished the Slovenian defender Komac made just one mistake and nearly gifted the unlucky Irish a goal. On the live text I was following, in a remarkable demonstration of tenacity (or is it just the inability to get over it?), we were asked if he would be booed too. Let’s see. Is Komac an arrogant, pampered millionaire whose behaviour shows a lack of respect for fans? Is he a person who shows nothing but disdain for his shirt and consequently for the fans and their meagre salaries? Then I imagine he will have been booed.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

Much has also been made of the reaction shown when Beckham appeared, but instead of lauding the fans’ ability to quickly temper criticism with praise, the fans have been called fickle. Beckham is a player whose contribution has been demonstrated time and again – take Croatia last November. Cole isn’t.

If they’d only booed, then criticise. But booing and cheering are two sides of the same coin – it’s how you make your anonymous, disregarded (by the FA) feelings known in a big stadium.

SILENCE, PLEASE

There have been many recent articles on complaints about the restrictions placed on fans by the stewards in modern stadia, and many fans are demanding a return to terraces. There have also been articles, most noticeably this month in a leading British football magazine, about those who have just given up and now go abroad for their footballing kicks, because here you can’t drink, smoke, stand or shout.

And now you can’t boo.

Pretty soon you won’t even be able to cheer, either.