Rooney annoyed by England boos

Wayne Rooney hit out at the England fans after they booed the team from the field following the dismal 0-0 draw against Algeria in Cape Town.

The England striker trudged off following an ineffective performance before turning and saying to the ITV cameras: "It's nice to see your home fans booing you."

The result means England need to beat Slovenia next Wednesday to ensure they qualify for the last 16.

England captain Steven Gerrard made no excuses for the display in which the team were sloppy throughout and rarely threatened the Algeria goal.

Gerrard told ITV1: "We're not happy with the performance, we need more.

"We want to stay in this tournament until the final stages.

"We were not good enough to make the breakthrough in the final third.

"We've not got any excuses, we know what we have to do. We have to win the final game which adds to the pressure but at this level you have to handle that pressure.

"We were not aggressive enough and didn't have the cutting edge in the final third.

"Give them (Algeria) credit but we have to look at ourselves."

Jermain Defoe, who replaced Emile Heskey in the second half, went against the gloom and declared England are "a great team."

The Tottenham striker showed boundless optimism ahead of Wednesday's showdown with Slovenia and told BBC Five Live: "We're a great team regardless of what anyone says about this game.

"Look around the dressing room, it's a good mix. There is youth and lads who have done it.

"We've got to stick together, that is the key."

In response to Fabio Capello's assertion England's spirit was affected, Defoe added: "Sometimes it is difficult. We've got to keep working hard.

"The lads are great, everyone wants to win, everyone wanted to win tonight.

"No games are easy - we've seen that in the other games.

"I'm not trying to make excuses. They played well, they passed the ball well.

"We worked hard and with a little bit more luck we would have scored."

As for the fans' reactions, Defoe went on: "We can understand their frustration, they have travelled thousands of miles to support the boys.

"It's important for the fans to stick behind us, go out there and try our best.

"To keep supporting us and hopefully we will put things right on Wednesday."