Gareth Southgate has responded to England fans booing his side off after their draw against the United States - and insisted he won't let it affect him.
The Three Lions put in a dismal display in Qatar in their second Group B game but still control their World Cup destiny after their impressive 6-2 win over Iran on Monday. That didn't stop fans who have spent thousands to travel to the Middle East from voicing their frustrations after a below-par display.
Southgate was asked about the reaction at full-time and insisted fans were free to react as they pleased - and vowed to not let his side be impacted by "external noise" in their quest for glory.
Asked about the boos at his post-match press conference, Southgate said: “Of course I want our fans to go home happy and I want our fans at home to have a smile on their faces. We haven’t quite managed to achieve that.
“People are going to react how they are going to react. I can’t let that affect how I feel about the team or how the team feels. I’m sure there will be a lot of noise. This is the tournament of external noise. We are on track with a bit to do."
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It was a frustrating night for England in which they were second best for large parts of the game and struggled to create any clear cut chances against an energetic American side.
England captain Harry Kane told ITV Sport at full-time: "Wasn't the best performance for sure. Good spells with the ball, but we didn't quite have the final product. Clean sheet puts us in a great position in the group."
Asked what his side were lacking, Kane added: "Being clinical, complete contrast to Iran. We had two or three opportunities and didn't put it away. We were playing a tough team and we move on.
"They pressed well, they made it difficult. At times we dealt with it well, we respect them. A draw isn't bad for us. We look forward to the next one.
"We know we can play better than that, a draw in a World Cup isn't bad, no game is easy. After our first performance people think we'll landslide everything but it's not the case. We played a good side but it's not what we came here for."
Defender Harry Maguire added: "Wasn't our best - it's a point and puts us in a strong position in the group. They're a good team that play at high tempo. We had to work hard and we could've nicked it at the end. We could've been a bit more clinical. We'll take the positives but there's things we need to work on.
"These games are tough. They're all top teams playing in this World Cup, USA are a good team. We weren't ruthless enough in the final third, didn't execute the final pass well enough. We have good forwards so I'm sure we'll be back next game."
