If England’s inept, inadequate performance against, with no disrespect to them, the lowly Algeria in last night’s Group C tie was not enough to convince you that there are serious problems in the camp then Rooney’s inexplicable on-camera rant aimed at England supporters surely is.

I’ll get to Rooney later, England’s poor display must come first. Coach Fabio Capello said after the game he was “confused” by his team’s performance. I’m starting to think the Italian is confused full stop.

The side he put out is supposedly England’s best. David James back in goal, Terry, Johnson and Ashley Cole in defence, Barry returning to a midfield boasting the talents of Gerrard, Lampard and Lennon and Rooney up front supported by Heskey. Only the unfortunate Rio Ferdinand missing, replaced by Jamie Carragher.

Yet it wasn’t a team that walked out to face Algeria, it was a collection of individuals who played like they’d never seen each other before. They were unable to apply a single bit of pressure on their opponents and looked tactically weak and bereft of any ideas going forward.

There was never going to be a danger of Algeria scoring – they haven’t in their last six, now seven, games. You would think, then, that England could concentrate on passing the ball around their inferior opponents and creating chance after chance for Rooney and the midfield.

It didn’t happen. Passes too often went astray, the midfield dawdled too long on the ball too often and the supply to the front men was non-existent. Every player, bar perhaps James, had a bad game. Heskey, picked for his ability to win the ball, hold it up and lay it off to Rooney or an on-rushing midfielder, found the ball bouncing off him to an Algerian throughout the match.

The usually precision passing from Gerrard and Lampard was not in evidence, nor was Lennon’s ability to speed past defenders and deliver telling crosses. The best attacking player on the pitch was left back Ashley Cole.

Capello’s substitutions were bizarre. Lennon was replaced by Shaun Wright-Phillips, Heskey by Defoe and far too late on, Barry by Crouch. Why Capello thought Wright-Phillips would have better luck then the far better Lennon is a mystery. Why he felt that Defoe might have better luck keeping hold of the ball than Heskey is another and why Crouch, England’s lucky talisman in so many games previously, had to wait until the 84th minute to try his luck is yet another.

And what of Joe Cole? His trickery and ability to open up defences was left to sit on the bench when the game was crying out for someone different, someone with something completely different to offer. Capello, though, clearly doesn’t appreciate what he has in Cole.

If we’re to be completely honest about our national team, and I accept it is not often easy to do, we must accept that our only two world class players are Rooney and Gerrard. The team must be coached and built around those two. Rooney should not be left isolated by his inferior team mates and Gerrard should not be left out wide on the left to scrounge for what little possession he can.

If that means some big name players are left out, so be it. Lampard should not have a divine right to a starting position if it means Gerrard has to play on the left, for example. It is a team game.

England are not good enough to win a tournament, no matter how much we want them to be. England ARE good enough to leave their mark on one, however – IF they are set up in such a way as to maximise the talents of their better players. Right now, Capello has fallen into the same trap as McLaren and Eriksson before him – he feels he must pick the best individuals, not the best team.

What that means is that England’s best player was the worst player on the pitch last night. Wayne Rooney, his frustration with himself and his team mates growing as the match wore on, could do nothing right. It was perhaps fortunate for him and England that he finally boiled over at the final whistle and not during the match.

As he walked off the field to a chorus of boos from the England supporters he let loose to a camera:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sdg_6kBiT4[/youtube]

“Nice to see your own fans booing you…that’s what loyal support is.”

The supporters have every right to vent their frustration, though you have to question what that sort of reaction will do to the confidence of the players already feeling bitter disappointment. For Rooney, it led to anger.

There is no excuse for what the England striker did or said, but you can understand it. Angry and frustrated with himself, his performance and the result – which leaves England’s World Cup hopes hanging by a thread – he released it all at the fans he felt weren’t helping the cause.

He will, no doubt, regret what he did today but there’s no taking it back now. We as a nation should not come down too hard on him either. He remains our best hope of continuing in this World Cup and he and the rest of the players should get our full support.

The problem in the England camp is one of confidence. It always has been. For a while it looked like Capello had managed to restore it, the qualifying campaign providing ample evidence. On the biggest stage of them all, however, it has abandoned them again. If Capello can’t nurture confidence then the supporters have to – booing is clearly not the way to go about it.

On Wednesday we have to win. A draw might be good enough, but that’s a dangerous way of thinking. No, nothing less than a win – preferably with a healthy goal tally and a good performance – should be the target. Rooney can redeem himself with a goal and the team and fans can get back on track.

I actually believe that the pressure of having to win brings out the best in England anyway, focuses the players and improves individual and team performance. The tournament is not yet in to the knock out stages, but England are.

They now know that defeat in the next game, and the one after that and so on means elimination. If that isn’t enough for England to play better and win, then they quite simply don’t deserve to be there and the World Cup will be better off without them. For Gerrard and Rooney that will be a shame. For the rest, it will be what they deserve.

You want a happy note to end on? I have one. Carragher picked up his second booking and will miss the Slovenia match. Matthew Upson will no doubt get the nod to partner Terry. For me, that’s the only upside to a dismal night in Rustenburg.