But I was a little surprised by the fact that the team got so much stick after ending up 5-1 winners against Kazakhstan.

The opposition might not have been a team of world beaters, but they were an efficient bunch, willing to work hard and fight for each other.

And the fact that it took England until the second half to find the breakthrough proved that point.

But five goals and another three points towards World Cup qualification was a decent evening's work.

I have never been much of an Ashley Cole fan either, but I was a little shocked to hear the Wembley crowd turn on him after his mistake handed Kazakhstan a goal to make it 2-1.

Then again, most crowds seem to like to pick on one player and the fact that Emile Heskey is now regarded by most as untouchable, even if he could not hit a barn door with a banjo, means the fans have to find someone else to pick on.

It is something that happens at most grounds in the country and at every level of football where more than half a dozen supporters gather.

And the fans are not always right - remember John Grant, for instance, who was derided by a section of the Shay faithful but went on to bang in the goals that helped Aldershot Town to the Conference title?

Fans pay their money, however much it is, and feel they have the right to pick on who they want.

And to a degree that is only right and proper.

Supporters do not always do what it says on the tin.

In between digging a new pond in the back garden - don't ask - I caught a few moments of Bath's Heineken Cup clash at Toulouse on the television.

And the English side seemed to be doing quite well, scoring a couple of tries and generally trying to pass the ball round.

The problem was that Toulouse had a deadly goalkicker in David Skrela who landed a penalty in the dying seconds to give the French an 18-16 victory.

The difficulty for Bath, according to Sky pundit Stuart Barnes, was that they played with too much exuberance.

Clearly that is not the done thing in rugby union.

And they say that sport is part of the entertainment business.

THE longer David Moyes has taken to sign his new contract at Everton the more erratic his side's form has become.

It is not clear what has caused the delay in the Goodison Park chief putting pen to paper on his new deal.

But given the harsh economic climate we are now living in, it cannot have been the reported £52,000-a-week he is reported to be getting.

No credit crunch on that part of Merseyside, then.