England head coach Gareth Southgate has said that he 'understands' the frustration of the supporters, with some throwing plastic cups towards him following Tuesday's 0-0 draw with Slovenia.
The point proved to be enough for the Three Lions to top their Euro 2024 group, as Denmark were unable to overcome Serbia in the section's other contest.
It was another below-par performance from England, though, and some of the country's supporters inside the stadium booed Southgate and threw plastic cups towards him while he was applauding them.
The head coach has said that he 'understands' why the fans are frustrated, and he also commented on the "unusual environment" which has been created for his side at the European Championship.
"I understand the reactions but it is a tough environment," Southgate told ITV Sport. "We tried to win the game by the changes we made. We put attacking players on the pitch.
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Southgate comments on "unusual environment"
"I understand the narrative towards me. That's better for the team than it being towards them. But it's creating an unusual environment to operate in. I've not seen any other team qualify and receive similar."
In a separate interview with BBC Sport, Southgate added: "They were brilliant, in the second half especially there was a constant noise around the team.
"I get it that they are not happy with me, that is the reality, I am not going to back away from that. I need them behind the team.
"I have to deal with what I am dealing with. I was not going to back away from going over to thank people for coming and giving the support that they did, but I know that this is causing an issue for the group.
"I can deal with that but I need them to support the players. The more the fans are like they were in the second half, behind the team it is a massive lift for them, because we are operating in a very, very unusual environment."
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Southgate under pressure to make changes for next match
Kobbie Mainoo and Cole Palmer both had positive impacts off the bench against Slovenia, while Anthony Gordon also showed glimpses during his short time on the field.
Ex-Three Lions defender Gary Neville has now called on Southgate to make changes for England's last-16 contest on Sunday evening.
"Every time England made a change, they got better," Neville told ITV Sport. "I am certain Mainoo will start the next game. Southgate thought [Conor] Gallagher was the option for the energy, but it was quite obvious we needed someone on there to get us playing and Adam Wharton is capable of doing that as well.
"The more substitutions we made, the less rigid we looked. We looked so basic in the first half, it was a struggle to watch that and I think we moved forward in the second half."
England are likely to take on the Netherlands in the round of 16 at Euro 2024, but at this stage, it is still possible that they could face Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania or Belgium.
Matt Law
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