England Captain Beckham is aware of the criticism being aimed at Eriksson and the team following a 1-0 defeat in Northern Ireland.

But he wants fans to know the squad care deeply about qualifying for the World Cup Finals and still plan to do so.

Beckham said: "The players are really disappointed with what happened and we want people to know that when we don’t play well or we get beaten it hurts us as much as it hurts everyone else watching the team.

"It’s the same for the manager. I know people say he is cool but he definitely showed emotion after the game. He had to, the players want to see that some time - and he showed it.

"There has been a certain amount of pressure on him since the Denmark game and it’s been a tough few weeks for him. But we believe he is the right person for the job.

"Every player has got confidence in this manager, without a doubt. They don’t just say it to please people or make the manager happy, they say it because they believe it. That’s what we need now, we need that unity."

Beckham believes the result in Belfast will spur England on to better things against Austria and Poland in October.

He said: "We have to look at is as an off night. And the only positive is that there are two games left and if we win them we qualify."