We will bounce back - Beckham

David Beckham is backing his national soccer side to overcome becoming the latest English victims of an Aussie-bashing by bouncing back in the forthcoming European Championship double-header with Liechtenstein and Turkey.

The Manchester United star was critical of the fans reigning down a crescendo of boos on record-breaker Wayne Rooney and the other young guns used in the second half as Australia achieved a 3-1 win at Upton Park last night.

The damage had been done in the first half when Frank Farina’s side raced into a 2-0 lead against Sven-Goran Eriksson’s first-choice side to add to the 4-1 Ashes mauling handed out to England’s cricketers and the Davis Cup defeat in tennis.

But Beckham is adamant England – held to a shock 2-2 draw by Macedonia in their last outing – will be in the right frame of mind for the Euro clashes on the horizon.

“We are very disappointed,” said the England captain.

“We didn’t help ourselves in the first half. We gave two silly goals away and we couldn’t get back into it after that.

“We didn’t give the young lads a chance in the second half. Many of them were going out and playing for England for the first time – with that scoreline to make up.

“The 11 who came off would have loved to have stayed on, and that’s the disappointing and annoying thing about playing half a game. You want to try and put it right.

“But the manager had no choice in the matter. The club-versus-country thing has been a big issue all week and was sort of topped off with the way things went on the night.

“We’ve got these two important Euro games coming up, and it doesn’t help your confidence and the morale. But we will get over this.

“We will get over this game and look forward to the next – and we know we need to put together a couple of good results.”

Beckham was clearly unhappy with the response of the crowd towards the England young guns at the final whistle.

He said: “We got booed off at half-time, which is not much fun and very frustrating. But what was more frustrating for me was the 11 young lads out there in the second half also getting the same treatment.

“They certainly didn’t deserve that. That for me was more disappointing than having a go at the senior players, who can accept that to a certain extent.

“Maybe it wasn’t directed at them. Maybe it was still directed towards the first-half performance. But for many of the young lads it was their first game - which they are going to remember for a long time.

“I don’t think it will damage them and I’m not sure if they noticed it as much as I did – but I don’t think it’s fair. It was disappointing for me.”

Goalkeeper David James insisted: “There were positives to be taken from the second half with the performances of people like Jermaine Jenas, Wayne Rooney and Francis Jeffers. It is not all doom and gloom.”

Rooney became England’s youngest international at 17 years and 111 days – and he did not look out of place.