Becks: We are together

"Whatever people say about us and money, when we get on that pitch, winning is all that matters to us. If we can win tomorrow it will hopefully put everything to rest.

"The headlines will always be there as long as our wages are what they are but we are prepared to take that criticism. There's always pressure on us anyway and there's a lot more pressure on us now as a team after this week but we are strong enough to deal with it."

Here, Beckham demonstrated again that he, at least, appears to have the strength and statesmenship to see his players through what he described as a "very difficult" week, but a week which can only get a hell of a lot more difficult in Fenerbahce's stadium tomorrow.

This can have been no fun for him; being asked to face a seething group of critics from home, sitting there like vultures, and the usual Beckham-mania from his hosts.

Yet, somehow, he managed the trick of appearing to pacify everyone, particularly delighting his local audience with tales of how much he loved their country and how he wished the English team could have a barbecue with Turkish journalists "only we didn't have the right weather". Yet the difficult part was always going to be to try to convince the team's critics that his men can possibly be in the right state of mind to face such a demanding examination.

"In a weird way, what's happened has brought all the squad closer together and I've realised how close we are as a team. We are really up for this game and will be fighting and very proud to wear the England shirt," he insisted. Unlike when Sven-Goran Eriksson uttered something similar earlier in the week, Beckham made it sound as if this wasn't just spin.

Asked whether he believed all the events of the week would cause a tremendous hangover for England here tomorrow night, he added: "I think the crisis is gone now. We've cleared most of it up until after the game and we are ready to concentrate on Saturday."

Here, of course, was a hint that the players are not going to be prepared to let their criticisms of the FA drop once this is over but, in the face of all the talk of splits in the camp and Eriksson supposedly being ready to walk away, Beckham made a point of insisting that not only were the players together 100 per cent - but they were also standing shoulder to shoulder with their coach.

"We're together, both players and the coaching staff, as a team.

"As a team we are fully focused, fully concentrated and not about to worry about anything else."

Clearly, though, some of his players' pride had been very wounded as Beckham started the news conference by reading out a statement on their behalf, saying: "There have been many discussions centred around a support for Rio (Ferdinand) and our concerns about the way his case was handled.

"While we fully recognise that Rio shouldn't have missed the first drugs test, we've gone on record to say that what happened afterwards was what we, as a squad, were unhappy with.

"This issue is now a matter for the FA and they have promised to look at their procedures for future cases like this.

"Please be assured that we are aware of our responsibilities to the fans. As England captain, I can absolutely assure you that every player in this squad is proud to wear the England shirt.

"We do realise that we have something to prove - and we will all be playing our hearts out tomorrow for our fans, our country and ourselves and hopefully we'll come away with the right result."

There will be those who will argue that all this bullish stuff is now too little, too late but it does remain true that English football is badly in need of a figurehead capable of leading the healing process.

It's believed Beckham was not one of the most hawkish of the would-be mutineers and had counselled less drastic action but here, at least, he took the first steps which could enable his men to completely win back a nation's trust. The second step tomorrow night should be rather harder.