Sometimes – and I must stress here that it’s not very often (you never know who’s reading) — I disagree with my boss, writes David Burrows.

Sometimes I don’t want to see a picture of Myleene Klass at the glittering opening of an envelope on the front page of the Shropshire Star. But sometimes my boss does. I’m usually the one responsible for the words that accompany the picture, so, grumbling under my breath, I send them out.

What I don’t do is hurl expletives in his general direction in front of all my colleagues. If I did, I would doubtless be shown the door in the most unceremonious of fashions.

Having been ejected I wouldn’t then expect those colleagues to down tools and refuse to work for the entire following day.

Likewise, sometimes the boss tells me that my standards of work have fallen below what he would expect (this happens even less often than me disagreeing with him).  I then go out for a beer to reflect on what has been said.

I don’t then call for a big team meeting so we can all discuss whose fault it is in the hope of deflecting attention from the fact that I’m not doing my job properly.

And yet, if you’re a footballer at the 2010 World Cup, it appears this is exactly what you can do.

The French camp is in disarray after Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka told his boss exactly what he thought of him in the kind of colourful language only the Gallic can get away with. He’s been sent home in disgrace and his fellow players (multi-millionaires all) reacted in the kind of grown-up way you would expect by telling officials: “If Nic isn’t playing we’re not playing” and refusing to train.

Meanwhile, back at the England camp, the garden is far from red rosy.

After the debacle that was the Algeria game, John Terry yesterday told the nation – indeed the world – that there would be a clear-the-air meeting, with everyone free to express their views.

If it upset Fabio Capello, he said, then so be it.

Or not.

Because it seems Capello decided there would be NO meeting and nobody would be telling him how to do his job thank you very much.

And quite right, too.

The reasons for England’s no-show so far at the tournament? Capello’s playing people in the wrong place. For goodness’s sake. These are supposedly world-class players. The “golden generation”. It’s not like he’s asking Gerrard to play in goal. Adapt. You were telling us a couple of weeks ago you could win the World Cup!

But worse than this – they’re bored! Apparently they have to rest for six hours a day, and being told to chill out in a luxury, five star hotel with facilities most of us could only dream of while holed up in our Travel Lodge is hitting their performance on the pitch.

A couple of days ago they were joking about the darts league they had going on. Now it appears it’s part of the problem.

In today’s papers, the players are asking us not to treat them like children.

Did anyone see Wayne Rooney’s reaction on Friday night? Acting like a sulky child who’d been told he couldn’t watch Doctor Who cos granny was coming to visit.

Here’s an idea. If you don’t want to be treated like children, grow up, do as your boss says, and play football like you actually care whether you win or not.

In any other walk of life, if you purchase something that is sub-standard, you can get your money back. Even in the world of the theatre, people have been known to demand – and receive – a refund after a poor show.

And yet in football, England fans who have spent thousands getting to South Africa are greeting with a performance devoid of passion. And what do they get in return? A spud-faced petulant man-child questioning their loyalty.

What do you want, Mr Rooney? A pound of flesh.

Isn’t it about time the England team showed the same loyalty to the fans as those who have defied the recession to get themselves to the World Cup have shown the team?