I just wanted to ask a quick simple question, to get a general consensus. Is it ok to personally abuse players verbally? To clarify, I don't mean booing or telling them they're playing crap. I'm talking about specifically abusing them personally with abusive language and insults. I'm asking, is it ever right to do this in society to anyone? I feel that over the years and years of football it has somehow become justifiable to abuse footballers. It appears to me that somehow we've stopped viewing them as normal people and have started seeing them as people that should be serving us. And if they don't it's perfectly fine to unleash abuse upon them. Is there any other occupation in the world where this is justified? So why football?
I think there has always been the element of abuse at football matches. You have to look at yesterday's incident in the light of the performance and result and also the effort put in by the travelling supporters against the seeming lack of effort put in by players, many of whom are paid more per week than the supporters are in a year. If I'd travelled up there and witnessed that performance I would probably have joined in. If a team goes down all battling really having a go you can have no grounds for complaint. I'm struggling to think of an away performance where that has happened this season, perhaps Southampton, but very few and far between...
I don't think I've ever been to a football match anywhere when at least a couple of fans haven't abused their own players.
We all say things.... I just think it does no good for players to hear it personally about themselves..... We need to build up the team not undermine it..... If players can't improve through good coaching undermining them probably won't help. The manager needs to pick the right players.
A lot of it is spontaneous reaction to what we see though. When Barton's pass goes direct to the first available opposition player or into touch for the twentieth time it is very difficult not to groan or utter an expletive. When 10,000 people do this simultaneously, the players will hear.
Looking at the clip of the row on MOTD, I think the players involved look ridiculously precious. They are monstrously over-paid and the least the fans can expect is that they respect the people who help to pay their wages. We, as fans, on the whole idolise these guys and give them virtually unconditional support for the most part. As was said on MOTD, the players, having just set a totally unenviable record away from home, should have applauded the fans that had made the effort to go and got off the pitch, ignoring any abuse that was coming their way. Quite why Hill felt the need to get so involved I just don't know.
There is some merit in what you say but just playing devils advocate, it could also be a sign of the feeling they are pissing into the wind while we set up and play the way we do.
Possibly. I just feel that, having lost 10 straight away games, the players really had no legs to stand on.
Pure frustration, Players don't care as much about the club as fans do, players appearing not to be putting in the effort will always be abused
