Fans have the right to be disappointed with players and their performances, it comes as part of the territory of paying good money to watch them perform.
Bad performances do draw derision and always have done so, and always will continue to do so. As long as fans pay their money, they will take their choice to respond to players as they see fit. Rightly so as well, for no player should be above the critique of the fans who follow them.
However, critique is one thing and it is a valid ‘one’ thing when done in a constructive manner. But with the advent and growth of social media, ‘critique’ has taken on an altogether more darker persona – with places like Twitter becoming almost streams of poison at times.
One such example of this poisonous ‘critique’ (below) came after yesterday’s Leeds United victory over Norwich City.
The responses, as you can see there were 75 comments, are largely critical of the original poster for one thing – and it isn’t his criticism of the player per se. Yes, it is obvious that his criticism is a bit on the tasty side – the blanked out industrial language attesting to that.
But the criticism itself doesn’t seem to be the point, although others commenting do say that it isn’t really the way to encourage a 19-year-old to perform – a 19-year-old only getting cameo appearances from the bench.
The bone of contention is something above and beyond the criticism of said player – it is the @tagging the player himself in the criticism itself. Some are saying that doing so takes the criticism to a whole new level of not being right.
If you defend a fan’s right to criticise a player for his efforts, then does that defence also extend to @tagging the player in it to bring it to their attention. If, as above, this is combined with such colourful language, does it transcend simple criticism and become directed abuse?
Is it a case of being allowed the freedom to label a player a “f*****g useless c**t whilst, simultaneously, condemning the need to tag a player in such an utterance? Or should we just leave Twitter to become even more of the poison-infused pit that it sometimes slides towards?
