Fans can criticise players but players should be careful when they criticise fans

Somewhat bizarrely the main talking point in England after the weekend internationals and prior to the midweek ones is the fact that a section of the Wembley crowd booed Ashley Cole every time he touched the ball after his schoolboy error gifted Kazakhstan a goal.

Craze

Booing has become a bit of a craze over the last couple of seasons. Fans have always booed the opposition or former players or people in the other team who have been in the news for something sensational, but until fairly recently, I don‘t remember fans booing their own team.

In Spain, it is not unusual for fans to show their displeasure at their own teams with booing, jeering, whistling and the waving of white handkerchiefs. In England, it is a relatively new phenomena.

Sicks and stones

There are three ways to look at this issue. The first one is to say that a few boos never hurt anyone and we should all grow up and get on with life. The old saying that kids are taught early in their life is ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.’

The second way of looking at it is that the fans have every right to voice their opinions. They are paying an awful lot of money to watch very highly paid professionals entertain them. If the players do not provide the entertainment, justify the exorbitant wages or entrance fee or simply do not perform as they should, why shouldn’t the fans be able show their displeasure?

Disgrace

The third way of looking at it is to say that booing the players in your own team is a disgrace and anyone who does it should be hung, drawn and quartered. That seems to be the official line coming out of the England set-up.

An FA spokesman has said,

“It is crazy that a section of our own supporters are booing one of our own players. It is clearly not going to help the team during the course of a game, and certainly not the individual being booed. Unfortunately, we are all aware that we have had problems of this kind since we have come back to the new Wembley. That is why Fabio Capello stressed before the game we needed the crowd with us. The supporters really got behind us for the vast majority of the game, and there was a great atmosphere during the first half in particular. Several players have said they were encouraged to see large numbers in the crowd applauding Ashley Cole to counter-balance those booing him. It is unfair on all the fans who have come to the game with the best intentions of supporting the team throughout.”

Skipper Rio Ferdinand has spoken out against the section of the crowd who booed Ashley Cole as well;

“It leaves a sour taste in your mouth, but I would like to think the majority of fans were the ones applauding him and trying to boost his confidence. I am sure the people who booed him will probably go home and, on reflection, maybe feel a little bit ashamed of themselves and hopefully won’t do it again.”

Other players were also critical of the crowd. Another player who has been a victim of the ‘boo-boys’, Frank Lampard, strongly defended his Chelsea team-mate, adding: “It is a negative because, if I am honest, at the moment I think Ashley Cole is the best left-back in the world.”

Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe also leapt to the defence of Cole. He said: “I was very surprised. Ashley for me is one of the best full-backs in the world. He has been so consistent for a number of years. It was a little bit harsh.”

I think that the players have to be a little bit careful here. I personally don’t like to hear fans booing their own team or players. It is hardly likely to inspire an individual or your team on to perform better, which is presumably, what the fans actually want to happen? That is why I don’t like it. I think it is a self defeating thing to do and a total waste of time. What I don’t have is any ‘moral objection’ to people doing it.

Ridiculous

If you’ve paid a ridiculous amount of money to watch the game and you feel that a player lets you down, you have every right to express an opinion. I believe it is wrong and silly to do it, but if someone feels the need to do it, I would defend their right to do so all the way.

Having written a few articles in praise of Rio Ferdinand and suggesting that he is the right man for the England captaincy, it is with his comments that I take most issue. “I am sure the people who booed him will probably go home and, on reflection, maybe feel a little bit ashamed of themselves .”

Are you sure Rio? Fans who paid a major part of their weekly wage to watch a football match and booed someone they thought had let them down, should be ashamed of themselves?

What about a player who makes a dreadful mistake and gives away a goal despite being paid probably at least one hundred times as much as the people supporting them? Should the player not feel a little ashamed Rio?

Careful

I don’t want to make it sound that I support the booers or that I believe international footballers should never make a mistake. I just think the players need to be a little bit careful before they start criticising the fans.