Arsenal are a club of class. We have a rich history, the best manager in the world, we play the best football, have the best stadium, and our fans are the most loyal of anyone - or are they?
The treatment of Emmanuel Eboue against Wigan was absolutely disgusting. We are better than this; yes he was having a hard night, and yes we were all tense and nervous that we wouldn't get the result, but that is no excuse to literally boo a player off the park.I will admit that Saturday night, Eboue probably had one of his worst games ever in an Arsenal shirt. He gave the ball away, didn't track back right and looked out of sorts. However, such things have happened to multiple other Arsenal players in the past.
I remember one particular match just a couple of years ago. We had just signed Alex Song and debuted in the league against Fulham. He went on to have an absolute stinker and he cost us the match. We gooners thought at the time that Le Boss had made a huge mistake in buying him and he should have been sold immediately. But we didn't boo him off the field, and Song has now grown into a player who is often first choice in midfield or backup in defense.
Why then is it acceptable to boo and jeer Eboue? Yes, I know he's unpopular with the fans, myself included, but I think it was despicable that he was incessantly booed and was stripped of all confidence. Arsene Wenger may have been criticised for taking him off, but I agree with it. Eboue could no longer play and was a danger to the team, and it's almost entirely the "Fans" fault.
If you truly support a club you never boo your own players. That is below us, below the Arsenal Football Club. We aren't supporters of a team like Liverpool who boo their players and manager on a regular basis, and we aren't Chelsea supporters who can't even be bothered to come see a Champions League clash just because it's against weak opposition. We are gooners, and we have class, so why don't we show it a little more often.
So often the team has to pick up the fans rather than vice-versa. We are called "supporters" for a reason: we're here to support the team and help them on to victory. We are supposed to be the twelfth man for the club, so we need to start acting like it.
To anyone reading this who went to the game and booed Eboue: you should feel ashamed of yourselves; I'm certainly ashamed of you, and so are the millions of other gooners out there who don't have the opportunity to watch the Gunners play live at the Emirates. They would never boo like you did, so if you can't support the team, give your tickets to someone who can.
We are the Arsenal Football Club; we are a club of class; so show it. Support Eboue and all of our other players next time you attend a match and actually pick the team up for once. If we all do this we may actually win something this season because the players will feel like they've got a real reason to win: to do it for the fans.
Again, please post your comments of support below and let's hope that this unfortunate incident is never again repeated.
Fab 4
Posts
So disgusted with Arsenal fans, yeah he played shit, but you should never boo a player off the field, what a joke. Embarassing.
ReplyDeleteI am going to support Eboue, while he's not the most technically gifted, fastest or most defensive-minded he's what every team needs - a utility player. His first season at Arsenal and his first 3-4 games of the 08-09 season showed what he can do, he just needs some special attention to rediscover that form.
ReplyDeleteWhether a player plays great or terrible, they should never be booed like this. It is unacceptable and gives us Gooners a bad reputation. You have to consider the fact that Eboue just came back from injury and was played out of position. We need to make sure we get behind him so he can rediscover his form and come back even stronger.
ReplyDeleteI love eboue, i know he is'nt our greatest player but he keeps quiet and most of the time does his job well without complaining, he has been moved about a lot with sagna coming in and has had to accustom himself into midfield but some games when ive watched him play he has made me smile by the way he wants to win and shows it through his commitment to arsenal. If anybody is wasting their chances at arsenal it has to be Bendtner but for some reason he keeps getting picked ahead of Vela or RVP. Back to Eboue, we need him in our squad because he is a tough player and doesnt back out of those 50/50's which show whose winning the mental side of the game, i'm told he is also a popular member with the team and we cant boo or jeer someone who the players respect as this will effect the whole team's morale. Give Eboue a break and let him recover from the game, get it out of his system and continue to be the player that can help strengthen our beloved team in more ways than one. Richie C
ReplyDeleteAgree with all the comments, Eboue is not a left sided midfielder. The harder he tried the worse he got, not helped by the crowd. He has actually had a good season compared to one or two other under achievers. He is a good squad player
ReplyDeleteI say Eboue Gets straight back into the team for the champs league and beats his demons.
ReplyDeleteAlso Wenger please play him on the right side of midfield.
GO EBOUE GO
i think any one who thinks he is a bad player does not have any experience of being a great football player as i have or great knowledge about football as i have he is a great special football player and was a player who when he had the ball playing at wing back was some one who always made you think he could run past the whole team or 1 or 2 less and create the pass or 1 pass of a move to score a goal and remember thats from wingback now whenever hes in the team in midfield i feel even more happy .as for comparing the teams players i feel that all the arsenal players are equal when adding up all the different players different attributes the team plays for every player and suports players who make mistakes and if you want to suport one player and not another then the team does not play for you but plays for the fans who suport every player so you do not suport arsenal
ReplyDeleteEboue is an Arsenal player who loves our club. OK He was terrible against Wigan and had to come off to avoid giving away a goal. BUT. No true fan would ever ever ever publicly criticise one of the players, and boos really are a disgrace. However, fans who pay huge percentages of their wages have very few outlets when they want to show their emotions - positive or negative. It was an awful game and most fans were depressed and anxious. Eboue simply became the focus of that and was certainly making dreadful errors. Wenger had the guts to substitute him and fans should have had the maturity to keep quiet. I hope he plays right MF against Porto and shows us why he deserves to be in the side. I bet he crosses to assist a header... Let's cheer him next time and give him back the confidence that many fans took away.
ReplyDeleteFantastic blog, mature and correct. Great comments too. I cannot believe how some of us fans behaved towards one of our own. It is as simple as this, if we want our players to loose confidence, give away balls, or in perhaps the great dane's case, not score goals, then we are doing perfect, booing. This is not going to help anyone, and we need to stop, as we are better than that. Get behind the boys and give them the confidence they need. We are the voice of the club and can be an inspiration to our players, however if that same source of inspiration is booing, or nervous or angry with our own, that will be and is reflected on the pitch. Why is only one section of Ashburton red action? The whole stadium should be. If you cannot muster up any noise for the Arsenal then give your ticket to someone who can. We tend to make noise for the boys when things are going our way, but we are missing the point. When the players need us most, what do we give them? Nervous energy, which is translated onto the pitch. Lets get behind not just Eboue but the whole team, that means each and every player and they will reward us.
ReplyDeleteI want to win something this season. There is fairly little I can do. Dreams of playing for Arsenal are still recurring but beyond grasp in this life. Seeing as there is very little I can do, I am certainly not going to hurt the team by booing. We need to get behind this team. There was a recent loss, I don't really want to get into which one, but to have fans leaving Emirates before the whistle is outrageous.
ReplyDeleteTo all ye Gooners of little faith, take pride in your team in your history. That's what separates us from the likes of Chelsea who have no history, who have no standards by which to predicate they are the best. We are the best, look at the Invincibles, we have that history. And for those with an eye to the future, take a sight at these youngsters, we will have plenty of glory.
Manu Eboue...knock em dead son.
Wenger, you must redeem yourself as well. Put Manny in on the right against Porto.
ReplyDelete