Booing Players?
Booing Players? - Forum Discussion
Yolkie Says:
This is a point that's raised after the Kazakhstan game for England at Wembley, and made after seeing ITV's late night highlight broadcast with Mirror chief writer Oliver Holt and Irish Cockney Andy Townsend.
Both "pundits" seemed to be outraged at the booing of Ashley Cole after his horrific error allowing the Kazak's to score - my immediate reaction was - why wasn't this highlighted 10 years ago when Beckham and then Phil Neville, and since, Wayne Rooney, were made public enemy number one, not for consistently awful performances, sometimes against (with all respect) substandard opposition, but for split second judgments.
Beckham had effigies of himself burned in high streets and the media advertised it in almost support. Lampard got a few boos and there was a media outcry.
Oliver Holt did somewhat redeem himself when noting that "fans" who turn up to watch England have senselessly singled out Manchester United players and booed them just because United were successful - it was nice to have it at least recognised, though that was swept under the carpet almost as soon as it was brought up.
If a player makes an almighty cock up in circumstances such as Ashley Cole did, I have to say, I thought the volume of the booing was harsh, but as a professional earning around £100k a week in these dire economic times, then a little dent to the ego is a small price to pay - similarly the attention Lampard faced in the last 12 months, he wasn't performing. Incidents involving United players haven't, as long as I've been aware, been about bad performances, but more single errors of judgment that were subsequently subjected to terminal vilification led by the red tops or Sky.