Old Man Andrews I am all for differing opinions but some of the blind support for Stam is ridiculous. There are so many weak minded people on Twitter who will back Stam no matter what. Jaap could come round their houses and take a dump on their pillow and they'd still worship him.
Same usual supects too. People from STAR scared to upset the club, The Tilehurst End pertrifed to upset anyone by having an opinion just in case it means they won't get free stuff from the club and the same few Twitter Reading fans (everyone knows them) who will constantly moan about "people booing at away games". People boo because the manager is inept and embarassing as are the players. Grow up.
The whole club is a joke.
Club will still be here after Stam is gone. Whether he goes because he is pushed, or leaves under his own accord.
But for me, it's not the club that's a joke, it's some of its supporters.
I don't want
my club to be one of those with hyprocitical supporters who demand loyalty from managers and players, but turn on them as soon as things aren't working, without giving them an opportunity to put stuff right.
I don't want
my club to be one of those with supporters who think they are somehow entitled to success. And perfection. Not just winning, but winning in the "right" way. With players who will always make the right decisions, and never have an off day.
This isn't about Stam.
This is about the abuse Leigertwood, for instance, got, the year after his goal got us promoted, because some supporters decided he wasn't good enough any more. Hero to zero in a couple of months.
This is about "fans" audibly groaning if the ball isn't kicked long, but then audibly groaning if it does go long, and it isn't won. You have a player on the ball, with opposition players closing in, already under pressure because he doesn't have many options to pass to - and he's being jeered by his own supporters. How can anybody think that's helpful?
This is about #McDermottOut tweets barely a month after he'd started.
This is about people saying Clarke should leave, and then calling him a snake because he asked for permission to talk to another club
This is about fans claiming players aren't trying or don't care, when there is clear evidence that they very much do.
This is about fans who'll be smarming up to a player to get a selfie if they happened to meet them in Tescos, but will call them embarrassing, and giving it large from the safety of the stand if they make a mistake in a game. Because none of them have never made a mistake in their own work. Right.
I was at the West Brom FA Cup game at the Mad Stad when one of their supporters threw a coin that hit Chris Brunt, because he was so angry that his club lost to little old Reading. That guy had played hundreds of games for that club, and that's the way they rewarded his loyalty. Did they think he wanted to lose?
It's that kind of ignorant entitled childish behaviour that I hate. Sneering at players because they are talented, and work hard, and do something that the supporters aren't able to do, and as a result get a lot of money for it - somehow that means that the minute things go wrong, it's perfectly ok to abuse their character. Or boo them. Or throw things at them.
I don't want
my club to be like that.
We want different things. We think different things are acceptable as supporters. Maybe you see that as "blind support". I don't. I give my reviews of games, and I'm not always kind. I question some players commitment, and skill. I criticise selections and tactics.
What I won't do is hurl abuse at my own team during an actual game.
Bad enough some of the stuff that gets chanted at opposition players. But to be doing it to your own? It's like booing yourself.
