So the Eboo-ers have vanished into the night, nowhere to be seen or heard anywhere across the Arsenal blogosphere. Instead, there is a spectrum of opinion which ranges from regret to total embarrassment to real anger that an Arsenal player playing badly should be ridiculed by his own supporters during a game.
No-one will defend Eboue’s performance. It was indefensible. Arseblogger makes the crucial point when he observes that while the rubbishness of his performance was bad enough, what got people really worked up (and this is much less obvious to a TV audience) was that Eboue didn’t seem to care – shrugging and standing hands on hips after disastrously and needlessly throwing away possession yet again. This is bound to get anyone’s goat, and I suppose the best defence for the Ebooers is that if he didn’t care when he was on the pitch then he has no right to care when he is made to leave it.
So a regrettable incident, but one which could have been avoided by Eboue actually appearing to make an effort.
The other defence people are coming up with is that a lot of the booing was actually directed at Arsene Wenger so that’s ok. I’m sorry? It’s not ok to boo a player who doesn’t try, but it is ok to boo the club’s greatest post-war manager? I really struggle to understand how this is justification.
Or else, it was directed at the board, as some kind of bizarrely-timed protest at the lack of transfer activity. Perhaps this was a protest at Wenger’s stubbornness in not immediately signing an over-priced Italian winger we once saw do a trick on YouTube as soon as he saw Eboue was having a stinker? That’s how football works isn’t it?
There’s a great big scapegoating exercise which seems to run through quite a lot of fans’ minds when they don’t like a performance. Blame it on Eboue. Blame it on Song. In extreme cases blame it on Denilson. It’s a very easy way to deal with disappointment, to place all the blame on just one or two players, and the great thing is you don’t even need to watch the game properly, but it never really works as a way of explaining poor performance and other players who make big mistakes or underperform - like Toure, Clichy, Van Persie – their mistakes are always quickly forgotten to allow more time for yelling at whichever player you’ve decided to hate. Of course, football doesn’t work like this.
Song in particular continues to be singled out as the scapegoat. “He’s to blame for yesterday! If it wasn’t for Song we would have won… hold on… we did win? Right. Well I blame Song for the fact that the league chose not to magically turn our 3 points into 14. That was all his fault!”
BREAKING NEWS: Song actually played quite well yesterday. (NB this doesn’t mean I think he is better than Vieira or something).
One blogger yet to wake up and smell the 3 points is Le Grove. What a surprise! Ah, Le Grumble, that helpful support group for the bitter, the insane and the unloved in the Arsenal community. If they’re not complaining about the lack of a mid-season DVD celebrating Arsenal’s autumnal achievements, then they’re pining for the signing of Stewart Downing (as in today’s blubbing, semi-literate instalment). They must be the only group of fans who celebrate a victory by effectively calling for the club’s manager to be sacked. Literally, the only fans anywhere in the world who would see this as reasonable. Astonishing.
Next up it’s Porto away, and a great chance for the boss to try out that Eboue-Song strike partnership we’ve all been crying out for. Only joking! But it could happen, seriously… “I believe if you’re a good player then you can play in any position”…
Tags: Alex Song, Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Emmanuel Eboue, Porto, wigan
December 7th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
We do not need to boo anyone. And if Eboue regains his confidence he can play as good as when sagna was not here( remember when he provided the cross for Van persie’s wonder volley against charlton !) S STOP THE BOOING YOU LOT SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES. ‘VICTORY THROUGH HARMONY’ !!!!!!!
December 7th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
“Le Grumble”……I really like the sound of that. I visit the site sometimes for the entertainment value but have learnt that sane views are discouraged so i don’t bother to post anymore. A site that names our list of injured after a particular player as if he cooses to be injured can only be described as “Le Sick”.
Bischoff was christened “Bitch Slap” because he had the misfortune to be an “arsenal” player. These guys need to wake up and realise that footballers are not tools, they’re players. I would give my boss a stern warning if he insulted me the way these guys insult our players.
Song was voted best DM in an AFC that had Essien, Yaya Toure etc. I believe that calls for some respect. “Le Fans” have tried their best to ensure that he doesn’t settle down but it looks like he’s goint to turn them into “Le Frustrated” by improving on his recent solid performances.
Eboue was shocking yesterday but how many players will play anywhere on the field, even at the risk of ruining their reputations, without a word of complaint?
As for Denilson, just go check ot his stats/rating on the official premier league site and you’ll be “Le Shocked”.
Boo all you want, no player will be bought before the market reopens
December 7th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Excellent article. Totally agree; hate the haters!
Eboue was awful but I feel ashamed today of our own fans. Unfortunately I see Wenger playing Eboue staight away again now in an attempt to give him an opportunity to immediately rectify matters. Can’t get much worse I suppose!
On a bright note it was great that we ground out a result. Anyone who was at the game have an opinion on Toure’s performance? I’m wondering about him partnering Djourou…
December 7th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Toure did well but I believe Gallas is a more confident player
December 7th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
to see eboue trudge off the pitch wiping off tears is just quite sickening really, booing your own players isn’t gonna help getting three points, isnt gonna help any1s confidence. I’ve criticised eboue on countless occassions but this really has sickened me. I have to say I’m ashamed to be associated with such fans.
Well done – you’ve absolutely smashed his confidence to bits, as if it wasnt low enough already, I can’t see a way back for him.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
toure was rubbish, always out of position, always playing a high line. Always relying on his pace to get back and then fouling his man. We need gallas back, gallas and djourou is the partnership for this season it’s got to be.
December 7th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Eh? Boo-him?
And they did. And how…
December 7th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
hear hear!
I managed to write something in a similiar vein earlier and couldn’t agree more, have linked you up to it out of solidarity,
these morons should go down the lane
December 7th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
let me just say that i think the fans should not have booed eboue.
however not because he doesn’t deserve to be booed, simply because it’s bad for our reputation, it’s bad for our atmosphere and bad for team morale.
if you are the boss of a business and your employee takes the piss with his incompetence and his bad attitude for 18 months you don’t politely ask that he please sort himself out. you tell the bitch to do it or else, and if he gets upset it’s entirely his own fault.
let’s just remember that he’s being payed £15k plus a week to do the best job in the world. if on that sort of money he can’t bring himself to improve his frankly seriously poor game up to a consistently decent standard and wil insist on diing, cheating and complaining every 10 minutes, then frankly the bitch deserves to get booed.
wenger has had blind faith in him for 18 months with endless stubbornness and refuses to tell him to shape up or fuck off regardless of the fact the guy is not only usually crap, he’s a twat. eboue is taking 15k a week of our money and laughing all the way to the bank. if he can’t handle it that his employers got mad at him for his bullshit then it proves just how pathetic he is.
like i said, i wish they hadn’t booed and i hope they never boo again. the consequences are bad and it’s really not the way forward, but if wenger won’t deal with eboue in all this time like he deserves then i’m at least glad that eboue got exactly what he deserves. also hopefully wenger will finally stop this nonsense and actually take some action. he always says how he has faith in his youngsters yet refuses to play them and says they aren’t strong enough and so a guy who collapses in ‘agony’ on contact gets games ahead of a certain 16 year old who actually has some balls and gets physical.
honestly it angers me.
December 7th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
It is down to the manager why did he not bring on someone who can play in that position? Vela and Wiltshire where on the bench
Wenger has lost it over the last couple of years 1.for his failure in the transfer market 2. because of tacticle decisions that he makes i think time for a change i would suggest Wenger moves to Director of football and bring in another coach
December 7th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I am a gooner from Jamaica, and i hav to say i wuz disgusted at the fans response!!! Eboue has been out for what, 9 weeks so he is rusty. you could c he was not at his best. Furthermore, the fans only made matters worse.The poor fellow was terrified at the prospect of receiving the ball. GET BEHIND THE PLAYERS NO MATTER WHAT!!! C’MON GOONERS STOP THE BOOING.
July 4th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
governments sought an amicable settlement with Hitler, and France