Been meaning to talk about this for a while now and finally getting round to it. This topic can definitely use some feedback/input from the OA members who are lucky enough to attend games.
WTF is the problem with certain players never showing appreciation to the fans? take the Bournemouth game, perfect example, Alexis on the final whistle throws down his gloves and storms off down the tunnel all upset. i get his passion and desire for the 3 points, but come on man, fans right after X-mas have braved a 3 hour trip to support their team and Alexis can’t come over and at least give the fans a thumbs up?
It’s other players as well, Özil is another example, this isn’t a one off. even after a win some players just stroll off down the tunnel without even looking at the fans. Wenger is also VERY guilty of this.
I see the Ox, Bellerin, Cech, Walcott, Giroud and a couple others thank the fans after games, but many of the others look like they simply couldn’t careless.
The players and manager need to get their priorities sorted out and thank the fans EVERY SINGLE GAME!
It’s meaningless. If someone wants to go down a tunnel in rage at 90 minutes, what difference would pretending you wanted to clap the fans and then spending 60 seconds fake clapping and then running down the tunnel do? Would it make you go oh that Alexis, what a top lad he really loves us. Then when he leaves is he an even bigger cunt because he convinced us that he loved us?
Alexis Sanchez wasn’t raised on the estates in London and he didn’t join Arsenal for it’s top quality fans. He joined it because it’s a top 4 club in a top 4 league and he wasn’t wanted at his last one. If we weren’t a top team financially and weren’t a top team in one of the top leagues he wouldn’t be here.
Clapping the fans, not celebrating against ex clubs, #COYG on twitter, honestly I think most of this stuff is just PR bullshit these days.
I’d prefer someone to play how Sanchez plays and storm off in misery than playing like Oxlade plays and coming over to clap and wave every game. If players actually cared about the fans they’d step up a gear when we go 2-0 down. Footballers should always do their talking on the pitch and if you’re livid with your teammates or at your own terrible performance I can completely understand players wanting to get out of there ASAP.
I actually mentioned this after a game just before before Christmas. i can’t remember what game it was possibly the Everton or City game when players just stormed off the pitch and showed no appreciation to the fans.
Do me a favour please Mysty, i can’t take AFTV anymore
@Craigie, maybe so mate, but the fans obviously appreciate it when the players come over and show some appreciation for the support. whether the player sincerely means it or not is neither here nor there since we will never know if they do or not, but that isn’t the point really. don’t you say please and thank you? don’t you appreciate it when people say it to you for whatever reason?
I dunno, maybe it is making a mountain out of a mole hill, i just think it’s basic decency to ones own fans for travelling to support their team, or for coughing up the huge sums for a season ticket and making the efoort to turn up and cheer the team on week in and week out.
Nice to see how Robbie and his fucking television composed by fake and subcultural fans want respect for them when they don’t respect the manager and the players. They don’t respect our fanbase, because is because of them if the Arsenal fans are a joke.
They used Arsenal to be famous, to earn money with the views and to educate the kids to be like them.
This is the support of the future, when the fans think to be better than the managers and than the players despite the experience and qualities, but basing their thoughts on debate via social network.
Not 100% to you point, but just regarding footballers-fan relationship in general. Footballers worked very hard for their whole lives and sacrificied a lot to make it to where they are. They don’t owe anybody anything.
Clap the fans you pompous arseholes. Why can’t you even be bothered to perform a simple courtesy to the ordinary people who have travelled, spent money, taken time out of our lives to support and encourage you at the opposition’s home ground. It literally requires nothing from the player but means alot to the traveling support.
Always a classic sign a footballer forgotten what it means to be an ordinary person in the stands before they got rich and famous.
I think we get over emotional about this. I mean people were pissed off with Giroud celebrating scoring in this game.
If we play crap and get beat now or in the past im not up for the mutual appreciaton society.
Maybe thats just nature of the beast with me. Was at Wrexham on that awful day in 92, wouldnt have appeased me with a clap and a wave tbh.
When I went to the defeat against Southampton, the players applauded the fans at the end and that annoyed me almost as much as the performance and result.
It really is a pointless ritual. Like the player handshake before the game or the manager handshake afterwards. Something else for people to get wound up about when one or two players out of the team don’t do it.
I only care about the 90 minutes, everything else they do means precisely fuck all to me. And I’m watching from afar so maybe that’s easy for me to say but let’s be honest so are most of the people who get wound up about this type of thing.
I don’t understand why they don’t do it because the support may as well be openly appreciated. But at the same time I wouldn’t give a flying fuck if I was at any of the away games. What happens on the pitch is the be all and end all. If we’re victorious, these issues are trivial at best.
Craigie nails it. It’s hard to take when you’re at the game, you’ve travelled all that way, Arsenal have had one of those days, and you expect a bit of gratitude for the (no longer) amazing away support.
But the reality of course is that Alexis, Giroud and co. don’t give a fuck about the fans. Well that might be a tad strong, but they come way down the priority list, when that full time whistle blows and they realise they’ve underperformed once again.
Some players will clap the fans at times, win or lose, but I’ve never noticed any pattern to it, re: the English Gooners like Wilshere/Jenkinson vs. someone with no connection to the club like Sanchez
Imagine being a team mate of Éboue Emmanuel on that fateful day against Wigan? If I were on the field that day, I’d be thinking "wow, how bad are our fanbase for doing this "
They’re human beings and will also have opinions on when the people/chants in the stand are being monumentally stupid.
This is true.
I remember the joke going round when Rooney got a new contract at Man U for 250k a week.
He was going to get 200k, and then a further 50k for kissing the badge when he scored.
The only real passion for a club is from the supporters, and rarely does a player, certainly at the top clubs, have any allegiance to the club they play for.
Or when he threatened them with leaving and a move to City for a new deal. There is too much business involved in football to expect loyalty and all that.
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