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Sunday, December 07, 2008

Eboue destructive humiliation badly crossed the line

When did it become okay to destructively humiliate a player from your own team?

Emmanuel Eboue has played with commitment since first playing for Arsenal about four years ago. He was excellent as an attacking right back during our run to the Champs League final. He has sometimes acted with indiscretion on the pitch but you can clearly tell from his demeanour that he is by no means a 'dirty' player or has a malicious character. He gives his best although sometimes he lacks composure in his final pass or shot.

Yesterday Eboue suffered badly at the end of the game against Wigan. He successively gave the ball away very badly in the last few minutes and it was painful to watch. He had obviously lost his confidence and composure and I agreed with Wenger that it was right to take Eboue out of his misery on the pitch and sub him.

The reaction to his substitution from some Arsenal supporters was shameful. I was relieved to see Eboue being taken off both for his own sake as well as the team's. But to see him have to take on board loud cheers from his own 'supporters' as he walked off the pitch was terrible to watch. It left a real unsatisfactory feeling.

You could tell from the reaction of Ade and Silvestre in their body language and solidarity with Eboue as he went off the pitch that they felt badly for him having to take that abuse and humiliation. They and I knew that it was destructive stuff and that at that moment the stadium had crossed the line in what is an acceptable way to treat your own players.

I hope not to witness such a reaction again. It made me feel ashamed to be an Arsenal supporter.

16 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

T, almost as humiliating as the same Emirates fans performing Mexican waves recently. Face it, the stadium is now full of rootless, impatient, ignorant rich bastards who probably use the words 'footy' and 'soccer'.

12/07/2008 2:42 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

FF, what is humiliating about the Mexican wave? Not questioning your comment, just interested to know as I see the Mexcian wave as not a big thing.

But T, this subject....astounding. I watched the game via the MOTD highlights and to hear the loud cheers as Eboue came off disgusted me. I hardly liked Eboue, I felt he was a diver and feigned contact when going down. But I certainly did recognise his potential as an attacking right back, much more so than as a right winger. He had the pace to take on players, something which you definitely would like to have from your full back adding to the attacks, and more or less delivered the right ball for chances. It was his run in the Champs League final that brought the goal.

But yesterday was something. Coming on on the half hour, someone can correct me if I'm wrong in saying he had a straight forward remaining first half. It was his second half that was questionable. The errors he made seemed clearly of someone who was not focused, troubled, needed lifting up, needed a pat on the back and a verbal push to get his head up and play the ball simple if he is struggling with maintaining the high level of play.

Any fan should recognise not only the negatives of a player's errors but also that clearly the player, having played well before, is not having a good match for reasons beyond being poor.

Liverpool fans booed their team at the end of the 0-0 draw with West Ham on Monday. We made chances to win and didn't, again, finish one of them off. I don't condone booing but it was understandable frustration as a title chasing side failing to make home advantage count against another, where you expected a home win.

The reception to Eboue's substitution was on an entirely different planet and I empathise with T when he said he felt ashamed to be an Arsenal fan. I would have definitely felt the same if it had been LFC fans. The cheers almost sounded as if Arsenal had scored, almost as if they had won a free-kick eventually from a difficult referee.

I've said to T how it was an embarassment to Arsenal support, never has such a reaction been synonymous with Arsenal. I don't care which team it is, not in the slightest, it was wrong. Yes, he made errors. Yes, he was out of sorts 2nd half. Yes, he could have cost the side two or even three points. But I couldn't point to Eboue out there and say he wasn't trying.

We had to endure the antics of Djimi Traore and I have never known anyone to tolerate a so-called player of his calibre in a top team, in the highest league in England and Wales. Traore would look clumsy, half bothered, unprofessional, give away free-kicks, the ball and then smile it off, he must have been an entirely different player in training.

Emmanuel Eboue has been nothing like Traore, not even on yesterday's standards. Those who cheered sarcastically his substitution simply should be ashamed, not T. I know T, and others like him, would have felt awful that one of their own was having a troubling time down there but would applaud him anyway for trying, support him because he is one of their own, let him know it was a bad day and you're happy for him to come back and do better.

And I even felt Adebayor should have just patted Eboue on the back on his way off instead of having a quiet word with him, as trying to console the man compounded the moment even more for him. Eboue was clearly hurt by the reaction just from his facial expression, like a man who had lost something very dear. In the circumstance, the player will have to face it off on his own, with his colleagues showing him a small sign of solidarity and then seeing him fully after the match, off the pitch, away from the public.

My God, just a poor demonstration of 'support' and I too wish not to hear or see of it again. Ever. England fans had recently booed Lampard but he ignored and came over it all to provide good play for the qualifiers. And now that's stopped. Eboue is no different and he can react the same. Something at half time got to him, I think, maybe something heard from the crowd. He was playing on the left and maybe he was not accustomed to it why he was off-form. Nonetheless, you do not treat your own with such derision. My days.


RedsMan.

12/07/2008 2:43 pm

 
Blogger looneygooner said...

The problem is that fans are paying the highest prices for tickets and watching average play, in this present climate we see over paid, over pampered players simply turning up and collecting their wages, we have no loyalty from certain players.
Certain players yesterday didn't even have the decency to applaud the loyal fans who turn up week in week out, no we get a pathetic wave and running off as quickly as possible.
The players have to realise without our money and support they would be no-where, the gasp between fans and players is ever increasing.
I remember the days when you would see players on the train, could go up and have a chat with them, now a lot of them act like 'prima donnas who don't seem to give a toss about the fans, some will use the booing as an excuse to leave in the summer, I don't like the booing but I do understand the frustration, Wenger has been promising for the last three seasons we will be a force to be reckon with, but we are a soft touch and Wenger isn't hard with them, he seems to give in to their pathetic whims instead of cracking the whip.
Players have too much control and that is why the fans are getting p.ssed off with it.
Yesterday was only 58,000 attendance you will see that figure drop unless prices are brought down and the players start to earn the respect of the fans instead of taking us for granted, we are customers now not fans, even the 'Wonder of you' as a board decision and not the fan's polls.
I think Arsenal have pushed the fans too much and we will see discontented fans over the next few seasons, Arsenal take heed you have lost the common touch with the fans, you even tried to trade-mark the 'Gooners' which we all know was the hooligan element, that shows how greedy the board have become and even the treatment of the 'Bear's' family and friends was disgraceful.
Fans are losing respect for the club and players, the Arsenal way is losing it's identity to the fat money making greedy board who don't give a shit about the true fans.

12/07/2008 3:09 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

RedMan, I like how you differentiated between Liverpool being booed and the Eboue situation. There is no difference, you are trying to make ur supporters look good dude. Arsenal are too trying to win a title mind you and have had some bad decisions and it "seemed" as if Eboue wanted to give the ball away. We are human and while I disagree with booing we can get frustrated and loose control of our emotions. I want to see the first person who this have nevered happened too.

12/07/2008 3:36 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

bad results

12/07/2008 3:37 pm

 
Blogger Joppa Road said...

BillyBrimble...at last a decent reply. The club is severly going down hill in my opinion. Yesterday's booing was as much at Wenger as it was Eboue. The way Wenger persists with him to the extent of playing him out of position ahead of other subs was again a baffling decision. These decisions seem to be coming more and more common e.g. Sunderland match formation.

Why the hell shouldn't fans be allowed to boo? I mean who do these players think they are? We have Bendtner prancing around as if he owns the place. I think this whole team needs a rocket up their arse.

The club seems to have gone up its own arse to me. Its a real shame but I am beginning to think that moving to that stadium has change us for the worst - its not all about money.

Wenger playing the kids in the quarter final just stinks of arrogance to me. 'The kids will get experience'. Well excuse me but as far as I can see the first team are divided and playing poorly and perhaps they could do with the feeling of winning something. Its not like we are top of the league and to just throw the quarter final gets my back up. Look who we would have been playing in the semi. But oh no Arsenal are too big for that competition. Just not good enough.

12/07/2008 3:47 pm

 
Blogger RedsMan said...

No, Anon (3.36PM), there is a difference. Collectively the Liverpool team were booed and rightly so because the quality in finishing chances has been wrong and they had to put that right sharpish. I said I don't condone booing (I said I condone those who booed Lampard) and that includes my own team, not about making them look good despite. That would be hypocritical.

And while it's pedantic to point out Eboue was not booed, it was as good as, if not worse than, being booed. The man is down as it is and he was singled out even further. Ignore how many chances Arsenal created and could have converted to extend their lead, why not turn on Eboue and blame him for almost gifting Wigan a way back into the game? That doesn't sound sensible advice at all.

RedsMan.

12/07/2008 4:02 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't want to sound like one of those old boys who say "You've never had it so good" but we have had some truly lean times but even in the darkest days booing individual players has been a very rare occurance. We need to keep the faith and back the team. Its not about how much they earn or how much we pay it about supporting anyone who pulls on the red and white of Arsenal. Our clubs tradition and class has been build over decades and is in our stewardship right now, dont throw it away. Remember what makes Arsenal different.

12/07/2008 4:14 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've created a group on behalf of all arsenal fans on facebook to give Eboue an apology, whether you were there or not. Type in the search box : "official apology to Emmanuel Eboue"

12/07/2008 4:51 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Redman, "But I couldn't point to Eboue out there and say he wasn't trying" - well you obviously didn't watch the match then. If I was playing in a match and I kept giving the ball away and yet couldn't even be bothered to run and try and win the ball back my team mates would have demanded that I be subbed. I'll defend anyone who goes out there and gives their best, but when a player of limited ability like Eboue cannot even be bothered to chase back and defend, then in my opinion they deserve everything they get.

12/07/2008 5:07 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

He couldn't be bothered to try. I'll cheer and clap anyone who tries his hardest even on a bad day.

Eboue is a coward and a shirker - shirking tackles, shirking challenges, shirking marking, shirking covering back, shirking commitment. He is a disgrace and deserved every single one of my cheers when I saw his number come up and every one of my boos as he trudged off the pitch.

He deserves a kick up the arse.

12/07/2008 5:17 pm

 
Blogger Joppa Road said...

an official apology to Eboue....go fck yourself. Stupid cnt.

12/07/2008 5:30 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

so many things wrong at arsenal this season. but they sit 4th in the league. skg.

12/07/2008 8:50 pm

 
Blogger T said...

Jopparoad's second comment sums up the type of mentality and character that goes into bullying and humiliating an individual.

Having looked at Arsenal sites and comments elsewhere I'm glad to see that the consensus is disgust at what happened yesterday.

Good luck on the facebook site anon. I would like Eboue to get some sort of an apology from the majority of the Arsenal faithful who doesn't buy in to kicking a man when he is down.

12/07/2008 9:11 pm

 
Blogger RedsMan said...

I'm sorry, I'm lost on this somewhere. He deliberately tried to mess things for Arsenal? I've asked as to whether his first half was also as bad as his second and since Anon (5.07PM) knows better, I would have appreciated him or her informing me. No, as I said so please do read, I watched the game from the highlights on MOTD. I even saw this morning on Sky's 'Goals On Sunday' (definitely not plugging Sky) the number of errors he made.

One was with Gallas giving him the ball on the right but Eboue miscontrolled it and another was when Toure urged him forward and instead he tookt he ball off Toure and gave it away. If it's about not trying, not doing this, not doing that, how often has Eboue done this throughout his Arsenal career? Has a knack for it or is it temporarily? His playing on the left having any significance?

As for JoppaRoad (5.30PM), well, T said it already. You can be disappointed, frustrated, angry. To have sevreal tens of thousands displaying it simultaneously is just not about support. Just isn't.


RedsMan.

12/07/2008 10:43 pm

 
Blogger RedsMan said...

Thanks, Anon.


RedsMan.

11/08/2009 9:55 am

 

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