A different kind of crisis at the Emirates

I feel for Emmanuel Eboue. I really do. If I were him, I'd leave Arsenal as soon as possible. Honestly. The level of abuse he receives at the hands of Gooners, never mind opposing team supporters, is unbelievable. No player, no matter how badly he performs, deserves this kind of treatment. The past week's match against Wigan was the proverbial cherry on the cake. He comes back after an injury which sidelines him for a month, and is then played out of his position, AND in the wrong flank. Obviously, mistakes will be made when such decisions are made.

But the behavior of the fans when he got subbed out was something else. Booing your own player for making mistakes, despite giving it his best? Thats just not on.

And whats it going to do for the morale of the other star players in the squad. What would Fabregas, Nasri, Walcott etc. be thinking when they saw this? "Oh yes!! These are the kind of fans I want to play for!!" Fuck that.

And keep in mind, most of the squad is in their early twenties. If fans keep behaving this way, they'll end up destroying a few careers in the process. Look at Nicklas Bendtner. Arsenal fans have had a go at him every time he steps on the pitch, despite the fact that he's saved Arsenal the blushes on many occasions (Dino Kiyv?). Watch him play for his country, Denmark, where he is supported by fans who still have class. I still remember a friendly against Spain where he single-handedly ripped apart the Spanish backline on numerous occasions (scored twice) and kept both Puyol and Marchena under his control throughout the ninety minutes. But I fear his career may not reach the peaks that it deserves to, mainly due to the confidence sapping environment at the Emirates.

Supporting your team at their home stadium is a privilege. For all those who think their $60 ticket entitles them to taunt their own team, I really have nothing to say because they've forgotten what football is all about. I just hope that this disgraceful incident is enough to wake everyone up to this utter lack of respect for the game.