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Scape goats over the years


croydonsaint

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It has always been that there has been a player that seemed to be picked out by the fans in a Negative way. I think my first memory was back in the 60s when Melia Melia would be chanted around the ground ( but not in a good way). I can also recall was it Mcmenemies brother in law Lew Chatterley getting his share of derision. Believe it or not I can recall Channon getting stick when he first appeared in the team as often his runs ended up with him fluffing the final pass or on the floor.

Coming up to date Mane was starting to get this unfortunate appointment but hopefully he has now started to lose it.

Interested in which players you can recall becoming the scapegoat of the team and I wonder how many of them turned it around.......

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Maybe the most extreme example I can remember is Iain Dowie's name being booed when announced on the tannoy after scoring. It was fine in the end though, he ran around a lot and fell over to win free kicks and penalties that Matty scored from so people began to like him.

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Kelvin Davis has taken more than his fair share over the years. But what about the players who got away with it? Terry Hurlock was awful but I don't remember him getting stick and of course the legend that is Frannie Benali was very poor for most of his career (although he did improve towards the end of his career).

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My old man, a Plymouth fan but brought up in Southampton, used to say Southampton fans were the worst for turning in there own players. I don't know if we are any worse than other clubs but some of the grief dished out is poor.

 

Alan Ball, Matt Oakley, Fabrice Fernandes, Paul Telfer, Neil McCann, Dan Harding, Dean Harding, Guly, Danny Fox; to name a few.

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Kelvin Davis has taken more than his fair share over the years. But what about the players who got away with it? Terry Hurlock was awful but I don't remember him getting stick and of course the legend that is Frannie Benali was very poor for most of his career (although he did improve towards the end of his career).

 

Benali got quite a bit of stick at times from the crowd. Plenty of fans didn't want him in the team.

 

I thought Bruce Grobbelaar largely got away with being a scapegoat despite letting in goals on purpose.

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I remember Fred Kemp and Hugh Fisher getting stick from various sections of the crowd back in the late 60s / early 70s.

 

I also recall ‘Davies Out Gilchrist In’ graffiti painted on a wall along Milton Road for several weeks, referring, of course, to the legend that is Ron Davies.

 

Sadly, very few players are immune from becoming scapegoats at some point in their careers; but, as already mentioned by the OP, I struggle to recall any Saints' player getting worse stick than Lew Chatterley.

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Ricardo Fuller.

 

That was justified. Apart from his last 5-6 games for us he was absolutely crap.

 

Most of the abuse Jermaine Wright got what terrible. He was nowhere near as bad as everyone made him out to be and he was played out of position most of the time. He wasn't brilliant by any means but when he played CM, he wasn't THAT bad.

 

Jason Euell took a massive amount of stick but similar to Jermaine, he was played out of position. He was constantly played on the wing when he was a striker. When he played upfront, again, he wasn't terrible.

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Lallana and schneiderlin, hoovield, maya, fox, davis, boruc, forster, guly, manè

 

The list continues, JWP has somehow got a bit of stick of some people after arsenal.

 

The problem is we have some kneejerk thickos that dont seem to understand football

 

What, by saying that he finished poorly for two fairly easy chances? What the f*ck is wrong with people nowadays, getting all precious over the slightest criticism.

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Most of the abuse Jermaine Wright got what terrible. He was nowhere near as bad as everyone made him out to be and he was played out of position most of the time. He wasn't brilliant by any means but when he played CM, he wasn't THAT bad.

 

Jason Euell took a massive amount of stick but similar to Jermaine, he was played out of position. He was constantly played on the wing when he was a striker. When he played upfront, again, he wasn't terrible.

 

Jermaine Wright was pretty dreadful, but it wasn't down to any lack of effort or trying, which for me, is the one and only reason to ever boo or abuse your own player.

 

The poor guy was quite simply, a woeful footballer in a woeful team in what at the time was a woefully run club who couldn't afford to sign anyone better. That should have been self-evident to anyone there; blaming someone simply for a lack of ability is just daft as hell.

 

Mind you, I think during the 07/08 - 08/09 seasons most of us could do little more than just sit there in silence watching the inevitable unfold whilst singing the occasional round of 'swing Lowe' so I guess people did want an outlet.

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I remember Paul Jones getting dogs abuse when he went through a sticky spell.

 

And of course Lee Todd (Toddler) who came with him.

 

Worst of all was the constant moaning at the Dell that followed anything less than perfect from club legend Terry Paine in the late 1960s

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There's a substantial difference between calling a player sh#t after a series of really sh#t performances, and making a scapegoat of them you bunch of overly dramatic retards. Mane was playing hall of fame sh#t, Guly is/was sh#t, Hooiveld is/was sh#t, Fox is/was sh#t.

 

You are the retard mate, if you don't understand that an African from a Austrian league that hasn't played in England before might need a bit of time to find his feet.

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Pelle at the start of the season?

don't know why people think having a go at one of your own helps? "Just calling them sh"t"isn't ok even if they haven't played well that sort of reaction will affect other players in your own team. However It's funny how some players could make a hundred mistakes and be ok and others make one and get called sh"t...if that isn't a scapegoat what is?

I wouldn't want to play in an environment where my team mates are abused by their own fans.

#togetherasoneunlessyouhaveabadgametheniwillcallyou****

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Jermaine Wright was pretty dreadful, but it wasn't down to any lack of effort or trying, which for me, is the one and only reason to ever boo or abuse your own player.

 

The poor guy was quite simply, a woeful footballer in a woeful team in what at the time was a woefully run club who couldn't afford to sign anyone better. That should have been self-evident to anyone there; blaming someone simply for a lack of ability is just daft as hell.

 

Mind you, I think during the 07/08 - 08/09 seasons most of us could do little more than just sit there in silence watching the inevitable unfold whilst singing the occasional round of 'swing Lowe' so I guess people did want an outlet.

He still should have been dropped though. While we weren't a great team, he was a level below the others and as far as I recall, we had other options.

 

Rory Delap is the other one I remember as inexplicably playing every game when we had other options. That's why he got stick.

 

While it doesn't help to have the crowd getting on their back, it is hard not to react when they give the ball away yet again. And its as much a signal to the manager as it is to the player

Edited by Ex Lion Tamer
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Paul Telfer and Jermaine Wright were both honest utility players who did a good job for Saints. Anyone who says otherwise is forgetting it's a squad game.

 

Saints fans have two blind spots in my opinion; lack of appreciation of holding midfielders (Oakley is a good example) and an over appreciation of players that fist pump / clap the crowd / whose hair resembles Jesus (Ostlund and Prutton tick all of those boxes).

 

At the end of the day, the manager picks a player to play a role based on what he has available. As long as that player puts a shift in, I am generally happy. Those declaring that someone is **** / not fit for the shirt / like Ali Dia, are probably 22st couch potatos who couldn't do any better.

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Paul Telfer and Jermaine Wright were both honest utility players who did a good job for Saints. Anyone who says otherwise is forgetting it's a squad game.

 

Saints fans have two blind spots in my opinion; lack of appreciation of holding midfielders (Oakley is a good example) and an over appreciation of players that fist pump / clap the crowd / whose hair resembles Jesus (Ostlund and Prutton tick all of those boxes).

 

At the end of the day, the manager picks a player to play a role based on what he has available. As long as that player puts a shift in, I am generally happy. Those declaring that someone is **** / not fit for the shirt / like Ali Dia, are probably 22st couch potatos who couldn't do any better.

I think Telfer was good but Wright wasn't. So where do I sit in your theory?

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Glenn Cockrill

 

This was my earliest memory of stick being given to one of our own players. There used to be a chant of 'Caaaaapppppppttttttttaaaaiiiiiinnnnnnnnnn CARP! He gave his all, was captain and used to score some cracking goals!

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You are the retard mate, if you don't understand that an African from a Austrian league that hasn't played in England before might need a bit of time to find his feet.

 

It's irrelevant, this is football. When someone shouts "you're f#cking sh#t" at a player do you go "actually he's just playing sh#t"? No, it's just pedantic rubbish that only happens online

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It has always been that there has been a player that seemed to be picked out by the fans in a Negative way. I think my first memory was back in the 60s when Melia Melia would be chanted around the ground ( but not in a good way). I can also recall was it Mcmenemies brother in law Lew Chatterley getting his share of derision........

 

Really ? Never seen or heard that connection before.

 

But Chatterley did become the scapegoat after our relegation in 1974 and poor start in Division 2 when people expected a team still containing Osgood & Channon to storm back at the first attempt.

 

Part of Chatterley's problem was the fact he'd come from Lawries previous club (at about 32, having not played a higher level for most of his career), and like Ian Turner was seen as a new managers favourite. Ian Turner was also a bit of a whipping boy for a while, having replaced Eric Martin.

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Glenn Cockrill

 

This was my earliest memory of stick being given to one of our own players. There used to be a chant of 'Caaaaapppppppttttttttaaaaiiiiiinnnnnnnnnn CARP! He gave his all, was captain and used to score some cracking goals!

 

Cockerill's mistake was staying a season or two past his prime.Saints had a bid from someone, Sheff Weds I think, and accepted it, but GC wanted to stay. Obviously can't fault him for that, but had he left at that time he'd have been fondly remembered as a pretty outstanding midfielder, who as said scored some good goals. In staying past his prime he became a little tarnished in some peoples minds.

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That was justified. Apart from his last 5-6 games for us he was absolutely crap.

 

Most of the abuse Jermaine Wright got what terrible. He was nowhere near as bad as everyone made him out to be and he was played out of position most of the time. He wasn't brilliant by any means but when he played CM, he wasn't THAT bad.

 

Jason Euell took a massive amount of stick but similar to Jermaine, he was played out of position. He was constantly played on the wing when he was a striker. When he played upfront, again, he wasn't terrible.

 

Disagree. Fuller had been injured for ages and was finding his feet and was class if we'd given him more time.

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