About Eboue
Tuesday, 09 December 08, 04:18 AM · Comments(0)
by Joel Abraham
Poor little Eboue. Subbed as a sub, booed off by his own fans, on the verge of tears as he walked off the pitch.
Eboue is a bit like a game of Jenga. Every misplaced pass, every dive, every minute wasted by rolling around on the pitch is one brick removed from the tower of patience of the average Arsenal fan. Against Wigan, it all came crashing down.
Arsenal are having a poor season, having lost five league games already. The tendancy has been towards spectacularly slaying one of the giants and then losing against inferior opposition a week later. Fans paying big money for tickets are not happy with the current state of the team. Discontent has been bubbling away for some time.
Things boiled over on Saturday. After sitting on a somewhat fortuitous 1-0 lead against Wigan, Arsenal were playing badly. Tension was high at the Emirates, fans were fearing another last-minute capitulation, and Eboue just happened to be the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Kolo Toure picked the ball up from his own area, charged forward, urging Eboue to make a supporting run. Eboue stood still, tackled Toure, and played a square pass straight to a Wigan player.
In my years of going to football matches, I've never heard a noise quite like it. It was an eruption of indignation. It was the Emirates groan multiplied by a thousand, with a heavy injection of outrage and sheer disgust. The substitution was made seconds later, greeted by a cheer that was arguably bigger than the one that celebrated Adebayor's early goal. Eboue left the pitch, visably distraught, and given a round of booing for good measure.
What followed was a period of quiet reflection, as the guilt began to set in. Fans gradually realised that they'd really upset the poor guy. Some began to sing songs for Eboue, and the recriminations began. "I wasn't booing." "These fans are a disgrace." Let's be honest, we're all guilty. In the heat of the moment, we all screamed when he gave the ball away, and we all cheered when his number came up. But we couldn't help it.
Had it been any other player that gave the ball away, it wouldn't have happened. Had Arsenal been 3-0 up, it wouldn't have happened. But rightly or wrongly, all the resentment of three trophyless seasons exploded on Saturday afternoon, and Eboue took all the flak.
Like this blog? Help spread the word: 
-
Freddy said:Also never bet on a match involving your own side. Too messy!
obaino said:i love ibra and i think he's better than eto'o, for now cos eto'o have realy pl...
Freddy said:I'm curious to see if English sides maintain their domination. But some pretty ...
-
studentsofthegame
GB
We really should be getting paid for this.
On The Champions League is boring