Martin Samuel responds: to boo or not to boo?

It was a simple question but one that sparked an enormous debate. Following the crowd's reaction to Ashley Cole's mistake for England against Kazakhstan, Martin Samuel posed the question: is it right for the crowd to boo? You didn't hold back in your replies, and now nor has he ...

That one moment of pantomime when David Beckham passed to Ashley Cole, huge cheers followed by huge jeers, was genius. It was a crowd of hard working people seizing on a mistake to show Ashley Cole what kind of person we think he is and how far removed from real life and real people he is. Beckham has twice as much money as Cole but we love him because we perceive him to be an honest, decent, loyal, appreciative and hard working man with humility. The exact opposite is true of Cole. That moment was worth a boo and it was not vicious. To call it a disgrace insults the people who have actually put up with abuse from the terraces, from the black players of the 1970's and 1980's right through to Beckham and recently, Sol Campbell. To claim it was a minority is funny. I was there, it was quite a large portion of the crowd. For the footballers and pundits decrying it as the behaviour of morons, they need some perspective and some humility. Carlos.

MS: Does anybody remember the Self Righteous Brothers: Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse’s perfect observation of our warped relationship with modern celebrity? They played two men sitting in a pub, their commentary veering from initial admiration of a famous person (always referred to respectfully at first by the surname) to a sanctimonious, enraged frenzy, as they pictured the celebrity engaged in some outrageous act of poor behaviour or disrespect entirely of their creation. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq7e9R9h7OA and witness them in full, brilliant flow about the imagined selfish driving habits of Julio Iglesias and other inoffensive crooners, building sweetly to the familiar mantra of the interminably pompous. “It’s the kind of money these people earn, it breeds irresponsibility,” sneers Harry as Frank Self-Righteous. “They’ve completely lost touch with reality,” seethes Paul as George Self-Righteous. And now we meet Carlos Self-Righteous, fawning over Beckham one minute, haughtily incensed by Cole the next. You can almost hear him in the pub with Frank and George. “Oh yes, I greatly admire Cole, he is to many minds the absolute epitome of the modern full-back-cum-winger, able to operate not just as a defender, but as a wide attacking threat in in the manner of the great Brazilians. But if Cole made a mistake against Kazakhstan, then pulled Beckham’s fragrant missus, the lovely Victoria, from the crowd, shagged her roughly from behind in the centre circle, threw up and then started pulling 50 pound notes out of her Louis Vuitton bag and setting fire to them for a laugh, I’d say: ‘Oi, Cole – booooo.’” Where to begin with Carlos? For a start, how does he know all the crowd were hard working? There were near enough 90,000 people there. On a law of averages, some of them are bound to be lazy bastards. I mean the arrival of Carlos’s post was timed in the middle of the day. Now, I’m not one to judge, but let’s face it, we don’t know he was on his own time there, do we? And that is the point. Carlos doesn’t know, either. He projects the personality of a saint onto Beckham, and that of an irredeemable sinner on to Cole. Who can say whether Cole has been chastened by his recent experiences? He could be a different man these days. Anyway, I’m not buying that BS about a moral judgment. Cole did not become morally reprehensible just by making a bad pass, so why wait until then? If this really was an assessment of his character, surely he would have been booed on to the field, and booed whether he played well or not. This is lame self-justification because the reaction to the reaction has been negative. The attempt to claim some moral high ground by branding those who condemned Cole’s treatment as in some way disrespectful of black players who suffered abuse in the Seventies is the most laughable rationalisation of all. So Rio Ferdinand is disrespectful of black footballers, is he? Oi, Carlos. No.

The fans pay good money to watch England play and have the right to boo players who are playing badly, or in the case of Cole, make a stupid decision. He should use this to make sure he does better next time. Due to his lifestyle choices he is one of the England players likeliest to be booed, but that is what he gets by having a public persona off the pitch. If he wants to be booed less he should make fewer mistakes on the field, but also work on his image off it. Daniel Pettinger.

MS: So he can be perfect in every way, Daniel. No doubt like your good self.

Oh come on, if any other player had made the same mistake as Ashley Cole, he would not have had the crowd on his back. This is not an issue of to booing when a player makes a mistake; this was an issue of booing a self-righteous, mercenary, arrogant pint of snot called Ashley Cole. Everyone hates him so we boo him; let's not muddy the waters by suggesting that the treatment reserved for Cole would be meted out to the other England lads. Otrà DeLogu.

MS: Except it was: to Peter Crouch, Frank Lampard, Phil Neville, Owen Hargreaves, David Beckham - players that had done absolutely nothing wrong, except struggle for form or make one mistake. What clouds the water is the ludicrous attempt to give the reaction intellectual significance.

Footballers are paid more money than virtually anyone in the country and yet complain when they are criticised for making mistakes. If a heart surgeon were to make an error as big as Cole's, such as leaving a scalpel in a patient, they would not only be investigated for negligence, but likely lose their job. There is never a comment about the verbal abuse given to politicians and police officers. The footballers that believe they are too precious to be insulted need to grow up and accept that they are at the whim of the fans, who most certainly have the right to shout what they please. If they don't like it, give up for a less public job, perhaps as bin man, or shop floor worker. They can play pub football at the weekend, where they will still hear booing and insults from the bystanders. Mike.

MS: If a surgeon had to perform his operation with 90,000 watching and passing comment every minute, he might make the odd mistake, too. Please do not compare leaving a scalpel in a patient with one lousy pass against Kazakhstan; or the wider significance of a footballer’s career with that of a politician, who sends young men into war. And remember this: nobody came into football to be famous. Ashley Cole happened to be very good at something that carries a public profile. He is famous by accident, not design; he did not ask for this celebrity. He made a huge mistake with his book, but that is as much the fault of his advisors. Cole’s book was a joke and I wrote about that at the time. The bottom line, though, is that everybody is too precious to be randomly insulted and until we start treating people with respect, rather than turning every public event into exit night at the Big Brother house we will continue to move further away from being a socially responsible society. Anyone who thinks the supporters are gaining a voice at Wembley, are missing the point. They are losing their voice because as the booing is something that always happens – and is so haphazard – in the end its significance will cease to register. I don’t get worked up about it like some of my colleagues these days because I see it now as a pantomime, nothing more. But pantomimes are for little kids. We need to grow up.

Schoolmasters were once afforded unconditional respect by pupils. Today, teachers must earn that respect. However, once gained, were the teacher to make a mistake, his pupils would correct him, or joke about it, rather than greet the error with a roar of derision. Cole has done little to earn our respect and his amateurish mistake was greeted by widespread booing. Oddly though, he did the right thing by responding in a positive way, and managed to win the crowd over by the end of the match. A large weekly cheque must come with a few conditions and learning to cope with the pressure from the crowd is surely one of them. The fans were entitled to heckle Cole for an atrocious error, yet his response was excellent, and a fair crowd will support him next time around. Ben.

MS: Ben sounds a thoroughly reasonable chap. Not from round here are you, mate?

While booing a poor team performance at the end of a half or match is fair, it is sad that we have reached the stage where an individual is now jeered for a mistake. A player must feel terrible at the time, and as this feeling will only be compounded by booing he is likely to play worse, not better. Danielle Blake.

MS: I agree. Cole would have been in his own little world of pain at that moment anyway. People believe footballers shrug these things off without a care; believe me, they don’t.

Cole brings it on himself by his attitude and general behaviour which people don't forget, particularly those supporters who have followed him throughout his 67-cap career, which must have cost close to £15,000. Alan Gourlay.

MS: I don’t get this. So, presumably those who have travelled by a budget airline have less right to boo than a guy in business class. Or is it linked to percentage of income? If an England supporter gets a better job does he lose some of his right to boo, as the percentage of his salary dedicated to following England has decreased? Maybe there should be a sliding scale. England fans produce a wage slip and travel receipts at the gate, and it is then calculated how long they can boo for and which players can be booed. “Mr. Jones, as a chartered accountant flying Easyjet, I’m afraid you only have the right to be mildly dismissive about Matthew Upson’s passing ability late in the second-half. Good news, Mr. Smith – due to the recent poor performance of your plumbing business and the fact that you had to take a double room at the Crowne Plaza, you can call Wayne Rooney a lazy, fat, Scouse c--- straight from kick-off.”

Ashley Cole's public image is such that it can hardly be unexpected for fans to have reacted this way. He's best known for being greedy and cheating on his wife. James.

MS: Quite right, James. He is in fact the only person in this country ever to want to take a job for more money and have extra-marital sex. Bastard.

A black player is booed by the England crowd. We would consider this racist 20 years ago, but not anymore. I think this is an excellent example of how far English football and English society has come. Tim.

MS: Yes, people of all colours now have the right to be taunted equally. Pat on the back for that, then.

The fans have become impatient and hysterical, swinging between cheering or booing and unable to tolerate mistakes or below par performances. Rob J.

MS: As if it is a crime, Rob. As if nobody else ever has a lousy day at work.

Fans still love their club but no longer idolise the players. In fact, we despise most of them. This is part of the modern age of football. Peter Habanero.

MS: So why bother?

The vast sums paid to these prima donnas by the fans, directly or indirectly, buys us the right to a performance and if they do not deliver they deserve what they get. You have to earn respect. These players are clearly not yet the real deal and have disgraced the legacy of those that went before. Where are you now Bobby, Stan, Terry, Jimmy, a nation turns its saddened eyes to you. JVS.

MS: What a lot of hysterical old cobblers. For a start, the wages of top players are largely financed by television companies these days, not paying customers. As for that melodramatic list of names at the end, is that the Stan that was in the squad that got knocked out of the World Cup in 1950 by the United States, or the Jimmy that was left on the bench for the 1966 World Cup final? I don’t know which Terry is being referred to, unless it is Butcher, who now coaches Scotland. He won nothing with England, either.

At the old Wembley, a sizeable section of the crowd booed the Manchester United players and recited the old favourite ‘stand up if you hate Man U’. Fans at the European Championships in 2000 directed some rather unpleasant abuse at David Beckham and his family. That was before Beckham was reborn as the nation's saviour. Tomred.

MS: And was feted by the same people that cursed him before.

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the boo boys. As an Australian watching the match in a London pub, it made me laugh at the way those English fans embarrassed their nation. Keep it up boo boys – I love seeing you Poms turn on each other. With luck you'll start doing it during the Ashes next year when one of your boys drops a catch, or gets out for a duck. Scott.

MS: The Ashes? Isn’t that something to do with the colonies? I’m sorry, geography makes me confused. Now which ones are you? The ones with Rolf Harris and all the insects, or the ones we get the lamb chops from in winter? 

We boo because we are sick and tired of this ‘golden generation’ of players, always being touted as world class, yet not getting even close to winning anything. When was the last time that England looked good in a major tournament? We look ordinary in qualifying groups, too. Mark Finch.

MS: And you deduced this on the back of one lousy pass against Kazakhstan?

The whole idea that people who pay good money to watch an event should refrain from hurting the egos of the highly paid stars by expressing their opinion vocally, but appropriately, is like saying you should praise the chef the next time you are served rubbish food in an expensive restaurant. Justin.

If you went to the opera and someone was singing badly or the audience didn't like the production, you would hear boos. I don't think buying a ticket gives people the right to abuse players, but booing hardly seems like the worst response to what was a shocking error from Ashley Cole. Iandel.

MS: True, Iandel, but there is perceived to be a difference between a theatre or restaurant patron and a football supporter, as one is impartial and the other partisan. So, to answer Justin’s point, it isn’t the same at all.

Booing is a symptom of the armchair fan generation. Bombarded by Sky's endless hype, they believe all football should be 30-yard wonder goals and when it falls short, they boo. Gone are the days of supporting your team for the full ninety minutes regardless of human error or fluctuation in performance levels, or indeed the notion of the supporter playing a role in the success of the team. Terry Roquito.

MS: I think more Big Brother and reality TV shows than the Sky influence, Terry. People think they should get to vote, or comment, on everything, like one long edition of X Factor.

So now we have allowable crowd comments? Peter.

MS: Not saying that, Peter. I’m more wondering whether crowd reaction increasingly exists for its own ends, as part of the show.

Comments

[Marek]

Ashley Cole was booed by the crowd for a mistake. So what? If he doesn't like it he can refuse to play for England again. It's up to him.

I wouldn't boo my team during a match for obvious reasons but if they had played terribly I might consider it at the end.

In any event, there is a tendency to moralise about this which is misplaced given its insignificance in the great scheme of things.

[Slabber]

If anyone's to blame for the idea that everyone has a right to "have their say", it's these bloody websites.

[Rita Cocking]

I think that booing is conterproductive.It does not just affect the player that is being booed,it has an effect on the morale of the whole team.England supporters should take a leaf out of the Liverpool supporters book.As any Premiership player will tell you,having the Kop on your side is as good as having a twelveth man on your side.England need the fans to turn Wembley Stadium into"Fortress Wembley" a place where opposing teams and their fans feel uncomfortable and intimidated when they have to come here.

[Rita Cocking]

Why is Paul Scholes always held up as being some kind of plaster saint,supposedly so much better then David Beckham? Would this be the same Paul Scholes who turned his back on playing for his country ,which is something that Becks would never do.

[John]

Football and top footballers are walking a tightrope at the moment. In this country we are very close to falling out of love with the game and the elite players. We're sick of the headlines and the gossip and the tantrums. They get paid an awful lot of money - the least they could do is look like they care about playing, stay out of trouble and let us boo them when they play poorly.

[jonathan]

I just wish Cole would make a few more passes like that for Chelsea - should improve his popularity.

[Alan]

Martin, I appreciate your comments and respect you as an excellent journalist but you seem to ignore the lack connection between cole and the pubilc at large. The bloke is not hated because he earns 75k a week, thinks that 55k/week is an insult or that he made a bad pass against Kazakhstan...the man just does not seem to want to connect to his fans. I dont care if you earn £5 or £500k per week but all I ask is that you dont think you are a better human being than me just because you can play football better than I can, I really dont think that is beyond players who represnet their country, but thats just my humble opinion....My question to Mr cole would be does he think that he was booed because Enlgland fans are senseless idiots or becuase of his past actions.....suspiscion is the former.

[Allan Asante]

Anyone who saw the analysis of Cole's backpass would of seen that Rio actually pointed back to the keeper when Ashley had the ball. No one mentioned that .. Yes it wasn't a clever backpass, did he deserve to be booed .. I don't think so.
Anyone who has played any sport in front of a large audience knows that confidence is key. By booing an England player, it is obvioulsy going to affect him and hence the balance of the team. I was watching at home and was saying 'you twit, what are you doing ...' but to boo, nah thats taking it far.

[Brian]

Do people have the right to boo? Of course. But what sense does it make? Isn't the point of being a SUPPORTer to SUPPORT your team? I suppose it's one thing to boo them off the pitch once the match is over but while play is still going on, why would any "supporter" spend so much energy trying to undermine a player on a team they claim as their own? Cole made an incredibly stupid mistake. But it was a stupid mistake in a match they won 6-1. And as an American, I have to say I really don't understand this English mentality of harassing your own national team's players based on what club they play for. In international play, Ashley Cole isn't a Chelsea player, he's an England player. England fans should support England players during England matches.

[Harry]

I don't see the point of booing generally, to me it achieves absolutely nothing, humiliation and isolation of one player is a pretty lame return for undermining your team, your coaches, yourself and your country. I think it's understandable if a player doesn't value playing for his country like Stephen Ireland (although he's probably never going to play again by the looks of it so we won't get to boo him anyway) but not for uncharateristcic errors which I believe Cole made. I think his lifestyle is irrelevant, who hasn't puked in a taxi or doesn't want to make more money in their job?

[Blue Baby]

The really laughable thing is people keeping trotting out how badly Ashley Cole has treated his wife; this is of course in comparison to that well-known paragon of virtue, David Beckham, who received a hero's welcome in his substitute appearance.

[R Spandit]

Don't forget Wembley is situated in North London. I'll bet that there were a fair few Gooners and Spurs fans in there last Saturday. Any mistake "Cashley" made was bound to be met with a few boos by those clowns. A low opinion of Cole seems to be one of the few things that lot agree on - the bad pass gave them the perfect excuse.

And I can't imagine Cole was too bothered by it. Most likely it was forgotten about the second he pulled his Ferrari into the drive of his huge mansion where the tidy one from Girls Aloud was waiting for him. Where did it all go wrong for Ashley Cole eh????

[Mike]

I recall watching'Spurs in 1964/6.The abuse from a section of the crowd towards some of their players was embarrassing.Virtually the same players that had won the "double", European Cup Winners Cup, 2xFA Cups only a few seasons earlier,were singled out.My point is there's nothing new in football.They certainly weren't earning a fortune either,as the minimum wage had only just been lifted.Their only crime was that they were getting old and bit over the hill.I also recall them booing Venables when he played for them.

[Rokola]

Martin, I despair of my countrymen. The spite and envy shown in these letters condoning the booing of Ashley Cole makes me sick to my stomach.
That's one of the reasons why I now live in Thailand.

[Gary]

'Who gives a damn about your 'respect', Gary?'
- James

... And also your rant towards me.

To clear up, i am not one of those who 'boo' for any small mistake a player makes on the pitch or crucify someone for a misplaced pass or an own goal. My points were really a VIEW of how i see 'boo-ers' ... not ME as one of them.

What i was stating is my views from a boo-er's perspective. To try and interpret what they think and feel and why the express such anger and frustrations on their players. I was not saying i was one.

I for one do not understand why Lampard has been vilified by 'supporters' yet i do find it interesting that the 'supporters' views of Beckham in 1998 and their views of him now are totally different and you can chart this change down to Beckham's attitude (this is how i see it).

FYI James, I am an ethnic minority who enjoys his football. I detest racism and I like you, do not agree with the general treatment of players when they do not play well and are blasted with vile comments. I cannot comment on why boo-ers are like this and i merely tried to see it from their points of view and perspective.

It doesn't mean i support their views but this is becoming an increasing problem. To cure a problem you must first look at things on both sides. I listed why Ashley Cole ... or how you put it ... Cashley ... can be viewed by the general public and these are common knowledge to everyone and one that does not enhance his reputation.

Martin wrote:
'Everybody is too precious to be randomly insulted and until we start treating people with respect, rather than turning every public event into exit night at the Big Brother house we will continue to move further away from being a socially responsible society.'

I AGREE!

As a kid i was always taught to ignore insulting comments, walk away and try not to let it get to you. By choosing not to react to them, these people will soon get bored and move onto something else.

Cole made a mistake and has been blasted X Y and Z. It is not my job to see find solutions to this problem but merely highlighting a few points maybe higher powers in football can deal with some issues raised.

Is football losing grips with its fans? Are the reason why some fans are so disillusioned and turn on their players a signal that football is indeed branching away from them? Should players be given more disclosure about transfers and the rumour mill? Can this be stopped? Is this a new culture developing or has it always been there? Should there be more powers to ban fans for booing? or can it be deemed as abuse?

I comprehend the views of the player, but isn't it about time people tried to look at where the source comes from and its motives?

[Keith]

We have a right to applaud and boo because we have paid for expensive tickets, unsatisfactory transport and food/drinks which are way OTT!!
I paid £10.40 for a pint of Pimms at Wembley on Saturday. Booooo

[peter]

We all reconize that Ashley Cole is a very gifted player, that being said, his image as a public person is not that appetising. He turned a lot of people against him with his wranglings with Arsenal, vis a vie his salary wasn't enough at 50 grand a week. His book and then his recent arrogance to the referee Mike dean ( I think it was ). People are just waiting for him to trip on any banana peel to let him have it.
He shouldn't be booed for making a mistake in a game wether it's for club or England every body does, but when your not popular and then screw up.

[Mark]

Cole had generally played poorly until that point, and the flow of any Kazack attack had been in the space left by Cole as he was, time and again, caught too far forward and demonstrated little willingness to chase back.

Even Steven Gerrard, on at least one occaision was forced to cover the left back position as Cole cantered back from the Kazack half.

So the culmination of his poor performance on the day, concluded with 'that' pass, (in my opinion) warranted the boos for Mr Cole. If he want's to avoid boos, he should play for England like he want's to be a the pitch, and not play like he'd rather be on the King's Road. Oh, and he also needs to learn to respect his opposition; regardless of their ability, strength or reputation.

[Carlos (different one from above)]

James - hear, hear, good rant!

Chris - although I agree regarding the wanting to be famous bit, footballers earn money to play football, not to be best buddies with you or other fans. They don't have to be likeable. They just have to do their job on the pitch.

You may argue that workrate was poor and he made a mistake. So what? At the end of the day Capello is the England manager and you are not. Frankly, I deem him a better judge than you of who should and should not be in the team, and will let him make the decision on whom to pick based on workrate & commitment.

[Tom]

Did everyone see how fantastic the Belarus fans were last night? Even when they were 1-0 down they were bouncing. This galvanised the team, gave them confidence and they scored a 23 pass move without their most influential player.
If only you idiots realised this, and stopped booing because you have paid to watch the game, your support and encouragment may improve the team's on pitch performance, and you would no longer have to worry about the money wasted on watching a losing team...

[Gooner]

MS: "For a start, the wages of top players are largely financed by television companies these days, not paying customers"

Well isn't it lucky that television companies have an endless pot of money, then? And that they don't have to rely on license payers or subscribers paying £30+ per month?

What a ludicrous statement. I hope that it's an oversight and not because your employer's parent company has a stake in BSkyB, although your later comment "I think more Big Brother and reality TV shows than the Sky influence" suggests that you might have something of an undeclared interest at work here

booooooo!!!

[Chris]

Martin, the fact that you have started a debate on the matter gives it 'intellectual significance'. Ashley Cole acts like a jumped up idiot off the field; behaviour that is not known for being endearing with fans. His attitude on the field on Saturday reflected this, with a lousy work rate showing contempt for the opposition, and the lazy pass just epitomised what he's about.

If a player wants to be liked by the fans he has to keep out of the limelight. Marrying a prominent member of Girls Aloud and selling the photos to a celebrity magazine doesn't show a man who doesn't want to famous; quite the opposite in fact.

[James]

'Beckham gained the respect of the boo-ers by his attitude and performances on the pitch.' (Gary)

Who gives a damn about your 'respect', Gary? On the contrary, respect does NOT have to be gained - it is the minimum every one of our fellow human beings deserves to be treated with as standard. The pathetic hatred for Beckham after '98 was, in truth, more palatable than the hilarious belief that he had 'earned back' the good opinion of his persecutors by playing well for ManU. In the end it becomes a quite surreal feedback-loop: a player is praised by the boo-boys for 'responding well' to their booing. He earns their respect for ignoring the abuse they dish out - 'gotta hand it to Becks,' people who had spent the previous 90 minutes screaming obscenities at him would say, 'he's dealt with the flak well...' Insane. As MS says, a football stadium is not some place where normal morality is temporarily suspended.These actions define you. The idea that showing hatred (from a safe position) towards someone who cannot answer back is some kind of moral posture is the most laughable aspect of this thread. You abuse people for making accidental mistakes at something they're infinitely more talented than you at, and expect to be taken seriously? You justify it by claiming the right to sit in moral judgement over somebody else? The Mike Riley idea is the funniest of the lot - do you not suspect there might be a relationship between the way suporters treat referees and the way players and managers do? So, please, look in the mirror, think of the worst thing you've ever done, judge yourself by the standards you apply to 'Cashley' and then do send us a post about it - and don't hold back. Really let yourself have it, and, who knows, maybe you'll 'earn our respect' by 'rising above it'.

I wish there was JUST ONE post in this thread saying: 'I booed, I was wrong'. Martin is spot on:
'Everybody is too precious to be randomly insulted and until we start treating people with respect, rather than turning every public event into exit night at the Big Brother house we will continue to move further away from being a socially responsible society.'

[JDHIJLSDKJ]

But David, this is not a contest of ideas. Why this self-aggrandizing delusion that Franklin is relevant? He isn't. This is a contest of footballing sides: you either support and gee your team up or you don't. Your booing is not an inchoate expression of lofty intellectual ideas, as your flattering description of it would imply. There is no intellectual yield at the end of it. Certainly nothing fruitful in the context of helping the team you profess to support. So why pretend otherwise?

Booing on the back of a single mistake is nothing more than a form of morale-sapping derision that undermines the player and the team he plays for. It is pathologically irresponsible, as far as 'supporting' your team is concerned.

[Robert]

Boooooo!
Disagree with Martin saying Cole didn't choose to be famous. Why is it the likes of Paul Scholes aren't in the papers every week? Cos he chooses not to be that's why. Everybody has a choice.