I think one of the problems to be honest is the current "me" culture that seems to have pervaded society.
yes, it's very easy to shout off at a player, then claim "I paid, it's my right" and yes, it's true, it IS your right, however, let's look at the bigger picture for a moment.
A man's walking along a cliff top. He looks over the edge, and sees something interesting. Now, at this point, yes, it's his right to lean over too far to have a look, one could even claim it's of interest to the man, however, it most certainly isn't "in the interest" of him to do so.
So, how does that translate to a football match?
Well, there you are, in the stand, and Paynter's missed a sitter/Maher's passed backwards/Flahavan's missed a cross (just examples, and not digs at the aforementioned players) You're obviously a bit frustrated to say the least, possibly even irate, so, what do you do?
Do you scream "You f*&%ing idiot -------"? You've paid your money, and you have the right to do so.
Is it something that could be said to be of interest? Well, possibly, maybe you can have a quick giggle at your particular witticism.
Is it in your interest to shout at the player? I'd say that if you're a supporter then NO!
Why not?
Well, look at it this way, list the potential benefits of shouting at the player.....
Temporary relief of frustration
chance to "look big"
and the potential drawbacks?
Makes you look a Tit (ok, arguable)
Demoralises the player, and may hinder his performance thereafter
Angers other players, therefore negatively affecting their frame of mind
Makes the ground a more hostile place for our own team, either losing our home advantage, or increasing the oppositions.
See? It's not worth it really. Why not try encouraging the poor chap. He probably knows he's dropped a clanger, and the last thing he'll need is the increase in pressure.
Want an example? ok then....
Swansea away last season. Fallon scores to put Swansea 1-0 ahead, we need the point(s) to guarantee automatic promotion, and there's plenty of pressure.
What happened? Well, for a moment there was the muttered sound of a couple of thousand fans saying "b*ll*cks", then a pause whilst we regained our composure...
Then the crowd once again got behind our team vocally. Not blaming people for mistakes, but cheering them on to an equaliser (or two as it turned out)
Bit better don't you think? Crowd got behind the team, who were lifted, who then repaid the fans by giving us something to sing about!
Gone on a bit I'm afraid, so here's the "Janet and John" bit for those who can't be bothered to read through....
Cheering works, it lifts the players, who respond by scoring. they're Southend, we love Southend, therefore this is a good thing.
