Given the amount of it that goes on at the vic, more often than not to the home side rather than the visitors I thought a copy and paste of this seemed apt:

Last weekend against Crawley Town there was a bloke in the crowd who definitely did not like me. I could hear him because with an attendance of just under 4,000, isolated voices tend to stand out. After 20-odd years in the game you'd think I would be used to it by now but it still catches me out every so often. Off he went, blaming me for England's World Cup defeat in South Africa: I was just waiting for the PlayStation comments to start up.

People may be surprised to hear just how much comments from the crowd affect players. From the reprehensible, such as the alleged racist abuse Tom Adeyemi suffered during the recent FA Cup tie at Anfield, to the bog standard, "you're rubbish", it has been a topic of conversation among players at every club I have played for.

Goalkeepers, defenders and wingers definitely have it the worst simply by virtue of their position on the pitch. Most can tell you which clubs they hate playing against because of the abuse, right down to individual stands and specific areas in the crowd. They will say: "I hate playing at so and so ground…" or "I hate playing in front of that stand, the fans slaughter you." Sometimes they are referring to their own fans. I remember at Liverpool, some feared Anfield's Centenary Stand – there was a group of supporters there who made the players very nervous. It could just be one or two voices close enough to the action to make themselves heard but they would be there every week, shouting abuse. Most of the time you can block it out but it takes only a bad night's sleep, a poor run of form or a bit of an injury niggle and suddenly you feel vulnerable.

Right at the beginning of my career I learned the hard way why you should never listen to the fans. I was at Watford and there was speculation that I might be moving to Liverpool the day we played Southend. At Roots Hall the stands are right up against the pitch and I could hear the fans giving me grief about the rumours. The ball went out for a corner and I turned to them, pointing to one of the fingers on my glove that had my name on it. I felt better for a split second, then we conceded the goal and lost 1-0.

Over the years I have had all sorts shouted at me. From "Liverpool reject" to "England's No5" – which I am taking as a positive because it means I am still in with a chance. (It is when they say "England's No8" that I will really be worried.)

Racist slurs aside, the worst abuse I have experienced was playing against West Ham United when I was with Aston Villa. Around that time I had been in a car accident where the other driver had died. The West Ham fans called me a "murderer". It was the most sickening thing to listen to. Standing in goal that day I literally felt physically disgusted. To make banter out of such a thing was deeply inappropriate for everyone involved, not least the family of the deceased. Ordinarily I would ignore any kind of taunts but in that instance I had to let my disapproval be known.

Nowadays more would be made of such a thing – media reports, perhaps action from the club itself – but back then it was still seen as an inevitable part of the game.

It takes a Herculean effort to ignore a stand full of fans shouting abuse, no matter how experienced you are. I have been caught out before, days where you go out to do your warm-up and somebody says something and it gets you. That is why I decided to train myself to deal with the abuse.

Around the time I moved to Portsmouth I expanded the visualisation technique I was using before games. You may have seen me, standing in goal before the start of a match, rehearsing my catches and positioning. In my head I added a soundtrack, a background wall of noise and insults, to prepare me for anything I might hear during the match. I would anticipate going to certain grounds and imagine a chorus of "you're rubbish" or "England's No5". It helps.

Even the most confident players can be affected by screaming fans. When Paul Ince was photographed in a Manchester United shirt before leaving West Ham, the supporters never forgave him for it. I remember playing at Upton Park with Liverpool and Ince was noticeably reluctant to move out of the centre circle. It was like playing with a completely different person the way he reacted to their taunts.

If players cannot handle abuse then how bad must it be for referees who are modestly paid and certainly don't have any fans?

When I was at Portsmouth I remember speaking to a referee in the tunnel at half-time. He had just given a penalty and was genuinely distressed that he might have made the wrong decision. He came running off the pitch, anxious to catch the replay on the TV to check his decision. Commentators talk about referees being under pressure to "even things up" and in this case I could easily have seen how this referee might have felt obliged to do something of that nature.

To be clear, to abuse players using racist or homophobic language is not acceptable in any way, shape or form. But as footballers we have to be prepared to withstand the other stuff. I was never advised, warned or educated about how to do that. Perhaps, should I become a manager, that is something I could help my players to deal with.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog ... ts-players

Whatever you think of the footballer in question it's certainly made me think.

very sensible chap is james, always worth a read his article.

interesting, and certainly backs up comments made about abusing our OWN players for fuck sake.

people who do and use the cop out that they get paid 500quid a week so should accept it should hang their pathetic heads in shame. They aren't supporters, they are inadequates with little willies.

First of all I would estimate that the average wage at Pools will be somewhere between £1100-£1400 per week with the top earners pulling in more than £2k per week. It's not just about the money, it's about self pride, if a player appears to be playing within himself and not up for the battle then I'm afraid it isn't good enough. I have a shite job on shite money at the moment but at least I go in and try my best. I expect the same standards from a Pools player - I can accept they make mistakes but expect them to put every last bit of effort in.

One of the main reasons that I'm glad NC is back is because I know he won't accept half arsed performances and he isn't afraid to slate players publically if needed.

Players are paid a lot of money, they are paid not to hide. If they do daft things then they are going to get stick, David James talks about Paul Ince - what did Incey expect really? At Pools there has been some sickening abuse directed at opposing players such as Lee Hughes for example - it is bad to hear but I think people collectively get caught up in the moment.

Agreed, the bloke shouldnt be allowed on a fooball field after what he did.

How is it sickening?? He is a scumbag and deserves all abuse he recieves

absolutely he does!


I'm talking about the brainless stupidity of abusing our own players.

the last home game I was taking the piss out of on efan wo was repeatedly saying the pools players stank of shit.
Interestingly, the aroma wasn't that bad at 2-1 up!


hey, feel free to abuse our players and destroy their confidence, if it makes you feel like a big man then fuck our team fuck winning as long as you feel good about your shite inadequate life.

On Lee Hughes - By giving him abuse it almost glorifies what he did, he served his time (which was about 10 years too short) so it is up to the club who employs him whether he gets on a football field or not. I presume when he was first released he had to get special permission and his tag set from the authorities to allow him to be away from where he lives on match days. In the 70's or early 80's a Pools folk hero made a similar mistake but as far as I'm aware he always gets a great welcome on his rare returns to the town - and it wasn't that long ago that he was writing weekly articles for the Footy Mail.

Salty - It's very rare that I abuse our own players - on the rare occasions I have it is because of their persistant lack of effort...

Lee Hughes deserves every bit of abuse he gets. Horrible, odious cretin.

Everybody makes mistakes and deserves a second chance but the way he presents himself on and off the pitch highlights what a grade a kunt he is.

Haven't got much time for Newton either, he always carries on like he's the big man and as Mr I has continually pointed out, he recently got done for drink driving again which shows he hasn't learnt. How you can't learn after the first time is beyond me.

Next time your having a shit day at work jonny, i'm gunna come in and scream abuse at you, see how you like it n see if it makes you work harder.

You wouldn't need to - I consistently put my all in

On Lee Hughes - The fact that he seems to love the abuse and almost thrives on it does make it all the worse......

He's worth shooting for that dance after he scores.

I was talking to Barry Conlon the ex-darlo forward a few years back. He said the abuse from opposing fans didn't bother him but the abuse from home fans sometimes got to him.

On Hughes though, and don't take this as me being an apologist, what can he do?? OK, people don't want him on a football pitch but he's got a criminal record, he's not the most employable bloke in the world is he?? Like someone said, he did time and whether or not you think he did enough, a highly qualified judge worked within Government guidelines to hand out his sentence.

I'm fairly sure he spent a long time staring at a cell ceiling realising that his deeds were completely anti-social and unacceptable, whether or not the man in the street thinks that was long enough is irrelevant. They're not going to re-call him because he dances when he scores. What should he do? Slit his wrists on the pitch??

Cue storm of abuse.

The problem with Hughes is that he appears to absolutely revel in his notoriety.

If it was me, I'd be going on the pitch, keeping my head down, do my job to the best of my ability without attracting any more attention than is necessary.

Not behaving like a total cock at every opportunity.

For lee hughes see marlon king, who also appears to love the fact he's hated n goes to the away fans everytime he scores to prove a point.

Yeah nice one marlon, proud of you.

Part of my point Mr Payer. He only has to show up and he attracts all the attention, not just more than necessary. Can anyone else name me anyone who plays for Notts County except him without googling?? The opposing fans would achieve much more by simply not acknowledging him. The shit he gets piled on him takes the pressure off his team mates and I suspect both him and that horrible twat Martin Allen know this.

Disagree Kev, he could quite easily blend in the background if he wanted to but he chooses not to.

Yes it's a two way thing and the fans should ignore him but the fans weren't the ones who took somebodies life whilst pissed.

I hate Hughes, if I was the family of the bloke who died I'd want him injured.

Edited for accuracy

Agree with this. He loves playing up to being the 'panto' villain. Shows him up to be an even bigger scumbag.

Hughes is what many others on here has said he is. Not only now but during his trial as one of the victims who lived said

"As far as I am concerned he... could have killed me, after all he left me for dead.

"The arrogance he displayed in court says to me that he'll do it again. What makes it worse is that he's out of prison now to start his life over again playing football in the first division, whereas our lives have been destroyed.

"I have yet to receive any compensation for what has happened."

Note the arrogance bit in there, nothing seems to have changed almost 8 years on since he legged it from that accident.