Player Abuse

[Milky]

So one of our fans has been slating Jonas Westerling of Sheffield on twitter and directly tagged him into it.

I’m somewhat confused why the same Devils fans who were having a go this last week at our own fans for having a discussion about Matt Pope have been silent on it? What’s even more strange is that they didn’t even tag Matt Pope directly into their thread yet dragged the whole affair out over the best part of a week.

I hope it’s not because a) the person who’s had a go at Westerling is a friend of theirs or b) because he plays for Sheffield?

Either way that’s is hypocritical.

Can we just please stop tagging any players into posts. It makes us as a fan base look stupid.

 

[kettdevil1]

So one of our fans has been slating Jonas Westerling of Sheffield on twitter and directly tagged him into it.

I’m somewhat confused why the same Devils fans who were having a go this last week at our own fans for having a discussion about Matt Pope have been silent on it? What’s even more strange is that they didn’t even tag Matt Pope directly into their thread yet dragged the whole affair out over the best part of a week.

I hope it’s not because a) the person who’s had a go at Westerling is a friend of theirs or b) because he plays for Sheffield?

Either way that’s is hypocritical.

Can we just please stop tagging any players into posts. It makes us as a fan base look stupid.

Yep, punk move that reflects badly on the person doing it but also on the wider support. No idea why people do it but I worry it is symptomatic of a creeping perceived sense of entitlement amongst some fans.

I have no problem with funny comebacks to players, (I remember a classic tweet to Fitzgerald once, after he had complained about our ice after scoring a GWG OG in the BBT, that said ‘cheer up Fitzy, you scored the winner’ ... I think it was an Inferno member who was credited with that) but abuse is boneheaded and I cringe when seeing it.

 

[Milky]

Yep, punk move that reflects badly on the person doing it but also on the wider support. No idea why people do it but I worry it is symptomatic of a creeping perceived sense of entitlement amongst some fans.

I have no problem with funny comebacks to players, (I remember a classic tweet to Fitzgerald once, after he had complained about our ice after scoring a GWG OG in the BBT, that said ‘cheer up Fitzy, you scored the winner’ ... I think it was an Inferno member who was credited with that) but abuse is boneheaded and I cringe when seeing it.

Exactly. Well said.

It’s also the double standards of people that winds me up. Happy to get on their high horse when it suits them and then silence when it doesn’t.

Like someone once said ‘you can’t get a little bit pregnant’. You either have a moral stand point on something or you don’t.

 

[Diafol]

To make things worse, he didn't actually tag Westerling in the tweet, he managed to tag a mixing engineer from London instead...
Hopefully looking at that thread will not only embarrass him but put others off doing it in the future.
It's not big and it's not clever, kids !

 

[Diablo3]

I doubt it was someone from this forum as we all agree it's lame. Unfortunately there will always be idiots who think it's ok.

 

[bb1]

The same devils fans that get on their high horses are the same fans who publicly slated Paul Ragan on Twitter if I remember correctly, the same ones I have seen slating Darnell and Simmsey on Twitter also...... Some people seriously need to take a chill pill when people post their thoughts.

Professional sportsmen/women, celebrities all put themselves in the public eye and they should expect criticism now and again. I don't agree with the abusive behavior Bownes had to put up with, but people saying that a certain player seems uninterested and lazy at times is hardly the same thing! When people invest their hard earned cash into watching their team week in week out they should be allowed an opinion without it being slated by others. Over the last week I have seen a 'pack mentality' target an individual on Twitter for having an opinion.... is this not bullying in itself? .....where do you draw the line. For me this bullying term is becoming used far to often for the most silly reasons.

I cant stand Katie Hopkins and disagree with pretty much most of what comes out of her mouth....so guess what I don't follow her, I don't critique what she says but she is entitled to voice her opinions within reason. At the end of the day if everyone agreed with everything life would be a little boring at times. Time to just chill.

 

[Diablo3]

I don't think Milky is saying we can't discuss performance etc. But why tag the individual in? If you were a player and had a bad game, the last thing that is going to encourage you to play better is a torrent of abuse on social media. Climbing off my high horse now

 

[OJLloyd]

I haven't seen the Westerling nonsense. I would apply what I've said to anything said in the direction of a player, whether they play for the Devils or not.
I had a lot of arguments/banter with Panthers fans about Rissling's hit. At no point did I feel the need to go to the man directly to seek answers, that's what DOPS is for.
It's nothing to do with seeking answers, or genuinely wanting to open a dialogue or express an opinion respectfully, it's all about being the 'guy who slated so-and-so', or more innocently is because they simply cannot control their tempers. Either way, it doesn't reflect well on them.

 

[bb1]

So just saw on twitter that Matt Pope has reacted to a Clan fan and called him "FAT"......this just keeps on going and going and going.......Why does he react. Instead he should be more professional like Bownes and Reddick and say nothing. The same guy who has gone on about anti-bullying does this as well as abusing a fellow professional. It's all getting pathetic and it looks more so on his behalf.

 

[Finny]

I’m somewhat confused why the same Devils fans who were having a go this last week at our own fans for having a discussion about Matt Pope have been silent on it? What’s even more strange is that they didn’t even tag Matt Pope directly into their thread yet dragged the whole affair out over the best part of a week.

Is this aimed at me?

 

[Milky]

Is this aimed at me?

Quite possibly.

Have you yet to comment on and criticise our fan who tagged Westerling into a tweet?

 

[jimmy snels]

for those who wondered

 

[Finny]

Quite possibly.

Ok. So your comment was:

I’m somewhat confused why the same Devils fans who were having a go this last week at our own fans for having a discussion about Matt Pope have been silent on it? What’s even more strange is that they didn’t even tag Matt Pope directly into their thread yet dragged the whole affair out over the best part of a week.

The people I 'had a go at' last week did tag Matt Pope directly into their thread, and then proceeded to like the tweet that had him tagged in.
I really don't understand what those people were trying to gain from doing so. Were they doing so to help Pope/the club? Or were they doing it for their own ego?
I couldn't come up with any conclusion other than the latter. Abusing a player who is low on confidence/form or injured/ill is not going to help. If it is a confidence issue then this would just make things worse.
If the player isn't putting in the effor, do these tweeters think that they can see things that Andrew Lord hasn't? He has the advantage of knowing who is playing with illness/injury and also watches back the games afterwards when the emoition and tension of the game has gone and (unlike some fans) when he hasn't been drinking for a couple of hours beforehand.

Perhaps they think that Lord has come to the same conclusion as themselves, but that player is ignoring Lord? Perhaps they think that the player doesn't care about his coach's opinion, or his team mates opinion. But being told on twitter that "you're a *********" will suddenly have an effect?

Sorry but it just doesn't make sense to me. I thought as Devils fans we all want the best for our team - and that is to win. And I can't see how abusing our own players is going to help that. We're at a stage of the season where mental strength is arguably more key than ability. We need to be supporting our players, not calling them out on twitter.
As a player you expect to be heckled by opposition fans and players. Not by your own fans. We don't need that seed of doubt being placed into the heads of any of our players.

 

[Finny]

Second comment was:

Have you yet to comment on and criticise our fan who tagged Westerling into a tweet?

No I haven't. By the time I had seen it there had been so much response to it that I couldn't add anything that hadn't already been said.

Ultimately though I'm not that bothered about other fans winding up opposition players. I used to do it at home games when I sat behind the bench. I make no apologies for trying to get inside the head of opposition players and try to get them off their game. It's called Home Advantage.

 

[Finny]

So just saw on twitter that Matt Pope has reacted to a Clan fan and called him "FAT".......

No he hasn't. You could argue that there is an inference he has called him fat, but then that would be because you yourself think that fan is fat.
And the fan in question is a plank who spends half his time on twitter abusing players and other teams. He doesn't deserve any sympathy.

 

[Kevlar68]

The tweet itself as i read it is about "Chicken".

Matt says he likes "Slim Chickens" a new franchise in St. Davids centre, an innocent tweet i think you would agree.
Mr. Campbell refers to Matt as being a Slim Chicken, that i would say is a personal attack.
Matt replies to Mr.Campbell that he would prefer to be a slim chicken than a fat one, which is a statement without any reference.
Mr. Campbell is the only guilty party in this tweet.

Only Mr. Campbell has made a reference. I rest my case your honour.

If anyone else has any chicken related cases that need a attorney please contact me at www.wesortchickenclaims.com

 

[Rob Batch]

Maybe Mr Campbell should condense his comments and concentrate on soup.