There’s nothing wrong with being annoyed after a game, but selective anger does nobody any favours. Shouting about one player and skipping the others who made equally costly errors looks more like scoring cheap points than honest criticism. If we’re top of the league and have had to pull ourselves back from a big deficit, a little perspective wouldn’t go amiss.

Picking and choosing blame

It’s maddening when a couple of names become the whipping boys and every other mistake vanishes from the conversation. I get having a view — we all do — but if Souttar’s free kick led to a goal then fine, point it out. But don’t then pretend Moore’s giveaway that kicked off their other goal didn’t happen. Both errors cost us; both should be on the table for discussion.

There’s also a difference between constructive criticism and simply piling in. Constructive critics point to patterns, to what a player can do differently next time. The internet’s version often stops at blame. That’s not helpful for the team or for fans trying to be fair.

Backing the lads when it matters

We should be the first to back the team. Yes, the players need to be held to account — that’s part of being a supporter — but it should be consistent. Don’t praise a player one week and tear him apart the next because it’s fashionable. If we want the lads to feel the support, it has to be steady, honest and not selective.

And a quick word about tone: the OP might have been a bit ranty, but that doesn’t automatically make every point wrong. Plenty of posts on here mix heat with truth. We can disagree without dismissing everything the other person says.

Where to focus

If you want to improve the dialogue, focus on recurring problems and obvious patterns rather than single incidents. Name the issues, suggest what could change, and try not to turn one mistake into an identity. We’re supporters — it's fair to expect better, but it’s also fair to give a bit of leeway when the lads are still doing the job overall.

Written by Angus1812: 2 June 2026

Tags: squad