Cut Our Players Some Slack

To be fair, it's easy to get swept up in the noise. Social media has sped up reactions and loaded a lot of supporters with ready-made opinions before the first whistle. That matters. When fans are tense and shouty about a player, it seeps into the conversation and can colour how we judge every touch on the pitch.

Remember the role, not the highlight reel

Truth is, not every player is being asked to dazzle. You only have to look at the way roles are assigned to see why some performances won't show up as Instagram clips. Barron for example isn't out there to be the creative fulcrum. His job, as I've seen it, is to win the ball, tidy it up and feed the more inventive players. If you expect magic every game you'll be disappointed, and unfairly so.

Expectations and labels do damage

Olsen gets labelled as 'speedy winger' by some, and when he doesn't explode past full-backs people moan. But sometimes the manager wants a different angle from him — maybe positional discipline, maybe link-up play rather than raw pace. Fans shouting for a stereotype don't help. We need to match expectations to reality, not the other way round.

Why I defend the lads

I'm the sort who will put a player's good bits forward even after a bad game. That's not blind loyalty, it's perspective. Football's messy. A mistake isn't evidence of a ruined player. What matters is how they fit into the team plan, how the manager asks them to operate, and whether there is consistency over time. If we stop talking about players with some generosity, what are we left with? Just sniping and doom-mongering, and I don't want that on our board.

So next time you see a poor touch or a misplaced pass, ask what role the player had that day. It doesn't excuse poor form, but it might explain it — and it might make our conversations that bit saner.

Written by Angus1812: 30 April 2026