Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Argus:
Dean Cox today revealed the hurt he has suffered after Albion fans abused him. Opening his heart to The Argus, Cox says they made him feel "like rubbish" and have marred his impressive debut season. Cox, 19, and team-mate Jake Robinson, 20, were subjected to a vicious verbal attack during the warm-up before last Saturday's defeat by Bradford City at Withdean. Cuckfield-born Cox, who has scored nine goals from midfield in his first season as a pro, said: "It's really hurtful, puts a dampener on my whole season. What I have done doesn't mean anything. For people to have a go at me even before I have kicked a ball put me in the wrong frame of mind. I can take criticism. If I have played badly I am the first one to hold my hand up and tell the gaffer. I can take that after a game but before the game, when I am trying to prepare, being spoken to the way I was made me feel like rubbish. It's not helping. It was totally unnecessary."
It was the second home game in a row that the pint-sized Cox and Robinson have been the targets of a hate campaign. They came under fire from a different set of supporters when they were substitutes for the previous match against Doncaster. "We were just warming up and four men decided to come right up to the barrier and started hurling abuse," Cox revealed. "All I could do at the time was laugh because I couldn't believe it. After thinking about it, you go home and sit down and just think what have I done wrong?'. They were two separate groups. I am not saying it is all the fans but there are a select few wanting to voice their opinions in the way they did. That is up to them. I am not in control of that, I can't stop it. All I can say is the players are going into every game trying to win and to do our best. That is all we can do."
Cox is determined to overcome his detractors as Albion head for play-off chasing Swansea tomorrow trying to end a run of three straight defeats. "I have never experienced anything like it but it has happened and I have just got to get on with it," he said. "It's a new learning curve but I am going to have to learn to deal with it. I have got a gaffer behind me that is going to stick with me, which makes it a lot easier. I have experienced quite a lot, nearly everything, in a year. Hopefully it makes me a better player and person and Albion get the best out of me. The vast majority of fans have been brilliant, especially the away support. It has just put a little dampener on things, because it just makes me feel not wanted."
OK, now I'm sorry if this makes me a Bad Fan, but I have never read such a load of self-pitying B0LL0CKS in my life. A handful of idiotic fans dish out a bit of foul-mouthed abuse before kickoff, and it seems Cox has gone into some kind of mental decline over it all. I'm not condoning those fans - obviously - but for crying out loud, Cox is a 19 year old professional footballer, not a 12 year old cheerleader. I think this "we're just a young team" mantra from Wilkins has perhaps been taken too far, and players such as Cox and Robinson now believe they truly have just rolled out of the cradle. YES they're young, but there are plenty of 19/20 year old players up and down the Leagues making a living at this game, and if they were all shrinking violets who reacted like these two, they'd barely pull a pair of boots on again.
As I say, I'm not condoning the fools who decided to hurl abuse at these players in the warm-up - that IS inexcusable and they should be banned. But I'm genuinely worried that the incident seems to have affected them so badly. I'd much rather they'd turned round and given those "fans" a volley of abuse straight back - they'd have been perfectly justified to. As for the Argus describing it as a "hate campaign" - that’s almost as pathetic as this blubbering reaction from Cox. Jees Wilkins, please instill some BACKBONE in these younger players, or they just ain't gonna make it.
Or am I completely out of order ?
Dean Cox today revealed the hurt he has suffered after Albion fans abused him. Opening his heart to The Argus, Cox says they made him feel "like rubbish" and have marred his impressive debut season. Cox, 19, and team-mate Jake Robinson, 20, were subjected to a vicious verbal attack during the warm-up before last Saturday's defeat by Bradford City at Withdean. Cuckfield-born Cox, who has scored nine goals from midfield in his first season as a pro, said: "It's really hurtful, puts a dampener on my whole season. What I have done doesn't mean anything. For people to have a go at me even before I have kicked a ball put me in the wrong frame of mind. I can take criticism. If I have played badly I am the first one to hold my hand up and tell the gaffer. I can take that after a game but before the game, when I am trying to prepare, being spoken to the way I was made me feel like rubbish. It's not helping. It was totally unnecessary."
It was the second home game in a row that the pint-sized Cox and Robinson have been the targets of a hate campaign. They came under fire from a different set of supporters when they were substitutes for the previous match against Doncaster. "We were just warming up and four men decided to come right up to the barrier and started hurling abuse," Cox revealed. "All I could do at the time was laugh because I couldn't believe it. After thinking about it, you go home and sit down and just think what have I done wrong?'. They were two separate groups. I am not saying it is all the fans but there are a select few wanting to voice their opinions in the way they did. That is up to them. I am not in control of that, I can't stop it. All I can say is the players are going into every game trying to win and to do our best. That is all we can do."
Cox is determined to overcome his detractors as Albion head for play-off chasing Swansea tomorrow trying to end a run of three straight defeats. "I have never experienced anything like it but it has happened and I have just got to get on with it," he said. "It's a new learning curve but I am going to have to learn to deal with it. I have got a gaffer behind me that is going to stick with me, which makes it a lot easier. I have experienced quite a lot, nearly everything, in a year. Hopefully it makes me a better player and person and Albion get the best out of me. The vast majority of fans have been brilliant, especially the away support. It has just put a little dampener on things, because it just makes me feel not wanted."
OK, now I'm sorry if this makes me a Bad Fan, but I have never read such a load of self-pitying B0LL0CKS in my life. A handful of idiotic fans dish out a bit of foul-mouthed abuse before kickoff, and it seems Cox has gone into some kind of mental decline over it all. I'm not condoning those fans - obviously - but for crying out loud, Cox is a 19 year old professional footballer, not a 12 year old cheerleader. I think this "we're just a young team" mantra from Wilkins has perhaps been taken too far, and players such as Cox and Robinson now believe they truly have just rolled out of the cradle. YES they're young, but there are plenty of 19/20 year old players up and down the Leagues making a living at this game, and if they were all shrinking violets who reacted like these two, they'd barely pull a pair of boots on again.
As I say, I'm not condoning the fools who decided to hurl abuse at these players in the warm-up - that IS inexcusable and they should be banned. But I'm genuinely worried that the incident seems to have affected them so badly. I'd much rather they'd turned round and given those "fans" a volley of abuse straight back - they'd have been perfectly justified to. As for the Argus describing it as a "hate campaign" - that’s almost as pathetic as this blubbering reaction from Cox. Jees Wilkins, please instill some BACKBONE in these younger players, or they just ain't gonna make it.
Or am I completely out of order ?
El-Abd on the other hand 