king_dezeeuw06
Vital Champions League
Apparently, Gavin Massey has deleted his twitter account after receiving substantial abuse - some of it reportedly racial - following last night's game.
It's one thing voicing off on a message board, but to hound someone directly in this way is just sad.
I think it goes without saying that we can be critical or a players performance and attitude without directly messaging them abuse. You can understand fans frustration and need to vent, but some folks don't seem to understand where the line is and professional and private begin and end. Messaging him abuse is not going to inspire him to play any better, it will just ensure he keeps playing as badly - if there was any racist abuse the club will take action and ban a fan as they did in the past and the police will likely follow up. So at the end of the day it is a zero sum game for everyone.
It's the nature of Twitter though you give everyone a direct opportunity to say things to you and unfortunately a lot of people can't be trusted to behave reasonably with that power. If you found a cure for cancer someone would still have a go at you on Twitter, so if you are a footballer playing as badly as Massey is he is going to get hammered. I genuinely don't know why footballers even read their mentions or search their name especially after having such a torrid game - as it can't do you any good.