Why oh why do some fans feel the need to abuse our own players?
Not too long ago Nathan Dyer removed himself from the Twittersphere, and now Ash has gone too. Well done to anyone who felt it appropriate to hurl abuse at our captain, it clearly worked and now he's gone.
Don't think I attach too much importance to Swansea players maintaining a presence on social networks - personally I couldn't give a flying...two hoots whether any player, coach, manager or board member wants to communicate with fans directly, but I do think it serves as an excellent interface which allows fans the opportunity to interact with their heroes and idols much more directly than was previously possible.
When compared with times gone by, footballers earn proportionally so much more than the fans who pay to see them play that I feel anything which bridges the gap between the two worlds is more than welcome. That's why it's been so disappointing to witness Ashley Williams in particular come in for all kinds of abuse on Twitter, especially in the aftermath of the Cardiff game. Alright, I didn't manage to get a ticket, but from watching on TV it looked like he was one of our best performers. Why people would abuse him after that I don't know - and that's before you factor in a) how good he's been for us since signing and b) that he's been one of a few players who've come out and openly stated our level of performance hasn't been good enough.
To me however, the big concern is the negative effect this kind of thing has on the players who ply their trade for our club. I've stated before on a number of occasions that I'm firmly of the belief that non-constructive criticism achieves absolutely nothing positive, and only serves to demoralise those targeted. What's more, the club have spent so long building continuity and a family atmosphere at the club that it beggars belief some would jeopardise that (or, potentially, a player's happiness) purely so they can have a childish - and probably badly spelled - rant.
The players aren't alone in bearing the brunt of fans' frustrations. Leigh Dineen took some abuse recently (and has done so on a number of occasions) and I find that kind of thing possibly even more baffling than ranting at the players themselves. Leigh and the rest of the board have worked tirelessly since taking charge, and deserve all the credit they get/have been given in recent times. It's very much a case of "careful what you wish for" - I'd imagine critics would rather we were run like Newcastle, Sunderland, Fulham or any other bastion of good financial planning and stability. No? Thought not.
While social media allows fans to interact with people who would previously have been beyond contact, it doesn't mean those same people are beyond taking abuse personally - and why shouldn't they? Anyone who accuses Ash of giving less than 100% during his time at Swansea City is dreaming, as the guy is a warrior who has only just returned to action after playing through the pain barrier at Crystal Palace, exacerbating the injury he was carrying. Whether he should have done that (or been allowed to) is another story. For him to then receive endless abuse regarding his performance and god knows what else is, to me, unacceptable.
I'm sure most level-headed fans feel the same way about this, and if you're reading this it's probably a case of preaching to the choir. I'd also wager that the fans berating players on Twitter were of the same ilk as those berating Bony within minutes of him making his debut. You can't please some people, but we can try to make them see that abuse will bring nothing but division in the ranks and a loss of morale.
With the psychological aspect of sports performance increasingly coming to the fore, we should recognise that the role of the supporter is just that - to support. There's a time and a place for criticism, and generally it doesn't involve getting in a player's face on Twitter.