AVB honest but unwise to criticise own fans
TOTTENHAM manager Andre Villas-Boas raised eyebrows with his criticism of the clubs’ home support following Sunday’s narrow 1-0 win over Hull.
Villas-Boas was being honest and had a point: anxiety among fans can easily be picked up on by players and contribute to jittery performances, such as this one and the previous home match against West Ham.
It’s particularly prevalent when a big club hosts modest opposition – the visiting team is not enough on its own to energise supporters, so they expect all the excitement to be generated by the home side. They have no big stars in the away team to have a go at, so their frustration can sometimes be directed towards their own men.
I don’t think the Spurs boss was terribly wise to air the grievance the way he did and straight after the game, however.
He could have waited and put it more gently, perhaps in the matchday programme, or even left it to a stadium announcer to put it more tactfully.