Opposition fans hate Jack Wilshere and it’s easy to see why. He’s petulant, aggressive and a really good footballer.
These are all traits that Arsenal fans themselves would despise if they belonged to a player who pulled on the Chelsea, Spurs, Manchester United or Liverpool shirt.
Since he picked up his serious injury a few seasons ago, the debate has raged as to whether he is good enough to play at the top level or if he is merely another one of those youngsters who got hyped to ridiculous levels when just a teenager but who would never go on to fulfil his potential.
Now, after seemingly putting his injury problems behind him and getting a run of games together, his ability is starting to shine through for all to see.
Despite receiving some negative press at the start of the season, Wilshere has been one of Arsenal’s best performers of this campaign and this was reflected in his man of the match performance against Estonia on Sunday which also could have seen him grab a number of assists if Wayne Rooney had been in any sort of form himself.
This is not his first good performance for England either, not even in this international break, but it is hilarious to see opposition fans putting his displays down to the poor quality of the opposition and search for any reason they can find to belittle what he’s starting to achieve.
And herein lies one of the problems with international football, especially when it comes to the England team.
England fans are supposed to get behind players they spend the majority of the season ridiculing and despising. It’s hard to take off the club-blinkers many of us watch international football with.
After all, that’s how we spend the majority of our football-watching time – immersed in club football – with international football merely a side-show to the Premier League’s main event.
Football fans are not known, on the whole, for being reasonable, considered or able to admit when they’ve been wrong. Once they form an opinion, many never move from it, so for quite a large portion of the England-supporting fanbase, Wilshere is a rubbish player and a hateful person.
He’s neither and is surely a player that you would want on your side rather than playing against you.
But as an Arsenal fan I enjoy having a player opposition fans dislike so much, it seems like it’s been a really long time since that was the case. Anger and hatred are generally signs that you have a great player on your hands.
After all, if that wasn’t the case, he would be ridiculed rather than despised. Everyone wants their players and club to be loved and admired but, just sometimes, you need a player like Jack, one who is able to change a game and anger opposition fans at the same time.
I wouldn’t have him any other way.
0 comments:
Post a Comment