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Emmanuel Adebayor Slams Tottenham Fans After Stoke Boos
November 10, 2014
Emmanuel Adebayor reportedly criticized Tottenham fans, and encouraged them to be more positive.
Tuesday, Nov. 11
Adebayor Responds to Reports of Criticism
Emmanuel Adebayor took to Twitter with a message for fans after Monday's reports of him ripping into the club's supporters:
Monday, Nov. 10
Emmanuel Adebayor has criticised Tottenham fans for booing the team during the recent run of poor Premier League home performances.
Spurs have lost four of their six domestic matches at White Hart Lane this season, suffering defeats to Liverpool, West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United and Stoke City since Mauricio Pochettino took over. Just one loss in five away fixtures—almost a given against Manchester City—has led Adebayor to suggest the Spurs crowd are negatively affecting players in their own back yard.
The Togo international said his comments were "on behalf of all the players," as reported by the Daily Mirror's Darren Lewis:
When you are playing in front of your own crowd you want them to support you. But now it is like going through a sad moment and your family not welcoming you home. That’s the worst thing ever because you have nowhere to go. At the moment I don’t know whether we should play at home or whether we should play away.
Adebayor also suggested, "It's kind of hard when you know the first bad ball you make the fans are going to boo you," saying "a lot of players" are finding the situation difficult to deal with.
Spurs-supporting football writer Chris Miller agrees with Adebayor's sentiment:
The striker himself started on the bench against Stoke, entering play with the team trailing 2-0 in the 65th minute. Nacer Chadli pulled a goal back, but Kyle Naughton's late red card reinforced the notion that Spurs struggle after completing Europa League fixtures during the week.
Adebayor emerged as a bright spot of Tim Sherwood's short reign last season, scoring 11 goals in 21 Premier League appearances, per WhoScored.com. He has netted twice this term, but he is one of many Spurs players lacking the quality needed to produce a run at the top four.
Pochettino indicated he isn't feeling pressure after the Stoke defeat, but he admitted "we need to find a solution very quickly," per BBC Sport. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy isn't the most patient overseer—having hired three managers since 2012—meaning the Argentinian's statement is worryingly true.
Spurs are currently languishing in 12th but are just four points outside the Champions League places. Teams such as Southampton, West Ham United and Newcastle continue to impress while Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool falter outside the elite European spots.
This should provide supporters with hope of clawing back vital points after the international break, despite testing home ties with Everton, Chelsea and United arriving before the end of the year.
Adebayor's message is clear and underlines the importance of the so-called "12th man." Supporters' expectations are rightly set high—Spurs possess one of the division's best squads—but a fractious atmosphere is only going to deepen the side's slump in a stadium which has the potential to be a fortress.