Stoke City fans split over booing of Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey

| May 1, 2012 | 8 Comments

By Tamhas Woods: Reaction to the booing of Aaron Ramsey during the Premier League game between Stoke City and Arsenal has created a rift between some Potters supporters.

The Welsh midfielder suffered a broken leg in a challenge with Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross in the game at the Britannia Stadium between the two clubs in February 2010.

And Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger criticised Potters fans for their reaction to Ramsey during the 1-1 draw at the weekend.

Stoke City messageboard the Oatcake Fanzine saw some supporters revealing why they felt the Gunners man deserved such a negative reception.

One wrote: “The fact that he had a career threatening injury doesn’t make any difference, the injury isn’t why we booed him, its how he reacted to Ryan’s apology.”

However, others condemned the actions of their fellow fans, with one user posting: “I usually defend our team and our fans to fans of other teams but today it’s impossible.

“No wonder we have such a bad reputation.”

Stoke City manager Tony Pulis conceded that the abuse can be hard for players and managers.

“It is very difficult for us all,” he said. “I go to grounds and get abused. Is it acceptable? The powers that be have got to decide that.”

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Category: Sport, Sporting focus

  • Steve

    People react differently to trauma all the time. Ramsey had every right to decline Shawcross’ apology if he felt the player went out deliberately to injure him. I have broken my leg playing football and the guy came to see me in hospital and apologised in person. I accepted it because it was clearly unintentional, but if I felt there was malice there i’d have told him where to go. Personal choice.

    • http://www.triffictottenham.co.uk DaveYid

      So you’re saying you can intuitively tell whether someone INTENDED to break your leg??
      Are you a clairvoyant then? Not trivialising the pain and effects of a broken leg, but I wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. If they intended to break your leg, why would they take the trouble of visiting you in hospital??

      I was always told by my elders to be the bigger person and accept/make an apology regardless of whether you or the other person was wrong.

  • CB

    Ryan Shawcross isn’t the victim, the one who lost two years of their career due to having their leg snapped is.

    Until Stoke fans find a way to make it clear that they are making a delicate point about bad manners rather than the leg break then I think it is best for them to leave Ramsey alone, as they look as though they are heaping insult onto injury.

    Clapping Ramsey for having the courage to come back would seem more appropriate to me. Booing Ramsey just makes Stoke fans look terrible.

  • Spike

    Wow…Imagine that…Aaron Ramsey had to audacity to have his leg broken by Shawcross on Britania Stadium….an injury that COULD have ended his career as a fotballer. Just to be verbally abused by those knuckle-draggin’ cretins calling themselves Stoke supporters.

    GET A LIFE!

  • dan

    Some of these Stoke fans need to sit back and actually think what they are saying and doing. Showing respect to Ramsey will shine positive light but to boo him because he didn’t say cheers mate for ruining his career makes Stoke FC the fans and area look like savages baying for blood. Maybe they want more leg breaks. When it happened they blamed Ramsey for beating Shawcross for pace and technique. Today Ramsey has still not recovered properly. Fingers crossed that he can rest and have a good pre-season and be as good as before. He killed himself to be fit for this campaign and is clearly running on empty.

  • Microraptor

    It would be easier to believe that the much maligned Stoke City supporters were booing Ramsey for his lack of decorum if they had been chanting “You’ve got no manners!”

    But – in fact – they chanting “You’ve only got one leg” and “Aaron Ramsey, he walks with a limp.”

    So, you know….

  • Sid

    I was at the Britannia that fateful night Aaaron had his leg smashed by a completely unneccasry challenge. That was horrible enough, yet the Stoke ‘fans’ managed to drag their club even further through the gutter with their disgusting reactions to his horrific injury.

    A 19 year old boy, lay on the pitch in agony, with his team mates stood around him in shock, one Stoke player (Whelan I think) was great as he tried to comfort the stricken player. Then we had to witness the sight and sound of 1000s of Potters prats singing “One leg, he’s onlt got one leg” and then as Ramsey was stretchered off, he was abused and spat at by many 100s more.

    And Stoke fans wonder why they are despised?

    Pulis has engendered this attitude in the hope of intimidating opoosition players and match officals alike and at the moment at least, it is working.

    I hope for the sake of football they get relegated or change their manager.

  • Parisian Weetabix

    It’s ridiculous. Stoke fans seem to revel in their ‘Pantomime Villain’ role in the Premier League, but this is just sick. I get that you don’t like Arsenal, I get that you don’t like Wenger, but to jeer Ramsey for that reason is just classless. The thuggish style of football is tolerable, but the thuggish fans are beyond a joke, and I doubt many years would be shed we’re they to slide back down the leagues. It may be too late for that this season, but there’s always next year…

    Keep the faith in Ramsey. If you think what he’s come back from, there’s no end to what he’s capable of.

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