The date was 06/12/2008. Arsenal had just beaten Wigan 1-0 but the game will not be remembered for an Arsenal victory.
That day will be one remembered for the wrong reasons. It was the day that I thought I would never see happen. The Gooners had turned on one of their own.
Emmanuel Eboue was the unfortunate victim that day. Booed and heckled I really felt for him and seeing the man trudge off, almost reduced to tears, brought a lump to my throat.
That game he became an outlet for the Gooners frustrations. He was the easy target. It was disgusting. Almost on the verge of bullying.
It seemed Eboue was broken. By all accounts he is loved by his team-mates, and he was supported by them. Despite this support I thought that was the end of Eboue's Arsenal career.
Would anyone have blamed him for leaving? Yes he was poor that day but he seemed heart-broken by the treatment he received. It was a liberty.
He could have taken the easy option. He could have just fucked off. Instead he licked his wounds, showed true character and bounced back.
I think Eboue deserves a massive gee-up.
Since that dark day he has rolled his sleeves up and has turned the whole situation round.
You couldn't call him an Arsenal legend but you could say that he has achieved almost 'folklore' status with the Arsenal faithful.
From time to time you still see the theatrics but to be fair to him the Ivorian has cut a lot of that from his game.
How mad is it that people are now calling for him to be played more often? That's how far he has come.
I think that Eboue is a very useful player to have. He can play in a number of positions, is liked throughout the squad, loyal, has ability and is obviously strong-minded to have come back from the berating he took that day.
To turn it all around, I think Eboue deserves a lot of credit. He was immense today and if he continues to play like this, he will continue to win more and more Gooners around.
Keep it Goonerish..............
That day will be one remembered for the wrong reasons. It was the day that I thought I would never see happen. The Gooners had turned on one of their own.
Emmanuel Eboue was the unfortunate victim that day. Booed and heckled I really felt for him and seeing the man trudge off, almost reduced to tears, brought a lump to my throat.
That game he became an outlet for the Gooners frustrations. He was the easy target. It was disgusting. Almost on the verge of bullying.
It seemed Eboue was broken. By all accounts he is loved by his team-mates, and he was supported by them. Despite this support I thought that was the end of Eboue's Arsenal career.
Would anyone have blamed him for leaving? Yes he was poor that day but he seemed heart-broken by the treatment he received. It was a liberty.
He could have taken the easy option. He could have just fucked off. Instead he licked his wounds, showed true character and bounced back.
I think Eboue deserves a massive gee-up.
Since that dark day he has rolled his sleeves up and has turned the whole situation round.
You couldn't call him an Arsenal legend but you could say that he has achieved almost 'folklore' status with the Arsenal faithful.
From time to time you still see the theatrics but to be fair to him the Ivorian has cut a lot of that from his game.
How mad is it that people are now calling for him to be played more often? That's how far he has come.
I think that Eboue is a very useful player to have. He can play in a number of positions, is liked throughout the squad, loyal, has ability and is obviously strong-minded to have come back from the berating he took that day.
To turn it all around, I think Eboue deserves a lot of credit. He was immense today and if he continues to play like this, he will continue to win more and more Gooners around.
Keep it Goonerish..............