Following on from a lacklustre and disappointing performance against Hartlepool United, our esteemed Chairman, Eddie Mitchell has come out to criticise the fans.
Speaking in the Bournemouth Evening Echo, Mitchell is quoted as saying: "I thought they influenced the game at half-time and there had been no reason to boo. We were a bit cagey and lacked spirit in the first half, but there had been no atmosphere and the crowd had been silent. If they want to boo somebody, they ought to boo me. I am there for the taking. I am chairman and am influencing the spirit within the club, which is very hard. I am pushing as hard as I can. We have got good investment, a group of good players and so much potential. We created a couple of chances and were very consistent in our own half but didn’t attack their half, which was disappointing. Spirit needs to be raised through the crowd and there is so much emphasis throughout the country on the 12th man. We had no advantage. In fact, we were at a disadvantage. We need support when we aren’t at our best. I was with Maxim and was embarrassed. Like me, he was disappointed with the first half. We talked and said it was rubbish. But if you think it is rubbish, you have got to get behind the team and cheer them on to play better, not boo them. The bit that is lacking is the heart of the club and I have got to get that through to the players and management. It is draining my resources mentally but it will come. The supporters could help so much. I was more disappointed and frustrated than they were but I would never boo our boys. It was heart-breaking".
Surprisingly (or not), there is no mention of the fact that the tactics from the opening whistle were to go backwards/sideways from the start even if Hartlepool United did 'park the bus' in front of their own goal.
Surely if the Club has any ambition to get promoted negative oppositon tactics need to be overcome by a management team with the guile and invention to do that.
From my vantage point in the East Stand, yes there was criticism aimed at the players, but most of the derision was aimed at messers Groves and Brooks, albeit from a distance.