Fan bitterness mystifies players

have heard many things chanted by supporters at matches throughout my lifetime and thought there was nothing that could shock me anymore, but the abuse directed at Emmanuel Adebayor by Arsenal fans during Sunday's North London derby was appalling.
Gunners fans have every right to voice their displeasure toward a player who left them in acrimonious circumstances, but to reference the terrorist attack he suffered as part of the Togo squad in Angola last year is tasteless in the extreme.

And before any Tottenham fans are too quick to condemn those of Arsenal, it is worth remembering that they used to sing a horrible song in taunting Adebayor when he scored against them in the red-and-white of their local rivals on a regular basis, not to mention to wholly unpleasant things they say about Arsene Wenger and Sol Campbell.

Adebayor's status as an Arsenal hate figure is largely of his own making. After one outstanding season for the Gunners he began agitating for a move elsewhere, and spent his final year at the Emirates sulking and seemingly putting in as little work as possible before he moved to Manchester City.

When he famously sprinted 70 yards to celebrate in front of the away end when he scored against them at Eastlands, Arsenal fans must have wondered why they never saw that kind of effort from him when he played for their club.

But regardless of what Adebayor may do on the pitch or say off it, he should not be subjected to anyone mocking the trauma he went through. People who were sitting just yards from him died in that shootout. No one should wish that experience on their worst enemy, let alone someone who has upset you by their actions in a game of football.

When you are in the middle of a game you are still aware of most of what is being said and done in the crowd. It is not really possible to zone it out. All you can do is react to it in the right way, by using it as motivation rather than losing your temper. To Adebayor's credit, he lifted his game and set up Rafael van der Vaart's goal with a lovely pass.

I have been on the pitch when rivals fans have been chanting about the Munich air disaster more times than I care to remember. As you would expect, it was always at its worst when we played against Manchester City, Leeds United and Liverpool. Passions always run highest in those games, and it often brings out the worst in fans.

The funny thing is, on the pitch the players struggle to get their heads round it. Obviously they all appreciate how big derby games are and how much it means to win them, but the level of vitriol coming from the crowd can be difficult to understand. Even players who are at the club they supported as a kid usually don't get anywhere near as wound up as those in the stands. On a few occasions mystified glances have been exchanged with opposing players at what was being heard.

No matter how ardent a fan of a club players were growing up, when they become professionals few can ever maintain that same level of passion, and as such it is hard to understand the hatred that some supporters feel.