Before I start, I want to acknowledge that on the pod this week I said I wasn’t about to tell anyone whether they should boo or not when they’re at the football. We all pay our money, we can do what we want.
But I can’t stop thinking about the reaction to Alex Iwobi’s substitution on 82 minutes against Palace. The ironic cheers and jeers that went up as he trudged off, dejected, made me - frankly - quite sad.
It’s been pointed out by smarter people than I that, in fact, on a purely footballing level this season, Iwobi has been putting in the hard yards - the second highest amount, in fact. So, on effort alone, the reaction was unjust.
But more than that, Alex has always been such an important part of this squad - on and off the pitch - ever since he arrived from Everton in 2023.
A Marco Silva pick, the Nigerian was reunited with his gaffer, having played for him in blue on Merseyside. He quickly cemented himself as the social glue of the changing room. Alongside Calvin Bassey, he brought the vibes, be that through his Snap videos, antics on the team coach, and anything in between.
Put simply, he just seems like a really good bloke.
But this isn’t the first time he’s found himself as a scape goat. Following the Super Eagles’ loss in the 2023 AFCON on home soil, Iwobi took the brunt of his countrymen’s ire, enduring unfounded and unacceptable abuse on social media. He blanked out his Instagram then, too, as a way of giving the trolls fewer avenues through which to send abuse.
Perhaps his latest social media cleanse this weekend is simply muscle memory from that miserable winter.
I think it’s fair to say that the anger towards him is misplaced, and rather than say “don’t boo one of our own”, what I will say is: have a think about who or what you’re really angry about.
And vibes aside, let’s not forget just how good Iwobi’s been for us. He’s been one of our most consistent creative outlets. Goals against Brentford, against Spurs - and who can forget that Old Trafford winner?
He’s not being used to his full potential in this system, that much is evident. But as we’ve discussed all week: nothing in this system is set in stone yet. The whole side - including Alex - could be due a renaissance with the right tweaks.
Dust yourself off, Alex, and go again - we need you. COYW.
Great read Drew , not sure if all the cheers were against Alex , or the recognition that finally the manager had come to the conclusion that he’s not at his most effective in centre midfield and by the time he had moved to his natural position he had run out of gas .
The problem is Alex could now be 3rd or 4th choice on the left hand side of the pitch because of his lack of pace and maybe sees his own place in the side gone after a brilliant spell with us .
Reality stinks sometimes
An unsung hero who’ll play where he’s asked.