IT CAN be a thankless task being a Premiership footballer at times. Unless you’re one of those fortunate few who assume iconic status and can therefore do no wrong in the eyes of your supporters, chances are more often than not, those same fans will turn on you for the heinous crime of misplacing the odd pass or two. As nonsensical as that may seem (given they are supposedly watching games in anticipation of cheering on the team with which they share an allegiance), for some reason, the singling out of individuals to criticise and abuse is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s game. "Scapegoating" at Everton is certainly nothing new. Over the years, plenty of players have felt the wrath of Evertonians when under-performing in a blue shirt, but in recent times, some fans appear to get more pleasure from berating the players than backing them. Having high expectations is one thing, but listening to some comments made at matches this season, you start to wonder whether some supporters turn up to games wearing blinkers. The treatment of Blues’ captain Phil Neville this season, and particularly in recent weeks has been nothing short of despicable. This viewpoint won’t go down well with the boo-boys at Goodison who eagerly anticipate any slip-up and revel in jeering the slightest of errors, but the facts are simple. Booing one of your own achieves nothing. Shouting abuse at a player from the stands when he is within earshot is hardly likely to have a positive impact. It might make you feel better for a few minutes, but ultimately it’s going to have a negative impact on the team. And people wonder why some players lose respect for the fans! Now this isn’t to say we should all just sit at games in silence and put up with whatever is served up for us, but the important thing is to gain a bit of perspective. Every player wants to perform to the best of their ability week in, week out, but just as in any other walk of life, we can all have our off days. Certainly there has been more than one player this season to under-perform at Everton, and yet there is nothing like the same amount of criticism levelled at them. The contribution Phil Neville makes to Everton, both on the pitch and off it, is vastly underrated. Highly respected by his fellow professionals and pundits alike as a result of his attitude and approach to the game, the experience drawn from his time at Manchester United makes him an ideal captain and many of his team mates have spoken about his positive influence within the dressing room, as well as the leadership qualities he brings to the pitch. Perhaps his downfall is that he’s too honest for his own good. If you want a player to run through a brick wall for you, Neville’s your man, regardless of where he’s asked to play, but for some fans this evidently isn’t enough. They bemoan a lack of quality, but that’s just an excuse, or maybe the blinkers are on again. World-beater he may not be, but you don’t spend ten years at a club like Manchester United if you’re not a good player. Ironically, despite the boo-boys, Neville seems to be relishing his time at Everton and has taken the club to his heart. If further proof were needed, the passion was there for all to see in his unadulterated celebrations following his well-deserved goal against Aston Villa on Sunday. Doubtless most of his detractors were busy celebrating along with him - maybe now they’ll cut him a little slack? | 
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