Saints are top of the league, but certain sections of our support seem to have a vendetta against Guly Du Prado, the big question is why ?

Back in November I put up a story on this site saying how appalled I was at some so called Saints fans at Doncaster openly singing anti Guly songs, I hoped that it was an isolated incident, however it is still simmering below the surface and as Saints struggled at Millwall and appeared likely to lose the game, a sizable number of Saints fans were giving Guly pelters again.

regular poster on the message board and myself stood there and couldnt believe our ears at some of the comments directed at the man, let me say first of all though that I dont believe that any of it was racist, I didnt hear any comments of that nature, but for some reason some supporters have taken a dislike against Guly.

But why ? yes on Saturday Guly wasnt great, but to be blunt he was no worse than any of the players around him and putting himself around a lot more than Rickie Lambert who again being blunt was annonymous for most of the second half, but when Lambert or De Ridder gave away the ball cheaply they werent barracked, but if Guly did whether it was his fault or not he was abused loudly by some.

Of course there have always been whipping boys at Saints as in any other football club, but what is different now is that the younger Saints fans seem to have different ideals than those slightly older, when we were at the Dell the players that we idolised where not neccessarily those that ran about a lot, they were the flare players, Mick Channon, Matt Le Tissier, Peter Osgood to name but three, now though the younger generation dont seem to appreciate that, they see speed as being the sign of a great player and someone who runs about a lot gets cheered to the rafters, hence we had Bradley Wright Phillips idolised by the Northam, whilst Kenwynne Jones was often castigated, Mikail Antonio was seen as a great player because he had speed and every now and again had a decent game amongst a host of indifferent ones and now we have Steve De Ridder virtually a cult hero whilst Guly is openly abused.

hose with any kind of memory will recall that neither of that trio of idols from yesteryear put themselves about a lot.

But as they say in Yorkshire "there is nowt as queer as folk" and I cant see why these fans have such a hatred of Guly, he has scored a decent amount of goals this season and a good number of assists on top, although he hasnt scored for a while, he is still up there in the goalscoring charts, if he took our penalties then he would be the top scorer in the Championship, Im not saying he is as good as Lambert, he isnt, but he is stiill a decent player whose game has suffered due to his versatility and so he has been used in a number of positions.

The irony of the situiation is that usually after the abuse of Guly, praise of Nigel Adkins is forthcomin g from the same lips, it doesnt seem to occur to the Guly abusers that the reason that Guly is in the team is because the manager is picking him, if Guly is that bad then the manager isnt doing a good job, i hear the phrase In Adkins We Trust from time to time, thats true we have to trust him and if we do so and back him 100% then that includes supporting every player that he puts out on the pitch.

I like all supporters have players I rate and those that I dont, but those i dont like get my total support when they are picked to play, I dont blame them for playing, I question why they are picked and the place to do that is on supporter websites like this and not at the match.

So time for the Guly haters to put their prejudices to one side, the important thing now is to win promotion, the time is here to be positive, support the team 100% and that means each and every player, whoever they are, if it is Guly who scores the goal that wins us promotion then so be it, I for one will have a wry smile

Photo: Action Images

SaintDavo added 10:55 - Mar 18 100% agree the barracking has to stop ! To quote what someone else once said, "as soon as a player is given the shirt and selected to play, us as supporters back those players irrespective of our personal opinions" how can it help and how must it feel if your own fans are slating you ? perhaps they are the reason he sometimes has an off day or a pass goes astray as he is trying too hard to please, because like him or not he does try...so if he is wearing a saints shirt get off his back...please ;) I am sure the culprits will be singing his name if he bangs in a couple against the skates or reading or any other team for that matter !

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StrasbourgSaint added 11:20 - Mar 18 Yep! Spot on, Nick. I can think of only one 'good' reason to turn on a player, and that is if he deliberately plays badly because he wants away. Guly is versatile, 100% committed, puts himself about and has a quick brain; too quick for some. Yes, he frustrates, but, as you point out above, so do all players some times.
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SaintsHub added 11:29 - Mar 18 Spot on Nick. Guly was one of our better players yesterday (Or one of our least worst). The abuse is out of order, and not warranted. Nigel Adkins watches him in training every week and is obviously impressed by what he sees on the field otherwise he wouldn't pick him all the time. I trust Adkins's opinion over any of the mongs who are abusing him. Face facts most fans are idiots and don't have a clue about football tactics. He was getting shouted at yesterday for things he was doing entirely correctly. Yes he has bad games, but who doesn't? Lets get behind the lad

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mg2104 added 11:29 - Mar 18 Agree but unfortunately I think you are preaching to the converted. I don't see many anti-Guly comments on your board. These guys are elsewhere. It needs to be cracked down on at the ground and spoken about in the pubs beforehand.
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saintBob added 11:38 - Mar 18 Totally agree Nick. Although his form has dropped slightly at present, Guly was one of our best players in the first half of the season. I can only think that because of his Brazilian demeanour, it looks worse when he loses possession giving the impression that he's not giving 100% when as you point out, no worse than the rest of the team.
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BlackRod added 11:43 - Mar 18 I think the problem is that sometimes Guly is slow and people put that down to being lazy. If he makes a bad pass that compounds the problem. In truth he's no worse than any of the others. Lambert can look really ponderous when chasing for a ball, but he doesn't get any stick. And as we know DeRidder runs all over the place but does't necessarily translate that effort into goals. All we can do is cheer and sing loudly when Guly does come up with a spot of brilliance.

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st_bangkok added 12:01 - Mar 18 t has really messed up my prediction league placings as i keep having him as 1st scorer but he is off form, in part i think due to these fools berating him.
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bstokesaint added 12:02 - Mar 18 You'd have to question how much these abusers actually know about football. Guly's had to adpat his game since coming to us and has done a great job. He works as hard as anyone and as Nick says Adkins knows what he's talking about. Maybe it's time to start outing some of these "Southampton fans".. No-one is a fan in my opinion if they boo their own players.
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Saintpaul120 added 12:05 - Mar 18 Guly is one of those players who can frustrate; can have a blinder of a game or a stinker; can be 'off the boil' for 70 minutes and yet perform 'miracles' for 20 minutes. His little flicks can be sublime or can lazily give away posession. He plays in different positions; ones he's obviously not happy in, for the team and you know what? He never appears to complain. That's Guly. You have to accept him as he is - and get off his back. Support him because he's one of eleven trying to win a game for us, the Southampton Supporters. Can't remember what game it was but the guy next to me was slagging him off left right and centre when he promptly banged in 2 goals! Shut him up a treat!

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Jesus_02 added 13:23 - Mar 18 Guly is similar to Papa Waigo in that he is unpredictable. People like predictable. Unpredictable is frustrating..but unpredictable is what opens defenses (sometimes!)
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meanbean added 15:03 - Mar 18 I like guly and i appreciate his goal. i find him frustrating when he plays on the right though. Because he is never there on the right.
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ThereIn76 added 15:34 - Mar 18 All Saints fans who were there TAKE A BOW! Kenny Jackett reckons you influenced the referee and that's why we got two penalties - to achieve that away at Millwall shows what special people you are. The players may not have been at their best, but you were and you played your part in the victory. WELL DONE, THANKS AND R-E-S-P-E-C-T!!!
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steadyeddie added 15:46 - Mar 18 Nick, I would agree 100% with you about the unjust abuse this lad gets. However, as you are well aware, there has been and always will be hate figures with our fans. I remember Ted McDougall scoring goals for us, and still getting loads of abuse from our so called "fans". I can never understand what make certain players, the butt of this ridiculous negativity, particularly when they have scored a healthy amount of goals and contributed greatly to the position we find ourselves in now.

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stmichael added 18:06 - Mar 18 I know plenty about football and the reason he gets stick is because he is getting picked when he shouldnt be. He is getting preferential treatment to others and his performances dont merit it. When i see his name on the team sheet it deflates me. With the players available he should not be getting in. Adkins finds him a place up front or in midfield. Whats more we change the shape of the whole team when making a substitution just to keep him on. But we all know Pardew lost his job after a 4-0 away win supposedly for not playing this man. Perhaps that should tell you why Adkins plays him when often he is shiiiite. Away from home it is like playing with 10 men. When he plays in midfield we have no shape. I could go on. This man does not warrant the favouritism he gets . Something is smelly about his continued selection. I HOPE he does not play Tuesday because we will be weaker by his presence.

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St_Lacey added 18:38 - Mar 18 I am a season ticket holder and go to a lot of away games so i feel that i have seen both sides of Guly and openly admit to giving him stick sometimes. Millwall yesterday was a great result considering the performance, however the equaliser came from Guly not wanting to make an attempt at a cross and just stood there with his hands on his head whilst the defender came out of the box unchallenged. Guly's recent performances have not been deserving of a starting place especially when we cant afford to drop points, anyway 9 games left and the promised land is beckoning COYRs!!!

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saintstowin added 20:07 - Mar 18 i wasn't standing near any abusers yesterday, the most i picked up on was classic exasperation if something he did went wrong, but as has been pointed out Guly commited fewer errors than various teammates on saturday. some of our passing was so bad (on a dodgy pitch it seemed). but there were atleast 2 occasions in the first half when he chased down a relatively lost cause and gained possession and one time near the end of the half he had no one to pass to as everyone else didn't follow it up. and we don't have many others that could play up front and switch into midfield and i am glad when he appears on the teamsheet. i hope it's no more than that some misguided people want someone to target (although god knows why) and a player with a languid style that has yet to attain cult status or consistently produce magic normally fits the bill for this role.

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simmo400 added 06:11 - Mar 19 Guly is 100% commiteed to the cause theres no doubt about that. No one back tracks as much as him and he often is closing down better than most It be the morons who just cant read the game properly who have a go when he makes a mistake. They most open their eyes and watch the whole game not just two lapses of control.
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redblooded added 09:19 - Mar 19 I was at millwall, and no player tried as hard as Guly, he really tried putting himself about, I thought he was going to get booked a couple of times, but the millwall players were very physical and we needed our players to step up, and Guly did. Toward the end I thought our talent showed as the millwall players tired. What I can't understand is why they are near the bottom? Anyway this is my first blog, and I only dreamed of Saints being in this position at the beginning of the season, and a large reason why we are top is down to a complete team effort, Guly being a main part in the team

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Premherewecome added 09:20 - Mar 19 i agree with you Nick, but everyone seems to be jumping on your bandwagon just because you have said we must keep optimism and keep the slagging off for before matches. im sorry Simmo400, but you can not give stars if someone chases down, as a footballer looking to ply his trade in the premier league for the first time, that will be the last thing demanded. i could go onto that pitch and chase down opponents. i applaud Guly for his skill but i am sorry, he does not cut it into team. and people amongst the younger generation do not believe that a player is good if he is quick. being quick is called an attribute. Yes steve de ridder is quick and has skill, but he is not perfect either, i think he needs more time as he final balls are a little off but im sure the more he gets used to other players movements his final balls will be perfect. Forte was quick, but was crap. i am of the younger generation so that puts your theory of younger generation believing that speed makes a player. it does not, but it sure helps just as anticipation or strength. Guly does score goals, but 99% of the goals he scores im sure most of our team would score. his skill is good but it does not come about that often. i trust adkins but i hope he decides to play de ridder. de ridder may not always be on his best but at least always produces. we have some quality midfielders, chaplow and de ridder can both play on the right. were at the final stretch and i believe keeping the faith in Guly may be our downfall in the end

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geezershoong added 09:59 - Mar 19 A symptom of the high expectations of the team maybe, we've been rather spoilt this season & last, you usually find those barracking Guly week in week out at the ground don't really have much in the way of football knowledge, take away his goals this season & things look a bit different all of a sudden.
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SaintNick added 11:04 - Mar 19 premhere we come I take your points about De Ridder, but if he cant kick a ball now, that wont change because he will get used to the players, if he cant do it now at his age he isnt going to get much better at it
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REEDYREEDOREEDZ added 11:38 - Mar 19 Did no-one hear Nigel Adkins interview after the game on Saturday? When asked about his team selection and picking Guly he said he was aware that Millwall are a tall team and posed a danger in air at set peices, and he wanted to make sure 'he had 6 big 'uns in the team' to help defend against the aerial threat. Guly played because he's 6' 2", while Sharp is a short arse. I think you've got to trust Adkins on this one. If we need tall players in our team to help defend then Guly would be picked over Sharp or De Ridder. On Saturday, we had Fonte, Hooiveld, Lambert, Hammond, Fox and Guly all 6ft or over. So I guess Adkins thought 5 tall(ish) players weren't enough and Guly had to play. Personally, I don't think Guly's form is good enough to be in the team right now, not with a proven scorer like Sharp on the bench, but in no way should our own supporters turn against him. I'd love him to turn on the magic and score one against Pompey, just to get everyone off his back.

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bstokesaint added 12:33 - Mar 19 I guess Guly will always be a player where opinions are split. I get this. Everyone has their favourites and those they'd rather not see in the starting line-up. I think the point Nick makes is that if a player wears the shirt then you get behind them regardless. I'd find it hard to believe it's conspiracy as has been suggested, as NA justified Guly's selection by stating he wanted a bigger side and Guly warranted this by getting back to defend towards the end. It's a horses for courses situation. It doesn't mean he will start the next game either. And to suggest he's not Premier League is a little premature. Are any of our players Premier League? I'd like to think so, but if we achieve that then that'll have been back to back promotions from League 1. There's very little Premiership experience in our squad and if we're to survive a league above we'll need all the support we can get - not singling out of individuals. Let's not forget some of our players have improved as the standard of football has got better and defied their critics to date.

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thingummy added 14:52 - Mar 19 Guly excels when we play the short game, and our movement is fluid. He looks less comfotable when we play the more physical teams. He still works hard but I would argue is less effective. I would say the same for Jack Cork. Adam lallana can overcome the phsical team with skills whereas if you rely on good movement from others it's difficult to look good if the team is not playing well or the pressure from the opposition is intense Plus, a number of saints fans get frustrated when we (in their eyes) "over-pass" the ball - when we are better than anyone else. I think Guly gets tarred with this one as well

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