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He's Here, He's There, We're Not Allowed To Swear
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Arber abuse brings up lots of silliness.
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By:
Eric Hitchmo
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01/10/2009
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More On Dagenham and Redbridge
More On Mark ARBER
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"It turns out that the abuse of Mark Arber on Tuesday night has caused something of a stir. Mountains and molehills spring to mind here, they really do. Was it really any worse abuse than the man has received on any other occasions he has returned to Underhill? John Still must have heard it before, it's odd that it took this long for something to be said about it.
What does appear silly when you look back at it is that a fair number of people shouting pure abuse at Arber from the East Terrace were not even around the club when the events occurred. I'd wager that many of them weren't even close to reaching the age of ten, to be honest. It just seems like it was another opportunity for the young lads on the East to shout naughty words in an attempt to look hard and cool.
That aside, for the rest of us, there is still a genuinely passionate feeling against Mark Arber. From the way we've been lead to understand it, Arber was kicking the club when it was down, taking greed to a new level for the sake of a few quid. He'd moved on as he wanted to, he could have just left it on good terms. There are of course two sides to every story, and Arber promised his side at the time. Seven years on, we've never heard nearly a whisper.
Whilst to some this grudge sounds like nothing more than childish bitterness, for others it is very hard to let go when a player, a good player, tries to hurt your beloved club so. We shouldn't forget that Arber, when on the pitch, put in some very good performances for us, and it was always likely that clubs from a higher level would be sniffing around. Stockport did, and Arber, ever the victim saw his move fall through.
He subsquently earned himself a free transfer to Peterborough after demanding his contract be terminated, this after he'd already managed to get the full amount he was owed, according to this report from 2002. Oh it's just charming isn't it.
So there's a bit of background and it's something of a clue as to why he is treated with such contempt whenever he returns to Barnet.
However, a number of people were removed from the ground and that seems to be a real bone of contention that accompanies the feeling against Arber. Foul and abusive language seems to be a problem here, something that is part and parcel of football, no? However unpleasant you may find it, it is undeniable that if you go to a football match, you're gonna hear some bad words. The South Stand is a refuge for those with sensitive ears. If it is an area for the youngsters, then I can understand why the club would want to clamp down on such behaviour.
The rest of us though, the great unwashed, are still angry about the whole situation and of course a few expletives popped out. The knowledge that people were removed from the ground for swearing seems particularly over the top to me. Completely unnecessary, especially when you consider that close to nothing has been done in the past for far worse. We need some perspective here.
Consider also that a fan was removed and charged for the heinous crime of starting the ""Let's all do the Hendo"" chant, of course born from our Championship winning season, accompanied by the raising of two fingers. That's it, that's all it is. The supporter in question, one of the least likely candidates for troublemaking, was escorted from the ground. Nothing short of ridiculous stewarding, showing a complete lack of understanding of the crowd and the club.
The arrangements in the ground, positioning the away supporters slap bang next to the rowdiest area of home support hardly helps matters, and has always caused far more trouble than it's worth. I mean why not just stick the away fans on the North Terrace, give them the seating as well and be done with it. It strikes me as being down to sheer dumb luck that a more serious case of disorder has not taken place on the East Terrace since that arrangement was put in place.
It's all just an unnecessary and avoidable mess."
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