SOCCER UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:ARSENE WENGER has outlined the way forward for Emmanuel Eboue to win the affections of Arsenal's support.
"I always feel in our job that it's very important we don't expect too much from people but that we expect a lot from ourselves," said the Arsenal manager, as he prepared to start with Eboue at right back against Porto in the club's final Champions League Group G tie. "The best response you can give is to use every single situation to make you stronger, to show that you can deal with it."
It is safe to say that Eboue now expects absolutely nothing from the Arsenal fans - any words of encouragement from those who travel to the Estadio do Dragao will be a bonus - but it is also true the 25-year-old has to demand a lot more from himself. His nightmare performance against Wigan Athletic at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday remains fresh in the memory and so do the jeers that he suffered. Eboue was so affected that Wenger, having brought him on in the 32nd minute, felt the need to substitute him before the end.
Eboue spent 36 hours after the match in despair, Wenger revealed, although he did appreciate the phone calls of support that he took from his team-mates. But if Monday and yesterday represented the first steps towards redemption, then Wenger believes that Eboue, through turning his focus inward and going back to basics, can thrive on what is expected to be a hostile occasion here.
"It can be, but the (home) fans will be hostile to all 11 of my players," said Wenger, who suggested he might not have started Eboue had the fixture been in north London. "It's better . . . it's easier that we play away than to come straight back to the Emirates, especially in Eboue's head maybe. It's a difficult situation when your home crowd is against you but what can you do? Ours is a public job so you have to deal with all kinds of responses.
"I think it will be a one-off, though, because it was special circumstances. First, Eboue was very tired; second, we were a bit nervy, we were only 1-0 up in the game and third, I must say that for once, all the media has stood behind him. All football people have given a strong response in his favour and that has made the fans realise they have gone a bit too far."
The rights and wrongs of booing one of your own team's players have polarised debate. Some fans feel it can never be acceptable, that it undermines the literal notion of being a supporter and also risks damaging the team as a whole. Others feel that they are only human and should be allowed to criticise when a performance is substandard, particularly given the money they pay at the turnstiles. The huge wages earned by players appear to have fuelled the feeling of "them and us".
"When I played, you could divide the wages by 100 but I still made bad passes," said Wenger. "Once you are on the pitch, how much you are paid does not play a big part, it's how much you want to win.
"When you are in the game, you have to take risks as well, and risks mean misses. If you encourage a player to kick the ball forward when he has the ball at the back all of the time, he will not make many mistakes but his strikers will die of hunger.
If you encourage your players to play, they will make mistakes and when they are tired or they are returning after four or five weeks out (like Eboue), you have to accept the mistakes."
With qualification already assured, Arsenal need a draw to progress as group winners. A host of first-team regulars have not travelled. William Gallas is back but Bacary Sagna (flu), Kolo Toure (calf), Gael Clichy (hamstring), Cesc Fabregas (knee) and Robin van Persie (stiffness) have been left out to with a view to Saturday's trip to Middlesbrough. Emmanuel Adebayor has been rested while Samir Nasri is out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury. Guardian Service
