A message to the NUFC 'supporters' targeting Joelinton with latest wave of pathetic abuse
After scoring two goals in Wednesday night's resounding win, Joelinton posted a video of his stunning second to social media.
Sadly, the Brazilian then decided to disable comments on his Instagram profile due to the level of abuse he was receiving from some Newcastle fans.
No matter what you think of him as a player, this is just plain wrong - even if it is the minority. If you're one of the people who've been abusing him in the comments after what was supposed to be a confidence boosting performance, you should take a long hard look at yourself and the definition of a 'supporter'.
Ok, he's rarely looked like a £40m player since last summer's big move from the Bundesliga, but he didn't set the price tag that weighs heavily on his young shoulders.
Maybe the morons hurling vile abuse at him should also consider the fact he's a human being first, a dad, a husband and someone's son, not just a footballer. He's a human being who moved to a new country on his own last year as a 22-year-old, not a robot without emotions.
He's also a player whose confidence has visibility taken a battering during his struggles under Steve Bruce. It's our responsibility to build that up - especially when he scores twice and curls one in from distance to prove what he's capable of - not go out of our way to abuse him just hours after he's played well.
This isn't even a one off either. Just look at some of these comments posted on his family post on Christmas Eve last year:
Do people want to fail? Have some become so set on him being a 'flop' that they've already written him off? Are people refusing to accept any praise going his way just because it was "against a League Two side"? Do fans always need a scapegoat to vent their frustrations at? Or is this just a sad reality of the toxic nature of social media in this day and age? Do people always need
Maybe it's all of the above. I get the feeling he could've scored all seven on Wednesday and some would still refuse to give him an ounce of credit.
There's been times when Joelinton has deserved some criticism, but there's never a right time to send abuse to a young player - especially not after his first brace for the club and a moment of magic we've all been hoping to see from him.
For the "most loyal fans in the world", we have a few too many idiots who should learn to say nothing at all if they've got nothing better to say.
His fragile confidence levels will need to be built back up and Wednesday's goals will have helped, so vile comments just hours after his first brace in a black and white shirt are absolutely baffling and completely uncalled for.
Well done Joelinton. You've got our support big man!
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