Emerson Royal was cheered off as he was substituted for Tottenham Hotspur against Leeds United, with journalist Tim Spiers describing the situation as ‘horrible to watch’.
The defender has had a rough season for Spurs, and his performance on Saturday afternoon wasn’t any better as his relationship with the supporters – now ‘completely fractured’, according to Spiers – took another turn for the worse.
Royal was substituted in the 57th minute against Leeds United for Matt Doherty as Spurs chased the game in the second half.
A chorus of cheers echoed around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the Brazilian was taken off.
Spiers took to Twitter, to give his reaction to the situation.
He tweeted: “Matt Doherty and Davinson Sanchez on Emerson Royal and Clement Lenglet off. Royal is cheered off basically. Relationship completely fractured and it’s horrible to watch tbh.”
TIF Thoughts on Tim Spiers’ tweet about Emerson…
We think it’s hard not to feel sorry for Emerson Royal. He may not be performing very well, but the reaction he got from the Spurs fans will not do him any favours.
Confidence is a massive part of the game. However, the lack of support from the home fans could mean the 23-year-old could go on a further downward spiral.
Perhaps for the sake of the player, manager Antonio Conte should drop the defender when the teams return to action after the World Cup.
However, the break that Royal will have due to the tournament could be perfect timing. It can give him some time to reflect and focus on training harder to improve his game.
It’s always sad to see a player feel the effects of a hostile crowd reaction and this won’t help with Royal’s confidence.