EDITORIAL COMMENT: No excuse for abuse (From South Wales Argus)

EDITORIAL COMMENT: No excuse for abuse of Newport County chairman

11:40am Tuesday 17th July 2012 in Newport County & Blue Square Premier Table & Results By South Wales Argus

 SPORT is an emotional business.

Sports fans often behave in utterly irrational ways, far removed from how they behave in their day-today lives.

So let’s give the benefit of the doubt to the Newport County fans who have driven the club’s chairman to the point of resignation.

Let’s assume the people who launched a tirade of abuse against Chris Blight on both his mobile and home phones over the weekend were just overwhelmed by the emotion of supporting their club. Let’s assume the supporters who reduced Mr Blight’s partner to tears with their abuse were just desperate for their team to succeed. Actually, let’s not.

Let’s tell the truth instead.

The morons who spat venom at Mr Blight don’t really deserve to be called Newport County supporters.

Plenty of football fans disagree with the actions of chairmen or managers or players. As paying punters they have every right to voice their opinions. But they don’t all ring the chairman at home and shout abuse.

Mr Blight has given his all for County over the best part of ten years, spending plenty of his own money into the bargain.

The prospect of a substantial injection of funds from a group of local businessmen is good news for the club and it may well have ended Mr Blight’s tenure.

That would have been acceptable but being driven out by the actions of a mindless minority is not.