Kieran Trippier and the curious case of scapegoating

Most football fans love a scapegoat whom they can blame whenever things aren’t going well on the pitch, and the Spurs fanbase is no different. The latest player to have taken that mantle seems to be Tottenham full-back Kieran Trippier.

Let me make this clear at the outset that this is not an attempt to defend Trippier’s mistakes or negate his obvious limitations. I think it is natural that fans criticise players who aren’t doing well. However, there is a difference between criticising a player and subjecting him to vitriol.

If one is to base his or her opinion of Trippier by just following Spurs twitter during matches, one would think he is not even good enough to be a professional footballer, let alone a player for a Cham...