Stan Collymore’s advice for Brennan Johnson

Earlier this week, Tottenham’s Brennan Johnson secured his side a place in the next round of the Carabao Cup with a fine injury-time strike against Coventry City.

This happened after the player was insulted on social media and deleted some of his social accounts.

After the match he was forced to clap for the travelling supporters, the mental toll the abuse had taken on him being there for all to see.

It’s another example of how cowards hiding behind a keyboard can irritate professional players.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou was less than impressed with their actions.

??? Postecoglou on Brennan Johnson being insulted on social media: “Criticism is one thing, you accept that”.

“To sit down and write something insulting anonymously… say it in front of me, you’ll get a slap in the face, you won’t do it again, mate. But they won’t.” photo.twitter.com/Qd4jVUUzUX

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 18, 2024

“Criticism is one thing, you accept it,” he was quoted by CaughtOffside columnist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano on X (formerly Twitter).

“To sit down and write something insulting anonymously… say it in front of me, you’ll get a slap in the face, you won’t do it again, mate. But they won’t”

Former professional Stan Collymore, himself sometimes the target of constant abuse on social media, gave his own opinion.

“I saw a clip in the League Cup last night where Brennan Johnson was pushed towards the away end by his team-mates. He literally put his hands together three times, clapped a bit and turned around,” he told CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

Collymore has a message of support for Brennan Johnson

“After the abuse directed at him on social media, this was a message to the Spurs fans in Coventry and the supporters in general.

“If I were still playing today, given how outspoken I was back then, let alone today, I probably would have deleted my Instagram, my X, my TikTok, etc. every week.

“I remember being the first current or former player to use Twitter in the early days. I started using it on talkSPORT as a great tool to get real-time feedback from supporters.

“We already have a situation where a lot of players’ accounts are managed by their own people, and all you see is a very sanitized version of themselves.

“I think fans want authenticity in their superstars, but apart from players like Marcus Rashford, a lot of players’ social media is very, very innocent.

“What I would say to supporters is: if you want to connect with your heroes on social media, don’t send them nasty messages. It’s that simple.

“And for players like Brennan Johnson, I would say one thing: If deleting your social media means you can get the most out of your career, go ahead, son.”

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It’s worth remembering that clubs themselves also have a duty of care to their employees, and that social media companies are ultimately responsible for what is posted on their sites.

Until the law takes strong action against those who perpetuate these abuses, it is likely that the abuse will continue unabated.

Top photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images