Twitter masses maul Manchester United midfielder

by Steven Mostyn - Apr 27 2011, 11:30

Here’s a cautionary tale for celebrities and sporting stars looking to court a little ego-boosting exposure on Twitter: The fans you’re looking to gather adoration from can be vicious if they don’t perceive you with especially high regard.

Case in point, Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson has joined and quit the micro-blogging platform in the space of just a few hours after a flood of ‘followers’ belittled his match-day performances and apparent lack of worth to the team.

Despite holding a position within one of the biggest and fervently followed football clubs, Gibson’s Twitter page was met by a torrent of abuse, with many of the vitriolic messages supposedly left by angry Manchester United fans.

One such response said “nothing would make me happier than it we sold you this summer, you’re probably a nice bloke, but an awful footballer.”

Another tweet accused Gibson of offering nothing to the team, demanding that the young Ireland international to: “Do us all a favour and hand in a transfer request.”

Various other tweets criticised Gibson’s work ethic on the pitch, his lack of movement, and his inconsistent long-range shooting. Many also implored team boss Alex Ferguson to sell the midfielder once the current season is over.

In defending his lambasted teammate, prominent Twitter user and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand said Gibson had quit the site due to a lack of self-interest, not because of the distinctly icy reception.

“Darron Gibson says he came on to see what the lads were up to,” offered Ferdinand in a tweet, “he came off because he couldn’t be bothered with it not for any other reason.”
 
Gibson had moved to join Twitter earlier this week, hot on the heels of his hugely popular teammate Wayne Rooney.

By way of contrast, Rooney, who’s considered to be one of the world’s best players, has gathered a whopping 200,000 followers since joining on Saturday.

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