To Tweet or not to Tweet? Liverpool’s Ryan Babel gets it wrong…or right.

A lot has been made in recent months regarding the comments, outbursts and rants of professional Footballers on social networking website Twitter. None more so than the recent comments of Ryan Babel towards referee Howard Webb. Do you concur with the quote from Mick McCarthy in thinking that Footballers should be banned from using Twitter, or are we all failing to change with the times?

For many years, professional football players publicised their grievances through media outlets such as Newspapers, Radio and Television; well not any more! With thousands of people ‘following’ a number of the worlds highest paid football players, it is now easier than ever for a player to make their thoughts known.

Arguably the controversy over the use of Twitter for football players began back in July 2009, when Darren Bent spoke of his displeasure at the timely process of his proposed move away from White Heart Lane. The player ‘tweeted’ his grievance by saying “Do I wanna go Hull City NO. Do I wanna go stoke NO do I wanna go sunderland YES so stop f****** around levy”. Perhaps not the best way to vent the frustration of a problematic transfer!

Glen Johnson launched a scathing attack on ex-professional Paul Merson following comments made about him on Soccer Saturday. He said “Comments from alcoholic drug-abusers are not really gonna upset me …”The only reason he’s on that show is coz he gambled all his money away. The clown!”

The trend is spreading lower down the Footballing ladder, with Marvin Morgan of Aldershot tweeting that “Like to thank the fans who booed me off the pitch. Where’s that going to get you! I hope you all die.”

In what is an ever-changing world, Twitter for many has provided a possible way of players interacting with fans and each other in a very public manner. I for one enjoy reading tweets from the likes of @rioferdy5 (Rio Ferdinand), who’s ‘banter’ with other professional sportsman certainly makes for entertaining reading. Furthermore, we as football fans get an incite into the everyday life of a Premier League player with regular tweets.

Ryan Babel’s Tweet this week has resulted in the player being charged with bringing the game into disrepute, when he published a picture of referee Howard Webb wearing a Man Utd shirt (one which was of course digitally altered). On the flip side of things, PFA Chief Gordon Taylor has today spoken out regarding Babel’s ammusing publication by suggesting that we are losing our “sense of humour”.

As with anything, their are positives an negatives to the use of Twitter in professional football. Sure, we like to read about them, see what they’re doing and know what they are thinking. Similarly, we don’t like immature outbursts from our footballing heroes which dominate the media day in day out!

I would like to know what you as football fans think. I will end by suggesting that things are left as they are. I love a joke, and whilst a small majority may be disgruntled or even take offense to some Tweets, I think we can all see the funny side. We are used to seeing these football players on TV, in the Newspapers, on the Radio, but to see them in a whole new dimension is a refreshing change that adds another dimension to our ever-changing Sport!

DH