There’s a surprising portion of the Chelsea fanbase who continues to harp on Mason Mount for silly things, but it’s time to quit.
Some the world’s greatest conundrums may never be solved, like the Bermuda Triangle or the case of Jack the Ripper. While the collective disdain for Chelsea’s Mason Mount is equally as baffling, the motivation behind the hatred is no mystery. It’s become quite fashionable—or so some fans (using the term very loosely) believe—to unfairly criticize and insult one of England’s brightest young stars on social media. Conventional wisdom tells us Twitter is a cesspool, especially the subterranean club of know nothings that call themselves “Football Twitter”.
The fact of the matter is, throwing shade at the Blues’ wonderkid doesn’t make one cool, quite the opposite actually. Many involved with football—be it pundits, managers and even players—have expressed their excitement about the 21-year-old. Leave it to the ignoramuses on the internet to harass the potential heir to Lampard’s throne. Mount’s had an excellent beginning to his career and it’s about time all supporters appreciate that.
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Before diving into this, it’s important to note that criticizing a player is OK, but there’s a fine line between giving constructive feedback and harrying a youngster. Expressing a personal opinion is also alright, even though I cannot think of any reason a Chelsea fan would dislike Mount. If you were one of the Blues fans celebrating his stunning free kick goal on the final day of last season against Wolves, you have no room to harass him. Further, you never have a justifiable reason to go at his family, but some do it anyway. To those I say, it’s time to grow up and quit.
In this day and age, many seem to either forget or choose to ignore the concept of development. Supporters expect the finished product the moment a player steps onto a professional pitch. While holding one’s team to an extremely high standard is a luxury Chelsea fans have had over the last two decades, this is a new era in SW6.
Mount has seemingly skipped the transition period that is customary for young players, instead electing to rise straight to stardom. A staple in Lampard’s starting XI during his freshman campaign at Stamford Bridge, Mount made a name for himself early on. Of course, this was outside of Blues circles. Chelsea supporters have heard about Mount’s potential for years. He joined the club at the age of six and has remained a true blue ever since.
Mount’s played in 65 games in a little over a year. Last season, he became the first ever Chelsea Academy graduate to debut and play his 50th game for the club in the same season. In those 65 appearances, he’s managed nine goals and nine assists, some obviously more important than others. When the Blues needed a hero, Mount stepped out of the shadows to take the aforementioned free kick against Wolves and clinch a top four spot for the Blues in Lampard’s first season. He’s an individual who rises to the occasion continuously, and that’s earned him quite a bit of praise from all corners of the football world.
Lampard will be the first to tell you how unique Mount’s talents are, but he isn’t the only one. England manager Gareth Southgate, Liverpool and Scotland legend Graeme Souness, Chelsea great Ashley Cole and Aston Villa star Jack Grealish are just a handful of the icons to praise the youngster recently. If some of football’s greatest minds of the last half century are quick to commend Mount, why are any Chelsea “fans” so relentlessly unpleasant to him? To put it into terms those dolts on Football Twitter will understand, “they don’t know ball.”
I don’t know about you, but if I were trying to learn football over again, I’d rather be educated by Lampard or Souness. Something about an insufferable individual on the internet, hiding behind a poorly edited picture of a player and a name that ends in ‘SZN’, trying to talk tactics doesn’t appeal to me. To each their own, I guess.
To all of those that continue to not only doubt Mount, but pester him too, it’s time to grow up. Mature and move on—he’s Chelsea through and through, just like a majority of us. Let’s all take a step back and appreciate the greatness of a young lad destined to do big things in a Blues kit.