There’s a leader (or big mouth) in any group who picks on one player and all the other muppets (who don’t have their own thoughts or opinions) follow suit. Soon the group are trying to “out abuse” the poor victim, thinking it makes them look hard.
Drugs don’t help either
Of course, but it seems to have degenerated from taking the pee/giving a player a volley to something much more personal and abusive. Perhaps some people’s vocabulary is more limited these days.
One of the biggest negatives of getting to the PL is the expectations and behaviour of some of our “newer” fans. I wonder what they would have said about Ashley Neal, Mark Farringdon, Richard Tiltman and Stafford Browne, to name a few.