Fans do always cheer when their team scores but in an unfamiliar fashion, Tottenham Hotspur supporters cheered when Egyptian midfielder Hossam Ghaly was on his way to be replaced by Robbie Keane. The former Ahli midfielder was at the center of an ugly scene at White Hart Lane during Tottenham's Premiership match against Blackburn Rovers. He was introduced in the 29th minute, replacing injured Steed Malbranque, but was ironically booed by his own fans whenever he touched the ball. This was mainly due to Ghaly's delay in passing the ball that resulted in the player being replaced on the hour mark, making way for striker Keane. However, Martin Jol's decision was not welcomed by the 25-year-old as he threw away his Spurs shirt and went straight into the tunnel amid heavy jeers from the home crowd. "The fans are entitled to do that. It was out of character because he is a very good boy, he's always disciplined and every time he was involved he did well but you couldn't say he did well this time," Jol said after the match. "We always deal with this sort of thing. We have certain rules and arrangements, whether it is Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane or Jermain Defoe or Hossam Ghaly." Ghaly joined Tottenham from Dutch side Feyenoord Rotterdam in January 2006 and put on some good displays since his arrival. He scored for Spurs against Besiktas away from home in the UEFA Cup and notched a brilliant strike in the 3-3 draw with Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge.
However, his skillful style of play, which sometimes entertains the crowd, doesn't always please managers who become infuriated when the ball is lost in midfield. Even the fans started to launch their attack on Ghaly, fearing that his too many miss-passes would lead to dire repercussions . "The guy always goes for the most difficult option. No point in keeping him," a Tottenham fan, nicknamed Wally, said in Xtratime forums. "What is wrong with Ghaly? Take him off the team...terrible attitude," Sinoy1 said angrily. Being a half defender obliges the player not to keep the ball in his possession for long and to be accurate when passing but, unfortunately, this was not the case with Ghaly. Former Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman was left fumed with his team's exit from the UEFA Cup at the hands of Rapid Bucharest in 2005, accusing Ghaly of being responsible for his side's elimination because he didn't follow the instructions. Ghaly's relationship with Koeman deteriorated as a consequence before he had an opportunity to revive his European adventure by joining Spurs. After Mido moved down the pecking order following the arrival of Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov at White Harte Lane, Egyptian fans were eagerly waiting for Ghaly to make an impact and compensate for his compatriot's dip in form. However, Ghaly couldn't demonstrate his big talent to the disappointment of Egyptian fans, who were eagerly waiting for him to leave his mark.
