You're missing the point, the fans aren't reacting to an isolated incident of two poorly timed tackles, the fans are reacting to a long saga of events, some very serious. If he had no history of temperamental issues, then yeah, it would be over the top but this is the latest in a long line of incidents. He attacked/threatened his own team mates with a pair of scissors for christ sake! And by all accounts (3 that I've seen) had to be pulled away from them outside the stadium Tuesday night. Yet people seem to accept this because he waves to them when they sings his name and occasionally comes up trumps on the field. He was given a massive warning after the Orient game - last chance saloon. Then the first thing he did when back in the side, was get the club fined for an altercation with the Port Vale players/fans after the final whistle. The guy either clearly doesn't learn from his mistakes or has no element of control.
We can't have a player that might blow up any minute, a player that seems to have no qualms with acts of aggression against his own team mates, and more importantly whom seemingly hasn't the backing of his own team.
The players have had enough, and who can blame them. For me the team is far more important than keeping one player happy, no matter how good he is or could be. Someone used the example of Beckham earlier, well look what Fergie did when he felt Becks off the field antics were becoming distracting for him and his team mates. He sold arguably his most iconic player, and effective set piece taker for the sake of the team.
The players have got to the stage, where they are no longer keeping their feelings towards Bilel private either, with Gilbert's interview & Dicko's tweet. They don't care how nice he is on or off the field, they don't care how much the fans sing his name (this grates them as well - Mark Phillips tweeting that we need other songs for other players) or how much passion he plays with, they care about having a player in the side they can trust, they can rely on and who will give them as a team the greatest chance of success, at the moment, he doesn't deliver the first two, and only sporadically delivers third.
For me he's had more chances than most reasonable players can expect to get, and has to go - which is a massive shame; but Sturrock cannot afford to risk a divided dressing room.
Edit: Just seen he posted on Facebook 'I try iam calm but it look southend united its finnish by my fault' - Sounds like Brady/Sturruck/both may well have had enough.
