AN old pro summed it up on Saturday evening when commenting on the present affliction gripping Sixways.

The player, who enjoyed a distinguished career for more than 10 years at the top level, simply shook his head at the bewildering comments emanating from certain individuals among the home crowd.

"These guys want to see Premiership rugby but they wouldn't recognise it if it was here anyway," he said.

"They are criticising players for doing their jobs, abusing the captain and booing when he makes an obvious tactical decision. They are making it impossible for the players to play without fear and that cannot be right. Expectations are one thing but when you think you have a right to win, you are in trouble."

The comments referred to a time, early in the second half, when Worcester led Rugby Lions 6-0 and Kingsley Jones instructed Tony Yapp to go for goal rather than touch. It seemed, at the time, a straightforward decision considering Rugby were just one score away from denying Worcester any points at all. And it was the mind-bending stupidity which was so vocally projected at Sixways during that game which seemed to focus everyone's minds that Worcester's players, however inconsistently they may be performing at a certain time, can do without.

The expectation levels at Worcester have often proved too hot for many to handle but somewhere down the line, it seems, the heat has been cranked up another notch or two. The vast majority of supporters are glad to get behind the team which represents their club. The odd few, however, have such ridiculous expectations of 15 men that they will do anything to put their point across.

For instance, I've never seen anyone before shout across to an injured player, who'd put his body on the line for this supporter's club, "For god's sake don't patch him up - get him off". This rant was aimed at the club skipper Jones who had just been booted in the face and lay on the pitch with blood gushing from him. I have always been a strong advocate of the crowd's right to voice its opinion but there are certainly limits to the yobbish behaviour exhibited during the weekend match.

Worcester are in a transitional stage at present. They have been since they won their last promotion to this particular level. Therefore what supporters see is a work in progress. If promotion is secured, then the potential of the club can be explored to it's maximum but at the moment, it is a case of getting behind them.

Worcester, like everybody else, have no right to expect success. The recipe for promotion will be based on hard work, good players, a definitive game plan and, importantly a supportive atmosphere on match days. The hard work is there for all to see. Coach John Brain has little time for slackers or egos and has shown that with his selections throughout the season. He accepts the pressure and will take the consequences of failure.

The players all carry with them excellent CVs and have been hand-picked by Brain and England's most successful ever manager Geoff Cooke. The game plan has always seemed perfectly reasonable and Worcester's position as leaders of the league in December with just one loss from 11 games is impressive. So what is the problem?

If you asked each and everyone of the players whether they prefer playing at Sixways at the moment or away from home, most will pick the latter. That in itself is an incredible situation when you actually find performing at home so difficult. Worcester already has enough critics without these snipers shooting down their own players. The key to this problem is to drown out the knockers. For the next home clash against Moseley on December 29, the majority of the supporters could do the players a huge favour by raising the roof and creating an electric atmosphere.

It is surely, you have to believe, utterly counter productive to do anything else.