David Preece: I hope these idiots will not make local hero Jordan Pickford think twice about coming home

Seriously. When the world is asking about why a footballer is out in his home town enjoying himself with his friends, rather than the strangers who goaded Jordan Pickford into reacting the way he did, then you know we are doing this life all wrong.

The sheer amount of people who think ‘What does he expect? Going out in Sunderland, something like this is always going to happen’, not - as I always have thought - why should footballers not go out and enjoy themselves in public spaces like everyone else?

Aren’t people always complaining that footballers are no longer accessible to the person in the street, as far removed from their fans as ever in their luxury five-star bubbles?

Sure, the money they earn which affords them the lives they lead has taken footballers out of pubs and into Michelin star restaurants and private members clubs, but that’s only one reason.

Another huge slice of that pie is that wherever you go, even in these VIP fun vacuums behind a red velvet rope, there are idiots everywhere.

I was corrected by someone on Twitter, who said I should refer to these people as I have in the opening paragraph; individuals who act like idiots, but to be honest, the more words I type, the angrier and less inclined I am to be tolerant of such behaviour.

The idiot can easily be recognised by their outstretched arm which holds a smartphone, their penchant for ‘banter’ and the idea that trying to wind up a stranger they’ve only ever seen on a pitch or on TV for a reaction is fun to them.

What’s ironic is that they themselves are actually a barren land, devoid of anything resembling banter, and in reality what they are doing is hassling a public figure in their private life.

Contrary to popular belief, footballers aren’t public property to be treated how an idiot sees fit. I don’t know about you, but it would never enter my head to shout abuse at someone famous, no matter how Piers much Morgan I hated them. (It’s Freudian, honestly).

That’s not to say you shouldn’t go up to someone you love and admire to say hello and tell them how much you like them. Of course, do that as much as you like.

It’s a mutually beneficial experience, but what does it say about our society that you must have the right to say what you want to anyone in public?

Don’t start spouting anything about “free speech” either. Just because you can say it, doesn’t mean you have to.

I’ve had my fair share of trouble when I’ve been out in the various places I’ve played. You tend to get that response when you’ve put in some of the performances I have, but I always just saw it as a challenge to front up to the people who wanted to tell you how they really felt.

And when it was genuine fans who wanted to air their grievances I generally listened, spoke to them at length, and more often than not we ended up shaking hands, even if we din’t see eye to eye.