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Micah Richards has labelled an Aston Villa fan ‘a clown’ for tagging him in a picture on Instagram.

The Villa captain, who has 128,000 followers on the social media site, posted a reply to one supporter which read:

“Don’t tag me in your stupid photos u clown! Excuse us for having a few days away after a long hard season.”

While it’s not clear what picture Richards was referring to, the skipper’s comments have angered some supporters as they prepare for their team’s first top-flight relegation for almost 30 years.

Over the weekend the ex-Manchester City ace was pictured on holiday in Dubai with the club’s longest-serving player, Gabby Agbonlahor.

The subject has been a hot topic among the claret and blue faithful, and his reaction to this separate incident, at a sensitive time of the season has now sparked more debate.

The Villa pair who jetted away from the Midlands late last week are entitled to a break from their day-to-day routine and should not be criticised for enjoying their time off.

Players with no international commitments were granted a long weekend away from Bodymoor Heath to coincide with the four-day Easter holiday that the majority of the nation enjoyed away from work. Other members of the squad spent time with their friends and families, so should they be lambasted, too?

There’s a myth that days off are counter-productive because players should be slogging away trying to right the wrongs of this campaign.

But time away to free your mind from some of the troubles over what has been a ‘long, hard season’ albeit a disastrous one, can often have a positive effect.

Granted, Richards and Agbonlahor could have spent their time doing extra fitness work, or even meeting fans to address some of the issues that have haunted Villa, but it’s hard to imagine either of them even considering the latter given the abuse they’ve received on social media this term.

And, after all, this isn’t a regular occurance. It’s a short break during a hectic season that has taken it’s toll on everyone associated with Villa.

Deep down Richards will know that his performances haven’t been up to scratch in recent times but he always puts in a shift and tries to rally his team.

As captain he’s also had to face up to the press more often that not in times of defeat. That’s more than can be said for the rest of the under-performers who shirk media duties whenever they can.

I understand the frustrations among Villa fans right now and incidents like these only fuel the fire.

But are we turning on players just for the sake of it these days?