DON'T CRY FOR EBOUE; MIDDLESBROUGH v ARSENAL BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE, RIVERSIDE, TODAY, KO 12.45 He should try playing in Argentina.. I had to hide from baying fans in the dressing room when my team lost 7-1 SAYS BORO'S JULIO ARCA.

Byline: BY SIMON BIRD

JULIO ARCA has revealed how he hid in the dressing room for two hours to avoid angry fans after a bad defeat.

The Boro star says Emannuel Eboue got off lightly when Arsenal fans booed him, because he was left terrified when a baying mob wanted to lynch his team-mates.

Arca reckons players in England have no idea how scary it gets when the fans turn in his home country.

Argentine Arca says his most frightening experience in the game came when his side Argentinos Juniors lost 7-1 to Independiente when he was just 17. He said: "In Argentina you have fans waiting outside the ground and you have to get police (to protect you) when you get beaten.

"In one of my first games we got beaten so badly away from home that the fans were absolutely mad. We had to stay in the changing room for two and a half hours after the game because the fans wouldn't leave. They were waiting for us outside the ground!

"I was scared. I thought I'm going to be sleeping here in the changing rooms tonight, I'm not getting out!

"We knew that the police would take them away eventually, but you still wonder what's going to happen. It's not fair to try to hit or kick the players or their cars, that kind of thing is over the limit!

"Booing is bad when it happens to you, but it's nothing compared to what can go on in Argentina. It's not right to single out one player and I wouldn't be happy if it was me.

"The thing to answer them back is to play a good game and Eboue got a good reception in the Champions League this week."

Arca reckons pounds 12million striker Afonso Alves is feeling the pressure of his price tag, and has advised his team-mate to relax and to stop worrying about his transfer fee.

Alves is failing to convert his prolific finishing talent demonstrated at Heerenveen into the Premier League and Arca said: "People will say: 'He's not scoring and he cost pounds 12m' - but he has to forget about that.

"It was a lot of money. He came here to England to see how good he could be and the money's been paid for him. If he scores a hat-trick everyone will forget the pricetag. His last couple of freekicks haven't been as good as expected but we don't want to take that away from him because he'd feel down about it. The future will tell what will happen."

Arca wants to see the Boro crowd become more partisan and back the team in adversity, knowing that Arsenal will provide a huge challenge in the lunchtime kick-off.

He added: "You need that support, it's something that can change a game. "When we missed a penalty at Sunderland this season, we were battering them, but after that their crowd celebrated like they'd scored a goal and it changed the whole game it was unbelievable.

"The fans' reaction helped Sunderland so much."

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SEIGE MENTALITY Julio Arca knows what it's like to fall foul of fans and feels for Eboue (top)