These People Are All Convinced That ‘Tweeting Too Much’ Caused Paddy Barnes To Lose

Ah, the age-old rush to assign blame to something completely arbitrary when something doesn't go your way.

We see it all the time – but for some reason, when things go slightly awry on a sporting stage, it rears its ugly head even more prominently. From out-of-position defenders to from off-the-pitch tabloid attention, there's always something.

And today, in the wake of Paddy Barnes's exit from the Olympics at the hands of Samuel Heredia, it's followed the expected pattern... albeit with a somewhat ridiculous scapegoat.

Barnes, widely regarded as a bit of a hero on social media (not least for his constant taunting of Olympic absentee Rory McIlroy) has been rounded upon for "tweeting too much" in the lead-up to today's fight.

And social media's armchair army have come out in force to condemn him...

Paddy Barnes has been beaten... Maybe he should have been more focused on the boxing rather than tweeting... #RioOlympics2016

— Paddy Murphy (@PaddyKMurphy) August 8, 2016

I can only assume that the Spaniard was tweeting less than Paddy Barnes. That's what wins or loses fights at this level. #Rio2016

— Pat Nolan (@pat_nolan) August 8, 2016

Paddy Barnes looks a right eejit now after all his tweeting

— Michèal Lundy (@lundycorofin) August 8, 2016

Paddy Barnes should have done a little less tweeting it seems

— Daniel Hayes (@firstnamedaniel) August 8, 2016

Should concentrate more on boxing than tweeting Paddy Barnes ????

— Phil (@Phil_Belfast) August 8, 2016

Maybe paddy barnes should have concentrated on his boxing rather dan tweeting

— Peter Smyth (@PeterSmyth5) August 8, 2016

Thankfully the backlash is somewhat more eloquent... and hilarious

Looks like Paddy Barnes should have spent less time tweeting and more time *checks Wikipedia* being a city councilman in Columbia, Missouri

— Alan (@alan_maguire) August 8, 2016

If Paddy Barnes spent more time tweeting and less time boxing he would have a lot more followers.

— Martyn Rosney (@rosney) August 8, 2016

And this one, once again from Alan Maguire, perhaps nails it better than all the others combined...

Barnes should have been punching at least one thing constantly every second he was awake for the last month. I'm an expert boxing trainer.

— Alan (@alan_maguire) August 8, 2016

Wonderful.