I really can't blame anyone not defending his ranged teammates. Not because people are supposed to hate them (I don't hate anyone in my own team, except maybe excessive teamhitters), but because standing behind is extremely boring, compared to combat. This is a game after all. Even if it is not going to make them win (despite "efforts" like multi to force people to play to win), people will mostly play the way that is more fun for them.
Well that is a nice way of excusing them for their behavior, but it doesn't fit observed facts.
Fact: Teams at end round tonight was 1 HX on one side, several melee with spears/2handers, etc and a foot archer and foot xbow. Did the melee stand guard over the xbow while it was reloading to shoot the HX down? Where they perhaps guarding the archer so he didn't get bumped to death? Oh hell no, they were running around in circles 50 feet away from their ranged trying to chase the HX while on foot! This went on for at least 2 minutes, even after the xbow was asking for them to protect him so he could reload and shoot the bastard's horse down. All the while the HX kept shooting and bumping the archer and xbow.
Sound like fun? No, of course it wasn't. But rather than a discussion of how the melee needed to use actual teamplay and tactics, the discussion turned to how the HX should be nerfed