WOODY: MEPHAM CRITICISM A TOTAL DISGRACE
JONATHAN Woodgate has described abuse aimed at Bournemouth defender Chris Mepham as “absolutely disgraceful”.
The 23-year-old defender was at fault for a goal in the Cherries’ recent 2-1 defeat against QPR.
Boss Woodgate said: “I spoke to Meps a couple of times because I know he is the type of lad who really cares.
“He is not the player to make a mistake and get on with it, it sticks with him. The criticism he has received is absolutely disgraceful.
“I can sympathise with him because when I have been at different clubs, like Middlesbrough last year, I suffered a lot of vile abuse from public and keyboard warriors. I am 41 years old, I have been in this game since I was 17, I can take criticism.
“But to give it to Meps, a 23-year-old, it is difficult to contain. But he is really positive and that’s the only thing you can be. He has got his family near him, but he has also got me, who has been there, done it and received all this abuse anyway. He will come out of it the other side with a stronger personality and a stronger player from it. But it is not ideal, not what we need.”
Woodgate hopes to learn from any “mistakes” he made at Boro – where he was sacked – and lead Bournemouth to promotion after becoming head coach until the end of the season.
He said: “I’m really pleased. The circumstances haven’t been great over the last couple of weeks, but now we get clarity moving forward for the players and myself, so that’s a good thing.
“Sometimes you make mistakes in your first job and things don’t always go to plan, but hopefully this one will be different.”