Eddie Howe has his say on social media toxicity as Lewis Miley comes in for unfair criticism
Newcastle United's 19-year-old prodigy Lewis Miley came in for a fair amount of undue criticism on Sunday as the Magpies struggled to a 0-0 draw against Bournemouth.
The entire team, which had been heavily tweaked by Eddie Howe, seemed to struggle to get a handle on what was expected of them, but it seemed to be the youngster who bore the brunt of fans' frustrations on social media.
Bizarrely, that negativity spilt over to the comments during the game on Wednesday after Miley had misplaced a couple of passes, and unfortunately, misplaced a clearance that led to the Bradford consolation goal.
However, despite those minor mistakes, Lewis Miley was an absolute machine in that midfield, playing with his trademark maturity beyond his years, but when trolls get a target in their sights, they find it hard to let go, and that's all this was. The vocal minority who farm rage to boost their own self-worth. As we said yesterday, it's these morons who get the most attention because humans are just drawn to negativity.
Eddie Howe is not a fan of social media
Eddie Howe has often spoken about the cesspit that is social media, and the Newcastle boss went on another rant about it on Friday morning when asked his views on the criticism aimed at Miley.
“I'd be amazed if that was the case, to be honest, because I just think that would be totally unjustified. For me, Lewis is an outstanding player, and he's a player we need to support and protect.
“You mention his age, and sometimes when you look at him, you forget how young he is because the stature of him is maturity both on and off the pitch.
“I think with all players they need support, they need help, they need guidance, anything other I'd encourage the player to switch off from and just try and listen to the people that really matter in their lives, that would be family, friends. But of course, we will do everything we can to support him and treat him as the talent that we know he is.”
Eddie Howe won't impose a social media ban on his players
Howe ruled out imposing a social media ban on his players, saying he doesn't believe anyone would follow it or that he feels he has the right to do so, but did offer words of warning to the players who choose to put themselves out there.
"I haven't seen any of the comments myself because I'm not accessing that information, but it came back to me that there was something. But Lewis and all the players, unfortunately, have to deal with this world that is there. If you open yourself up to it and you absorb it, then it can affect you.
“But I think Lewis is very mature for his age. He's strong mentally, but as I said earlier, I think it's our job to protect all the players, and I'm not talking about Lewis here; I'm talking about everybody. Protect their own thoughts and their own views on themselves.
“It's so important that players maintain their confidence when they enter the pitch, and they blank out all the noise. It's important for me to do that as much as anybody else in my role, and really, I critique myself. I don't need anyone else to do it for me.”
