17.08.2019 DAILY MIRROR

mirror.co.uk/sport/football^5

DM1ST

IT’S TWEET

AND SOUR

FOR LEEDS

BY DAVID ANDERSON

ADAM FORSHAW has revealed

players are stung by social media

trolls and that it is impossible to

ignore the online abuse.

The Leeds squad came under fire

from some fans when their

promotion bid fizzled out last

season and Forshaw says the

haters should remember they have

feelings like them.

The players were slated when

they lost to today’s opponents

Wigan at Easter and Forshaw

(above) said: “Social media

nowadays is just a platform for

people to slate you if they want and

there are no repercussions.

“Not everyone is going to like

you. People are going to voice their

opinions about you and a lot of

times, you do remember the bad

comments rather than the good

ones.

“People just forget you are a

person sometimes. Some of the

messages you get, the same person

may see you in the supermarket

and ask you for a picture because

they’re there face to face with you.

“People forget you’re a person.

People are lying if they say it

doesn’t affect you because it does.

You have to have thick skin.”

The midfielder was speaking on

the documentary ‘Take us Home:

Leeds United’, which is available to

download on Amazon Prime, and

defender Luke Ayling also said he

has been hurt by online abuse.

“I try not to listen to it, but you

do get drawn into reading some

things and some things aren’t nice

to hear,” said the defender.

“People always say we should

have a thick skin, but that doesn’t

mean we aren’t hurt by it because

we do listen to things, we do read

things.

“At the end of the day, it does

hurt when people say things like

‘Oh, he’s cr*p, get him out’.

“It’s just one of those things.

Players go up and down in form

and supporters pay their money, so

they can say what they want.

“Every time I step out on to

Elland Road, the fans still cheer my

name and there are 34,000 people

there. After the game, there may be

20 people on Twitter who give you

stick and say you’re rubbish.

“Those things can play on your

mind a little bit.”

Name v Name

Championship: 3pm

WIGAN v LEEDS UNITED

HOT LEGS

Villa boss Smith: Jack may be a pin-up to female fans

but to me he’s a dedicated pro who will be Prem idol

BY ALEX CROOK

EDDIE HOWE wants his keepers at

Bournemouth to pack a knockout

punch – after signing them up for

boxing training.

Aaron Ramsdale, Mark Travers,

Asmir Begovic and Artur Boruc all

took part in a sparring session

(left) at a gym near the Cherries

training ground this week. Veteran

Pole Boruc, 39, even stepped into

the ring with former IBO light

heavyweight champion and fellow

countryman Andrzej Fonfara.

Now Cherries boss Howe hopes

to have today’s hosts Aston Villa

on the ropes. He said: “We have

integrated sparring as part of their

training. We think there are

parallels between boxing and

different sports. It’s nice to see

them go out there and is a great

way of keeping fit.

“I certainly would not like to get

in a ring with Artur. He would be

formidable and I would like to pick

my opponents a little bit smarter.”

BOXING JUST THE JAB FOR HOWE

BY DAVE ARMITAGE

IT is not Jack Grealish’s boy-

band looks that have convinced

Dean Smith he is going in One

Direction.

The Aston Villa boss says

when it comes to hard

graft his 23-year-old

skipper is not a pop idle.

Local lad Grealish is

a cult figure on the

terraces he stood on

as a boy with his

silky skills and

even silkier

hair style.

‘The

much he has matured. And Jack

seems to have a good relationship

with a lot of the players.

“Even big Wesley Moraes came

up to me the other day and said, ‘Is

he your son?’”

Smith is excited at the thought

of a packed Villa Park and

wants his side to shrug

off the disappoint-

ment of last week’s

defeat at

To tt e n h a m.

He added: “We

certainly seem to

have captured the

imagination of our

supporters. We’ve

sold 30,000 season

tickets and there’s

8,000 in reserve.

“We’ve got to

make sure we

make this place a

tough ground to

come to for

opponents.

“It’s certainly a spe-

cial place and we had it

rocking at the end of last season

when we went on that winning run.

“We have to make sure we’re

right at it. It’s our home games

which will define our season.”

Smith came through the ranks

with Bournemouth boss Eddie

Howe in the lower leagues.

He added: “A packed Villa Park in

the Premier League and everything

that goes with it is a long way from

when we came up against each

other in our League One days when

I was at Walsall.

“But that just underlines what an

incredible job Eddie has done.

Eddie is not a coach who

stands still and whatever

team he puts out, we

will need to perform.”

Grealish’ even appears as a hairstyle

on a TV advert, but Smith prepares

his side to meet Bournemouth,

revealing just why his young

captain is proving a cut above.

Smith (below, with Grealish after

the play-off final) said: “You only

have to look at his legs –

and I know a lot of the

girls will be looking

at them! He’s just

so powerful.

“I felt he was

like a Premier

League player

last season in the

Championship.

He’s so strong now.

“But I’ll tell you

one thing – I know

how professional

and driven this

lad is.”

Smith says

behind Grealish’s

pin-up image is a

total pro who this

week took him by

surprise when he

dropped in at Villa Park.

Smith adds: “I don’t pay

too much attention to the

persona thing that’s

around him. I came to

watch the Villa Ladies

team and at around

8pm Jack was still in

the gym.

“That shows

me just how

HE’S ALRIGHT JACK
Jack Grealish was backed to be
a smash hit by his Aston Villa
manager Dean Smith

ASTON VILLA v

BOURNEMOUTH

Villa Park, 3pm

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