ADAM Bolder has leapt to the defence of Burton Albion team-mate Jacques Maghoma over his Twitter row.
Maghoma landed himself in hot water this week after posting comments on the social networking site described by Brewers chairman Ben Robinson as ‘offensive and wholly unacceptable’.
The midfielder complained at being left on the bench for Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Plymouth Argyle then, after being criticised for his ‘arrogance’ by football fans after describing himself as ‘the best’, launched abusive ‘tweets’ at two teenage users of the site.
However, experienced midfielder Bolder described the 24-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur player as a ‘great lad’ who had perhaps been ‘naive and silly’.
The 31-year-old former Derby County midfielder said: “I think Jacques has just been a bit naive — he is not that type of person at all.
“Sometimes in the football world it is like a little community, we are all so close, and it is more like banter to us.
“If he thinks he is the best player at the club then why not? He’s not though!” Bolder said young players need to be aware of the consequences of using social networking sites and believed the incident would represent a learning curve for his team-mate.
“Twitter and whatever else were not around when I started playing, it’s new and it’s a learning curve,” said Bolder.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean any malice by it and I think it’s time to move on from it.
“I didn’t play a couple of weeks ago and if I’d been on Twitter I probably would have said something.
“He is one of us. He is a great lad and he has got confidence and ability.
“The gaffer has warned us before about being careful what we say on such sites, that it’s something we need to be careful about in the modern day.
“Jacques is going to be disappointed if he is not playing and I would be more disappointed if he was not bothered that he wasn’t playing.
“It was a bit silly on his part, but he has apologised and it should be forgotten about now.
“We are a team and we are together, and I’m sure the fans appreciate that when Jacques is confident and on form he is one of the best players at the club.”
Bolder admits it has been a tough week for everyone connected with the club, but says he hopes the incident involving Maghoma will not overshadow Albion’s bid to halt a three-match losing run at Bradford City on Saturday.
The defeat at Plymouth represented the first time the Brewers have lost three straight league games since being promoted to the Football League and it saw them slip down to ninth in the table.
The game was also overshadowed by boss Paul Peschisolido being linked with the manager’s position at League Two rivals Bristol Rovers.
“It has been a little bit of a tough week for the club as a whole, but that is part of football and you have to deal with these situations and move on from them,” Bolder said.
“Obviously, the defeat at Plymouth was disappointing, but I think we played pretty well in the second half, got the goal and got back in it and then unfortunately gave a penalty away late on.
“It’s obviously not great to have lost three on the bounce, but I honestly believe we are not getting the rub of the green at the moment.
“We don’t seem to be able to keep a clean sheet at the moment and that is down to all of us, not just the goalkeeper and the defenders, but the midfield and strikers as well.
“But we have not spent too long moping around because we feel our luck will change.
“Yes, we have not scored many in the last three games, but the strikers have been on fire this season — it’s just how it happens sometimes.
“It’s three defeats on the bounce and we’re not happy about it, especially when you consider how we started the season, but we are not doing anything different.
“It’s down to us. We got into a position to challenge for promotion and it’s important that we don’t let the opportunity slip away.”
Speaking about Peschisolido being linked with Rovers, Bolder said: “I don’t think it distracted the players.
“We don’t know for sure what has gone on but it is not really for us to know, we just get on with our jobs and continue to try and do what he wants us to.
“If he has decided not to go then it shows his commitment to the club and what he is trying to do here.
“It is a compliment that other clubs are interested in him and shows that we are doing well — that’s part and parcel of the game.”
Some supporters have turned on the players during the run of three defeats, with the Brewers booed off the field after the 2-0 home loss to Accrington Stanley, but while Bolder understands their frustration, he urged them to get behind the team.
“Fans are entitled to their opinions and they are going to be disappointed when we are losing games — as the players are,” he said.
“They know we started the season well and I’m sure it’s out of frustration because they want us to be a successful club.
“But they have got to stick behind the players, especially the younger ones who might not be used to it.
“If fans get on their backs too much it could stop them doing what they naturally do on the pitch and they may not want the ball.
“Older players are used to it, I’ve had 15,000, 30,000 fans shouting, but it’s not like players are going out to lose games.”
Bolder is now hoping the Brewers can get back to winning ways against his former club tomorrow, but knows it will not be easy.
He said: “Bradford are doing well. I’ve spoken to a couple of their lads and it will be a difficult game, but there are no easy games in this league.
“We need to do what we do best, we will try and play football and try and get a result to stop the run of defeats.”
