Aston Villa owner Tony Xia has commented on the heckling of midfielder Ashley Westwood.
Aston Villa owner Tony Xia has taken to Twitter to condemn any fans who were booing midfielder Ashley Westwood against Blackburn Rovers.
Villa made it three wins from five under new manager Steve Bruce, as a brace from Jonathan Kodjia cancelled out Sam Gallagher’s opener for struggling Rovers.
Aston Villa’s Ashley Westwood in action with Bristol City’s Gary O’Neil
Bruce remains unbeaten as Villa boss, and whilst there should have been a great feeling after another victory, the latter stages of the game were marred by the treatment of Villa midfielder Ashley Westwood.
Westwood, 26, has racked up almost 150 appearances for Villa since signing for the club from Crewe Alexandra back in 2012, but his displays have prompted major criticism from supporters.
Aston Villa’s Ashley Westwood in action with Derby’s Jacob Butterfield
The midfielder was slammed for his display in the recent 2-0 defeat to Preston North End, and after coming on as a 74th minute substitute for Kodjia, Westwood was booed by sections of the Villa Park crowd.
Westwood’s displays haven’t been great this season, and that’s why he’s now behind Gary Gardner and Mile Jedinak in the pecking order under Bruce, but fans singling out one player to boo is something that nobody wants to see.
Aston Villa owner Tony Xia
After the final whistle, certain Aston Villa fans took to Twitter to condemn the booing – and owner Tony Xia has joined in with his reaction on social media.
Xia urged fans to support everybody for as long as they’re playing for Aston Villa, and doesn’t want to see any ‘mental weakness’ caused by excessive criticism from supporters.
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