Anthony Stewart is delighted to have led Aberdeen to third place because he is first to accept that his time at Pittodrie hasn’t all been plain sailing.
Jim Goodwin moved to sign the experienced defender from Wycombe Wanderers in the summer and made an immediate show of faith in him by handing him the captain’s armband. Stewart has helped the Dons come good when it mattered but there are other times where he has come in for some stinging criticism after some less than secure performances or mistakes.
It has seen him come into the firing line - especially on Twitter. The defender said: “When I first came to Scotland I didn’t know much about the expectations of the club. I used to look at social media when I joined and read the comments when they were good and when they were bad. After a while I said to myself that I wasn’t here to impress anyone else but my team-mates, the gaffer and myself.
“I always go on the pitch to do well and if I come off the pitch one day and I haven’t done that, then I know within myself that I need to do better and what I need to improve on. It can be tough to look at social media when things aren’t going well.
“If you aren’t mentally prepared for that scenario it can impact you. You might want to reply to things that are said about you but you have to be professional and you have to forget about the comments. I try not to get too high or too low, no matter what is happening.”
The 30-year-old can handle the criticism from social media but he has warned others to avoid these platforms if it is going to have a negative impact on them.
“I have spoken to some of the younger boys in the squad about social media. I said to them to delete it if they can’t help themselves from looking at it if we have had a bad performance. If you can’t handle it then delete the app as it won’t do them any good to dwell on things.
“They should know within themselves if they have performed well or not. I don’t need to read things to get validation. I still have the app but I can handle it.”
Stewart is currently in Georgia this week with Aberdeen for a training camp, where they take on Atlanta United XI on Wednesday. He will then get some time to put the foot before the Dons get ready for what potentially can be a big second half of the season.
“The break came at a good time for us,” he added. “We are in a good position and we would have taken where we were at the start of the season.
“We have potential to finish third, we have a semi-final to look forward to. We just have to look to come back and hit the ground running.”
The Londoner is also relishing in the captain’s role and admitted it has always been something he has wanted to do. Stewart explained: “I am loving being the Aberdeen captain and all the highs and lows that comes with that.
“Leading is something that I have always wanted to do and I am getting the chance to do that now. I am continuing to learn and I will help the team anyway I can.
“I was surprised when the gaffer asked me to be the captain as I had only been here for a week. We had gone to Spain for training and as we came back we had a chat about it.
“We spoke about what he wants from me as the captain and what he expects and after that I was 100 per cent willing to take it on. I had been the captain on a few occasions in the past for games but never permanently.
“At Wycombe there was a group of seven or eight of us who were known as the Generals and it was our job to hold the changing room together. I understood what it took to be a leader and I am enjoying it.”
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