Online ReporterJARROD BOWEN had to be held back by his West Ham team-mates after a fiery spat with fans following their Carabao Cup clash with Wolves.
The Hammers’ miserable season went from bad to worse thanks to a 3-2 defeat at Molineux on Tuesday. Bowen cut a dejected figure after the final whistle but went over to the travelling fans to applaud them for their support.
And the England international seemingly didn’t take kindly to a comment made by a supporter, so much so that he made his way to the advertising hoarding to confront him.
Goalscorer Tomas Soucek had to hold back his skipper with the help of a steward.
A visibly irate Bowen took off his armband after being comforted by some of his team-mates before making his way to the tunnel.
The incident quickly became the talk of West Ham fans on social media. Bowen, 28, took to Instagram minutes after the row to issue an apology.
He wrote: “Apologies to the fans for tonight’s reaction. I’m someone who is passionate and will fight every time I step on the pitch.
“But I need to set a better example and you fans know how much I love you and this club!
“We ride through the bad times together and I’ll see you on Sunday.”
Underfire West Ham boss Graham Potter said about the Bowen incident: “I have no idea what was said.
“But the supporters have been fantastic. They’re hurting, of course, because of the results we’ve had − and Jared obviously cares about the club and cares about the team.
“I thought he gave everything again. It was just an exchange of views by people that care.”
Asked if it was an one-off, Potter replied: “I’m sure it was. We haven’t had the results, we’d like. And that’s normal.
“Jarrod’s been a fantastic captain and servant for the club. I saw the spirit of the team. It was there.
“We have to take the positives from the game. I think there were quite a few of those, but we’re obviously disappointed. Forest is the next Premier League match, so very important for us.
“We want to try and finish off with three points before the international break. That’s what we’ll go for. The performance was more like us, closer to what we want to be, and we have to take that forward.
“The most important relationship in a football club is the one with the fans and the team. The fans are the most important people.
“So, you know, we need our fans, we need everybody to be together, and everybody to stick together. It’s one of the great things about West Ham, there’s a family feel, and we need everybody, you know, the team’s suffering at the moment.
“I can assure you, no one’s celebrating or happy about what we’re doing, we’re all in pain. That’s how it is. So we need everybody to help, we need everybody’s support.” − Sun
