Chris Sutton and Robbie Savage clash as West Ham United fans criticised in loss v Arsenal
Robbie Savage has jumped to the defence of the West Ham supporters after Chris Sutton accused those who left at half-time in the defeat against Arsenal of not being “true fans”.
Speaking on BBC 5 Live Sport after the game on Sunday (11 February), Sutton said the Hammers fans should support their team through “thick and thin” after thousands were seen leaving the London Stadium with their side 4-0 down at the break.
But Savage suggested those people are still “true fans” as the Irons went on to lose the game 6-0, with very few supporters sticking around until the end of the London derby.
“There were hundreds and thousands who left the stadium at half-time,” said Sutton. “The team were 4-0 down, that’s not a true fan, Rob, is it? I mean, you’re not a true football, you’ve got to support your team through thick and thin, get behind the team.
“You can’t leave at half-time and then say ‘well, I’m a Hammer’, you’re not a Hammer if you leave at half-time to go home, I’m not having that.”
“So you’re not a true football fan if your team is getting thumped, you’ve got a season ticket,” responded Savage.
“It’s all right singing when you’re winning, Rob, isn’t it?” added Sutton. “It’s okay doing that, isn’t it?”
“They’re still true fans, Chris,” said Savage.
Chris Sutton has no right to judge West Ham fans
The comments from Chris Sutton are completely and utterly ridiculous as he clearly shows how out of touch he is with the reality of being a football fan.
When was the last time he had to do a day’s work to pay for a ticket, travel, food and all the other expenses that go alongside supporting your team? The answer? Probably never.
At the end of the day, people pay their money to go and be entertained and, if they’re not getting anything back in what was a spineless performance from the players, then they are entitled to leave.
It’s one thing leaving with 10 minutes to go when the game is finely poised, but it was well and truly over at half-time and it was, quite frankly, tough to sit there and watch.
There were still a lot of fans who stayed in the second half, but many of us decided to leave when Declan Rice scored the sixth goal in what was a complete and utter embarrassment.
The only thing that was more embarrassing on Sunday was Sutton’s comments.
In other West Ham news, a David Moyes sack update has emerged after the defeat to Arsenal.
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