West Ham United: ‘Tribalism’ mentioned as fans slammed for incident v Arsenal
West Ham fans should feel silly for how they treated Declan Rice in the Carabao Cup game against Arsenal on Wednesday (1 November), according to Ian Ladyman.
Writing on page 77 of the Daily Mail on Friday (3 November), the journalist said “tribalism is part of football” but so is “respect, gratitude and understanding” after some of the Hammers supporters booed the England international in their 3-1 victory over the Gunners at the London Stadium.
He added that those fans should think about where the 24-year-old former Irons captain came from, what he contributed and how much money he earned the club following his £105million move to the Emirates Stadium over the summer.
Harsh
It was pretty harsh for a section of the fans to boo Rice after what he helped West Ham achieve over the past few years at the London Stadium.
The midfielder undoubtedly respects what the Hammers did for him and he went out of his way to thank them for their support despite receiving a slightly frosty reception.
There is a feeling amongst some supporters that he shouldn’t have joined another London club, but there are far worse city rivals that he could have joined.
It just doesn’t feel quite right for him to be booed because he remained loyal for a number of years and led us to a European trophy last season.
It was, on the whole, just a minority of fans that did give him a bit of stick, but he probably knows that’s just part and parcel of football and won’t have been too hurt by it.
In other West Ham news, a journalist has warned the Hammers about a “huge misjudgement” after contract news has emerged.