After taking their Premier League form into the Carabao Cup, the last thing West Ham United needed was to see Jarrod Bowen storm down the tunnel following an unsightly row with one irate supporter.
Of all the people to take a pop at, surely the last one would be Graham Potter’s talismanic skipper.
The forward who has saved his manager’s skin on a fair few occasions already, and perhaps the only member of this garbled West Ham United squad capable of performing with anything approaching consistency.
Alongside Kyle Walker-Peters, Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta, Bowen a rare bright spot at Molineux as Jorgen Strand Larsen’s quick-fire brace made it three defeats in a row across all competitions.
Yet, for reasons only known to himself, one of the Hammers’ travelling fans appeared to aim his post-match frustrations at perhaps the only claret and blue player for whom blame should bounce off like water off a raincoat.
Jarrod Bowen apologised on social media after letting emotion get the better of him. But, in the eyes of West Ham legend Tony Gale, it should never have got that far to begin with.
Tony Gale defends Jarrod Bowen after confrontation with West Ham United fan
Biting back seemingly at one supporter in particular, Bowen acknowledged that he maybe needed to ‘set a better example’ and keep his cool.
Yet, if the West Ham captain was ‘fuming’ after Chelsea on Friday, ditto that opening day disaster at Sunderland, Gale feels that the anger reciprocated on the terraces would be better directed almost anywhere else.
“A top equality player with a great, great attitude,” Gale said during his co-commentary role for Sky Sports. “If you are going to have a go at anyone, don’t have a go at him.”
Dean Ashton, however, sees things a little differently.
While a beleaguered Graham Potter was keen to highlight Bowen’s ‘fantastic’ contribution to Lucas Paqueta’s flying header – a devastating delivery converted in style – Ashton could not help but feel that the skipper should have saved his frustrations for when the cameras weren’t looking.
“He was terrific again with a wonderful assist,” says Ashton, who scored 15 Premier League goals for the Hammers before being forced to retire through injury. “There was frustration at the end of last season, you could see that from him because he’s playing at a level and the team is not.
“Now, you’ve got to control that as a top player. And ultimately, if you are leading the club, you go over to the supporters and thank them. But expect pelters! You’ve not been good enough as a collective. You can’t just stand there and think you’ve done your job.
“He apologised after and I think he understood pretty quickly, you just don’t get involved in those scenarios because you are not going to win. The results say everything about where the club is at at the moment.”
Graham Potter explains Bowen frustrations after Carabao Cup exit to Wolves
The manager, meanwhile, found himself in the unenviable position of pleading for ‘support’ ahead of Sunday’s daunting trip to Nottingham Forest.
Hammers News have been informed that Graham Potter is in no immediate danger of the sack. A fourth defeat out of four, however, may test that resolve in the boardroom.
“We’re all in pain so we need everybody to help. We need everybody’s support. We need to push forward and on to the next match,” Potter said. “The team’s suffering at the moment. We all are, we’re all hurting. I can assure you no-one’s happy.
“Our supporters have been fantastic. They are hurting because of the results we’ve had, and Jarrod obviously cares about the club and the team. It’s just an exchange of views by people who care.
“Everyone is hurting, rightly so because we haven’t had the results we’d like. Jarrod has been a fantastic captain and servant for the club.”
