West Ham fans who are furious have been advised by David Moyes that Kalvin Phillips, an on-loan midfield player, needs their support, not their hate.
After Newcastle defeated West Ham 4-3 in the Premier League on Saturday, Phillips got into a heated argument with fans, which brought an end to his miserable loan experience at West Ham.
As he got on the squad bus, the 28-year-old was seen allegedly throwing the middle finger to supporters who had criticized him.
But Moyes refused to condemn Phillips’ actions and urged the London Stadium crowd to get behind the England international.
“Kalvin’s a human being and can do things which we all do at difficult times,” said the Hammers boss.
“He needs people to stand by him and support him, and we’re going to stand by him and do everything in our power to help him,” It goes without saying that we need the support of all of our fans for each and every one of our players.
Phillips was brought on as a replacement with 21 minutes left at St James’ Park, with West Ham leading 3-1.
In an attempt to clear the ball, he unintentionally kicked Anthony Gordon’s leg, giving away a disputed penalty. Harvey Barnes also beat him too easily before he scored Newcastle’s game-winning goal in the dying moments.
After signing from Manchester City in January, Phillips had already been at fault for goals in his first two games and was unfairly sent off in his fourth, against Nottingham Forest.
When West Ham was down 2-0 at home against Burnley on his last start, the former Leeds favorite was sent off at halftime and lost his spot in the England team.
Tuesday night’s home match against Tottenham will see Phillips back on the bench, but Moyes said he could still make the most of what has so far been a disastrous loan deal.
We’ve all moved past the weekend and he’s back to training, so he’s OK. We’re currently preparing for a major game that is approaching. Added Moyes.
“Kalvin Phillips is an outstanding football player that plays for his country and is a pretty strong player overall. Furthermore, I think we can still accomplish something with the time we have left with him here.
