Jeff Stelling has told West Ham supporters that if they want to give the players abuse after the games, then they should expect them to give it back.
This comes after Kalvin Phillips was spotted swearing at fans while boarding the team bus after the game as abuse was being hurled his way.
Stelling shared that while it was a disappointing display from the midfielder which ultimately cost his side the result, his sympathies rest entirely with the player after the actions of the fans.
Speaking live on talkSPORT [07:24], Stelling insisted: “He’s a million miles off of what he was, but I would say that West Ham have just lost a game that they looked sure to win, and a lot of it is down to Kalvin Phillips conceding a penalty after coming on.
“The team are going to be down, Kalvin Phillips is going to be down. If you want to wait for the team bus just to abuse the players, then you should expect to get some back. That was a pretty moderate response, I thought, from Kalvin Phillips. My sympathies are totally with him
Let’s not make a big deal of it, all he’s doing is giving a tiny bit back.”
Kalvin Phillips’ West Ham nightmare continues v Newcastle
The clash against Newcastle, in which the Hammers conceded three goals in 13 minutes to overturn their 3-1 lead, saw the latest instalment of Phillips’ nightmare loan move to the London Stadium that has made a huge dent in his reputation.
Since moving on loan in the January transfer window, Phillips’ performances have drawn plenty of criticism after a slow start where he made several key errors, was sent off in the clash against Nottingham Forest and was left out of the recent England squad as a result.
However, fans waiting for the team bus after the game to throw abuse at any player deserve to get it back without the outrage that surrounds incidents where footballers dare to respond to the abuse barked at them every week.
His displays since joining West Ham have led to widespread criticism, with Graeme Souness going as far as to claim that the midfielder is not even Premier League quality as he only shone during his time with Leeds United.
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