It was an unforgivable act, but the manager stood by his player.
“West Ham United manager David Moyes has called on fans to get behind Calvin Phillips,” the UK’s Daily Mail reported on Feb. 2 (KST).
West Ham United lost 3-4 against Newcastle United in the 30th round of the 2023-2024 Premier League at St. James’ Park in Newcastle, England, at 9 p.m. last month.
In the match, West Ham conceded a penalty to Alexandre Isaac in the sixth minute of the first half before scoring back-to-back goals from Mikail Antonio and Mohamed Koudou to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.
The Hammers took a two-goal lead three minutes into the second half when Jared Bowen added another goal. The celebration was short-lived. 토토사이트 West Ham conceded another in the 32nd minute when Calvin Phillips gave away a penalty kick to Isaac.
Newcastle then fought back with two goals from Harvey Barnes to secure all three points.
After the game, boos and abuse were directed at Phillips.
Phillips is a central midfielder who joined Leeds United’s youth team in 2010 and played for the Whites until 2022 before joining Manchester City in July 2022.
During his time at Leeds, he anchored the Whites’ midfield with his physicality, work-rate, and clever play, despite his lack of height at 5-foot-10.
He was nicknamed the “Yorkshire Pirlo” during his time at Leeds for his ability to intercept passes as well as his powerful passing, which earned him a spot on the England squad for UEFA Euro 2020.
Phillips played 37 games in the EFL Championship (England’s second tier) in the 2019-2020 season, helping Leeds win promotion. He was an integral part of Leeds’ midfield in their first season in the Premier League in 2020-2021, making 29 appearances in the league.
His form dipped after his move to City. Injuries kept him out of action, and after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, he showed a lack of self-care, becoming too overweight to train regularly. Some local media described him as “floundering”.
Then, on January 26, Phillips left City on loan to West Ham.
The Daily Mail reports, “In total, Phillips made eight appearances for the Hammers, mostly as a substitute. In one of those appearances, he fouled Anthony Gordon, conceding the decisive penalty. After the game, Phillips boarded the team bus after refusing to take a photo with the away fans.”
That’s when the incident happened. “As Phillips stepped onto the team bus, one fan shouted, ‘You’re worthless,'” the media outlet reported. 파워볼실시간 “Phillips looked back at the fan and raised his middle finger, prompting a chant of ‘f*** off’ from the fans,” the publication reported.
Moyes was furious.
“Phillips is a human being,” he reportedly said. We’re going to give him the support, the help he needs,” and pledged his support for Phillips.
“I would urge fans to give every player the support they need. He’s a talented player. I’m still hopeful that he can make something positive out of his time here.”