Former Spurs man left fuming after what West Ham fans did to Declan Rice v Arsenal

Add as preferred source on Google

Former Tottenham midfielder Michael Brown has criticised West Ham fans after Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was booed by the home crowd.

The England international returned to his former club having left the Irons last summer in a record £105m transfer, with Rice leading West Ham to the UEFA Europa Conference League title last season.

Despite creating history with the Hammers and leaving for a club-record fee, Rice was met with boos from West Ham fans in Arsenal’s trip to east London, and BBC Sport pundit Brown was not pleased with what he heard.

Michael Brown slams West Ham fans after booing Arsenal’s Declan Rice

Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live’s coverage of the match, the former Spurs man was critical of West Ham’s supporters after boos were heard across the London Stadium whenever Rice touched the ball.

Indeed, the nature of the fixture and the positions of the two clubs in the Premier League standings could have led to West Ham fans booing Rice to give the Hammers a slight advantage in the game.

However, given how much Rice did for West Ham and how courteous the midfielder was in his departure, Brown claimed that Irons supporters were being too harsh on their former captain.

The pundit said: “I don’t get the Declan Rice boos, I don’t know whether it’s just a fun thing to try to put him off his game. Just leave him alone, what a player he was for West Ham and a great servant for them.”

Declan Rice is the last player to be booed by former club

Booing a former player is part of English football culture, with Arsenal fans no strangers to the act having hounded the likes of Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri and even Cesc Fabregas in recent years.

Yet most neutrals will agree that West Ham fan’s treatment of Rice was nothing short of unusual given how much the midfielder had done for his boyhood club in recent years.

This is a player who wore the captain’s armband in a European title-winning season who also departed for a club-record fee, allowing West Ham to rebuild and challenge for a top-six spot this campaign.

And Brown’s comments hit the nail on the head, with West Ham fans out of line to boo a player who many would consider a legend after everything that has happened in recent years.