El Hadji Malick Diouf has made a grave error of judgement but West Ham fans must keep their cool and not turn on the star summer signing.
English football fans get tribal over their clubs and it is one of the things that makes the game so great in this country.
West Ham are a cult club and supporters are among the most tribal there are.
It makes playing for the Hammers special but also comes at a price if fans feel they have been wronged.
Just ask the likes of Paul Ince, Frank Lampard, Jermain Defoe or, most recently, Mohammed Kudus to name but a few.
When you sign for West Ham it’s not like some other clubs.
Those who hit it off say the club gets under your skin. The likes of James Collins and countless others down the years say West Ham ‘gets under your skin’ and once you become a Hammer, you’re always a Hammer.
Cult club West Ham gets under your skin
Supporters believe playing in the claret and blue is a privilege and should never be taken for granted.
That’s why Hammers fans will forgive many things from players as long as they are brave, committed and hard-working.
Yes you need to be able to play too but if you give those things you will generally do alright by the West Ham faithful.
What supporters will not tolerate is anything less than that commitment and effort when those crossed Hammers are on the badge on a player’s chest.
Sometimes, though, it’s what players say and do off the pitch which dictates their relationship with fans as much as how they play on it.
And as far as fanbases go, West Ham’s is not one to be trifled with – just ask David Sullivan and Karren Brady.
So what one popular Hammers star did this week was a real faux pas of epic proportions.
West Ham star El Hadji Malick Diouf has made a major mistake but fans must contain their anger.
Rather than turning on the young defender, supporters need to take a deep breath, count to 10 and show real class with their reaction – for Nuno Espirito Santo’s sake if nobody else.
The Hammers’ new head coach has finally made a breakthrough in turning West Ham around with back-to-back wins over Newcastle and Burnley.
Nuno has given life and hope where there was none under Graham Potter.
Diouf a bright spark in West Ham’s troubled season
Key to that has been Diouf, a player he describes as a ‘beautiful boy and person’.
Diouf was one of the bright sparks for the Hammers in what had been – until last week – an abysmal start to the season.
The Senegal left-back looks a real gem of a find for the Hammers and has been mostly excellent since signing in a 19m deal from Slavia Prague.
Diouf has often been one of the very few who can regularly leave the pitch with his head held high.
But he made a grave error of judgement this week on international duty.
Diouf has been making noises about leaving West Ham for elite clubs already, much to the anger of some fans.
The Hammers left-back says he is aiming to earn a move to a top five European club when he leaves the Hammers.
“Ideally, I see myself in a top club, among the five best in the world. I think I have the potential to get there through hard work,” he said while away with Senegal.
And I hope, God willing, to achieve that. I have only been in the professional world for two years, so I remain patient.”
In many ways Diouf’s comments perfectly sum up modern day football where true loyalty is becoming rarer by the year.
There is no hiding the fact this is seriously naïve from Diouf and at a time when West Ham are starting to finally feel like a happy family again under Nuno.
It is important Hammers fans keep some perspective, though.
Fans must contain anger after naïve Diouf’s major error
If every player on the pitch were to put in the same level of energy, effort and enthusiasm as Diouf, West Ham would not be in the bottom three with nearly a third of the season gone.
Supporters need to give Diouf a pass in this case.
Firstly remember he is only 20.
Let’s not forget Diouf did not grow up a West Ham fan whose dream was to play in the claret and blue.
So it is equally naïve of fans to expect Diouf, who is clearly ambitious, not to have aspirations for bigger and better in his future.
Yes Hammers supporters don’t necessarily want to hear that communicated – especially just months after moving to the club.
But perhaps his innocence and honesty has not done Diouf any favours here.
Some fans would point to the fact Diouf has had a few poor games, particularly defensively.
Even Nuno has said he is a ‘diamond which needs to be polished’ and has ‘a lot still to learn’.
It seems that is the case off the pitch too.
When Diouf returns from international duty, West Ham fans must not hold the comments against him and instead give him a warm welcome to show what truly marks them out among the best supporters in the country.
Thankfully most West Ham fans seem to have taken Diouf’s comments well.
And most importantly, if Diouf attracts interest from one of Europe’s top clubs then he will be doing something right for West Ham, who will likely stand to make a very handsome profit.
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