Jarrod Bowen has lifted the lid on who he thinks has been unfairly singled out by West Ham fans and managers and suggests his redemption has just begun.
West Ham fans are among the best and most loyal in the country.
If other similar sized clubs went 43 years without a major trophy – as West Ham did until the Europa Conference League triumph in 2023 – their grounds would be half empty.
Not the Hammers, though.
Yes West Ham fans can be demanding but, contrary to popular misconceptions, they are not difficult to please.
That being said, some of the Hammers faithful do occasionally have the tendency to make scapegoats of certain players.
Just ask Tomas Soucek who, while revered and cherished by the vast majority, has admitted his disappointment at becoming a punchbag for disgruntled fans at times over the last couple of years.
Some Hammers fans quick to make scapegoats of certain players
Not all players have Soucek’s thick skin, never-say-die attitude, self-belief and confidence, though.
Even if they look like they would on the outside.
From top to bottom over the last 19 months West Ham have not been good enough.
There were perhaps only three players who performed anything close to their capabilities on a consistent basis last season.
Captain Jarrod Bowen was one of them, as always. Hammer of the Year Aaron Wan-Bissaka was another and Soucek, with nine goals and countless others stopped at the other end, was the third.
After a horrendous start to the new season under Graham Potter, the toxic cloud that had started to envelop West Ham United was lifted by the arrivals of Mateus Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa before a revitalising 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest.
It was the heaviest defeat Forest have suffered at home in 25 years and it was no fluke either.
The much-needed victory was built on a solid defensive foundation and plenty of grit and fight – something that had become a given under David Moyes but an increasing rarity in his final days and ever since.
West Ham fans hoped for further signings on deadline day.
In particular, supporters wanted to see the Hammers go out and sign a new centre-back with the likes of Charlie Cresswell and Taylor Harwood-Bellis being linked.
Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Nayef Aguerd have been nowhere near the level required for the most part.
Wantaway Aguerd was finally shipped out with Igor Julio replacing him in a deadline day loan deal.
Bowen names West Ham scapegoat fans and managers have got all wrong
After 11 goals conceded in the opening three games, the win at Forest proved West Ham must focus on clean sheets and build from there, with all three goals arriving in the last 10 minutes after some diligent rear-guard action to frustrate Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
Lucas Paqueta was the man of the match in that game, closely followed by new boy Fernandes.
But one player who also caught the eye has had a mention by his skipper while away on international duty.
Bowen has named the West Ham scapegoat fans and managers have got all wrong and says his redemption beckons.
The Hammers forward is away with England, where he was farcically snubbed by Thomas Tuchel in the dire win over Andorra.
In an interview with BCC 5 Live Sport, Bowen was asked to name the most underrated player back at West Ham.
And Bowen insists supporters, and the last three managers based on their team selections, have got it wrong about one teammate – Mavropanos.
The big Greek has all the attributes to be a top Premier League defender and Hammers cult hero.
Big, powerfully built, strong, quick and able to carry the ball out of defence at speed, the former Arsenal centre-back should be a starter week in, week out.
That he hasn’t been under either Moyes, Julen Lopetegui or Potter speaks to how fragile the gentle giant’s confidence has been.
At 6ft 5in and built like a Greek god, Mavropanos’ mentality doesn’t match his appearance.
He is an arm around the shoulder player who needs encouragement and to feel loved and like a key player.
Mavropanos would be among the first to admit he has a frustrating tendency to make the odd costly error, often when he is having a brilliant game.
At Forest there were no errors, though.
Bowen suggests Mavropanos redemption beckons at West Ham
Mavropanos was aggressive, first to every ball and did not give Chris Wood a sniff.
He was probably the real man of the match.
And Bowen named Mavropanos as the most underrated player at the club, making a point of saying he has just got back in the team, which suggests the captain clearly thinks he should stay there in place of Todibo.
“I’ll say Dinos Mavropanos (is the most underrated player at West Ham),” Bowen said.
“Because he’s started playing again recently.”
Interestingly Bowen picked out former Hammers skipper Declan Rice as the most underrated player in the England setup.
These were quick-fire questions so Bowen was not afforded the chance to elaborate on his answers.
But he doesn’t need to.
The fact he picked Mavropanos out speaks volumes.
After his brilliant display at Forest, the £17.5m signing from Stuttgart has started his redemption arc.
Bowen’s words will not go unnoticed by Hammers fans, who may now rally behind Mavropanos rather than heckle and jeer him as many have done in the past.
Another quality performance against Spurs could see Mavropanos come full circle at West Ham in a matter of weeks.
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