The midfielder received abuse after Newcastle’s comeback (Pictures: X / Getty)
David Moyes has defended Kalvin Phillips after he was videoed giving a middle finger to a West Ham fan, while he insists the on-loan midfielder can still be a success at the club.
The 28-year-old, who is on loan from Manchester City until the end of the season, has had a rather miserable time in east London so far.
He has only started three of the nine Premier League matches he has been available for and was hauled off after 45 minutes against Burnley shortly before the international break before being an unused substitute against Aston Villa.
Phillips was brought on in the 69th minute at St James’ Park on Saturday with West Ham 3-1 up against Newcastle, but minutes later conceded a controversial spot-kick that kickstarted the home side’s astonishing comeback.
He was also criticised for not closing down Harvey Barnes for the winger’s winning goal, while his passing accuracy during his time on the pitch was a woeful 44 per cent – the lowest of any outfielder.
After the game, Phillips courted controversy when he was caught on camera giving a middle finger to a West Ham fan as he boarded the team coach, with the supporter having yelled that he was ‘useless’.
While Moyes did not condone Phillips’ reaction, he feels West Ham fans need to be more supportive of the midfielder and has backed him to play a role between now and the end of the season despite his struggles.
Anthony Gordon won a rather controversial penalty (Picture: Getty)
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Tottenham on Tuesday evening, Moyes said: ‘Kalvin’s a human being and what he needs is support and people to help him, which is what we’ll do.
‘We need our fans to give all our players the support they require.
‘Kalvin’s a really good player and I do believe we can still make something out of the time we’ve got with him here.’
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Moyes was still annoyed about the decision to penalise Phillips in the 4-3 defeat at Newcastle, adding: ‘I didn’t think the second penalty should’ve been given. I think it was the wrong decision.
‘We’ve had a few decisions go against us in recent games, but they’ve gone now and we have to move on.’
On the upcoming test against Spurs, who they beat in the reverse fixture, Moyes added: ‘Tottenham have done well this season, so it’s going to be a difficult game.
‘The manager has been effective, but we believe in ourselves and we’ll try to reproduce the performance we put in against them in December.’
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