Jarrod Bowen has revealed he sees similarities between himself and West Ham United fans, insisting his recent confrontation with supporters only highlighted their shared passion for the club. The West Ham captain was involved in a flare-up after a 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Wolves last week, but quickly apologised on social media.
Bowen responded on the pitch by scoring the opening goal in Sunday's 3-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest. Speaking to talkSPORT, the 27-year-old said: 'I think with me I'll never hide or shy away from anything. I'll always face the music, face the critics whenever it comes. That's the responsibility I have as being captain.'
Bowen, who has been at West Ham for nearly six years, added: 'I care a lot for the club. The fans are similar to me – they're loyal, they're passionate, they want the best for their club. Sometimes emotions on a pitch and with fans wanting results, players wanting results, it can happen.'
The winger believes the incident is now behind them, saying: 'We've all put that behind us, and we won on Sunday, and you see the celebrations that we had after the game Sunday. So, in football, you go through a lot of bad times, but when the good times come as well you enjoy them that little bit more.'
Bowen also praised new signing Crysencio Summerville, who made a significant impact off the bench against Forest. 'He almost feels like a new signing because he's missed, I think, nearly six months of football,' Bowen said. 'We've got players in positions now where you look at our squad and we've got a good amount of squad depth.'
West Ham face Tottenham next week, but Bowen is first focused on England duty with World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia. 'I feel like consistently I've put in performances,' he said. 'So, I think for me, it's just doing that.'
