Jamie O’Hara has labelled the fans who booed Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice on his return to West Ham United a ‘disgrace’.
O’Hara was speaking on talkSPORT this morning and was furious at the reception Rice received at his old club last week.
Arsenal suffered a 3-1 defeat against the Hammers on Wednesday in the League Cup after an underwhelming display.
It saw Rice return to the London Stadium for the first time since completing a £105 million switch to Arsenal over the summer.
The 24-year-old captained West Ham during his spell in East London and led them to a Europa Conference League title last season.
But he received a mixed reaction from the West Ham faithful last week, with a section of supporters booing their former skipper.
And it’s fair to say that Jamie O’Hara wasn’t impressed with the reception he received at his old club.
O’Hara slams West Ham fans after Rice return
Speaking on talkSPORT, O’Hara labelled the West Ham supporters who decided to boo Rice a ‘disgrace’.
“I think the West Ham fans who were booing Declan Rice were a disgrace,” the pundit said. “That man gave everything for his football club, could have left a year before his time and stayed and won them a trophy and was a massive part of them winning that.
“For him to go back there and boo him. What annoys me is fans expect players to have loyalty and wear their heart on their sleeve and don’t leave when a big offer goes in.
“Well how about when you get £100 million for a player and he goes back there and you boo him? How do you expect loyalty in football when fans turn on you that quickly, especially Declan Rice, he’s proper West Ham.”
It was a surprise to see Rice booed by a section of West Ham fans last week.
But it’s important to note that plenty of West Ham supporters did give Rice a good reception when he came on for Jorginho.
The England international was a brilliant servant to West Ham and there’s always bound to be a few who are unhappy with the fact he decided to move on.