West Ham United’s Starboy has already, in the short time of his stay at London Stadium, enjoyed something of a roller coaster relationship with Hammers fans who’ve seen the Ghanaian produce incredible solo goals and moments of breathtaking stupidity.
Now words of advice have come to him from hammers’ team mate and record goalscorer Michail Antonio who recently visited his team mates country to check up on the progress of the Samba Stars Academy in Kumasi. Reported in Ghanasoccernet.com, Antonio had some wise words for his colleague. It sounds as if Antonio has found out for himself – often the hard way – what a critical bunch the West Ham faithful can be.
The Jamaican Hammers’ number 9 advised Kudus to stay mentally strong, saying:“One thing about West Ham fans: they are relentless. They are not forgiving. No, that’s a lie – they are forgiving, but they get on to you very quickly.”
“So, it’s being able to deal with the pressure of the fans because they expect a lot from you. But even if they expect a lot, they appreciate the minimum side of it. So it’s quite crazy.
His main advice? “ To be resilient: When you are down in the league, they will turn out, they will sing for you, stuff like that. But when you are top of the league, and you lose two on the bounce, they are booing you. They have booed me many times. You’re at the bottom, they are singing for you; you’re at the top, they are booing you. Week in, week out, they are out for you.”
Somehow Kudus, ten years Antonio’s junior, has to learn the lesson of mental resilience fast if he is to avoid more disciplinary trouble both on, and off the pitch. Mikey’s words can only help to get ‘Starboy’ reflecting on his mental attitude to life at West Ham.