Bowen pleads for patience from fans

FULHAM ASSISTANT boss Mark Bowen insisted Fulham supporters had been too quick to hurl abuse at manager Mark Hughes during their side’s damaging Barclays Premier League defeat against West Ham on Sunday.

Hughes was subjected to chants of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ and ‘Hughes out’ after the Cottagers threw away the lead in Sunday’s 3-1 home defeat to the Hammers’.

The result sucked Fulham into the drop zone, level on points with their previously rock-bottom opponents, and piled the pressure on the manager less than six months into his reign.

Hughes admitted supporters were within their rights to call for his head and Bowen added: “I’m sure Mark fully accepts it. He’s used to it, he’s got broad shoulders.”

The chants of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ began when Hughes withdrew Dickson Etuhu and Clint Dempsey early in the second half, with Fulham 2-1 down.

Bowen said: “When we walked in at half-time, Clint Dempsey had got a dead leg.

“He came in at half-time, he iced it through the whole of half-time and he wasn’t right.”

Despite dominating almost the entire first half, Fulham’s defence was simply unable to cope with West Ham strikers Carlton Cole and Frederic Piquionne.

Bowen accepted the home side “defended poorly” but hit out at suggestions they had been “shambolic” at the back all season.

Fulham have badly missed star striker Bobby Zamora, who will not be available until February and Bowen pointed out the club also struggled when the England international was injured last season, saying: “Bobby Zamora missed 12 games last year for Fulham and, in those 12 games, Fulham won two.”

Sunday’s defeat was the Cottagers’ sixth of the league campaign.