As West Ham’s captain and talisman Jarrod Bowen has had to issue plenty of apologies over the last couple of years – but his latest is nothing short of ridiculous.
The Hammers are standing at a crossroads for their Premier League future with seven games to go.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side must ensure they finish above one of Spurs, Nottingham Forest or Leeds come the end of May and they will stay up.
It is in these situations that West Ham need battle-hardened, reliable players to step up to the plate and produce their best performances of the season.
None more so than Jarrod Bowen.
Bowen gets new West Ham apology so wrong and he needs to be told
The Hammers have had plenty do just that to help them through troubled times, with former captains Mark Noble and Declan Rice the perfect examples.
Bowen’s captaincy has never been smooth sailing.
Why is Jarrod Bowen struggling when we need him most?
A graphic asking West Ham United fans what can be done about Jarrod Bowen's form.
Credit: Getty Images/Molly Darlington/Copa
West Ham have been circling the Premier League plughole ever since Julen Lopetegui made Bowen skipper.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
So he has had plenty of practice at apologising and trying to explain away his team’s dreadful performances and results.
Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United misses a penalty during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between West Ham United and Leeds United
Photo by Izzy Poles – AMA/Getty Images
But out of sorts Bowen has got it so wrong with his latest West Ham apology.
Last season, West Ham were never truly in trouble given how bad the three promoted teams were.
With Leeds and Sunderland coming back and spending well, that was never going to be the case this term and so it has proved.
Now the Hammers face relegation unless they can get their recent revival back on track for the next seven weeks.
No player has been better or more consistent than Bowen since he joined West Ham over six years ago.
West Ham should be apologising to Bowen
The new ‘Mr Reliable’ has carried the team on his back for the last two years – often single-handedly dragging his under-performing teammates out of a hole.
There is no point hiding the fact Bowen has been criticised by some Hammer fans over his captaincy and, for much of this season, his performances too.
Jarrod Bowen is still West Ham’s BEST finisher! 🎯
But is Nuno getting the most out of him?
Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between West Ham United and Brentford at the London Stadium in Stratford, England, on March 9, 2026.
They say you take things out on those you love the most and that is certainly true of some West Ham supporters when it comes to channelling their frustrations.
Bowen has been like a broken record at times when fronting up to talk about the team’s failings – a responsibility he has never shirked like some in the past.
However, his latest apology to fans simply cannot go unchecked.
Aston Villa v West Ham United - Premier League
Photo by Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Bowen has looked exhausted and nowhere near his sharp, electric self for much of this season.
Many feel that is because the club’s situation has simply taken its toll on a player that makes himself available for every minute of every game.
That is undoubtedly a big factor behind Bowen’s poor form.
Talk among fans that he has had enough and has ‘given up’, with his mind on a move away this summer, are conspiracy theories born out of frustration.
Even when not at his best, though, Bowen remains a big threat for West Ham and always grafts for the team as he has done since day one.
The FA Cup quarter-final defeat summed things up for Bowen this term.
He did not have his best game but still produced two stunning strikes, which both hit the post and both resulted in goals, but only one of them standing.
The Hammers captain then stepped up first to take his penalty in the shootout after the heroics of young ‘keeper Fin Herrick.
Bowen’s weak effort was so uncharacteristic of the usual venomous way he hits spot kicks. His tame effort was almost the perfect microcosm of Bowen’s form right now, everything looks tired.
But West Ham’s Prague hero apologising to fans and his teammates for the miss is nothing short of laughable.
“I feel like I’ve let people down,” Bowen told West Ham’s website after the game.
“It really hurts because I thought we’d done so much to get back in the game, and I knew how special it would be to get to the semi-finals and give these fans a day out at Wembley.
“Fin has a brilliant moment saving the first penalty, and obviously when you’re up next you’re confident of scoring. You never want to miss in a penalty shootout, especially to go out of the FA Cup, but sometimes you have these low moments and that’s how it is.”
This is where West Ham’s players and fans need to stand up and make it clear to Bowen he has no need to apologise to them.
Especially his teammates, who he has been carrying for so long – a fact that has directly resulted in the fatigue that is affecting his game right now.
West Ham supporters come into their own in times of adversity. Bowen is suffering right now and needs to know he is somewhat above criticism given what he has done for the club.
The only people who should be apologising are West Ham’s board to the likes of Bowen for failing to run the club in such a way that they ensured his talent was surrounded and supported with quality, durable players like him.
Bowen is the last one who should be apologising – no matter what happens from here on in.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox