Jarrod Bowen in brilliant Rangers reaction as Ibrox leaves West Ham star amazed after 'proper' experience
Hammers talisman spoke after the goalless draw at Ibrox
West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen thought the Battle of Britain clash with Rangers provided his team with ‘a really big test’ and that the 48,000 spectators gave the match a ‘proper’ feel despite its friendly status.
The Light Blues faced the Hammers in their final pre-season fixture before their Premiership campaign gets underway at Dundee United on Friday. The match itself had a very friendly feel about it, even though it was slightly more eventful than the 0-0 scoreline suggests. However with approximately 3,000 travelling fans to add to the 45,000-strong Ibrox faithful, players on both sides got a taster of what it’s like to play in front of a large audience.
Recently-relegated West Ham have a few weeks left until their EFL Championship season gets underway. The East London side are heavy favourites, having just raked in upwards of £140m for midfielder Mateus Fernandes and winger Crysencio Summerville. Understandably, Bowen has been linked with a move elsewhere but signed a contract earlier this month keeping him at the London Stadium until 2030.
Bowen on ‘proper’ Rangers test
After the match, Bowen told West Ham’s Youtube channel: “Yeah, it was a proper occasion. We spoke about it before the game, this is the closest we’re going to get to a competitive match in terms of a crowd, a full crowd, our crowd being here, the opposition that we’re going to play against.
“It was a really big test for us, and at times I thought it was sloppy on our behalf, it wasn’t the level, but then at other times I thought we upped the level well and could have maybe got a couple of goals at the end of the game, but it wasn’t to be. It was a really good test for us, a lot of fans were here for us, so we obviously thank you for coming up here as it’s not a close one to come to, so it was a good occasion.”
What did Derek McInnes say after the West Ham stalemate?
Rangers boss Derek McInnes was happy with his side’s performance, against what he felt was a more challenging opposition than in their previously friendly against Saint-Etienne. He said: "In terms of the team we were up against, there was a demand for concentration needed for the game.
“I thought, on that side of it, getting the clean sheet and not too many scares in the game I thought we were quite alright, It is just disappointing we didn't make more of some good positions, either our final cross or turning down chances to shoot, and try to put them under a big more pressure."