Kalvin Phillips gives nasty NSFW gesture to West Ham fans after another terrible performance

Months ago, the name Kalvin Phillips represented hope and excitement for West Ham United fans, linked to the defensive midfielder in the winter transfer portal. Phillips, who had shown promise with Leeds where he came up as a junior player, had been stuck on the bench at Manchester City.

The hope was that some exposure and playing time in Premier League play would break Phillips out of his Pep Guardiola-induced shell and prove he was still capable.

His first game, he was complicit along with centerback Kurt Zouma for a conceded goal. That was excused, with Phillips needing to shake off some rust. After, though, Phillips continued to make mistakes or show poor play. His passing, a skill sold when the Hammers picked him up from City on loan, was weak. He let defenders get past him constantly and was not a spark off the bench that coach David Moyes needed.

Kalvin Phillips gives West Ham fans the bird after loss to Newcastle

Against Newcastle on Saturday, West Ham gave up a 3-1 lead, losing 4-3. One of the goals the Hammers gave up in the second half was a penalty kick due to a foul Phillips committed.

Hammers fans heckled him as he got on the bus after the game, and Phillips gave them a middle finger. Obviously, the following video is NSFW.

The biggest perplexion with Phillips is that it feels like there should be a quality player in there somewhere. Perhaps, he just needs the opportunity to show it, something West Ham hasn't been able to give him due to their need to win, and something City could offer him even less.

Now, though, Phillips has burned a proverbial bridge with West Ham fans after this incident. He faces an even steeper uphill climb.