Head coach Scott Parker admitted it ‘hurt’ to see a chorus of ‘you’re not fit to wear the shirt’ from the away end after West Ham United lost 2-1 to Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.

Following a fourth loss in 15 Championship games, and a third in their last four, the travelling Hammers support turned on Parker’s players.

A bubbling fury spilled over at full-time, too. As Parker and his players trudged over the away end to offer their apologies, his side were jeered ruthlessly by a fanbase questioning not only their quality but their commitment.

Scott Parker asks furious West Ham United fans to keep the faith

For Parker, a one-time England captain who wore his heart on his sleeve as a player and left nothing out on the pitch, to hear that was a real jab to the ribs.

“That hurts a lot, really,” Parker told BBC Sport in response to those ‘you’re not fit to wear the shirt’ chants. “There’s a lot of scars and I see that in the group.”

Parker does not agree with the assessment that this is a team lacking motivation. He believes that the problems go a lot deeper than that, with dreadful current performances having their roots in long-term trauma.

“I see a group desperate, I really do,” protested the former Burnley boss. “I see a group that at certain moments for sure are committed and trying everything in their power. I also see a fanbase that I totally understand. They were here in floods, and it kills me that we haven’t got a result.

“I want to win for them. Obviously the frustration the fans have, that’s over a little bit of time. It’s our job to change that, and I’m going to try my hardest to build a committed team that the fans want.”

On the upside, and this was a point captain Jarrod Bowen was keen to make at full-time, Parker has a couple of weeks at Rush Green to make his players aware of the standards required.

“There were certain things that there was a big improvement on. I’ve had one training session,” Parker adds. “I see a committed group. Granted, with a new coach coming in you often see that. There’s a lot of work to be done, of course there is, and I’m looking forward to working with them.

“I walked in there at 9:00 a.m, Wednesday morning, got on a plane, travelled up to Cardiff. Thursday was a recovery day. Then, I had 45 minutes [on the training pitch].

“I definitely see that [improvement] in the game today. It’s about winning and we are going to be judged, but there were some bits I liked and some that I didn’t.”