Daily WHUFC News - 1st April 2018

Arnautovic at the double as Hammers power past Southampton
WHUFC.com

Two goals from Marko Arnautovic – including a stunning volley – and a first West Ham goal for Joao Mario earned the Hammers a deserved 3-0 win against Southampton. All three of the Hammers' finishes came in a blistering first half for the home side, with Mario powering home a terrific shot from the edge of the box into the roof of the net. On 17 minutes Arnautovic got his first, calmly tucking away from close range after his initial header was well saved. The attacker saved the best goal for the end of the first period, excellently volleying into the net after a magical cross from the returning Arthur Masuaku. It seemed to be a difficult start for the Hammers with Michail Antonio needing to come off after just nine minutes. The visibly upset forward was replaced by the returning Edimilson Fernandes. Having been the better team in the initial moments of the match, the Irons got their reward on 13 minutes. A powerful run from Cheikhou Kouyate got the Senegalese midfielder into space, who then squared the ball to Mario on the edge of the box. The Portuguese star unleashed a rocket of a strike into the top of the net, giving Mario his first finish for the Club. Just four minutes later, Arnautovic doubled West Ham's advantage. Alex McCarthy made a sensational stop to deny the Austrian a certain goal from a headed effort, but Arnautovic made no mistake from the rebound, coolly tucking home. The Irons controlled the first period and completed an incredible half four minutes into added time. Aaron Cresswell played Arthur Masuaku down the left-flank, with the returning left-sided player whipping in an excellent bending cross. Arnautovic was on hand to coolly turn home an exquisite volley, putting the Irons firmly in control at half-time.

The visitors came out ready to battle back in the second period, and Angelo Ogbonna had to be brave as the Italian made a couple of crucial blocks to deny Charlie Austin and Shane Long. Mario had West Ham's first shot of the half, with the midfielder creating a chance out of nothing after the ball bounced inside the penalty area. A swivel from the loanee, and Mario fired a shot across the goal, which went close to sneaking in at the far post. It was Arnautovic's turn to have another go on goal just after, as the No.7 controlled a low pass from Mario and tried to curl in a low effort from distance. The shot was just wide of McCarthy's post. Arnautovic was given a worthy standing ovation from the excellent West Ham supporters at London Stadium when he was substituted on 80 minutes, with Jordan Hugill coming on for the No.7. Cresswell was within a whisker of sealing a fine afternoon for the hosts when his injury time rocket kissed the crossbar, but three goals were more than enough to secure a massive three points.

West Ham United: Hart, Rice, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Zabaleta, Noble, (c), Kouyate (Cullen 89), Masuaku, Mario, Arnautovic (Hugill 80), Antonio (Fernandes 9)
Subs: Adrian, Evra, Pask, Diangana
Goals: Joan Mario 13, Arnautovic 17, 45+4,

Southampton: McCarthy, Cedric, Stephens, Hoedt, Bertrand (c), Redmond (Boufal 67), Hojbjerg, Lemina, Tadic, Austin (Carrillo 83), Gabbiaddini (Long 46)
Subs: Forster, Yoshida, Romeu, Ward-Prowse
Booked: Lemina, Bertrand, Tadic

Referee: Jonathan Moss
Attendance: 56,882

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Arnautovic: We felt the crowd was behind us and that was an amazing feeling
WHUFC.com

Marko Arnautovic thanked the Claret and Blue Army for creating the 'amazing' atmosphere that inspired West Ham United's 3-0 Premier League victory over Southampton. London Stadium was full of noise and colour as two first-half goals from Arnautovic and one from Joao Mario secured a convincing victory and three vital points. Following on from the disappointment of the home defeat by Burnley last time out, the Austrian was delighted by the response of everyone associated with the Club – players, staff and supporters alike.

"That was 100 per cent the best response to what happened in the last game," he said. "I think we had a couple of difficult weeks behind us and obviously we wanted to get good results and we didn't, but we said during the last three weeks that we have to stick together as a team, the whole Club, and we can come out of this because we know we have a lot of quality and I think we showed that today.
"We played brilliantly from the back and through the midfield and up front. I thought it was a fantastic performance. "It was good. When we came out before the game, we felt the crowd was behind us and that was an amazing feeling. Then, when you start a game like that, they come behind you and that is very good. We kept going forward and trying to score some goals."

Arnautovic's two goals took him on to nine for the season. The first saw him stab home at the second attempt after Alex McCarthy had saved his initial header, but the second was pure class.

Cheikhou Kouyate, Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku combined to carry West Ham 50 yards up the pitch before the latter crossed for the No7 to volley home superbly at the far post. "I'm happy with my goals. I always want to help the team and score my goals, but the most important thing is the team and as a team we worked fantastically hard and I'm very happy with these three points."

West Ham are now up to 14th in the table with seven games left to play, starting with a trip across London to Chelsea next Sunday.
Arnautovic, for one, has unstinting confidence that the Hammers will steer clear of the bottom three come 13 May. "We always believe we will survive. Everybody has to believe, not only us who have to play. There are seven or eight teams fighting against relegation, but we need to enjoy these three points and then, from Monday, we will focus on Chelsea."

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Moyes: West Ham's players gave everyone something to shout about
WHUFC.com

David Moyes said West Ham United's players and supporters inspired one another to Saturday's fantastic 3-0 Premier League win over Southampton.
With a capacity London Stadium crowd roaring the Hammers on, Joao Mario and Marko Arnautovic fired the hosts two goals clear within 17 minutes before the Austrian completed the scoring with an outstanding team move with a rasping volley on the stroke of half-time. Moyes was pleased with what he witnessed and thanked his players for their performances and the Club's committed fans for their vociferous and positive backing. "I've got to say we made a great start and we had great support from the first minute and I think it inspired the players as well," he started. "The players had a really good go right at the start and thankfully we got a couple of early goals and the third goal just before half-time made a big difference as well. "We think we're good enough to be up there [in 14th], but we dropped down as our recent results have not been good enough. Thankfully today's was. "The supporters were great and I think they have been great here. There are one or two who maybe [weren't], like happened in the last game, but overall the atmosphere in the stadium has been terrific, it really has. "The players gave them something to shout about today. The players showed how much they cared after the way things went in the last home game."
While every single West Ham player, to a man, did their job superbly well, Arnautovic was the star of the show. The No7 has now scored 12 goals in his last 16 appearances for Club and country, while his brace on Saturday took his Premier League tally to nine in his last 13 top-flight games. After another virtuoso performance, Moyes was certainly pleased with the centre forward's contribution, as he was with Arthur Masuaku on his return from a six-match suspension. "We think Marko is doing a terrific job. He's been great since he went up front. He missed a big chance before his first goal or he could easily have had a hat-trick, but that's Marko and he's capable of doing it and he's making a big difference, I have to say. I thought his performance was great.
"I'm enjoying working with him because he is scoring me goals and playing well and he's also shown the West Ham supporters and the Club why they paid £20 million for him from Stoke in the summer. "Arthur's cross for the third goal was great. It was a brilliant counter attack and we got the ball out with quick play. Overall, our first half performance was very good and the players deserve a lot of credit." In closing, Moyes said he will find out more about the severity of Michail Antonio's hamstring injury, which the No30 suffered in the opening ten minutes, on Sunday.

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Club thank fans for inspiring London Stadium support
WHUFC.com

West Ham United would like to thank each and every member of the Claret and Blue faithful for your fantastic support throughout Saturday's 3-0 Premier League victory over Southampton.
As the players and manager have said, the atmosphere created by you, our loyal and committed supporters, made London Stadium a truly inspiring place to be, with the positivity in the stands clearly translating into a fantastic winning performance on the pitch.
You were our 12th man and, as you have done so often, you rose to the occasion when you were needed most. We have four more home matches to play and, with your continued backing, we believe we can achieve our target of securing Premier League safety.

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Mario delighted with first home Hammers goal
WHUFC.com

Joao Mario is thrilled to score his first goal for West Ham United, with the midfielder happy to net in an important 3-0 win over Southampton. A first goal for the Club from Mario and two finishes from Marko Arnautovic gave the Irons a dominant win against the Saints at London Stadium. The result moves West Ham five points clear of the relegation zone and Mario is delighted to have scored in such a crucial win for his side. "I'm really happy with my first goal here," Mario told West Ham TV: "It was at home in an important win, a massive game, for us. It was a really nice victory so I'm just really happy today.
"I was trying a couple of times to score my first goal for West Ham. I'm just really happy to score today and also to help the team was the most important thing, because we got the three points."

The Portuguese midfielder also reserved special praise for the fantastic home supporters, with Mario thanking the fans for driving the team onto the victory against Southampton. He continued: "It was impressive from our supporters today. I just want to say thank you to them, and let's continue like that for the next home game against Stoke City. I just want them to make the difference in that game, as they did today."

With three points secured, Mario is happy to see the Hammers climb up the table, and is now looking forward to trying to earn more away to Chelsea next weekend.

Mario added: "All the team wanted to change the situation from the last match here, which we lost, and it was an important phase of the week so we're just happy to get three points today and come up the table. "Chelsea is a really nice game against a really difficult team, but we will try to do the best as possible, and of course we will try to get some p

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West Ham 3-0 Southampton: Protests, marches and three valuable points - Saturday at London Stadium
By Simon Stone
BBC Sport

There was a strong security presence in and around London Stadium on Saturday - but after seeing their team win, the fans went home happy
West Ham manager David Moyes got it spot on. "We would be having a very different press conference if we had lost," said the Scot after Saturday's precious 3-0 win over Premier League relegation rivals Southampton.

The joyous scenes at London Stadium as the Hammers outplayed the Saints came three weeks after the toxic scenes during the home defeat against Burnley. The fallout from the protests and pitch invasions back then led to five Hammers fans being banned for life. Defeat against Southampton would have made life very uncomfortable, not just for Moyes, but co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold, plus their managing director Karren Brady.
But even so, to say that all is suddenly rosy in the West Ham camp would be wide of the mark.

I spent four hours with various groups of supporters before the match to assess the mood around the troubled London club.

'No confidence in the board'
Just after noon, at the end of a two-hour meeting in a cafe-bar close to London Stadium, the West Ham United Independent Supporters Association decided upon a course of action. At the end of a measured two-hour meeting, the West Ham United Independent Supporters Association decided to launch a campaign for change "We were promised a world-class team in a world-class stadium," said a statement. "Today the members of the WHUISA that were present voted unanimously in a vote of no confidence in the current board of West Ham United to deliver this. "We will therefore launch a concerted 'UNITED Campaign for Change' and will announce further details shortly. "We will be in touch with our members and other West Ham fan groups for consultation."

Various ideas had been discussed, including a protest march, ambush protests and isolating Brady to push for her removal. The meeting involved discussion not argument. There was no sense of militancy. There was simmering resentment but it is not boiling over. A desire to exert pressure on the board was obvious. However, the point was made by a number of members that a coherent strategy is required. That, as it turns out, may turn out to be the tricky bit.

For, while WHUISA's membership is rising, over 3,000 at the last count, and the organisation says it is democratic, only a small percentage were at the meeting. And, more importantly, they are not the only show in town.

Walk this way
Not long after the WHUISA meeting finished I headed towards the Westfield centre, past Stratford station, through the Stratford Centre and on to Stratford Park. I was in a hurry. I wanted to attend an event organised by a group that calls themselves the West Ham United ramblers association, which was scheduled to start at 12:30 BST. They were fewer in number than had been at the WHUISA meeting.

Protesting West Ham fans before Saturday's match
There was plenty of passion on display before Saturday's match - and there is clearly a deep sense of dissatisfaction But some of the faces were the same, including Ian, from Islington, who explained that the idea had come about because a protest march that was supposed to be held prior to the Burnley game had been cancelled by the organisers at short notice and some fans wanted to do something pro-active anyway.

Mick, from Dover, was rather more forthright in his view of Sullivan, Gold and Brady than anyone at the earlier meeting had been. "They have sold our soul," he said. "We have given up our home for this shambles."

I didn't actually stay for the ramble itself because a third protest was about to start and I had to get back through the Stratford Centre.

Where's the money gone?
By far the most noisy and numerous protest was the one endorsed by the Real West Ham Fans group.

It started back at Stratford station, where supporters had been asked to gather from 13:00 BST.

Fans marching in protest before before Saturday's match
The sound of the chants against the West Ham board went up a level when the march headed through an underpass
The chants were aggressive in nature but I didn't sense any outright hostility from those who made their way up Gibbins Road, past the Carpenters Arms, up Hutchins Close and towards the stadium, picking up greater numbers as they went along.

Police followed the march to the stadium and although it seemed they were wary at the outset, by the end they were posing for pictures.

They chanted about wanting to 'sack the board', which was especially loud as the march snaked through an underpass.

They proclaimed they were 'West Ham till I die', 'Stratford's not very nice (these weren't the actual words), I want to go home' and another song about Gold and Sullivan, demanding to know what happened to the money it was envisaged would be generated by the stadium move.

The whole thing took about an hour and involved a 10-minute stop outside the hospitality entrance at the stadium, near which was a solid police and security presence.

The only person isolated for special treatment was a fan who bore a passing resemblance to Harry Potter.

Together, these fans groups would make a very loud voice. Apart, it is difficult to establish exactly what it is they want - still less whether it is achievable.

The fear from upstairs
The game against Southampton was West Ham's 34th in the Premier League at London Stadium.

It was their 13th win, only four of which have been by more than a single goal. The 3-0 scoreline equals their biggest victory at the ground.

A concern expressed in private by a senior figure at West Ham before the match was that unless the atmosphere at the stadium improves, it will continue to have a negative impact on results and the Hammers might end up "doing a Sunderland".

Despite Friday's 4-1 win at Derby, the Black Cats are still facing a second successive relegation.

Sunderland have collected a total of 26 points at the Stadium of Light over the past two seasons, putting them bottom of the home form league table last season and second from bottom in the Championship this time around.

But at the end of Saturday's match in London, the tannoy announcer thanked West Ham's '12th man' for their part in the victory.

In stark contrast to the pitch invasions and venomous abuse being directed at Sullivan and Gold three weeks ago, the home fans in a 56,882 crowd were a wholly positive influence on their team, something acknowledged afterwards by Moyes.

He said: "The fans were with the club and the team. These things can change clubs.

"They have had their say but today they were terrific. I hope we can give the supporters more of what we did today. If the stadium stays the way it was today we will have a great chance."

Quite where the planned protests will go from here remains unclear. But one thing seems certain - when West Ham win, the team at least still has the backing of the fans.

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West Ham United 3-0 Southampton
By Matthew Henry
BBC Sport

West Ham manager David Moyes said their fans' support "inspired" his players as they thrashed relegation rivals Southampton at London Stadium to move clear of the relegation zone. The game was the Hammers' first since fans invaded the pitch during their 3-0 home defeat by Burnley but they produced a brilliant performance to overcome their recent troubles and end a run of three consecutive heavy defeats. "The supporters were great - they have been great here bar a few," Moyes said."The players gave them something to shout about today."

Moyes' side eased the tension around the ground with two goals in the opening 17 minutes, first from Joao Mario and then Marko Arnautovic. Mario smashed in the opener from the edge of the penalty area after being picked out by Cheikhou Kouyate, who had powerfully carried the ball away on the counter-attack. Portuguese Mario then set up Arnautovic for the second with a brilliant cross from the right that the Austrian bundled home at the second attempt. Arnautovic added his second in first-half stoppage time, volleying home another fine cross, this time from the left flank by Arthur Masuaku.

Hammers support inspired players - Moyes
"The players were great. Their prep over the last few weeks, their attitude has been great - they wanted to put past events behind them," Moyes added.
"We think we're good enough to be clear of the bottom three. Recent results haven't been good but we played well."

Southampton were dire in Mark Hughes' first league game in charge and remain in the relegation zone, two points from safety. Victory for West Ham takes them up to 14th, five points clear of Saints in 18th.

There were protests outside of the ground and a heavily increased security presence inside, but the difference in the atmosphere from West Ham's previous game was stark. In toxic scenes during the defeat to Burnley, fans invaded the field, threw missiles and protested against the club's board, but at full-time on Saturday there was a celebratory mood as the crowd gave the players a standing ovation from the field.

West Ham's joint owners, David Sullivan and David Gold, were in attendance but watched the game away from the directors' box where they previously received abuse, although the home fans' passion was channelled in supporting their team throughout as captain Mark Noble had pleaded for before the game.

Moyes' side dominated proceedings, particularly in the first half during which they had nine of their 13 shots, and were fully deserving of their three-goal winning margin.

They outplayed Southampton in central midfield and each goal came from excellent team play.

Mario, on loan from Inter Milan, was a constant threat and Masuaku drove down the left wing at will on his return from a six-game ban while Arnautovic was a clinical spearhead up front. Arnautovic celebrated his first goal in the direction of Hughes, who sold the Austrian to the Hammers when in charge of Stoke last summer. It was his second against a Hughes-managed team this season having also scored in West Ham's 3-0 win over Stoke in December - and he celebrated with crossed arms, a reference to the crossed irons in West Ham's crest. "They have worked together over the years [Arnautovic and Hughes], Marko is that type," Moyes said. "People who have worked with him know that, they will tell you."

Hughes said after the game that he wasn't aware of the Arnautovic's gesture. "My relationship with Marko Arnautovic when I worked with him at Stoke was very good, you'll have to ask him about that [goal celebration]," he said. "I don't know if he was pointing at me or was just excited by scoring."

Hughes was appointed Southampton manager earlier this month, tasked with achieving Premier League safety in the eight remaining games. He secured an FA Cup semi-final with victory over Wigan in his first game in charge but in east London oversaw one of Saints' worst performances of the season. They were toothless in attack and did not force West Ham goalkeeper Joe Hart to make a save in the 90 minutes. In the first half they had just two touches in the West Ham penalty area and consistently misplaced passes with their passing accuracy at one point below 60%.

They have won just once in their last 18 Premier League matches and five of their remaining seven games are against teams in the top half of the table.
"We were poor," Hughes said. "The opening 10 minutes of any game is key, you have to manage it correctly and we damaged ourselves. "We conceded poor goals and gave us too much to do."

The Saints welcomed back striker Charlie Austin, who remains the club's top scorer this season despite having not played since December 23, but failed to score for a third league game in a row. "We have to find a way to score goals," Hughes said. "If you can't get a foothold in the game by working hard and winning the right to play you are not going to create chances. We have to understand that we are in a situation of our own making."

BBC Sport's Simon Stone at London Stadium:

It is far too simplistic to say all West Ham's problems at London Stadium could be solved by a few wins. Over a four-hour period before kick-off, I saw a lot of fans - male and female, young and old - vent their frustrations at a variety of issues about the club, from improving the feel of the stadium to getting rid of the owners completely.

But there is no doubt either, what was always going to be a tough transition from the earthy and nostalgic Upton Park to the white, almost corporate London Stadium, from West Ham's traditional home to one they don't actually own, would have been a lot smoother had their form been better here.

Three-nil is not a massive score. But it is the joint record West Ham have achieved in almost two seasons at the stadium. Brighton and Burnley between them have done the same here this season alone.

Once again, the first half proved a winning team can generate an atmosphere too.

Today's result will generate some momentum. For West Ham's sake, they must keep it going.

Man of the match - Marko Arnautovic
Arnautovic has been directly involved in more Premier League goals this season than any other West Ham player (9 goals, 3 assists).
Hart's long wait - the best stats
West Ham United scored three first-half goals in a Premier League game for the first time since September 2012 against Fulham.
Indeed, the Hammers have scored three goals in a Premier League game at London Stadium for just the second time - also 3-0 against Crystal Palace in January 2017.
Southampton have won just 28 points from their 31 Premier League games this season - only in 1996-97 and 2004-05 (27 each) have they recorded fewer at this stage of a Premier League campaign.
Mark Hughes hasn't won his first Premier League match in charge of a club since September 2004 at Blackburn - losing four of his five such games since then (lost with Man City, QPR, Stoke and Southampton, and drew with Fulham).
Hughes has won just one of his last 12 away Premier League games as manager (W1 D3 L8).
Joao Mario netted his first-ever Premier League goal in what was his sixth appearance in the competition.
Joe Hart kept his first Premier League clean sheet since September (versus Swansea), ending an eight-game wait for a shutout.
What's next?
West Ham travel to Chelsea in their next game on Sunday, 8 April (16:30 BST kick-off) while Southampton face Arsenal earlier the same day (14:15 BST).

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REF WATCH: JON MOSS – WEST HAM VS SOUTHAMPTON
AUTHOR: SAMTWHWREF. PUBLISHED: 1 APRIL 2018 AT 12:04AM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @SamRoyden

With 'Forever Blowing Bubbles' echoing around the London Stadium, there was an element of anticipation and nervousness among West Ham fans. The phrase '6 pointer' is thrown around a lot but this fixture was a must win for both clubs with the idea of relegation awfully real. Three weeks since the awful events vs Burnley, both on and off the pitch – the stadium ramped up their security with stewards wearing football boots and goggles in preparation for any misconduct.

West Ham have the best fans in the world when they're singing from the bottom of their lungs, pushing the team on throughout the game and being that 12th man. With the recent issues with the board, the fans put their anger aside during the 94 minutes, focused on supporting the players and this win was huge for the club, huge for the players and huge to the fans – five points above 18th place with seven games to go.

Jon Moss was the referee appointed for this fixture and I tweeted before the game on TheWestHamWay hoping that Moss would have a 'controversial free day' and that was exactly what happened – Moss was relaxed from the first whistle. In the first half. Moss was very good and kept up with play well – something that he has struggled with in other games with a faster paced teams. Throughout the game, Moss played advantage well, he was patient and brought the play back to the original foul if there was no clear advantage.

The only criticism that I have is that Moss was caught in the wrong position to miss a Ryan Bertrand (SOU) dive and awarded the free kick against Pablo Zababela (WHU). It was clear on replays that Zabaleta didn't touch the England international before hitting the deck. In this case, I would expect my assistant referee to help with the decision knowing that he would have been looking down the line as the play was in the oppositions final third.

The second half was comfortable for West Ham. They were cruising in a third gear with Southampton pushing hard to get back into the game, even though they were 3-nil down at half time. Jon Moss continued to control the game with Southampton players becoming frustrated and starting to produce more fouls. As a referee, you must be alert and concentrated for the full 90 minutes. When a game is either extremely one sided or a team is winning by a healthy amount of goals, its easy for concentration to drop but Moss was on top of every decision.

There were a handful of cautions for Southampton players with Jon Moss stamping down on dissent with two Southampton players being cautioned for stupid outbursts. As the game began to get away from Southampton, Mario Lemina (SOU) lashed out by punching the ball away as the Southampton player was frustrated that the assistant referee didn't award the throw-in to Southampton. Referees in the Premier League have been keen to cut out obvious dissent and being disrespectful towards referees.

Jack Stephens (SOU) was the next player to be cautioned after on two occasions the Southampton defender verbally showed his frustrations to Moss. Similarly to Lemina, Stephens' voiced his displeasure after the throw-in went against Southampton and Moss spoke to the young defender and warned him of his actions. Stephens' continued to show dissent after Dustin Tadic (SOU) fouled Arthur Masuaku (WHU), in which Jon Moss had finally had enough of Stephen's actions and followed up with a caution for constant dissent.

Dustin Tadic joined his colleagues in Jon Moss's book for pulling back the warrior Cheikhou Kouyaté. This was an easy decision for Jon Moss as it was an obvious intent to prevent a promising attack for West Ham.

JON MOSS'S PERFORMANCE – 8/10
Overall, I thought Jon Moss had a good afternoon at the London Stadium and was a mere spectator, similarly to Joe Hart, for majority of the game. When a game is one sided, there is a temptation to take the foot off the gas but I thought that Moss was extremely professional and his game and player management throughout was excellent.

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Marko Arnautovic showing West Ham his true worth, says David Moyes
Last Updated: 31/03/18 7:12pm
SSN

Marko Arnautovic is showing everyone why West Ham spent big on him during the summer, according to David Moyes. West Ham plunged Southampton deep into relegation trouble as Arnautovic haunted Mark Hughes in a 3-0 win on Saturday. In their first game since fans charged onto the pitch during their 3-0 defeat to Burnley, the Hammers surged to a comfortable lead at half-time with a double from Arnautovic (17, 45+4) and a powerful strike from Joao Mario (13). Having been sent off in two of his last three appearances against Southampton, Arnautovic had unfinished business with the Saints and took his tally to nine goals for the season having failing to score in his first 13 appearances for the club.
"We think Marko is doing a terrific job," Moyes said. "He's been great since he went up front. He missed a big chance before his first goal or he could easily have had a hat-trick, but that's Marko and he's capable of doing it and he's making a big difference, I have to say. I thought his performance was great. "I'm enjoying working with him because he is scoring me goals and playing well and he's also shown the West Ham supporters and the club why they paid £20 million for him from Stoke in the summer."

After the unsavoury scenes of their defeat to Burnley, Moyes was pleased with the reaction of his players and supporters as the game passed without even a hint of trouble. "We made a great start and we had great support from the first minute and I think it inspired the players as well," he said. "The players had a really good go right at the start and thankfully we got a couple of early goals and the third goal just before half-time made a big difference as well. "We think we're good enough to be up there [in 14th], but we dropped down as our recent results have not been good enough. Thankfully today's was. "The supporters were great and I think they have been great here. There are one or two who maybe [weren't], like happened in the last game, but overall the atmosphere in the stadium has been terrific, it really has. "The players gave them something to shout about today. The players showed how much they cared after the way things went in the last home game."

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