Daily WHUFC News - 5th February 2017

Hammers stuff Saints
WHUFC.com

West Ham United win second straight Premier League away match by defeating Southampton
Andy Carroll, Pedro Obiang and Mark Noble on target in first-ever victory at St Mary's
Hammers have scored ten goals in their last four away games

West Ham United came from behind to win for the first time this season and, scoring a 3-1 Premier League victory at Southampton. The Hammers, who won at St Mary's for the first time in seven attempts, edged a lively game full of chances at both ends courtesy of Andy Carroll's sixth of the season, a first goal in Claret and Blue from Pedro Obiang and Mark Noble's deflected free-kick. Slaven Bilic's side, whose only previous points gained from losing positions came in draws with Middlesbrough and Liverpool before Christmas, also made it three away top-flight wins in a row. It was Southampton who took an early lead through debutant Manolo Gabbiadini, the Italy striker celebrating his January move from Napoli by latching onto Steven Davis's through ball and rifling high past Darren Randolph.
However, the Saints' lead lasted only two minutes before Obiang played a perfectly-weighted through ball for Carroll, who confidently slotted his fourth in four matches past England goalkeeper Fraser Forster. Having equalised, the visitors gained confidence as the first half wore on, with the impressive Aaron Cresswell testing Forster with a low shot on the half-hour mark. While Southampton continued to carry a threat themselves, it was no surprise when West Ham deservedly went ahead a minute before the break. Cresswell forced a corner, which was headed only as far as the advancing Obiang. The Spaniard took a touch, steadied himself and fired his first goal in 55 Hammers appearances into Forster's bottom left-hand corner.

There was still time for Randolph to show why he has made the No1 jersey his own in added time, as the Irishman dived low to push James Ward-Prowse's goal-bound shot well away from danger. The same pair were involved three minutes after the break, when the midfielder's dipping free-kick was pushed safely around the post by the Bray-born stopper. After another fine piece of defending from a resurgent Cresswell, who caught the eye alongside fellow former Hammer of the Year Mark Noble, led to the counter-attack which produced West Ham's third. Full debutant Robert Snodgrass was brought down on the edge of the penalty area and it was Noble whose free-kick deflected into the net via his opposite number Davis. Claude Puel, who had changed personnel and formation at half-time, sent on Shane Long, and the No9 forced fellow countryman Randolph to tip his header over the bar before sending a skimming 25-yard shot flashing past his right-hand post. With the home side upping the pressure, Randolph was called into action again with 16 minutes to go, but he held Davis's long-range effort, before Maya Yoshida volleyed Nathan Redmond's hanging cross into the stand. When Fonte's fellow UEFA Euro 2016 champion Cedric launched a shot high into the night with five minutes remaining, it was the cue for the home fans to make for the exits. Meanwhile, the 3,388-strong Claret and Blue Army did what they had done all afternoon – sing their hearts out for their lads.

Southampton: Forster, Cedric, Stephens, Yoshida, Bertrand, Romeu, Boufal (Long 64), Davis ©, Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez (Redmond 46), Gabbiadini
Subs not used: Taylor, Clasie, Gardos, Hojbjerg, McQueen
Goal: Gabbiadini 12

West Ham United: Randolph, Kouyate (Collins 71), Fonte, Reid, Feghouli, Obiang, Noble ©, Cresswell, Snodgrass, Antonio, Carroll (Lanzini 56)
Subs not used: Adrian, Fletcher, Calleri, Fernandes, Quina
Goals: Carroll 14, Obiang 44, Noble 52

Referee: Graham Scott
Attendance: 31,891 (3,388 Away)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven hails 'great team performance'
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic hails a 'great team performance' after guiding his team to victory at Southampton
West Ham United came from a goal down to score a deserved 3-1 win at St Mary's
Third away success in four sees the Hammers climb to ninth in the Premier League table

Slaven Bilic was a happy man after watching his West Ham United side climb to ninth in the Premier League with a 3-1 win at Southampton.

The Hammers scored their first-ever victory at St Mary's courtesy of goals from Andy Carroll and Pedro Obiang before half-time, and Mark Noble's deflected free-kick seven minutes after the break.

After losing 4-0 to Manchester City in midweek, Bilic's team could have crumbled when Manolo Gabbiadini blasted the Saints into an early lead, but Carroll levelled within two minutes and West Ham went on to complete their first come-from-behind win since the Final Game at the Boleyn Ground.

"It was fantastic," said the manager. "We had a plan and the guys executed it brilliantly, basically. They scored a great goal through Gabbiadini, which looked brilliant from the other end of the pitch.

"But we didn't give up, we continued to play and they let us play a little bit. To equalise very quickly obviously helped us and picked us up and basically it was a great team performance.

"We were solid, great defending in numbers, closing them down and when we could press them, we pressed them. With the ball, we had pace up front, bodies up front, presence up front and we also had great combinations and switched sides from the back.

"It's not only three points, but it was a really great performance and I'm so proud of the boys. As I said, it was just a fantastic team performance."

West Ham made it ten goals in their last three away matches and ten points from five after drawing 2-2 at Liverpool and winning 4-1 and 3-1 at Swansea City and Middlesbrough respectively.

A first victory at Southampton since November 2000 also more than doubled the number of points the Hammers have rescued from losing positions this season from two to five, taking them back into the top half into ninth place in the process.

"It makes it a little bit better!" the manager smiled. "It was a good away trip. They have played some good football this season and started the game one point below us, so it was one of those for both of us that was a six-pointer.

"It's extremely important at this stage of the season because all the crazy results have started to happen. We have to approach every game like it is our last game and, with a little bit of luck, we can continue to play like this or even better and we will be OK."

With the lack of a fit right-back and the return of Cheikhou Kouyate from the Africa Cup of Nations, Bilic reverted from a 4-4-2 to the 3-5-2 formation which had served his side well earlier this season.

With Southampton outnumbered in midfield, West Ham kept possession well and looked comfortable for the vast majority of the game to achieve a deserved win.

"We are changing to a couple of formations as we have some players who are very versatile," he confirmed. "I would like to congratulate Cheikhou as we had a problem at right-back as Sam Byram was injured and Havard Nordtveit also not available.

"Michail Antonio has been so good up front with Andy, so Cheikhou, who is a player whose quality, physique and pace mean he can play in any position, stepped in and did brilliantly."

West Ham will hope to close the gap on eighth-place West Bromwich Albion to two points when they host the Baggies at London Stadium next Saturday 11 February at 3pm.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fonte delighted with Saints return
WHUFC.com

Jose Fonte made the perfect return to his former team Southampton on Saturday – playing a key role in the heart of the West Ham United defence as they came from behind to triumph 3-1.

Andy Carroll, Pedro Obiang and Mark Noble were all on target to fire the Hammers up to ninth in the Premier League table and give Fonte his first three points since his switch to east London.

The fact it came back at his old club gave it extra meaning on an afternoon which he admitted was difficult on many levels.

The Portuguese was at St Mary's for seven years, winning two promotions and becoming a central figure in the club's rise as an established Premier League side.

But he put that aside in impressive fashion on Saturday and he could not have been happier with the result.

"It was a strange experience coming back to Southampton, " he admitted. "It was emotional, difficult, but in the end I can say a big thank you to everyone – to the West Ham supporters and my teammates for helping me get through this.

"I managed to block everything [out] and stay focused on the game. The most important thing was achieved, which is the three points and a great performance."

The Hammers showed admirable character to not only bounce back from Wednesday's heavy defeat to Manchester City, but also from the blow of conceding early on at St Mary's to Manolo Gabbiadini's strike.

Fonte continued: "It's never easy [after a result like Wednesday's against Manchester City]. It wasn't the start I wanted, we weren't at the races, but we showed great character and personality to come and play.

"We played some great football, scored three goals and could have scored a couple more. It was a fantastic performance from everyone today and we move on to the next one.

"The key was to keep trying to play, because we have great footballers in this team. If we play how we can and how we normally do in training, we are going to win many games.

"We stuck to our principles, kept calm, scored the goal and took momentum from there.

"It takes time to slot in and develop a partnership, but Winston Reid is an excellent defender. He has been in the Premier League for many years and has great experience.

"For myself, I've felt so welcome and everyone is trying to help me settle in. My teammates have been fantastic and I appreciate [that] from every single one of them."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Unbeaten run over as U18s lose out
WHUFC.com

U18's Manager, Mark Phillips admitted that the best team won as the young Hammers were beaten 1-0 by Norwich City U18 at Little Heath on Saturday.

Both sides were guilty of conceding possession too easily in a first half which lacked many clear-cut opportunities.

For the Hammers, Korrey Henry and Anthony Scully both had shots blocked inside the box, whilst Norwich City's Branden Odei saw his free-header from six yards out slide across the face of goal.

It was a moment of brilliance from Norwich City's No8, Kamal Kamal, just past the half hour mark, which was eventually the difference.

The visitors were awarded a soft free-kick 25 yards out and the young midfielder stepped up and perfectly placed the ball over the wall and in the top right-hand corner. Hammers keeper Rihard Matrevics was left with no chance.

Despite changes in the second half, which included the introduction of U16 talents Louis Watson and Odi Spyrides, the story of the second half was much the same as the first.

Ben Johnson and Reece Hannon had the second half's best chances but neither tested the Norwich goalkeeper and the visitors eventually held out for the win.

"Norwich just deserved to win, they worked really hard – they're a hard-working side," admitted Hammers coach Mark Phillips.

"I have to admit, I was a little disappointed with our senior players. There were lots of U16s playing but the sprinkling of second years we had can play a lot better than what they did.

Before today, the Hammers U18s had been on an impressive five-game unbeaten run that stretched back to early-December and Phillips was quick to reassure his squad.

"I hope it is just a blip," he continued. "We've been on a good run so today is disappointing of course, but we still want to get into the top four."

Next up for the U18s, they welcome Aston Villa to Little Heath on Saturday 11 February, a side who the Hammers beat 2-1 back in October.

"We need to be wary – we beat Norwich comfortably earlier in the season too so we cant expect the pattern to always go like that," Phillips stated.

"I am optimistic that we will work hard in training this week. The manner of our passing was poor today so we will work to eradicate that and hopefully we'll be ready to go again next week."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Southampton 1-3 West Ham United
By Michael Emons
BBC Sport

West Ham came from behind to beat Southampton and move into the top half of the Premier League. The Saints took an early lead when Manolo Gabbiadini blasted in an opener on his debut after a £14m move from Napoli on transfer deadline day. But Andy Carroll equalised when he finished after a fine pass from Pedro Obiang, who then put the Hammers ahead with a 30-yard low effort. West Ham grabbed a third as Mark Noble's free-kick deflected in off Saints midfielder Steven Davis. What a way to introduce yourself to your new club as Italy international Gabbiadini only needed 12 minutes to open his goalscoring account after his move from Serie A. It came when he collected Jay Rodriguez's lofted ball over a high West Ham defence and the 25-year-old timed his run perfectly to beat the Hammers offside trap. He then ran into the penalty area and blasted the ball from a tight angle past Darren Randolph. However, Gabbiadini should have done better later on when he shot over the bar after Cheikhou Kouyate's misjudged header had gifted the Italian a chance. With club record signing Sofiane Boufal limping off in the second half with a foot injury, Gabbiadini will need to show his best form if the Saints are to stay away from the relegation zone. But Saints fans may be getting nervous. They are now only seven points above the bottom three, with six defeats in their last seven league games, and they were not good enough against West Ham.

Southampton's defensive problems continue

What is the reason for Southampton's slump? Well, they are defending badly and have now conceded 10 goals in their last three matches in all competitions.
Their former captain Jose Fonte looked assured in the West Ham defence after his £8m move in January and with influential defender Virgil van Dijk out for up to three months with an ankle injury, the Saints look short of options at the back. They provided little resistance as West Ham, who moved up to ninth in the table, equalised within two minutes of conceding the opener. The Saints backline were caught square and Obiang was allowed to slot a pass through to Carroll, who then registered his fourth goal in as many games. Just before the break, Obiang was given time and space to drill in a low shot from 30 yards out, which went through a crowded penalty area and goalkeeper Fraser Forster could not react in time.
If the first two West Ham goals came from poor Southampton defending, the third was down to bad luck. Noble's free-kick was on target and heading straight at Forster before Davis' swipe at the ball steered it into his own net. Southampton did force Hammers goalkeeper Darren Randolph into a number of routine saves late in the second half, but it made no difference to the result.

Rare St Mary's win for West Ham - the stats

Manolo Gabbiadini's first Premier League goal was also the 400th goal netted by an Italian player in the competition (excluding own goals).
Andy Carroll has scored four goals in his last four Premier League appearances, the same total he had scored in his previous 14 before this run.
After conceding just five goals in their first eight home Premier League games under Claude Puel, Saints have shipped nine in their last four.
This was West Ham's first away victory at Southampton since November 2000. They had drawn four and lost three of the previous seven matches.
The Saints have lost three home Premier League games from leading positions this season - no side has lost more.

Man of the match - Pedro Obiang (West Ham)
Pedro Obiang scored one and made one in West Ham's 3-1 win. His goal was his first for the club

Bilic on a 'crazy league' & Fonte's mixed emotions - what they said

Southampton manager Claude Puel said: "We started well - a fantastic goal from Gabbiadini - but after that we made mistakes and it was difficult. "In the second half we had many chances but without the possibility to come back. We have the quality to play, to score, now we need to keep a clean sheet. We have to correct this and find a clean sheet and find confidence about the situation." On Italian striker Manolo Gabbiadini, who scored on his debut, Puel added: "I'm happy with his first game. We saw a great player for the future. He is technical, gives solutions, sees the game and is a very interesting player." On their defensive problems, the Frenchman said: "It is important to give confidence to the squad about the defensive chances. We can't replace the best defender (the injured Virgil Van Dijk) in the Premier League."

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "The guys were fantastic, we had a gameplan and they executed it in the best way. We were solid behind the ball, we kept the ball, attacked well and it was a great team performance. "We have a team that is working hard for each other. We have a brilliant atmosphere in the dressing room, not because Payet left, but because we have won six of nine. It is a crazy league and there are 42 points to play for. There are crazy results and that is why we have to keep playing as we are."
On Andy Carroll, who scored his fourth goal in four games, Bilic added: "He is a matured man. He is happy, stable, has got three kids. The key is that and the number of training sessions. The best prevention of injuries is training."
West Ham's Jose Fonte, who handed in a transfer request at Southampton before joining the London club, said: "The move is still fresh and only a couple of weeks ago I was still a Southampton player. "No doubt it was tough, but the main thing was to stay focused on the game and do my job the best I could. "It was almost eight seasons so it was tough but with the help of my team-mates and West Ham supporters the most important thing was achieving what we got - the three points. "I always gave my best for Southampton - my sweat and blood - so my conscience is clear. The past was good but now I look forward to the new challenge ahead of me."

What's next?

Southampton play away at the Premier League's bottom team, Sunderland, on Saturday, 11 February (15:00 GMT), while West Ham entertain West Brom at the same time.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SOUTHAMPTON 1-3 WEST HAM – MATCH REPORT
BY BRIAN KNOX ON 4 FEBRUARY 2017 AT 6:52PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

The Hammers got back to winning ways this afternoon with a 3-1 victory at St Mary's, which was their first win there in seven attempts. Deadline-day signing Manolo Gabbiadini fired Saints ahead just 12 minutes into his debut, but that was as good as it got for the hosts. Andy Carroll equalised within two minutes with his 6th goal of the season, Pedro Obiang added his first ever goal for the Irons and a Mark Noble free kick via a deflection from Steven Davis gave the visitors their sixth win in nine games. It also meant a winning return to the south coast for former Saints captain Jose Fonte, who left to join West Ham a fortnight ago.

Jay Rodriguez's speculative ball somehow caught out the West Ham defence for the opening goal, looping over Fonte and Cheikhou Kouyate into the path of Gabbiadini with claims of offside from Winston Reid amongst others. The £17million new boy still had plenty to do as he cut in from the left but his powerful angled drive rocketed past Darren Randolph and in off the underside of the crossbar. Within two minutes the Hammers were level. Obiang's pass forward dissected centre-halves Maya Yoshida and Jack Stephens, allowing Carroll to slot in his sixth goal in 12 games. Saints keeper Fraser Forster did well to beat out Aaron Creswell's shot before the left-back's cross found Sofiane Feghouli, who could not convert at the far post.

At the other end Gabbiadini glanced a Cedric Soares cross wide, but when the crucial second goal did arrive it came from an unlikely source. A minute before half-time Robert Snodgrass' corner was headed out to Obiang, who was 30 yards from goal. The Spanish midfielder, sent a low drive through a crowd of players which seemed to deceive Forster as it crept inside the far post for his first Hammers goal.

Saints came out after the break determined to claw themselves level, with James Ward-Prowse forcing a sharp near-post save from Randolph and Cresswell denying Gabbiadini a second with a vital block. But seven minutes after the restart West Ham won a free-kick down the left, Mark Noble swung it towards goal and Davis stuck out a foot to inadvertently hook the ball into his own net.

Gabbiadini had the chance to pull one back but skied his effort from 12 yards out and Randolph held Davis' drive to secure a welcome three points and lift the Hammers back up to into the top half.

Southampton: Forster, Cedric, Stephens, Yoshida, Bertrand, Romeu, Boufal (Long 64), Davis, Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez (Redmond 46), Gabbiadini
Subs not used: Taylor, Clasie, Gardos, Hojbjerg, McQueen
Goal: Gabbiadini 12
West Ham United: Randolph, Kouyate (Collins 71), Fonte, Reid, Feghouli (Calleri 90), Obiang, Noble, Cresswell, Snodgrass, Antonio, Carroll (Lanzini 56)
Subs not used: Adrian, Fletcher, Fernandes, Quina
Goals: Carroll 14, Obiang 44, Noble 52
Bookings: Cresswell, Reid
MOTM: Obiang
Referee: Graham Scott

Attendance: 31,891

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Oh Claude! Puel bemoans late Christmas gifts
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 4th February 2017
By: Staff Writer

Southampton boss Claude Puel believes his side handed three points to West Ham in this afternoon's defeat at the hands of Slaven Bilic' side. West Ham ran out 3-1 winners despite having fallen behind to Manola Gabiandini's 12th minute opener - leaving Puel fuming at the standard of his team's dedending. "We have to correct this situation. It's not possible to give presents like this to the opponent," he fumed during his post-match press conference. "It was difficult to come back after the first-half. "To concede the [Noble] goal from a free-kick is very hard because they had one situation in the second-half and they score. It's too easy to score against us at the moment and we have to correct this. "We started this game very well with a fantastic goal from Gabbiadini. It was a pity to concede a goal a few minutes after. The second-half was interesting; we had a lot of situations, with many chances without a good result or a good finish." And Puel's disappointment was echoed by Saints star James Ward-Prowse, who conceded that Southampton looked "vulnerable" throughout the afternoon "What's been a bit of our downfall lately is that we've conceded goals straight after scoring them," he said. ""That's something we need to rectify. "It's a vulnerable time for any team after they've scored, and we need to make sure we put that right. We need to make sure that we're solid and see that little period through - and make sure we get a second and a third to see it through."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Karren Brady defends West Ham's decision to sell 'dead loss' Dimitri Payet
By Sky Sports
Last Updated: 04/02/17 9:08am
SSN

Karren Brady insists selling "dead loss" Dimitri Payet was the right thing to do for West Ham. In another parting shot to the forward, who joined Marseille for £25m last weekend, the Hammers vice-chairwoman wrote in her column in The Sun that they did good financial business on a player they bought for £10m in the summer of 2015. "Dimitri Payet would have become a legend to every Hammers supporter. But he's a dead loss instead," Brady said. "It would be unfair to say he hasn't been trying this season but the manager knew in the weeks before Christmas that his heart wasn't in it. "Once Slaven Bilic realised the damage Payet was inflicting to morale, we did the only thing that made sense. We sold him for as much as we could, to the only club who wanted to buy him. "That was £25m to Marseille, representing 250 per cent of the original price we paid to them 18 months ago. "On paper, good business; in reality, bad business. But other than treat a man like a naughty schoolboy - and with no legal right to force him to play - we took the only sensible option available." Payet's Ligue 1 return ended in despair for Marseille as struggling Metz produced a shock 1-0 win on Friday evening.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Southampton 1-3 West Ham: Hammers claim first St Mary's victory
By Jack Wilkinson
Last Updated: 04/02/17 5:43pm
SSN

West Ham claimed their first Premier League victory at St Mary's as they came from behind to seal a deserved 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday. Goals from Andy Carroll (14), Pedro Obiang (45) and Mark Noble (52) represented the perfect response from Slaven Bilic's men, who had fallen behind to debutant Manolo Gabbiadini's stunning 12th-minute opener. It would prove to be an afternoon to forget for the Italian and his new team-mates as Saints lost for the sixth time in their past seven league outings. West Ham had drawn four and lost three of their previous seven visits to St Mary's, dating back to January 2002. But their third league triumph in four sees them atone for their midweek drubbing against Manchester City and move up to ninth. Southampton drop to 13th. Gabbiadini's inclusion was one of four changes Claude Puel made following the Saints' midweek defeat at Swansea. After coming on as a substitute against City, Robert Snodgrass made his full West Ham debut, while Cheikhou Kouyate returned from Africa Cup of Nations duty. There was also a swift return to St Mary's for former Southampton defender Jose Fonte. An edgy opening was swept aside on 12 minutes when Gabbiadini evaded the Hammers' offside trap and, from a tight angle, rifled the ball in off the underside of the bar to cap his debut in style. But the lead would last just two minutes as Carroll spun in behind Jack Stephens to gather Obiang's fine through pass before stroking the ball past the advancing Fraser Forster. Carroll's fourth goal in his last four Premier League outings exuded confidence for the visitors in an assured first-half display, which was capped by them taking the lead. Having set up Carroll for the equaliser, Obiang got in on the act on the stroke of half-time, drilling home his first West Ham goal beyond Forster via the slightest of Ryan Bertrand deflections.

OptaJoe ✔ @OptaJoe
1 - Pedro Obiang is the first West Ham player to both score and assist in a Premier League game this season. Influence.
3:51 PM - 4 Feb 2017
93 93 Retweets 131 131 likes

Darren Randolph had to be alert on 48 minutes to prevent James Ward-Prowse's near-post free-kick drawing Saints level as the hosts started the second period strongly. Gabbiadini spurned a great chance to double his tally on 51 minutes, allowing Aaron Cresswell to block his effort. And it proved to be costly as West Ham extended their lead in the next passage of play. Oriol Romeu tripped Snodgrass on the edge of the Saints area, handing Noble a free-kick in the inside left channel.
The Hammers captain lashed the ball into a dangerous area where Saints skipper Steven Davis deflected the already goal-bound effort beyond a stricken Forster.
Gabbiadini had the chance to reduce the arrears immediately but he failed to punish Kouyate's poor clearance on the hour, missing the target from 10 yards.
Saints kept searching for a route back into the game but Ward-Prowse, Maya Yoshida and then, at the death, Davis failed to set up a grandstand finish as the Hammers left with the points.

Player ratings
Southampton: Forster (6), Cedric (7), Stephens (5), Yoshida (5), Bertrand (6), Ward-Prowse (6), Romeu (6), Davis (6), Boufal (5), Gabbiadini (7), Rodriguez (4).
Used subs: Long (4), Redmond (5).

West Ham: Randolph (7), Kouyate (5), Reid (6), Fonte (6), Antonio (6), Obiang (8), Noble (7), Cresswell (7), Feghouli (6), Carroll (7), Snodgrass (7).
Used subs: Lanzini (5), Collins (4), Calleri (n/a).

Man of the Match: Pedro Obiang

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic hails 'fantastic' West Ham win at Southampton
By Jack Wilkinson
Last Updated: 04/02/17 8:06pm
SSN

Slaven Bilic praised West Ham's complete performance as they returned to winning ways with a 3-1 win at Southampton. Goals from Andy Carroll, Pedro Obiang and Mark Noble saw the Hammers bounce back from Wednesday's drubbing against Manchester City in style. West Ham also recovered from Manolo Gabbiadini's opener at St. Mary's to secure a third win in four league outings, and Bilic was unanimous. "The key was everything, we played a fantastic game," he told Sky Sports. "We had our plan and the guys executed it brilliantly. "Gabbiadini's goal was great but we didn't give up and continued to play like we played. "They let us play a little bit and that's why we were good, we grew with the game and equalised quick. "It was a great team performance, solid defending with numbers and closing them down. When we could press them we pressed them. "With the ball we had pace, presence and bodies up front and we were great switching sides with combinations from the back. "It's not only three points it's a great performance and I'm so proud of the boys." West Ham's victory - their first ever at St. Mary's - lifted the club to ninth in the Premier League, 14 points clear of Southampton who dropped to 13th. And Bilic claimed victory against one of their direct rivals would leave the Hammers in good stead going forward. "This is a very difficult away trip, they have played some really good stuff both at home and away," he added. "They were one point below us before the game so this was one of them six pointers so it was extremely important for this stage of the season because the crazy results have started to happen. "Forty two points to go and we have to approach every game like it was our last. "With a little bit of luck if we continue to play like this over even better or with a little bit less unluckiness we're going to be OK."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic: West Ham knew about Robert Snodgrass' quality but his work-rate was brilliant in Southampton win
JAMES BENGE
Evening Standard

Robert Snodgrass was "brilliant" in West Ham's 3-1 win over Southampton, but it was only what Slaven Bilic expected from his new signing.

The former Hull winger, a £10.2million arrival in January, started his first game for West Ham on the left of a 4-4-2 and combined well with Aaron Cresswell as the visitors dominated the flanks.

Snodgrass may not have contributed to the scoresheet but he deserved an assist for a fizzing cross for which Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster did exceptionally to whip the ball off the feet of Sofiane Feghouli.

Along with his crossing it was the energy and industry of his new signing that particularly impressed Bilic, who said: "We knew about his left foot, we knew about his vision and his plan in his head to combine with other players and to use space and everything.

"But the work-rate was amazing. The work-rate was fantastic. From all the players, but if you ask me about him, definitely. When he was alone at front, when we switched to five at the back, he was brilliant.

"We expected that from him to be fair. Maybe not this quick but that's why we got him. He showed that in Hull and he has continued to show that today."


The Scottish winger was much coveted during the January transfer window and chose West Ham over Burnley and Crystal Palace.

Snodgrass has not regretted his decision and is now focused on aiding West Ham's battle to establish themselves in the top 10.

"The lads have been terrific, everybody has been so welcoming," Snodgrass told West Ham TV. "I just want to get down to business, playing games, starting games, working hard for my team-mates.

"We need to keep going, we've got a home game against West Brom and we'll go there believing we can win and start getting some points on the board to stay in the top 10."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com