Vladimir Coufal says he was unable to look at the Premier League table for months during West Ham’s wretched run of results.
Having taken just one point from seven League games up to last month’s defeat at Wolves, the Hammers appear to have turned a corner, with a vital victory over Everton followed by draws against Newcastle and Chelsea.
Coufal was a target for heavy criticism from some fans for his performances earlier in the campaign, but has enjoyed something of a resurgence in recent weeks after nailing down a starting wing-back spot following David Moyes’s shift to a back three.
“It happens,” Coufal said, when asked about his experience of being questioned by supporters.
“When I meet them on the street, I get autograph hunters, which is okay, others ask ‘why are you playing so s***?’
“I think what should I say, be polite and explain it? I know how it is and it is our job to deal with negative fans.”
West Ham are now unbeaten in three League games going into Sunday’s derby at Tottenham, and have also reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, with a Europa Conference League knockout stage to look forward to.
Moyes’s men remain two points outside the relegation zone but Coufal is confident their season is looking up.
“We realised the situation was serious,” he added. “We have to climb away from this relegation zone as a month ago it was horrible to look at the table. I haven’t been looking at it for months. We’re climbing up and hope not to stop.”
West Ham were today set to assess the injuries suffered by Lucas Paqueta and Nayef Aguerd against Chelsea.