What is your reaction to that performance?
Bits of the performance were very good, bits of it could be improved on. But the run we are on at the moment and the way the players are playing it was very good. Coming to Villa scoring and scoring four is never easy and I’ve got to say this is a really tough game, I think they have a good team. So from that point of view, it was a great result for us it really was.
Historically it’s normally the case that teams who have this Thursday-Sunday schedule of Europe and the Premier League really struggled. Why do you think it is you guys are bucking the trend but seem to be playing even better?
I hope that’s the case but we have only played three of the Thursday games and we have three to go. So we need to show that that is the case. I do feel that we’re trying to use the squad as well as we can maybe there will be times we get it wrong but we try and do the best we can and give everybody an opportunity. I think we have a lot of players who are quite similar levels and could easily be in the team. So I need them all to stand up be counted and I think that they have done whether it be the cup or whether it be the European games, and as you well know we have periods with injuries and suspensions and all sorts and we need everybody ready and fit to play.
You are level on points with Manchester City, in the top four and supporters will be getting very excited. Is it your job to keep feet on the ground or do you want fans to get carried away?
I’m a bit of both. I think my job here, I think a football manager’s job is to try and raise expectations. There is raising them and not being stupid and saying silly things. But I do think that after 10 games that is normally a pretty good time to sort of judge where you are. So I’m really pleased because the players are doing a remarkable job. The big thing is that me and them do not think that we’ve done it because we have 20 or so games to go.
On the incidents in the second half, the two VAR reviews did you that possibly there could have been another red card for the incident on Fornals?
I have genuinely not seen them yet not because I got asked on the TV as well but I’ve not seen them. But the shout I was getting from the boys who had seen it in the dugout said that they thought the first one was may have been worse but I’ve not seen the decision so I can’t comment and I don’t really know. Obviously, it went for us the sending off and it went against Dean Smith. It was a decision that went for us.
Another very commanding performance from Declan Rice, scoring the goal as well in the first half. Just sum up the level he’s at at the moment and how much further he can go.
He is at a really good level as a football player at the moment for someone so young. He carries a big responsibility for us here. He’s improved greatly and I hope he continues and we said last year could he add some goals to his game and could he bring some other actions and he has done and we’re really pleased for him.
Jarrod Bowen has had four shots on target today, the most he’s managed in a fixture this season. What are your thoughts on his performance?
Jarrod has been threatening to get a goal and has been getting closer and closer. I think he has had a period here where he’s just slipped off it a little bit but he started the season very well but I’m really pleased for him today. But the key tip was Lanzini makes a simple pass which gives him an easy finish. We were not trying to score from difficult angles. I’m pleased because Jarrod needs it and we are trying to get him more goals.
He is known for having great work rate of course, is the next step now for him to score on a regular basis?
Yeah, I think he’s capable. He certainly got the knack of scoring. We talked to him a lot at the moment because obviously between him and Mich, we’re looking for a lot of goals. It was good today that we spread the goals around and Jarrod got his, that was really pleasing.
An emphatic win this afternoon. Do you think teams fear playing West Ham now?
I don’t know. I hope that teams would give us respect but think that all we’re doing is trying to build a consistent team which we think week in, week out, we can get a good performance from at the moment. We have been as the results will tell you but I’ve said to them today that I do think that we’ve got to go again and I’m certainly not going to be a sort of rubbing my hands because I’ve been in the game long enough and I know that you have to keep growing and you have to keep trying to improve all the time and I want to drive the players on and they need to drive each other.
There is lot of momentum you’ve built up there over last few weeks. Is there a confidence growing week by week because of that?
Yes, I do think so. I think we’re confident but there’s are bits of me today that is disappointed with some of the play. I’m certainly not disappointed with the team or the effort. We have real high standards at the moment. But we did came up against a strong Aston Villa team who were really committed today. So we are trying to keep doing the right things as much as we can. And as I said, I use the word, we are trying to keep continuing driving the players on to reach higher standards.
Are the players making your job not easy but more comfortable? You seem pretty comfortable with the way things are going at the moment.
The players are doing a great job for me. I’m thrilled by it because I need them to perform and week in, week out, I need them to turn up and in the main we’ve done a lot of good things. We are going to be tested as it goes along, we’re going to be tested with the amount of games we’ve got. But overall at the moment all the squad players have done great, whether they have played in the cup, whether they played in Europe, whether in the Premier League, all the squad players have really contributed.
