Nuno Espirito Santo seemed rather more relaxed than a week ago, having witnessed his West Ham side halve the deficit between themselves and 17th-place Nottingham Forest in a matter of days.
And with a weekend away from the main action to look forward to - specifically, a trip to League One relegation candidates Burton Albion - the Hammers Head Coach took questions of the trip to Derbyshire, management dismissals, West Ham chances of Premier League survival and the latest on the injured Pablo...Q: Nuno, there's been a real upturn in performances and results of late. Do you sense a real feeling of unity at the club as well?
NES: Yeah. I think a lot of things have improved in terms of performances. What leads to what happened, for example against Man United, is the atmosphere at the London Stadium, our home, that we want to transform. We can feel it. The place gives and the fans give back in a huge way for us.
Q: What do you put that down to and how powerful a factor could that be between now and the end of the season?
NES: It's very important that we keep delivering and the fans keep supporting us, not only at home but away also. It has to do with the players, the commitment of the players, the way the players have been - really putting design on their actions.
Q: Following the result [at Nottingham Forest] last night, your three points adrift of safety, how confident do you feel that you can get out of trouble?
NES: Now, we're going to play in the [FA] Cup. This is what we are focused on and then we'll go day by day, like we usually do.
Q: We've seen in the last day Thomas Frank and Sean Dyche have lost their jobs at their respective football clubs. How does that make you feel as a fellow Premier League manager?
NES: It's understanding that this is the game. This is what the industry is all about, unfortunately for my fellow colleagues. But for sure they will get back in the game soon.
Q: We've seen Nottingham Forest have sacked three managers this season. What impact does that have on you? Because clearly it's not nice. Sean Dyche lasted 114 days...
NES: Yeah. But me personally, I move forward. Now, it's all about West Ham.
Q: And if I can ask you about the relegation picture, what impact do you think the replacement of the managers at those clubs could have on the picture at the bottom?
NES: It's a question mark. You never know. Our focus is on what we have to do with our team and improvement to keep competing. It's a tough situation that we want to get out of.
Q: And in terms of West Ham, do you get a real sense of stability here now following the recent performances and results?
NES: I think we are improving in many aspects which gives us the confidence to keep working harder.
Q: And how important is that stability and foundation going to be between now and May?
NES: It's very important, it helps. It makes a difference to the week. When you perform well, the environment, the atmosphere at the Rush Green is much better, so we hope it continues.
Q: What has the atmosphere been like following a really impressive performance against Manchester United? We saw the disappointment on everybody's faces following that late equaliser.
NES: Yeah, we have to bounce back, it was a tough one to take but there's a lot of positives. I think we performed really well against a very good team and we showed that we want to want to keep fighting. Now we are focused on Barton.
Q: And in terms of team news for the FA Cup, what is the latest on Pablo?
NES: He's injured, unfortunately, he's injured. He's going to be out for a while, we don't know exactly how long. But yeah, it's a big blow for us.
Q: Instead of time scale. I know you're unclear, but could it be months, potentially?
NES: We don't know. We have to assess it day by day.
Q: You named a very strong team for the game against QPR and that seemed to have a real impact on your season in terms of an upturn in in results. Given the opposition and the position in the Premier League, what do you think you'll look to do in terms of your starting 11?
NES: To compete well. The Cup is always a good chance for players that are not being having too many minutes to have a chance to play and improve, because we're going to need them further ahead. It's an important competition for us that we respect, we respect Burton and we're going to compete. We're going to try and go through and take it day by day, see where the FA Cup leads us.
Q: Could Adama Traore get his first start for the club?
NES: We haven't decides yet, we still have tomorrow to prepare the team, but all the players with the exception of Pablo and JC, who is still on a disciplinary caution, are available, so we'll decide tomorrow.
Q: What impact has Adama had? We've seen in feature off the bench, but what sort of impact has he had here at the training ground?
NES: He's working, he's doing a lot of things to improve. He's been out of competition for some while, but he's putting our tat he can in terms of training session and we need him to get back to his best.
Q: Have you made a decision about what you'll do with the goalkeepers this weekend? Because we saw Mads start in the FA Cup but now he started in the last two Premier League matches, so could Alphonse get an opportunity?
NES: Alphonse is going to play. That's a decision that we've made and how we approach the competition. Normally the goalkeeper that's not being used in the Premier League plays in the Cup.
Q: You've had some really good runs in the FA Cup in your time at various clubs. You've reached the semi final twice. What sort of impact do you think progressing in the FA Cup could have on West Ham's season in general?
NES: You have to [have a] go. Like I said, the FA Cup is a good opportunity for us because good results, good performance always help. This is what we wanted at Burton and we go game by game. We never know where, where but it's a beautiful competition.
* Something to say about this story? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.
