Sam Allardyce pleased with West Ham United backing

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has admitted that he is pleased with the recent support that he has received from the club.

Co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan released a statement on Monday giving their backing to the under-fire boss following a difficult first half of the season.

Allardyce now hopes that he can repay the faith shown in him by guiding the Hammers away from the relegation zone and up the Premier League table.

"I'm obviously pleased with the united front we're showing in these circumstances," he told reporters.

"We all understand the difficult position we're in. I have a lot of sympathy for the fans at the moment.

"When it comes public from the co-chairmen, it is nice to see and hear. We all have to work through it together in the hope that we turn it around in to a positive reaction in terms of our results."

West Ham return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Manchester City for the first leg of their League Cup semi-final.