Arnautovic took criticism to heart
Marko Arnautovic has admitted that the criticism he received from the fans during his first few months at West Ham 'hurt' him.
The Austrian was sent off in only his second game for the 'Hammers' and did not find the net in his first 13 games for the club. He scored the winning goal against Chelsea in a 1-0 win in December and since then he has not looked back.
""It hurt me in the beginning when I heard people whistling me in the stadium because they expected me to do better," he told 'whufc.com'. "But now I am playing for my team and playing for the fans because the fans are a big part of this Club. They pay a lot of money the whole year to come and watch us and, of course, they want us to perform.
"I always had a good relationship with the fans, wherever I have played. Of course, not all the fans can love you, because everyone has their own favourite," he continued. "Personally, I have always loved my fans and had a good relationship with them, because they give you the good feeling on the pitch and, without them, you are nobody in football."
West Ham's form at the beginning of the season had seen them flirting with the relegation places, but Arnautovic's upturn in form has brought a run of good results and the 'Hammers' now find themselves in 12th place.
"It's easy to stick together in the good times, but it has to be that we all want to also stick together in the bad times, as this shows what a big family we are. That's what I always want in this club," he concluded.