Wednesday 21 February 2018 15:29, UK
Marko Arnautovic has admitted to being "hurt" by the criticism he received from West Ham fans after making a slow start to life at the club.
The Austria international joined from Stoke in the summer but struggled to settle in after being sent off in only his second game and failed to score in his first 13 matches in all competitions.
After finally getting off the mark with the winning goal against Chelsea in December, the 28-year-old has gone on to score seven times in 11 games in all competitions.
"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.
"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."
Arnautovic's change in form has coincided with improved results for West Ham, who have climbed away from the relegation zone to 12th in the Premier League table.
The winger has marked each of his goals with typically passionate celebrations, including doing the club's famous hammers symbol after scoring during their 3-0 win over former side Stoke.
"I do the 'Crossed Hammers' sign because it is part of this club and they love to see this," he added. "I feel at home now. We are all one big family and it doesn't matter if it is hard or it is a good time.
"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."
