Message from Mick

Dear Coxhoe Branch,

It feels a lot better than coming in explaining that we've played well and been beaten. Yes, it's a nice feeling.
It was a good performance. I think we'd already learned how to play in this league and now we've won to prove it. That will help self-belief and confidence and help us kick on.
It's a good result away from home and now we've got West Ham at home. We've got to do it all again next Saturday.
There was no doom and gloom in the place. There has been self-belief and the players learned to win today.
We got used to it last year but this year we've had to suffer me coming in and trying to talk things up.
Today is reward for sticking togather and working hard. It was a great start to the game.
One of the reasons I signed him [Tommy Miller] was his goals ratio. I reckoned it was about time he got on the end of one and he's done it, it dropped for him today.
[On Kelvin Davis' criticism]
There will be a few hands down throats getting the words out and I'll be delighted to help if anyone who wants. It was a terrific performance by him.
"Anyone who was doubting Kelvin has seen a good keeper today live on telly.
"I've got the utmost belief in him, I said it last week after people were pointing the finger. I said he would pull a few out of the fire when they've made mistakes. Well, he did it today.
It was Julio's best performance by a mile in this league and he has a good partnership with Justin [Hoyte].
We've been fortunate that Arsenal have got a clutter of full-backs. He's here for the season and he'll go back a better player.
I had to nick Tim Carter's [Sunderland's goalkeeper coach] line. He said it wasn't a monkey on my back, it was the Planet of the Apes!
It's important psychologically. It was unfair to blame that record on this team, though. We'd gone six games and have won the seventh - that's our record. We had to keep believing that.
It's important to look at the table and see we're not bottom.
I believe results come in clutches. We've had a lousy start and now we've had three good results. It's a lovely three points.
The crowd have been terrific and they have stood by me and the players at a time when it would have been easy to turn.
The away support is always terrific. It's us that has got to get them [the crowd] back. We can't ask supporters to come and pay and watch us get beat.
We've got to win, which we've done today, and let's hope it gives us and them a bit of belief.

All the best,

Mick McCarthy