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Comments from new West Ham United manager David Moyes and one of his players before the win over Bournemouth were a clear dig at Manuel Pellegrini.

Moyes returned to the club over just 24 hours after Pellegrini was sacked last Sunday.

And the no-nonsense Scot made it clear he did not have time to waste as he set his sights on earning an automatic extension to his initial 18-month contract.

West Ham won his first game in charge in emphatic style with a 4-0 victory over fellow strugglers Bournemouth.

The win was notable for a number of reasons.

West Ham step up for Moyes

The team looked organised, cohesive and solid. And to a man the players put in a real shift for their new manager with the most complete performance of the season so far.

Moyes revealed he spoke to the players and captain Mark Noble about where they felt things had been going wrong under Pellegrini.

The Chilean spent 18 months trying to change the mentality at West Ham to “play as a big team” and dominate possession and matches by playing on the front foot (whufc.com).

Many fans and pundits saw it as admirable but unrealistic as Pellegrini just did not have the players capable of doing that on a consistent basis.

And it appears Moyes had a dig at his predecessor in his first pre-match teamtalk since returning to the London Stadium.

Moyes and Fredericks in clear dig at Pellegrini’s ‘big team’ approach

In revealing what Moyes had told his players, defender Ryan Fredericks told whufc.com the reason is struck a chord is because the players agreed with the sentiment.

“Obviously the gaffer’s not been here very long at all,” Fredericks told whufc.com.

“He hasn’t had much time with us on the training field, but what he has said to us has stuck in our minds.

“Everything’s been short and direct.

‘It’s not about dominating every second of the game’

“The boss said it’s not about going out and dominating every second of the game.

“That’s not what football’s about.

“I think unless you’re the top two teams in the world, you need to be solid, not concede goals, and then when you get your chances you need to take them, and fair play to the boys up front, they were clinical today, really clinical.

“As the manager said before the game, you do what you’re good at.”

Skipper Noble was a frequent critic of Pellegrini’s tactics, particularly this season.

Now the onus is on West Ham’s players to prove the manager was the problem all along.

Read: Was Mark Noble instrumental in David Moyes return after Manuel Pellegrini outbursts?