From the Boardroom - David Gold

Gold
It is never easy talking about a big defeat at home and it was very painful for everyone connected with the football club.

However, we have to move on, we have to stay resolute and we have to stay strong.

It was even more disappointing as we had played so well going into the game and the players were full of confidence following the recent wins over Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough.

But we came up against an outstanding Manchester City side and you could argue that on the evidence of that display, we were facing one of the best teams in the world at the moment.

If you make the smallest of mistakes whilst playing against them, they will punish you.

From time to time we are going to get these setbacks but it is about bouncing back now.

We obviously need to be upset and angry over what happened in the last game, but we cannot dwell on what happened and we have to put this behind us.

We need to come out fighting on Saturday and that includes everyone at the football club.

Our fans are going to play a major role in this and there is no question we have one of the best away followings in the top flight and they play such a key role.

We go to Southampton believing we can come away with a victory.

We are boosted by the fact that Cheikhou Kouyate is back from the Africa Cup of Nations and will be in the squad for the game on Saturday.

He is an important part of the squad and I know Slaven will welcome the chance to have him back in contention.

Finally, I want to pay tribute to Frank Lampard who announced his retirement from the game this week.

Frank is the ultimate professional and deserves all the praise he is getting at the moment.

We cannot forget he is a West Ham boy and came through the famous Academy. He made his professional debut for the Club back in January 1996 and I always remember his first game.

After a short period of seeing him in action, you could sense he was going to be a top player.

I have followed him throughout his career and he has enjoyed a number of memorable moments.

You can never question the dedication that Frank had towards football and even from a young age, he would always stay behind after training and try to improve his game.

We will certainly miss his quality but I hope he enjoys his retirement.

I wish all our fans a safe journey down to the south coast on Saturday and hope we can get straight back on the winning trail.