"We know he would probably have been watching on Saturday, running the rule over us," says Matthew, "and everyone is trying to impress him because obviously you want to keep your place in the side for when he does come in.
"It can only spur the lads on because they know they have to impress the new manager, and Trevor will be telling him what he thinks and how people have been performing - so it is imperative that you keep your form up."
And Matthew believes that as he watched TV on Saturday evening, Alan will have seen the grittier side of the Hammers.
"You are going to get those games in this division whereas maybe at Rotherham and Gillingham we didn't put in that kind of performance," he says.
"The back four are looking very solid at the minute and maybe at Gillingham we weren't as tight as a team as we were at Derby.
"Sometimes you have got to go to those places and nick one, which we did to keep us right up there - you have to win those games and it was so important we got the three points at Derby."
Meanwhile, Jermain Defoe has been named in David Platt's England Under 21 squad for the game against Turkey on Friday.