• Essex police tweet message to disgruntled Hammers supporters • West Ham in relegation zone after defeat to Watford on Sunday

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

West Ham United fans have been warned to stop calling 999 to complain about their team. The side suffered a 2-0 defeat at Watford on Sunday in David Moyes’s first match in charge, with goals from Will Hughes and Richarlison settling the match at Vicarage Road.

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It seems some supporters have been taking their grievances too far though, with the Essex Police Force Control Room urging them to stop using the emergency number.

A tweet from the @EPControlRoom account read: “Ringing 999 because @WestHamUtd have lost again and you aren’t sure what to do is not acceptable! It is a complete waste of our time. #999foremergenciesonly.”

Sections of the visiting support chanted “sack the board” during the match as the team remained 18th in the Premier League table.

Force Control Room (@EPControlRoom) Ringing 999 because @WestHamUtd have lost again and you aren't sure what to do is not acceptable! It is a complete waste of our time. #999foremergenciesonly

West Ham host Leicester in their first home match since Moyes’s appointment on Friday. The manager appealed for unity among the supporters after watching his new team lose, a result which leaves them marooned in the relegation zone. Hughes’s opening goal in the 11th minute was greeted with a chorus of “sack the board”.

“We need a united club,” said Moyes. “I know that’s hard if you have grievances but I said to the players at the end that it’s hard to play when the crowd’s like that. The small things can make a big difference but I can understand their frustration because we didn’t play well enough. We need to find a way to make sure we get the club together.”

Meanwhile, captain Mark Noble has urged West Ham’s unhappy supporters to get behind their struggling team.

“It’s a very difficult situation for us,” he said. “The fans show their emotions, and rightly so because they’re not happy and they pay a lot of money to come and watch us.

“I know it’s hard, I know they’re frustrated, and we are too because we know we’re better than what we’re showing, but I urge them to stick by us and hopefully the good times will come back.

“As much as we’re not performing on the pitch at the minute, we need them to stick by us.”