New Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has said that the Mackem fans have made him feel wanted after his time dealing with the supporters at West Ham United.

Allardyce was unveiled as the new Sunderland boss yesterday after Dick Advocaat resigned following Sunderland's poor run in the league.

"When I was at West Ham my wife would constantly read the supporters' websites to see what new insults were being fired," Allardyce, 61, told The Sun. "It upset her but she couldn't keep away from the screen.

"Now she's been reading the Sunderland fans' sites and she tells me the reaction has been very positive, which makes me very excited to get going.

"Everyone wants to be praised and to feel wanted and I just hope I can give the Sunderland supporters some of the excitement they are looking for. It's nice to be loved, but at West Ham and Newcastle United I was faced by passionate fans that made themselves heard if they weren't happy.

"It wasn't just me at West Ham, it was every manager that was there. I got it because I was manager at that time, but before that they moaned about Avram Grant, Alan Curbishley, Alan Pardew and Harry Redknapp."

Allardyce's first game in charge will be against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on October 17.