Moyes Thanks Fans For Support And Call For Calm Ahead Of Liverpool Showdown

David Moyes has thanked the Manchester United fans again for their backing ahead of the visit to the Anfield cauldron on Sunday. The new manager has received the full support of the Reds faithful and was given a tremendous ovation when walking to the dug-out at Old Trafford for the first time in a competitive game on Monday evening.

With the travelling fans at Liverpool sure to continue in the same vein, Sir Alex Ferguson's successor stresses he wants to earn the adulation with performances on the field. "It’s been great," enthused the boss. "I’m really delighted with the backing I have got.  "It was a brilliant reception when I came out the other night. I have to say the previous manager set that up for me as his words were fantastic before I joined the club.  "I said after the game I appreciated it and reiterate I want that to be because of what I do in the future. I thank everybody for the support. When you take a new job, any job, it can be difficult. But I have to try and get the backing because of what I do."

The Reds Manager also called on fans of both clubs to behave ahead of Sunday's powderkeg encounter with old rivals Liverpool at Anfield. Tensions are usually high on such occasions, and Moyes' return to Anfield, after 11 years as manager of Everton, will make the atmosphere even more fevered than usual. Yet there has been an even deeper twist, with Liverpool having to apologise for a comment posted on its Twitter feed last night which seemed to endorse a suggested pre-match play-list from a fan that poked fun at the 1958 Munich air crash.

This in turn has led to calls for retribution from some United supporters, including the minute's applause planned in honour of one of Liverpool's greatest managers, Bill Shankly, to mark what would have been his 100th birthday. However, Moyes has stressed no-one should be allowed to wreck what remains one of the stand-out games of the domestic football calendar.

"This doesn't need anybody else to get involved," he said. "It is a great game of football, with two fantastic football clubs. "If anybody from Liverpool or Manchester United stepped out of line they shouldn't. It is important people watch this game for the football and nothing else. "All I can say is I am looking forward to going. It will be a great occasion. "Hopefully everyone conducts themselves in the right manner."