Sunderland boss David Moyes admits Victor Anichebe is responding to the passion of the Black Cats support.
His brace helped to sink fellow strugglers Hull City on Saturday.
Moyes said: “When he came in, people were saying 'Is Victor ready?'. He was getting ready, but he knew himself, and I think if you want to get Victor to play well he needs to be really on top of it.
“When he's on top of it, he can be like he is just now. He was never quite, quite there. But I think he's had confidence because I think the players like him – he's settled in really well.
“You've got to remember, this is a boy who didn't have a club. We brought him in after the window.
“I always thought he's got something to offer. He's a handful to play against – you wouldn't like to play against him. I think the crowd have given him a real lift, they're right behind him. He was doing extra training, working really hard. He had done no pre-season, so he had to put in all the extra graft. He's a big unit, he's got a lot of beef to carry about.
“So he has to work hard at it, he can't afford to let his fitness down. But I think the bigger thing for him is, if you actually look at the 90 minutes, he's now played three. Victor has never really been renowned for that.
“Psychologically and mentally, he's in a good place because he's realising 'Hey, I can play this, I can run this distance, I can do what's getting asked of me', and we hope he continues.
“I think he needs a bit of love, I think he wants to be respected. He's probably been to a lot of places where he's maybe not. I've always respected him and he knows that, and I think that's why he came to play here.
“It makes it a lot easier for him, but also I would like, and he likes, the people behind him.
“He's that sort of boy and I think, at the moment, the crowd are enjoying having him as well."