Neill: 4th place the aim

Lucas Neill believes that West Ham should be aiming for the top 4. Speaking to whufc.com he said:

‘The mentality within this squad is now gearing itself for a very high finish. We in the team all believe that a fourth-place finish is still a genuine possibility. We have all the teams around us still to play and it is vital now that we win as many games as possible but especially against the teams that are all challenging for fourth, starting this week with Liverpool.’

West Ham’s season hangs in the balance at the moment, sitting 4 points from 9th and 6 points above 11th. A very strong run would be needed to make the top 4 (or even the top 6) but our Australian leader is in bullish mood:

‘We play Liverpool at a testing time for them and, at Upton Park in a night game under the floodlights, I think we have a very good chance of beating them.

With players now coming back to training from long-term injuries, competition for places is starting to increase and as a result the level of training has intensified. The camp is in good spirits, in a confident mood and there is a real determination to finish in the European places after the disappointment of now being out of both cups.’

Lucas, we salute your positive thinking.