"We Go Again" Says Moyes

For years and years Hammers fans have gazed enviously at other clubs from the capital, as they progressed up the food chain, in Chelsea's case, or maintained their 'top club' status from the past inexorably. Arsenal were serial Champions League qualifiers and Tottingham did their best to actually win something without success.

Before fans smirk at the misfortune of Arsenal and to a lesser degree their neighbours, it should be remembered that the gulf in facilities available to those clubs as opposed to West Ham is the reason why it has taken so long for all three clubs to be on a level playing field.

The flip side of aiming to maintain a top six slot is the levels of expectancy and also the added commitments that success brings, initially Hammers faced a minimum of SIX Europa League group stage fixtures. Should the club successfully navigate the group stage, which it seems there is a good chance of, then the serious fixtures begin with the knockout stages which feature clubs that have dropped down from the Champions League.

After the Group stage there is a play off for those that finished 2nd in their group, then there is a round of 16, followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and eventually the final to be held at Sevilla's Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán in Spain.

Asked how his players will cope with the increased workload of playing the Europa League games, David Moyes responded by saying " It's a nice problem to have isn't it? he continued "We'll just go again, we have a great bunch of lads who will give it their all and play for each other, we have got some strength in depth, maybe not as much as I'd like, but we'll give it a go, we go again!".

Although Hammers have Champions League aspirations, it is important to remember just how far the club has come in the last 18 months, after the group stage there are only three games required to reach the final! As David Moyes so succinctly said " We go again". - Ed