David Moyes wants this season to be the start of West Ham consistently challenging around the top of the Premier League and not for it merely to be a one-off.
The Hammers have enjoyed a fantastic campaign to date and are fifth in the table ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Tottenham.
While Spurs have established themselves as part of the Premier League top six over the last decade, West Ham have not finished higher than seventh since 1999.
It appears this term represents one of the club’s best opportunities to seal European football, but their manager is not thinking along those lines.
Moyes said: “I expect us to do it again. I expect us to do it next year and I expect us to do it the year after because that’s my job.
“I’m going to try and make sure that we’re a team who is consistently challenging round the top regularly, so to say this is your chance to do it or you’re not going to do it at all – it’s not that way I’m building and what I want to do at the club.
“I want to build something which is going to be consistent and regular. I take your point you have to take your opportunities when they come along whether it be in games or whatever, but I’m hoping this is going to be a regular thing and not something which we just do once in a while.
“I want to get away from that feeling that you have to take this chance now. We’re in a really good position for the points we’re taking. Are we going to try and maximise it? Of course we are.”
This is not the first time Moyes has threatened to upset the so-called big boys, his Everton team finished above Liverpool in 2005 to clinch fourth spot.
It earned him the LMA Manager of the Year award, beating this weekend’s opponent Jose Mourinho to the gong despite the Portuguese boss guiding Chelsea to the title with 95 points and only one league loss all term.
That was the second time Moyes had won the accolade and he added another in 2009 to ensure he does have something over the current Tottenham manager.
In 15 previous meetings with the three-time Premier League winner, the Hammers chief has only six draws to show for his efforts. However, the most recent was a memorable 3-3 at Spurs after the hosts had been three up.
Should West Ham finish in the top four this time around, Moyes could be named LMA Manager of the Year for a fourth time.
But he added: “Certainly you would have to look at how Pep (Guardiola) has come again and done so well with Manchester City, their league position and they look like big favourites for the Champions League at the moment as well.
“Then I am looking at Dean Smith at Aston Villa, thinking where they were on the last day of the season against us and how the improvement has gone there.
“Brendan Rodgers is building a really good side in good form, so there’s a lot of good managers having really good seasons. I take great pride in those achievements of the past.”
Moyes continued: “Being manager of the year doesn’t always necessarily mean you’re at the top team. It sometimes means it’s what you’ve done with other teams.
“I would swap my manager of the year awards for Jose Mourinho’s medals if that was possible because I don’t want to have individual awards for myself.
“I want to have club awards and I want to have team awards.”
