Curbs proud to be in top-half

Hammers boss admits pre-season targets have not been met

By Chris Burton   Last updated: 11th April 2008

Alan Curbishley West Ham Manager Football

Curbishley: Final push

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Alan Curbishley insists that finishing 10th in the Premier League would be a considerable achievement for his faltering Hammers.

West Ham were in the race for a Uefa Cup place until recently, but a run of five defeats in their last seven matches has seen their European dreams dashed for another season.

Their manager admits that the slump will prevent the club from matching his pre-season targets, but feels that his players should still be proud of a top-half finish.

Capitalise

"For any team, finishing in the top 10 is a result in the Premier League and shouldn't be sniffed at," Curbishley said.

"We've been in this position so long and even now with the run we've had we've got to capitalise on that position.

"We've been 10th and in striking distance for some time. We had a bonus ball playing on Tuesday night (in a 1-0 defeat against Portsmouth) and we didn't take it.

"With what we tried to do in the summer and the way it was looking pre-season I was hoping for a bit more than mid-table, but we can still push higher."