Big Sam - Hammers aiming high

Sam Allardyce has set the bar high as he plans for West Ham's return to the Premier League next season.

West Ham boss not content to scrape to Premier League safety

Sam Allardyce is setting the bar high as he plans for West Ham's return to the Premier League next season. The Hammers clinched promotion back to the top-flight at the first attempt after beating Blackpool in the Championship play-off final at Wembley. But boss Allardyce is not content with the East Londoners simply aiming to avoid an instant return to the second tier. He has stressed the importance of his side making a rapid start to prevent relegation pressure mounting from August.

Confidence

"My job is to aim as high as we can in the Premier League and not to say fourth from bottom is enough," said Allardyce. "Let's see how far we can get this team at the first time of asking. The real challenge for me is to prepare the team for the best possible start for the first 10 games. "That will take the pressure off as you're not in a relegation position every week, which is a constant gnaw at the player's confidence. "That's the way forward if we can achieve it."