Sam Allardyce has been speaking about the "great thrill" of getting down to work at West Ham United after his first week in east London.

The manager took time time out to speak to West Ham TV about the task in hand, with a week to go until the first-team squad report back to Chadwell Heath.

"It is a great thrill to be here," he told West Ham TV. "Even in an empty Upton Park it gives me a thrill and gets me back in the mood again. I have been out of work for six months or so and I have missed the old adrenalin rush.

Allardyce said the club had already begun to take a hold over him, and he claimed the potential support was such that the club could have high aspirations.

"The club is steeped in such history and tradition. It is the only club I would have dropped down for. It has got the fanbase to achieve something special. With the right guidance, right direction and right support in all departments, I hope we can give them that."

The hard work has already begun and, after the weekend, Allardyce and his new assistant manager Neil McDonald will be stepping up the preparations at the training ground in readiness for the players' return.

"As difficult as a job it is going to be from an early stages point of view of finding out what everyone does and sorting it out, I am really looking forward to it.

"Hopefully we can get through the work we need to get through as quickly as possible in how we need to change, change the mentality and how we need to drive the club forward at the first time of asking as quickly as possible.

"Come the kick off to the new season, we won't have done it all by then but hopefully we will have done enough to start winning right from day one."

As he mentioned at his media briefing earlier in the week, Allardyce is eager to ensure a return to the West Ham way of good football that is also winning football - and used an example of two former greats of the game that would not settle for anything less.

"I used to play against Sir Trevor Brooking and Bobby Moore. I was fortunate enough to be on the same field as them. They were coming towards the latter stage of their career when I was just starting and it was a great honour to play against them."