Nigel Winterburn says it is time to start showing the critics that
their early predictions about the Hammers having a tough
season must be overturned.
Acutely aware that the Hammers are the only team in the Premiership without a win, he says:
"Everyone is going to look at the table and say 'West Ham are at the bottom, we told you so.'
"But we have to prove them wrong - that is the aim every game and every season, to prove people wrong who sit around, don't know what is going on, and can easily dismiss teams.
"The spirit is still good, and if it wasn't after four games it would be a major worry."
But he says that it is important to regain the defensive meanness that the side had been displaying prior to the Middlesbrough defeat.
Two mistakes in ten minutes led to two goals at the Riverside, and Nigel says:
"You can't blame Tomas for the first goal; Shaka has been brilliant this season.
"He said to us he made the decision to come for the ball and Brian Deane got there first - it's one of those things that happens.
"We did that last year, giving away too many individual goals, but we had stopped it until Saturday, so we have to hope that was a one-off.
"It is a complete role reversal of last year where we gave goals away every game but still scored a few.
"This year we had stopped giving away silly goals but we can't score, so it is up to us to try and improve that.
"We have been very solid, so defensively we have looked strong; but we know when you don't score you put yourselves under pressure.
"It is not just about the attackers, it is all of us - we stop goals as a team, and we score goals as a team."
It wasn't just the individual errors that concern Nigel, but the overall performance.
"It will come," he says, "it was disappointing on Saturday, but we are all human, we all make mistakes, and we will have to bounce back as quickly as we can.
"In the first half we were very poor and it was by far the worst we have played this season.
"We haven't given ourselves a chance, we have actually given them two goals, and when you are playing poorly you know you can't give things away.
"From there it is a mountain to climb and the second half saw us getting a player sent off - from there you know the game is over."
Of Tomas Repka's unfortunate debut, he says:
"I don't think there was a lot in the second challenge; on another day you might get a free kick for you, let alone a booking against."
But he is concerned that the men in the middle are not able to exercise flexibility, and he explains:
"Referees seem to book players for anything now; I'm not having a go at refs, but it is because they are told to.
"I asked him not to book one of the Middlesbrough players in the first half and he turned round and said to me 'I have to do that now.'
"Well, why can't a referee use his common sense?
"But if they are having to ref under fear they are going to book players every time, and it is wrong.
"You know if you move the ball away you are going to get booked; if you trip someone or mistime a tackle - but it is not malicious - you will get a booking.
"Before referees used to say 'watch what you are doing, I might have to book you next time.'
"Now it is a straight yellow card, and when the referee tells you he has to do it, you know that someone is going to be sent off because there is no leeway."
Nigel does believe the Hammers can bounce back, and says:
"There's no need to get carried away; we missed players again on Saturday and we need to get everyone back as quickly as we can.
"We want to get our first win because, although we played well in our first three games we hadn't notched that win.
"Now it is getting even more important for us to get the win, but we are still upbeat about things - we just have to work hard and it will come.
"We have played three away and one at home so hopefully we can put in a decent performance on Sunday."
Acutely aware that the Hammers are the only team in the Premiership without a win, he says:
"Everyone is going to look at the table and say 'West Ham are at the bottom, we told you so.'
"But we have to prove them wrong - that is the aim every game and every season, to prove people wrong who sit around, don't know what is going on, and can easily dismiss teams.
"The spirit is still good, and if it wasn't after four games it would be a major worry."
But he says that it is important to regain the defensive meanness that the side had been displaying prior to the Middlesbrough defeat.
Two mistakes in ten minutes led to two goals at the Riverside, and Nigel says:
"You can't blame Tomas for the first goal; Shaka has been brilliant this season.
"He said to us he made the decision to come for the ball and Brian Deane got there first - it's one of those things that happens.
"We did that last year, giving away too many individual goals, but we had stopped it until Saturday, so we have to hope that was a one-off.
"It is a complete role reversal of last year where we gave goals away every game but still scored a few.
"This year we had stopped giving away silly goals but we can't score, so it is up to us to try and improve that.
"We have been very solid, so defensively we have looked strong; but we know when you don't score you put yourselves under pressure.
"It is not just about the attackers, it is all of us - we stop goals as a team, and we score goals as a team."
It wasn't just the individual errors that concern Nigel, but the overall performance.
"It will come," he says, "it was disappointing on Saturday, but we are all human, we all make mistakes, and we will have to bounce back as quickly as we can.
"In the first half we were very poor and it was by far the worst we have played this season.
"We haven't given ourselves a chance, we have actually given them two goals, and when you are playing poorly you know you can't give things away.
"From there it is a mountain to climb and the second half saw us getting a player sent off - from there you know the game is over."
Of Tomas Repka's unfortunate debut, he says:
"I don't think there was a lot in the second challenge; on another day you might get a free kick for you, let alone a booking against."
But he is concerned that the men in the middle are not able to exercise flexibility, and he explains:
"Referees seem to book players for anything now; I'm not having a go at refs, but it is because they are told to.
"I asked him not to book one of the Middlesbrough players in the first half and he turned round and said to me 'I have to do that now.'
"Well, why can't a referee use his common sense?
"But if they are having to ref under fear they are going to book players every time, and it is wrong.
"You know if you move the ball away you are going to get booked; if you trip someone or mistime a tackle - but it is not malicious - you will get a booking.
"Before referees used to say 'watch what you are doing, I might have to book you next time.'
"Now it is a straight yellow card, and when the referee tells you he has to do it, you know that someone is going to be sent off because there is no leeway."
Nigel does believe the Hammers can bounce back, and says:
"There's no need to get carried away; we missed players again on Saturday and we need to get everyone back as quickly as we can.
"We want to get our first win because, although we played well in our first three games we hadn't notched that win.
"Now it is getting even more important for us to get the win, but we are still upbeat about things - we just have to work hard and it will come.
"We have played three away and one at home so hopefully we can put in a decent performance on Sunday."