And he insists that the fact that Glen Hoddle and John Gorman are no longer at Spurs is NOT a consideration.
Referring to coverage of the build-up to the game, and one sugeestion that it is a 'revenge mission', he says:
"I have been surprised about the way my comments have been portrayed in the press but that is a lesson I must learn for the future.
"I was simply asked a question about Glen and John Gorman who are friends; the fact is, I desperately want to win for West Ham and the supporters - and that is my sole motivation.
"There will be a noticeable difference between the West Ham side which last played against them and the West Ham which is playing them now.
"That is the fallout from relegation - but they won't treat us as small fry.
"It is a chance for us to show we're a good unit with a good spirit and we'll give it our best shot.
"When a new manager comes in, they are trusting in his abilities and it's nice to get a win to secure his vision, and that will be important for me."
Alan is delighted that Kevin Horlock is back from injury, and adds:
"This is really the hectic part of the season until you get to Christmas and then the end - there are two or three periods like this.
"This is our fifth or sixth game of two a week and it is starting to take its toll; you know it starts to pull on your squad and we haven't got a big squad.
"But luckily we had the additions of Stockdale and Mullins and without that we would have been in real trouble - and Kevin is back which is a massive bonus for us."