Peter Grant expects a tough test on Saturday when Brighton visit Upton Park.
The Hammers coach played with Brighton boss Mark McGhee at Celtic and is convinced that the Seagulls will be a tough nut to crack this weekend.
Speaking to The Newham Recorder Peter said: "Mark knows what it was like at Celtic, when teams used to come and sit there and you'd have to find a way of breaking them down.
"I could write his team talk for him now - make it difficult for them, get the crowd on their backs and force them to make mistakes. We've got to make sure we don't get frustrated and do our job properly.
"Mark's been at big clubs as a player - Celtic, Aberdeen and Hamburg - and been successful. That's important because of the winning mentality, but he was always single-minded and brought that into his management.
"All his teams have seemed to improve and move forward, sometimes under difficult circumstances. Trying to attract players to Brighton is difficult, not because of the way the club's run, but because of the stadium and having to say 'we might have a stadium in this period of time'.
"I know he keeps saying finishing fourth from bottom will be a major plus for them this year but, knowing Mark, he'll want them to be up there challenging. He'll demand the very best from us, that's for sure."