Bobby Zamora insists that Hammers will be fired up and
determined to end their Premiership campaign on a winning note
against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.
The striker will face his former club at Upton Park for the first time since his move here from White Hart Lane more than two years ago, but says that he is only focused on helping Alan Pardew's men claim a victory that could secure a final league position of eighth.
"I've got nothing to prove against Spurs," he says. "It will be nice to see a few old faces but, to me, it's just another game that I want to play in and hopefully win.
"It's a London derby, so the fans will be right up for it, and of course there is a lot riding on it for Tottenham now, so they will be fired up and desperate to win.
"We're not going out there for a stroll, though, because there is still a chance for us to finish eighth and it would be nice to finish the season with a win. We also know that there would be nothing sweeter for our fans than to go into work on Monday morning having beaten Spurs!"
And nothing would give Bobby greater pleasure than grabbing a winner against his former club. The striker hasn't netted since the 3-2 victory over our other north London rivals Arsenal, back at the start of February, although his contribution in recent weeks certainly hasn't gone unnoticed.
Our last three Premiership goals - against Manchester City, Liverpool and West Brom - have all been created thanks to moments of individual skill from the 25-year-old, and his latest assist for Nigel Reo-Coker at the Hawthorns on Monday night ensured a top half finish for Hammers upon our return among the elite.
"Yeah, that's my thing at the moment - three starts and three assists!" he laughs. "Seriously, I was just pleased to be part of a good win at West Brom and delighted that we got the three points that secured a top 10 finish for the Club, which is a great achievement.
"It was a tough night after picking up a couple of injuries but the lads all dug in, Kyel Reid had a great debut, and I thought we deserved our victory after working so hard."
And with Dean Ashton struggling to recover from a hamstring strain picked up against the Baggies, Zamora knows that the next seven days could be a momentous part of his career.
"For me personally, it's all about taking my chance now," he says. "Obviously it isn't nice to see your team-mates get injured, and I'm sure Deano is gutted, but it's up to me, Marlon and Teddy to prove that we can do the job against Spurs.
"Of course, it would be a dream to be involved in the FA Cup final next week, but the only thing on my mind at the moment is making sure we do the business tomorrow."
The striker will face his former club at Upton Park for the first time since his move here from White Hart Lane more than two years ago, but says that he is only focused on helping Alan Pardew's men claim a victory that could secure a final league position of eighth.
"I've got nothing to prove against Spurs," he says. "It will be nice to see a few old faces but, to me, it's just another game that I want to play in and hopefully win.
"It's a London derby, so the fans will be right up for it, and of course there is a lot riding on it for Tottenham now, so they will be fired up and desperate to win.
"We're not going out there for a stroll, though, because there is still a chance for us to finish eighth and it would be nice to finish the season with a win. We also know that there would be nothing sweeter for our fans than to go into work on Monday morning having beaten Spurs!"
And nothing would give Bobby greater pleasure than grabbing a winner against his former club. The striker hasn't netted since the 3-2 victory over our other north London rivals Arsenal, back at the start of February, although his contribution in recent weeks certainly hasn't gone unnoticed.
Our last three Premiership goals - against Manchester City, Liverpool and West Brom - have all been created thanks to moments of individual skill from the 25-year-old, and his latest assist for Nigel Reo-Coker at the Hawthorns on Monday night ensured a top half finish for Hammers upon our return among the elite.
"Yeah, that's my thing at the moment - three starts and three assists!" he laughs. "Seriously, I was just pleased to be part of a good win at West Brom and delighted that we got the three points that secured a top 10 finish for the Club, which is a great achievement.
"It was a tough night after picking up a couple of injuries but the lads all dug in, Kyel Reid had a great debut, and I thought we deserved our victory after working so hard."
And with Dean Ashton struggling to recover from a hamstring strain picked up against the Baggies, Zamora knows that the next seven days could be a momentous part of his career.
"For me personally, it's all about taking my chance now," he says. "Obviously it isn't nice to see your team-mates get injured, and I'm sure Deano is gutted, but it's up to me, Marlon and Teddy to prove that we can do the job against Spurs.
"Of course, it would be a dream to be involved in the FA Cup final next week, but the only thing on my mind at the moment is making sure we do the business tomorrow."