Sam Allardyce was left to enthuse about the options at his disposal as he looked towards Millwall next weekend on the back of a five-match unbeaten run and a first home win of the season.
The 4-3 win against Portsmouth on Saturday was more ultimately comfortable than the scoreline suggested with a red card for substitute Frederic Piquionne and a last-gasp Pompey penalty too late to matter.
The visitors had no answer to the Irons' strength in depth and that prospect excited the manager as much as the goals from Matt Taylor, Henri Lansbury, Mark Noble and a fourth in four starts for the in-form Carlton Cole on an afternoon where the players had to show real resilience to come out on top.
"We have a good squad and more players to come in," he said. "We have got to get them fitter and some of the players are going to be disappointed now as they won't even make the bench. I will have to handle that in the right way but all the players will get used over the course of the 46 games."
Lansbury certainly caught the eye on his debut. The midfielder came into the match on the back of two Premier League run-outs for Arsenal and two England U21 internationals so was always a leading candidate to start. David Bentley, meanwhile, was deemed fit enough for the bench and both new boys were to make their mark on the manager.
"Henri has set the bar high so I will be saying to him that I expect at least that every week! We are happy to be able to have got him on loan from Arsenal. He lives not too far away and experienced a great season with Norwich last year winning automatic promotion, so his talent and experience will be invaluable for us.
"David Bentley also showed his ability when he came on and that kind of experience is going to be important for us in being able to change personnel and systems whenever the need be.
"We are really looking a lot better than I thought we would be and can only get better and better as the season goes on."
Unless there is a successful appeal, Piquionne will miss the trip to Millwall next Saturday but the manager will have Jack Collison and John Carew to consider. Both missed out at the weekend after their international commitments meant just a couple of days training with the side.
Guy Demel and Papa Bouba Diop will spend the week working on their fitness and could both feature in a development squad game against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday. New forward Brian Montenegro, Freddie Sears and Frank Nouble could also all get a run to remind of the attacking depth within the squad.
"There are still a lot of players that have to catch up with match fitness," reminded Allardyce. "At the moment, they are not quite there and that is why I am saying they can only get better and better.
"Guy and Papa are a couple of weeks away and will have hard intensive training and some matches behind closed doors to get their fitness up. David Bentley will also benefit, while John Carew only got two substitute appearances with the national side."
The Hammers will return to Upton Park for the visit of Peterborough United on Saturday 24 September and another full stadium is likely with kids getting in for just a fiver.
Allardyce was clear a bumper Boleyn gate - the Portsmouth attendance was the fourth biggest in the country on Saturday - could only help his team in their pursuit of points and in turn promotion - citing the support as a major factor in the way his team came back from going a goal down against Portsmouth
"It was great to see a full stadium and I am pleased the fans have been fully entertained after spending their well-earned money. In some ways the performances against Cardiff and Leeds were a lot better but this match was about winning a game of football and digging in."
Before Peterborough comes Millwall away next Saturday lunchtime and the Hammers know a fourth straight away victory would give them top spot in the npower Championship - even if only temporarily - for the first time this campaign. The manager was keen to stress what was expected from the derby date.
"We go to Millwall in good spirits. Our job is to produce the quality of football that we have within our abilities to make it a thoroughly entertaining game against our local rivals in the right way. We need to use the atmosphere that will be at the stadium to bring the best out of us."