Can West Ham Make Europe?

David Gold firmly believes West Ham can improve on last seasons 10th place finish.
Finishing so highly was a real revelation of how good our squad actually is, and we seem to be making all the right noises to build on that.

With first team players Joe Cole, Matt Jarvis and Mohamed Diame all stating their desire to be successful in the upcoming campaign, it will please many fans that our players are so optimistic-and it has people genuinely believing. Although I still remain adamant that survival is our main goal I would like to see the team having a decent cup run, instead of being knocked out in the first rounds.

The teams around us have been investing heavily in their teams, Premier League rivals Norwich, Swansea,Southampton and West Brom have all drastically improved on their current squads; so it will provide fierce competition for top ten/European places.

With new signings still on the agenda for many Premiership clubs it will be interesting to see how many teams look going into the first game. With record signing Andy Carroll injured, a new striker will dictate how West Ham start their new season, a bad start could prove disastrous on any Europa League hopes.

With much of the squad being retained; our current team remains very familiar and united with each other, so in comparison to the teams that are bringing in many new players, it could prove unsettling. As teams like QPR have proven, investing heavily doesn't always provide results and can have the opposite effect.

I still think it's a bit premature to start talking about Europe, but it's certainly an achievable goal in the next couple of years.