David is looking to keeping a clean sheet as he did against Middlesbrough and at Manchester City, and he says of his last appearance at Upton Park:
"That clean sheet wasn't the hardest one I have kept, though a couple of times it got as little bit hairy - but the overall performance was very good, and had we scored more than one I don't think anyone would have been surprised, as it was a good performance.
"I am just very happy with the wins we have got after the Bolton game where we didn't perform - it was a very under par effort.
"But we have had to and got back to what we were doing properly; the focus has been right and for the last couple of months we have been getting results which have been helping us.
"The Bolton game was the one we didn't get in that spell, but we maintained the belief and it has showed."
David says it is not about individuals now, adding:
"I class teams as everyone through to the tea man who got a two page spread in the programme for the last home game - everyone is part of West Ham Football Club, and everyone helps."
That team includes Alan Pearson, whose work with the club since the West Brom game has coincided with a run of just one defeat in nine games.
"He does a lot of physical stuff; people talk a lot about motivational skills but as a team everyone has helped out, with Les and Rufus coming in the same time as Al.
"Physiologically he has helped us as well, with stuff like the warm downs and a lot of team stuff; it is not a case of all being friends after the game, we have to do a bit of work together and that has paid dividends.
"But everyone has really been putting their nose to the grindstone, and it is going in the right direction.
"If we perform like we did against Middlesbrough we stand a very good chance of getting the points.
"We shouldn't really be in this position in the first place should we, but it is up to us to get what we can in these last two games and whoever else is in the shake-up hopefully won't."
As for the bust-up at Bolton, and their manager Sam Allardyce's protestations that any West Ham players involved in alleged incidents after the game should have been charged by now, when at the time he dismissed it as a case of feelings understandably running high, David says simply:
"Don't believe what you read in the papers."
Which, largely, is Paolo's message upon his recall to the squad.
"I want to set the record straight and stress that the people who say I cause trouble in the dressing room and create unrest among the players are stupid," he says.
"Just being at the bottom of the table puts you under pressure, but whenever I say something people like to blame me.
"I am the same person as when I first came to this club and during that time we have finished fifth and seventh and I didn't create problems in the dressing room when I spoke my mind then, yet now I am supposed to be the problem, and people want to blame me, whether I play one game or 38.
"This season I have unfortunately spent a lot of time in a clinic in Italy, not on holiday, but working for eight hours a day, so how could I influence the team from there?
"Unfortunately the team has not had a good season like last year and we are third from bottom; if I am away it is my fault and if I am here it is my fault, so I can't win.
"However, I am able to separate football from life in general, which means I am able to separate what I think about Glenn Roeder as a professional and as a man.
"I respect him as a human being and I mean it when I say I wish him and his family the best of luck - we should pray for him every day.
"When I have said things in the past I have been talking about football; there is pressure every day, from the supporters and the media who when we lose say Roeder is not good for West Ham.
"Last year Trevor Sinclair - who is a big friend of mine so this is not a criticism - went on the transfer list all season, so did he put Glenn under pressure?
"Every manager in the world is under pressure from their star players in the squad.
"I have a bit more experience than the rest of the players and if I see something wrong I have the confidence and I have to speak about it, although sometimes the things I say come out looking worse, which is not my fault.
"I am not crazy; there are a lot of young people here and I am the man to say something - I don't say it to put money in my pocket, my aim is to try and help."
"I am happy to be in the squad; it is a crucial game for us and I want to be involved in it, not just because I want to play football but because I want a chance to say 'thank you' for everything to the supporters - and I hope to say that to everybody with a victory.
"It is important for me to wear the West Ham shirt - everybody knows what I feel when I wear this shirt, I am proud to wear it.
"I love it here - people criticise me for kissing the badge, but they are jealous.
"They say I do it because I want a new contract, but my behaviour this year has been the complete opposite - if I wanted a new contract I would have kissed the club's a**e, but I didn't because I speak my mind for the team.
"I was sad at the beginning of the season when I realised I would not be able to stay here; I wanted to stay because I know I can give a lot of things."