Gianfranco Zola said the confidence is high in the squad before Saturday's trip to Blackburn Rovers and not just because West Ham United have a fine record against Sam Allardyce's men.
The Ewood Park club may sit just one point above the relegation zone and although wary of the threat posed, Zola is looking for another yet another away win that would make it seven straight successes against this weekend's opponents. "Blackburn is a team that is very, very dangerous, especially because they have big, powerful players and will certainly play a physical game that will ask us questions," he said.
"We are OK though. We are in a position where we can play this game and play it with confidence and I'm sure it will be an interesting game."
That optimism stems from the club reaching the important 40-point mark in last Monday's goalless draw against West Bromwich Albion - the figure that is regarded by many as the total needed to ensure Premier League survival.
However, with that one achievement now achieved, Zola is resolute that his squad must now focus on their next target - securing a place in the UEFA Europa League for next season. To that end, the more experienced players in his squad are required to help urge the rest along, including Radoslav Kovac who has played at the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship and in both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup.
"When you get to this situation people who are not used to playing at high levels need [leadership] and if you have three of four players within the group that are pushing the others, that is the key. That's why I keep talking to them and that is what we need to do for the future," Zola said.
Chief among those players pushing the others is Scott Parker, with the manager stressing the midfielder's claims for a place in Fabio Capello's England squad when it is named on Sunday night. "For me Scott Parker has been outstanding and I think he deserves [to be called up] but I am his manager and it is easy for me to say that.
"His energy and his quality in the game has been outstanding - his passing and his stamina, everything. He is a really, really complete midfielder because he can produce quality but, at the same time, he works very hard defensively. I believe, in his position, he is one of the best in this country."
While injuries to fellow midfielders Jack Collison and Valon Behrami has forced Zola into shuffling his pack in recent matches, he is confident his squad has the strength in depth to handle the run-in and has explained why it was important to allow players who were not playing to move on in January.
"I have no regrets [about selling players] because the players I had then were not playing," Zola said. They were not young players that you can give games to every now and again - I don't like those things. When I have an important player I want to play him as much as possible.
"If I don't play him then I will prefer him to go and play somewhere. I knew when I was going through I might have problems with injuries if I was unlucky but I prefer that the players with me are 100 per cent happy and I know that if a player is not playing he is not happy."
The manager also has others coming back from injury, with the likes of James Collins and Kieron Dyer getting closer. The latter could even find himself in the mix sooner rather than later. "Kieron is getting better and better. He is improving very much. I am very pleased with him."
With Carlton Cole suspended, there is one striking berth still up for grabs. Freddie Sears and David Di Michele worked hard against West Brom while Diego Tristan could be back after a muscle problem. One forward who is not yet in the mix though is Irish youth international Terry Dixon.
The 19-year-old has made excellent progress in training after overcoming his knee injury. However, a few minor niggles, which are common when a player returns from a lengthy lay-off, have prevented Zola from assessing his form fully on the training pitch.
"Terry Dixon might have had a chance but I need to see him. They keep speaking to me very highly about him. The problem with him is that now he has sorted the problem with his knee, every time he tries to force a little bit he gets little problems like a tight calf or a tight groin.
"We have to take it step by step. It is very frustrating for him and everybody as we have been following him for such a long time. When you have been out for such a long time you need to take it easy."