The Boleyn Ground will be busy this week as Aston Villa and Everton arrive for two matches in quick succession that could go a long way to defining the season's fortunes.
A win on Wednesday against Villa would lift the Hammers out of the bottom three. A second success on Sunday against Everton could propel the team into mid-table and would surely raise hopes of a season looking up rather than down. With the team back in training since Sunday - around 12 hours after they returned from the north-east - there is certainly a determination in the squad to get back to winning ways.
Gianfranco Zola's men head into the matches on the back of two contrasting 2-2 draws that have delighted and frustrated the manager in equal measure. First was the thrilling fightback against Arsenal before last Saturday's showing at Sunderland, when the home side gave the Hammers a taste of their own medicine by themselves battling for a draw from a losing position.
The knowledge that Arsenal and their manager Arsene Wenger had been through what he had experienced at the weekend did not offer any comfort when reflecting further on the Stadium of Light drama. "It's not possible for the team to play like it did in the first half and then we let them in as we did," said Zola. "That's something that we have to correct because it's keeping us in a position in which we don't deserve to be. It's all down to these problems. We have to sort it out.
"When you are in a position where you are in control against a team that it is one man down, we have to keep it that way, no matter what. I believe that in the second half, the atmosphere and their willingness and desire to come back impressed us and we didn't play."
The manager was understandably encouraged by Carlton Cole's sixth goal in ten league games - he is already just four short of the tally achieved in 27 top-flight outings last season - and the impact of Guille Franco, who scored a fine opener for the visitors and so nearly converted a second-half header. The manager also pointed out that the Mexico striker's disappointment at his substitution was solely down to personal frustration.
"Carlton Cole is very difficult to handle when he's playing like he is now, and he was impressive. I was pleased for him that he scored a goal and he should have got another one but that's okay. I was pleased with Franco, too. I don't think he was angry because I took him off - I think it was because he mis-controlled the ball a couple of times."
Jack Collison also earned praise for his two assists but the manager's overriding sensation was one of what might have been had the first-half tempo been sustained. "We didn't play in the second half, we didn't play. Otherwise the game would've finished with a different result. It could have been much more than two goals and I'm upset about that. It's a pity to see a team play like we did in the first half and not get a victory."
A win on Wednesday against Villa would lift the Hammers out of the bottom three. A second success on Sunday against Everton could propel the team into mid-table and would surely raise hopes of a season looking up rather than down. With the team back in training since Sunday - around 12 hours after they returned from the north-east - there is certainly a determination in the squad to get back to winning ways.
Gianfranco Zola's men head into the matches on the back of two contrasting 2-2 draws that have delighted and frustrated the manager in equal measure. First was the thrilling fightback against Arsenal before last Saturday's showing at Sunderland, when the home side gave the Hammers a taste of their own medicine by themselves battling for a draw from a losing position.
The knowledge that Arsenal and their manager Arsene Wenger had been through what he had experienced at the weekend did not offer any comfort when reflecting further on the Stadium of Light drama. "It's not possible for the team to play like it did in the first half and then we let them in as we did," said Zola. "That's something that we have to correct because it's keeping us in a position in which we don't deserve to be. It's all down to these problems. We have to sort it out.
"When you are in a position where you are in control against a team that it is one man down, we have to keep it that way, no matter what. I believe that in the second half, the atmosphere and their willingness and desire to come back impressed us and we didn't play."
The manager was understandably encouraged by Carlton Cole's sixth goal in ten league games - he is already just four short of the tally achieved in 27 top-flight outings last season - and the impact of Guille Franco, who scored a fine opener for the visitors and so nearly converted a second-half header. The manager also pointed out that the Mexico striker's disappointment at his substitution was solely down to personal frustration.
"Carlton Cole is very difficult to handle when he's playing like he is now, and he was impressive. I was pleased for him that he scored a goal and he should have got another one but that's okay. I was pleased with Franco, too. I don't think he was angry because I took him off - I think it was because he mis-controlled the ball a couple of times."
Jack Collison also earned praise for his two assists but the manager's overriding sensation was one of what might have been had the first-half tempo been sustained. "We didn't play in the second half, we didn't play. Otherwise the game would've finished with a different result. It could have been much more than two goals and I'm upset about that. It's a pity to see a team play like we did in the first half and not get a victory."
Zola left his players in no doubt about his annoyance at the weekend. "I am hard enough with the team, when it is necessary," he said when quizzed about his post-game response once the team had returned to the dressing rooms. However, he also could not ignore that his team have gone toe-to-toe with two good teams in successive outings and more than held their own.
"I have mixed feelings because it's not the first time we've played like that. In recent weeks we've been playing really good football and, really, it's a pity because we should have more points than we've got."