Avram Grant is looking to attack in a bid to get the Hammers up and away from danger as they prepare for two big home matches this week.
The manager lined up with three forwards at Birmingham City on Saturday and was rewarded with two superb goals from Frederic Piquionne and Valon Behrami. He also saw Carlton Cole and Victor Obinna denied by a combination of great goalkeeping and the woodwork before Lars Jacobsen showed real hunger in the closing stages to burst into the box only to be pulled back illegally.
While that 'foul' on Jacobsen was waved away by the referee and meant it finished 2-2, the manager said the forward thrusts of his team showed his team had the will to shape their own destiny. They welcome West Bromwich Albion to the Boleyn for a major night under the lights on Wednesday before fellow Barclays Premier League newcomers Blackpool arrive in east London next weekend.
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"We played very well, scored two fantastic goals and we also forced the keeper to make two unbelievable saves," Grant reflected. "Then they scored from a direct ball and a set-piece that we didn't defend well but we played very well going forward."I am concerned we let two goals slip but I prefer to look at the positives. We played good football, we scored two good goals. What I want from now on is to continue to play our football like in the last two months.
"We will turn the corner. Sometimes when you are at the bottom of the league you might think the mentality is not good but we are playing good football and the results will come. We just need to continue doing the right things."
While Piquionne and Obinna were lively again in attack, Cole showed real hunger to be the stand-out forward on view with an energetic display from start to finish. It was just reward for his return to the starting lineup after biding his time on the bench of late.
"Carlton was great," added Grant. "He was unlucky a little bit with Ben Foster's save which was one of the best I have seen in a long time.
"Carlton is in good shape and is trying hard in training. We saw we can play three strikers and cause the other team a lot of problems."
Also encouraging for the visit of West Brom - when Manu da Costa will hope to return after sitting out with an ankle injury on Saturday - was the return off the bench of Kieron Dyer. A muscle problem had kept him out for the last three weeks but he was desperate to be involved after returning to training in midweek.
"Kieron is good," added Grant. "He hasn't trained a lot but he felt better. I am sure he will help us as he looked good again. All the games he has played this season, he has done well but he had only trained twice before the match so we needed to manage him. I am disappointed in the result but not in the performance, there were plenty of positives as I say.
"We didn't come for a draw. We played the football I believe in, and had the right balance between attack and defence. We were dangerous, we did everything right and we were very unlucky with the decision of the referee not to give us a penalty at the end. It cost us another two points but we will continue to play the right way."