Despite a disappointing 3-1 home defeat by Southampton, Joey O'Brien remains confident that West Ham United can achieve a top-ten Barclays Premier League finish this season.
The Hammers took the lead on Saturday through a deflected Mark Noble shot before Morgan Schneiderlin equalised just before half-time. Southampton were the better team in the second half and were rewarded when Schneiderlin scored from a quickly-taken corner before Graziano Pelle secured the three points with a powerful finish.
Speaking after the game, O'Brien admitted: "We were off on all aspects of the pitch. We weren't at our full complement on Saturday, we were awful. But no excuses, we got what we deserved."
While defeat may have been deserved, the No17 remained upbeat on the Hammers' prospects for the season as a whole: "It's only early into the season. It's important we don't lose enthusiasm or lose focus. The end game is to finish in the top ten. We're only three games into a 38 game season."
O'Brien is anticipating the Hammers' next league game, away to Hull City on the 15 September, perhaps more than most, as he wants to erase the memory of the same fixture last season. Then, he gave away a hotly-disputed penalty for a foul on compatriot Robbie Brady, who got up to convert the spot-kick as Hull won 1-0.
"Our next game is against Hull and we're looking forward to performing against them. It's going to be a big game."
Hammers fans have further reason to be positive as Matt Jarvis, James Collins and Carl Jenkinson should all be back available for selection following injury issues.
When asked about the tough competition for places, O'Brien responded: "If you perform you get a chance. The manager picks the best players that he thinks deserve to play. If you train well, perform well, that's all you can do really."
Another player who will be ready for selection is loan signing Alex Song. The Cameroon midfielder is a player who the full-back believes will make a huge impact in a Claret and Blue shirt.
"It's a massive signing," O'Brien enthused. "It's a big positive, bringing in a player of his quality. It's a powerful sign to bring in someone from Barcelona, he's going to add serious quality to the squad.
Prior to the trip to the KC Stadium, the 27-year-old will hope to earn his sixth and seventh senior international caps for the Republic of Ireland. The Irish face a friendly meeting with Oman at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Wednesday 3 September before contesting their opening UEFA Euro 2016 Group D qualifier with Georgia at the Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi on Sunday 7 September.