Pardew planning European assault

Alan Pardew has challenged his West Ham players to make history by qualifying for Europe on two fronts this season – and the next 10 days will be vital to the Hammers’ twin assault.

Victory over Middlesbrough in the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park a week on Sunday would secure West Ham a place in next season’s UEFA Cup.

But Pardew also has his eye on seventh place in the Barclays Premiership and has demanded the FA Cup tie be put on the back burner ahead of a busy Easter weekend.

Pardew believes West Ham can beat the likes of Bolton, Wigan and Newcastle to finish seventh – but only if they claim at least four points from Saturday’s game against Manchester City and Monday’s trip to Boro.

“The two routes into Europe are still open to us and there are not many teams who can say that,” said Pardew.

“We know there is a chance of winning something here, the FA Cup or seventh place. The last time this club qualified for Europe directly was 25 years ago (after winning the FA Cup).

“But it’s important everybody puts the semi-final at the back of their mind. We don’t want it to cloud the fantastic opportunity we have of seventh place in the Premiership, which I do believe is European qualification.

“You look at it now and there is a realistic chance for us.”

Bolton currently sit in seventh place but West Ham, in their first season back in the top flight, are just two points back and amongst a pack of four teams chasing Sam Allardyce’s men.

West Ham have never qualified directly for Europe through the league. English clubs were banned when the Hammers finished third in 1986 and their 1999-2000 campaign came via the Intertoto Cup.

West Ham’s promising league campaign has hit something of a barren patch over the past six weeks. Despite their FA Cup success, they have taken just five points from a possible 21 and players have admitted to feeling jaded.

Even last week’s break in Dubai did little to spark a second wind – they returned home to suffer a 4-1 defeat to 10-man Chelsea.

Pardew defended his decision to take the players away for the week and hopes the benefits will become evident as the season reaches a climax.

“We only missed one training day going to Dubai, we didn’t go out there and put our feet up,” explained Pardew.

“We did exactly the same trip, and paid exactly the same money, as Bolton did earlier this season.

"They came back to beat Arsenal.

“We felt it would put us in good heart for the game at Chelsea. Unfortunately it didn’t work for us but who knows, it might kick in this weekend or next weekend.”

And painful as it was, Pardew feels West Ham will have learned some harsh lessons from their Stamford Bridge humbling.

“The players we were up against last week are world class international players and if you can’t take something out of that you shouldn’t be in this game,” said Pardew.

“Players who have been brilliant for us this year were just a bit off their games and when that happens you saw the full power of what world class players can do.

“The only way we can beat teams of the magnitude of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United is to work harder and have a will to win that is stronger than theirs.

“We had that at Arsenal but we didn’t have it last week.”

Pardew has a number of injury concerns ahead of their Easter programme with doubts over Anton Ferdinand (hip), Matthew Etherington (calf) and Nigel Reo-Coker (ankle), while James Collins has been unwell and missed training today.