Irvine is eyeing a place in the elite
DONCASTER
WEST HAM are starting to remind Alan Irvine of the Everton team that he and David Moyes helped reach the Champions League.
Pablo Fornals, Andriy Yarmolenko, Oladapo Afolayan and an own goal from Andy Butler on Saturday sent the Hammers into the FA Cup fifth round for the first time since 2016.
West Ham, who have won five games in a row and are unbeaten in seven in all competitions, can also rise into the Premier League’s top four by beating Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park tomorrow.
Manager Moyes and his assistant Irvine were in charge when the Toffees beat the odds to qualify for the Champions League in 2005.
And Irvine believes the Hammers could end up being a similar surprise
package. He said: “I was part of the backroom staff at Everton when we managed to get to fourth – and it would be lovely if we can get into that position again.
“It’s certainly a lot more fun being at this end of the table than the other end.
“It’s something that needed an awful lot of hard work.
“We will continue to work hard to see if we can sustain that.
“There are similarities between the teams in that nobody expects it when you come into a team that has been fighting at the wrong end of the table.
“The first thing you want to do is get to a position where you are not looking over your shoulder worried.
“We’re almost in that position now.
“And the sooner you can get to a good number of points, the sooner you can start resetting the goals.”