Curbishley doesn't want Hammers season to drift

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The Hammers failed to build on their victory over Liverpool and travel to Fulham tomorrow after being held to a 1-1 draw by Birmingham and losing away at Wigan.

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Rallying call: Alan Curbishley at training this week

Curbishley got neither the results nor the performances he wanted in those games - frustrated fans greeted the draw with a chorus of boos - and the Hammers' rivals for European qualification were able to edge further clear.

West Ham are 10th in the table heading into the weekend, seven points off the European pace.

But UEFA's announcement that England top the fair play league, and the chance of Chelsea winning the Carling Cup on Sunday, could mean seventh place will be good enough to qualify.

And Curbishley last night laid down the challenge.

"I don't want the season to drift. We have spoken about that. We want to try and get as many points as we can and finish as high up the table as we can," said Curbishley.

"Going into the last two games we could see the teams above us. We have got to get something at Fulham to keep seeing the teams above us. I gave the players four days off to recharge their batteries and we are looking forward to Saturday."

West Ham's inability to see off sides that are fighting for survival could come back to haunt them over the next six weeks. The Hammers face six games in March, including Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham - but Curbishley insists Europe is still on.

"You have got to be finishing in the top seven to be in with a shout of Europe," said Curbishley. "We have a tough March but it is possible. We put an incredible run together last year and who knows? We need to put some wins together in these last 13 games.

"No one West Ham fan will ever forget what happened last year and we have to push forward. The last two results have gone against us and we need to turn that around this weekend."