Fonte: Hammers looking up the league
West Ham fans may have been peering nervously over their shoulders in recent weeks but defender Jose Fonte claims it is time to start looking up the table.
The Hammers had seemingly sleepwalked into a relegation battle but a 1-0 victory over struggling Swansea and a 2-2 draw at Sunderland has eased fears somewhat.
Slaven Bilic’s troops are currently 13th in the table on 37 points, nine points clear of the bottom three but only three behind Watford in tenth.
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
And Fonte, a January signing from Southampton, insists the squad are now gunning for the top ten in the final weeks of the season.
“Finishing in the top half of the table is obviously one of the targets we have,” said Fonte.
“We can’t look down, we have to look up – we have to be ambitious and we have to be strong, to fight for the best for the club and to fight for the fans.
“I’m aware that it was a tough period at the start of the season and if we finish in the top ten it will end up being an alright season.
“We have to take the positives from last Saturday against Sunderland. We can’t be too down, we’re in the Premier League and every game is tough.
“Sunderland are fighting for their lives, they have good players up front – Jermain Defoe is one of the best strikers in England – so it’s not easy.
“We’ve taken four points from two games, and considering the run we were on before, I think that’s positive.”
