David Moyes has warned his West Ham players that they need to improve their performances if the Hammers are to finish in the top four.
The Irons were lucky to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup after a close-run match against non-league Kidderminster Harriers on Saturday.
Declan Rice scored a 91st-minute equaliser to force extra-time before Jarrod Bowen tapped in a 121st-minute winner against the National League North outfit.
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With a top-four finish on the agenda, West Ham will need to improve on their performance at Aggborough Stadium.
Furthermore, Moyes’ side have lost their last two league matches – including a 1-0 loss against top-four rivals Manchester United.
The Scotsman insists that his players need a “rocket” to improve their current standards, with the Hammers currently sat fifth in the Premier League table.
“I think we’re needing another rocket to go and get in shape a little bit,” Moyes told the Evening Standard.
“We need to get back to the high standards now, that is the demand I am putting on the players. We’ve got quite a few players who have shown really good levels and maybe not quite reached that probably since the November international break.
“We could do with getting to a consistent level and consistent standards of our form. It is not that I think our results have been bad, it’s just that some of the players have played really well and some have played really poorly by their standards.
“[The rocket has to come] from within,” Moyes continued. “This is the challenge to the players now to step up and go again.
“I’m quite looking forward to it to see if they can do it.
“We’ll learn a lot from them in the coming months, to see if they can maintain a challenge or do we really need to go into the transfer market and make some more signings? Maybe this group of players are going to show you that the right thing to do was not [sign anyone].
“But if they don’t then maybe that’s what we’ll have to do to make sure we keep the standards up.
“They’ve started the season, in the main, really well. A good return for the first half, we’re in challenging in a strong position and hoping we can keep it up.”
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