West Ham United boss Gianfranco Zola is proud to have his team competing for Europa League qualification.

Zola told whufc.com: "I am a positive person. There were some moments when things have gone very well so I was dreaming of something like that but I wasn't expecting that. I believe we are doing a good job, we are working hard every day and when you work like that it pays off.

"This club has got good potential to be a top club and we are working very hard to make it happen. In football things change very quickly but one thing is for sure is that we are going to be working on how we can improve this team every day."

The manager said he never lost his focus - even during the lean spell at the turn of the year that was definitively ended by the 2-1 home win against Stoke back on 28 December. "It was a tough time that time but it has been very important for me. You need to go through those difficult moments if you want to improve.

"Not for a second I doubted my idea of football. I either succeed with this idea of football or I don't succeed and I do something else. Trust me it has been very important because I got much better in that period."