David Moyes says his West Ham United team are playing some of the best football of his managerial career.
As the Hammers prepare to take on Moyes' former club Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, naturally the pre-match talk has focused on the similarities between the Scot's spell on Merseyside, and the job he is now doing in east London.
During eleven years with the Toffees, Moyes led his team into Europe on four occasions - and once to the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds after finishing fourth in the Premier League table.
Now, less than two years into his second spell in charge of the Hammers, he has a sixth-placed finish and a spot in this year's UEFA Europa League under his belt, and he wants that to just be the start.
"This is as good as I've had. This is right up there," he explained. "By the time I reached year ten at Everton, I had real quality players, international players, and a balance with a team who understood me. But in year two at Everton, I didn't have the same quality of player as I have now at West Ham.
"I think the football we are playing at the moment is right up there. Yes, there have been one or two blips, but we've played some really good football, we look exciting.
"I want my team to be hard to play against; if you are going to be successful, you need to be strong defensively. It's my job to win and I want the team to be top of the league winning games. But there have been times when I have actually stood back from the touchline and thought: 'Oh boy, you guys are playing well, this is good to watch, I'm enjoying this'.
"As a manager, I am loving it. West Ham back in Europe is such a big thing for us. At the end of the Rapid Vienna game, we had over 50,000 there, it was incredible. You can see what it means, it's something we really want. I'm not going to sit back and say it's tough or whatnot, I'm the opposite, I'm saying bring it on.
"We've started well, we've got some more work to do, but I do know if we can qualify and be in Europe after Christmas time, it would be a great boost for us.”
