Former England player Glen Johnson hopes that a potential Europa Conference League final for his old club, West Ham, will allow the club to kick on in the Premier League next season.
West Ham play Florentina in the Europa Conference League final next week in the second set of European finals this month. David Moyes' side will head to Prague in the Czech Republic with the sole aim of winning their first major honor in 43 years.
Despite West Ham's domestic troubles, the East London club has swept all before them in Europe's third-tier competition.
Johnson wants his old club to use their strong displays in the Conference League as a building block for the 2023/2024 season.
"Absolutely, yeah, and it's quite nice in the sense that they have been pretty average in the last couple of seasons and they could have been relegated this year," said Johnson to the Irish Post.
"So, it's nice to give the fans a bit of positivity, and you know it's one of those frustrating seasons where you think they can go on and give more, and then it's a disappointing and then you think 'oh they're going to get abused this week' by so and so, and they go on to win. Whatever you think is going to happen, it's the opposite."
"So yeah, they can build on this and enjoy their time and hopefully win the final and kick on next year and get back to the top half of the table where they, I think, should be."
The countdown begins ⌛️#UECLfinal pic.twitter.com/BfPVZkH6at
— UEFA Europa Conference League (@europacnfleague) May 31, 2023
Moyes, West Ham's manager, has come under fire in recent years but has managed to steady the ship with strong back-to-back European campaigns.
"At one stage in the season, Moyes' job was on the chopping block, but due to The Hammers' strong showing in Europe, he has managed to steady the ship. Johnson wants the Scot to abandon his pragmatism and play with a bit more adventure going forward.
Johnson added: "I like him. He knows the league better than anyone. I just think sometimes your best of living and dying by the sword. Try and win the game and don't be too negative and sit back and sit back and then you still lose.
"I think the fans can deal with it a bit more if you take the game to the other team and you lose, then fine. If you sit back and lose, then it's unacceptable.
"So I think if he takes the reins off a little bit and played a bit more attacking, he'd win a lot more people over. But you can understand why he's doing certain things because it's a high-pressure job he's trying to get results, but sometimes you just have to take the shackles off."
The game between the two sides kicks off at 20:00 pm on June 7. You can watch it live on BT Sport.
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