David Sullivan "very optimistic" of top-four finish for West Ham United

West Ham United joint-chairman David Sullivan has refused to play down the club's top-four hopes, claiming that ousting the established big boys is "not impossible".

The Hammers, who have lost just two games so far this term, are currently third in the Premier League table.

Sullivan cites Chelsea's fall from grace in the opening quarter of the season as an example of just how unpredictable England's top flight can be, and insists that he will never stop dreaming of a place in next year's Champions League.

"We're very, very optimistic," he told the club's official website. "I'm not talking it down. I want to talk it up. I believe it's achievable.

"It's a big myth. I mean look at what's gone wrong with Chelsea - that looked an impossibility - so why shouldn't the opposite happen to us?

"In football, we're here to dream. At the start of the season we were in four competitions and the aim was to win those four. Now we're down to two - we've got the big double left - and it's very, very unlikely but not impossible."

Next up for West Ham is a trip to London rivals Watford on Saturday afternoon, where they will be looking to make it eight league games without defeat under Slaven Bilic.