David Moyes believes European football is becoming part of West Ham’s DNA as his side stand on the brink of a record unbeaten run on the continent.
The Hammers head into Thursday night’s Europa League meeting with Freiburg having gone 16 games without defeat in Uefa competition, with no English side ever having managed 17 in a row.
The current mark is shared by the Leeds United side of the late 1960s and Tottenham of the early 1970s, and with those teams led by managerial greats Don Revie and Bill Nicholson, Moyes is well aware of the esteemed company he is keeping.
“Not bad names then, are they?” he said. “People who know football will tell you two incredibly gifted managers over a long period in English football.
“It would be a great achievement if we can do that. Let’s hope we can keep it going. We’ve done well in Europe over the last couple of seasons. We want to try to continue that.”
The Irons are playing in Europe for a third consecutive season and targeting further success, having reached the Europa League semi-finals two seasons ago and then lifted the Conference League in Prague last term. Such a run is unprecedented in the club’s history and Moyes believes his side’s performances in recent years have put West Ham on the continental map.
"Maybe for a long, long time it hasn’t been in the club’s DNA, these sorts of nights,” he said. “We have not been a European club. We are now a European club, we are now into our third year in a row in Europe.
“I take pride in that but we certainly don’t take it for granted. We are privileged to be in a European competition and you have to go into every game feeling that you have to earn it.
“We have just started to get a little taste of what it is like and what you need to do. I said in the first year that I hoped we are in Europe after Christmas time. I am still saying the same. We were European winners last year. If we can get ourselves into February, March, April next year in Europe it would be a hell of an achievement.”
The Hammers will be without travelling support, with the club’s fans banned as part of their punishment for throwing missiles at Fiorentina players during the Conference League final in June.
As a result, and despite their long unbeaten record, which stretches back to the Europa League semi-final loss to Eintracht Frankfurt on their last trip to Germany in May 2022, Moyes believes his side will face their toughest test of this year’s group stage at the Europa Park Stadion tomorrow night.
“We’re playing a really good team who have had excellent success in the Bundesliga, did really well in Europe last year as well,” he explained. “I think they’ve got a manager [Christian Streich] who’s been in place a long time and stability often goes a long way. From maybe not being the biggest name in Germany they’ve certainly grown and got themselves in a really good position.”
