Accusations that the Europa Conference League is a European sideshow competition have been firmly knocked back by Hammers boss Davis Moyes.
Clearly there was a lot of disappointment when the club failed to qualify for the Europa League last season after the defeat at Brighton,
And that led to many making the point the Conference was very much a second, indeed third best, competition in Europe.
The Hammers meet FCSB tonight at the London Stadium with the match being streamed on BT Sport 2 and Moyes has been keen to make it clear this is no Mickey Mouse competition.
And he has pointed to the reaction of Jose Mourinho whose Roma won the competition last season beating Feyenoord in the final 1-0
An emotional Mourinho lifted the trophy and West Ham are indeed also taking their quest for Euro glory very seriously indeed.
Manager Moyes said as he prepared for the latest test: “‘I watched the final and it was an excellent game. If you look at Jose Mourinho, who has won all the competitions, how big he felt it. I would love to be in a position to win it as well.’