West Ham United joint chairman David Gold believes the days of Everton being a 'bogey team' for his side are over ahead of their clash this weekend.
Marco Silva will be hoping to end a run of four straight Premier League defeats when the Hammers visit Goodison Park following the end of the international break on Saturday.
In recent years, the Blues have enjoyed a strong record against their east London opponents, losing just four of the last 25 meetings between the two sides in all competitions.
Two of those defeats, however, have come in the last three fixtures the pair have contested - and Gold believes that's evidence towards the tide changing.
He told Claret and Hugh: "I think it’s fair to say that the days of them being a bogey team are gone and I want to believe we can expect something from this match.
"The squad are hurting after the Palace defeat and are determined to put things right up there.
"There was a time when you went away hoping for a draw but now I do so expecting NOT to get beaten and that’s a massive change of mentality."
The West Ham chief also addressed the potential return of Andre Gomes for Everton.
The midfielder is back in contention for the Blues after recovering from a rib injury suffered against Wolves at the start of September, making an appearance from the bench in his side's last match prior to the international break against Burnley.
However, Gold believes the Portuguese international could need some time to get back in the swing of things.
He said: "Yes, of course it’s a huge match for Everton and their manager Marco Silva. They didn’t spend over £100 million in the summer to be in the bottom three and yes, I know Andre Gomes, is likely to be back after injury for them.
"However, he may need a couple of games like most players to be seen at his best so again I travel to the north west with a lot of hope.”
