West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan insists Teddy Sheringham's arrival as attacking coach does not undermine the position of manager Sam Allardyce - but admits the club must target a top-six finish.
The Irons' board backed Allardyce following showdown talks in the summer sparked by a campaign which ended in 13th place, but only after a late pull clear of the relegation scrap.
Sullivan believes 48-year-old former England international Sheringham, who enjoyed a three-season spell as a player at Upton Park, can bring a cutting edge to the team and work well alongside the manager, who sustained a third campaign in the Barclays Premier League following promotion via the 2012 play-off final.
"Yes, we suggested the idea, but Sam liked it. We didn't undermine him at all," Sullivan said in the Daily Mirror.
"We had a lot of people approach us to become our attacking coach and Sam picked the one he wanted.
"I think he has analysed the performance of the team last year and agreed that we would like to score more goals. It was a weakness of the team and he has brought in an expert to try and improve that.
"Teddy has played at the highest level. If you combine his game intelligence with the level he has played at, I do not believe that he won't improve our attacking ideas, whether it is the way we take our corners, our free-kicks, or just our overall strategy.
"I believe we will be a better team for having him as part of our management set-up."