West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has admitted that his side must improve defensively if they are to stop the rot of four straight Premier League defeats.

The Hammers take on Tottenham Hotspur, whom they have beaten twice this season, on Saturday afternoon, and the manager believes that it would be a perfect time to put things right to earn the points that they need to survive.

"It would be absolutely fantastic to beat them at home, having beaten them in the League Cup and in the league," Allardyce told the club's official website. "We were one of the best clean sheets in the league eight or nine games ago and we haven't kept one since then. That's been our demise that has caused us a few problems.

"If we are to beat Tottenham it's no good to continue to play well if we carry on making basic errors. West Bromwich Albion's goal was down to our poor defending, not their ability and we have to eradicate that. We have to put the ball in the net when the chances come because otherwise the pressure heaps on you more than it should."

West Ham are currently 14th in the Premier League.