The Dutchman was brought in by UK Athletics to help revitalise the sport after they failed to meet their target of six medals at Beijing in 2008.

Van Commenne said: "I have said from day one we need eight medals, including at least one gold, because that would be better than before in non-boycotted Games.

"If it doesn't happen you can wave me goodbye at Heathrow."

Van Commenee is confident that he can fulfil his own prediction and is expected to see further progress at the European Championships, which open in Barcelona on Tuesday (July 27).

He said: "I think we are heading in the right direction.

"I'm happy that we have these two years because we would not be ready if the Games take place next week.

"I have put some structures in place and we are building on that.

"First of all I got rid of a lot of managers and replaced them with coaches, foreign coaches, and emphasised coach education along with Kevin Tyler.

"We use also the foreign coaches to teach and educate other coaches in the country.

"We centralised at Lee Valley and Loughborough where more athletes base themselves to work with these really good people and support staff on a day-to-day basis.

"We implemented a higher degree of accountability among athletes, coaches and other staff members.

"Those are the four areas focused on change.

"I'm not going to change more, this is it, we're just going to make sure these things work better.

"The next two years I will focus on individual development.

"For every athlete it's different.

"Some need to develop tactically, [sprinter] James Dasaolu has to get more robust in order to be at his very best in the third round in the London Games and not in the first round.

"He should be so good that he should run the heats and semis sort of comfortably, or at least be so strong that he doesn't carry that with him to the final.

"These are the things I'm employed to do."

Van Commenee's medal target - which is higher than that of UK Sport - looks ambitious considering Britain won just four athletics medals in Beijing; one gold, two silver and one bronze.

It also comes only a day after double Olympic 1500 metres gold medallist Sebatian Coe, the chairman of London 2012, warned not too expect much from Britain's athletes at the Games in two years.

But the 52-year-old van Commennee can point to the haul of six medals - two of each colour - from the World Championships in Berlin last year as evidence that results are improving.

He said: "It's a great opportunity.

"These successes are not built overnight.

"That's probably the advantage of having a home Olympics.

"Yes, the support of the people in the stadium at the moment, you can't measure that.

"But what you see is that athletes commit themselves for a special event four or six years out."


Related stories
July 2010: Cram sets Britain target of six gold at Euro Champs but Coe warns do not expect much at London 2012
June 2010: Britain's athletes should stop moaning and be more positive, says top UK coach
March 2010:Van Commenee warning for under-performing Britons
March 2010: Britain can win five medals in Doha but London 2012 more important
March 2009: British athletes fail to impress van Commenee