As I write this, Alan Curbishley is 5/4 to be the first managerial casualty of the 2007-08 Premiership season.
My question is, considering West Ham have picked up six points from their three matches so far, why?
At this moment the Hammers sit fifth in the Premiership, not a bad return from games against Wigan, Manchester City, and Blackburn Rovers.
Add to this a 10th place finish last season—when the majority of the squad spent the season injured—and the successful avoidance of relegation the year before, and you have a decent body of work from the former Charlton manager.
Nevertheless, “Curbs” knows that his future at the Boleyn Ground is far from certain. He is extremely unpopular in many quarters.
The fans are against him, having chanted “You’ll be sacked in the morning” throughout the Hammer’s 4-1 extra-time victory in the League Cup against Macclesfield on Wednesday.
Disappointed with the team’s performances and perceived lack of ambition, they have little love for the man who began his playing career at the East London club.
The board are hardly enamoured with Curbishley as well. The sale of Anton Ferdinand to Sunderland, despite the manager's desire to keep the defender, has reportedly only exacerbated a rift between the Englishman and his Icelandic chairman, Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson.
Curbishley’s comments to the press, illustrating his disappointment at the sale, were also hardly appreciated by the men in suits.
Perhaps most damagingly, the press have also been highly critical of the 50-year-old. Rather interestingly, huge swathes of the media corps are Hammers fans, and have been unhappy about the club’s dull displays in recent times.
Fortunately for them, they are in the most influential position to make their views heard—and have made the most of it. Curbishley, however, remains defiant:
"I intend to stay here for some time, this is a job I enjoy and feel I can give more to," said Curbishley. "It disappoints me that this speculation continues, but I suppose that is how football goes."
Clearly, a bit of perspective is needed here. Without any real reason, the media have whipped the fans into a frenzy that threatens to be the downfall of their manager. Yet sacking Curbishley would be a foolish and short-sighted move, primarily because of one key question:
Who would replace him?
The overwhelming favourite is Slaven Bilic, a man who played for West Ham briefly during the late 1990’s. The 39-year-old enjoys a burgeoning reputation in the game, having led Croatia to Euro 2008 in exuberant fashion.
But why would he want to go to West Ham?
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