And Another Thing...| West Ham Sacking Alan Curbishley Would be Foolish

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 10^th 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?

Many in the press seem to believe that some sort of “affection” the Croatian picked up in his year at Upton Park would be sufficient to persuade him to take the job.  Damagingly, without talking to him, Gudmundsson might be fooled into thinking the same thing.

This is regardless of the fact that the board, playing and coaching staff are all completely different from when he was at the club.

The reality, however, is that at the moment the job is simply not appealing. Any new manager would have little say over transfer purchases—coming or going. Anton Ferdinand left because the board said so, and Curbishley has previously admitted that he “only recommends” new signings to those above him.

Why would any manager, but particularly one as strong-willed as Bilic, want to work without control over transfer policy?

Similarly, with the transfer window closing today, any new manager would have to work for at least three months with Curbishley’s squad. This is rarely a recipe for success.

Anyone taking the job would have to accept that they would have to wait to stamp their own identity on the squad—and even then there would be no guarantees the board would allow them a say over who was brought in.

Without even mentioning that improving on last year’s 10^th place finish would be a massive challenge (and anything else would be considered a failure), the job already looks less than appealing. Oh, and the squad aren’t that content either.

Robert Green has stated he feels "completely undervalued" after being denied a pay rise. Dean Ashton was as unsettled until agreeing improved terms. Upson, speaking earlier this week, was quoted as saying:

“[The fans] have every right to be frustrated and if they’re angry at the manager, then that’s just something he needs to deal with.”

With Upson announced in this week’s England squad, there is a realistic possibility that him, Ashton, and Green—arguably three of the club’s best players—will depart before too long, regardless of whom the manager is.

Would they be replaced?

Equally, why exactly would Bilic be such a managerial improvement? Admittedly, the Croatian has done fantastically with his national side, but he is hardly the flamboyant attacking coach the fans seem to desire.

After all, in Euro 2008 this was a man who opted for the determined but limited Ivica Olic alone up front, in preference to the more creative (and able) Ivan Klasnic. He also conspired to turn a fairly straightforward route to the final into a disappointing (and surprising) quarterfinal exit.

Hardly the actions of a managerial genius.

Also, much of the Croatian’s creativity came from the players inherent within Bilic’s squad. Luka Modric, Niko Kranjcar, and Ivan Rakitic were all intelligent attacking midfielders long before their manager came along. He can take little credit for their natural talent.

Do West Ham have similar quality in their squad? Highly debatable.

Would the board sanction the purchase of such quality? Highly unlikely.

Could Bilic turn Noble, Mullins or Scott Parker into the team’s creative playmakers? Don't be silly—could anyone?

Finally, would anyone expect someone like Bilic to accept , in the same relatively meek way Curbishley has done, the unilateral actions of the Upton Park board? The Croatian has already shown he is a refreshing penchant for straight-talking—if Gudmundsson so despises criticism from his manager, he would not last long.

Realistically, then, everyone surrounding the club should calm down, and let Curbishley get on as West Ham’s manager. He may not be the best man for the job, but for the foreseeable future he is the only realistic option. At this moment the results are not worth worrying about—and the performances will come.

Sacking Curbishley in the belief that Bilic is waiting in the wings would be folly in the extreme. Even if the Croatian accepted the job (which must rank as a big if), he would realistically do well to repeat last season's top ten finish.

Curbishley would surely say that is his minimum target. He should get the chance to prove it.

Unfortunately, next week (9th September), England play Croatia at Wembley. If Croatia triumph once again against the Three Lions, the clamour for Bilic may prove too much for the West Ham board to bear.

It could prove a massive mistake.

To read the previous And Another Thing, regarding Andriy Shevchenko's move to AC Milan, click here.