West Ham's Curbishley Favourite For The Sack

Installed as 4/1 favourite to be the first manager to get the sack this season, Alan Curbishley has every reason to be a little bit nervous. However, speaking yesterday, the West Ham manager seemed remarkably calm: "I'm not bothered," he told The Sun. “I'm not a gambling man. I had 15 years at Charlton as outsider to get the sack. But I don't think I'm under pressure. Other people like to stir things up and make it worse." Nevertheless, ahead of Kevin Keegan and Gary Megson in the pecking order, the bookies are adamant Curbishley should be looking over his shoulder. West Ham had a comfortable but uninspiring season last year, with a 10th place finish always on the cards. The club’s Icelandic owner, Björgólfur Guðmundsson, is ambitious, and will be looking for more from his team this time out. However, considering all the injuries the Hammers suffered last season, a 10th place finish was very respectable. With the more frequent availability of Julien Faubert, Kieron ... (link)