West Ham United have accepted Alan Curbishley's resignation
03.09.2008
West Ham United can confirm that Alan Curbishley has tendered his
resignation as manager and that it has been accepted.
A club statement said: "We can confirm that we have accepted Alan
Curbishley's resignation as we feel it is in the best interests of both
parties. We wish Alan all the success in the future. A shortlist of
candidates is being drawn up and an announcement will be made in due course
about the new West Ham United manager."
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Curbishley quits as West Ham boss - BBC
By Simon Austin
Alan Curbishley has resigned as manager of Premier League club West Ham
United. Curbishley tendered his resignation on Wednesday and it was accepted
by West Ham owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson. The former Charlton boss had grown
disillusioned at the club's transfer policy, which had led to the sales of
Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney. The Hammers tried to justify the sales
on their website, stating that they were "right for the club" and "based on
our best long-term interests".
The statement added: "In the past week, agreement could not be reached with
Ferdinand on a new contract to replace his original deal that had just two
years left to run, while McCartney handed in a formal written transfer
request after failing to resolve his personal reasons for wanting a move
away."
Curbishley took over at West Ham in December 2006 and was promised
significant transfer funds to help achieve the objective of qualifying for
the Champions League within five years. He signed the likes of Kieron Dyer,
Lucas Neill and Freddie Ljungberg during a summer of lavish spending in
2007, but his terms of reference clearly changed this summer. Gudmundsson
told Curbishley he had to reduce the club's wage bill and money was focussed
on training and medical facilities rather than signings.
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BILIC FAVOURITE FOR HAMMERS JOB - Sporting Life
Slaven Bilic is the hot favourite to take over at West Ham following Alan
Curbishley's departure. Paddy Power has installed the Croatian manager and
former Hammers player at just 5/4 having been heavily touted by West Ham
fans as the man they want in charge. Whilst Bilic looks to be in pole
position after his humiliation of Steve McClaren's England in the Euro 2008
qualifiers, other candidates in the betting include a return for Harry
Redknapp at 7/1 with Roberto Mancini and Frank Rijkaard both at 11/1.
Under-fire Kevin Keegan is 16/1 to go to West Ham should he leave Newcastle
whilst Upton Park hate figure Paul Ince is the 50/1 outsider.
Darren Haines, spokesman for Paddy Power, said: "First Newcastle, now West
Ham. "The Premier League's under-fire managers are feeling the fallout from
transfer window repercussions but whereas the race to be Newcastle manager
is relatively wide open should Keegan depart, it's difficult to look beyond
Bilic for the Hammers and the betting reflects that."
Paddy Power's Next West Ham Manager: 5/4 Bilic, 7/1 H Redknapp, 11/1
Mancini, 11/1 Rijkaard, 14/1 Deschamps, 16/1 Allardyce, 16/1 Keegan, 20/1
Shearer, 20/1 Houllier, 20/1 Poyet, 20/1 Gullit, 28/1 Moyes, 28/1 Strachan,
33/1 Wise, 33/1 M Laudrup, 33/1 Pearce, 33/1 McClaren, 33/1 Ranieri, 33/1 W
Smith, 50/1 Ince. Others available
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A Hammer blow - SSN
Minto feels disappointed after Curbs' resignation
Last updated: 3rd September 2008
Scott Minto feels that if Alan Curbishley was not in control of transfer
policy then he had little choice but to leave West Ham. Speaking moments
after the news of Curbishley's departure broke on Sky Sports News, Minto
said he was disappointed to see his former Charlton manager walking out of
the Upton Park hotseat. It is thought that Curbishley was upset by the sales
of high-profile players such as Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney before
the transfer window and Minto feels the decisions may have been taken out of
the manager's hands. "It's disappointing because I feel Alan Curbishley
could have done a good job at West Ham," said Minto who played for the
Hammers between 1999 and 2003. "I played under him at Charlton and it has
been a difficult time for him at West Ham, there's no doubt about that.
"When it gets to the point when the players you want to keep are getting
sold and you don't have the choice of the players in your squad then there
comes a point where you've got to say 'have I had enough here?' He certainly
has. "It's been going on in Europe for years with sporting directors
bringing in a lot of the players, not the coach. "It's a very English thing
for the manager to want to choose who comes in and I think it should stay
like that. "The owner or the chairman or the president should take a long
time over who they choose and once they've done that they should give the
manager everything he wants. "It seems to me there's a growing number of
people taking over English clubs and saying 'we've put a lot of money into
this, we want to have a say over who comes in and who goes'."
However, Minto feels that transfer policy was not the only factor behind
Curbishley's decision. He pointed to overspending by the previous regime, as
well as disgruntlement among the fans over Curbishley's style of football as
further explanations for the resignation. "When Eggert Magnusson was the
chairman he spent a lot of money on wages as well as signing on fees for
certain players and I think the owners are now saying they need to rein that
in a bit. "I'm disappointed for Curbs because although my first love is
Charlton, West Ham is a much bigger club. A lot of the press are West Ham
fans and there's a lot of pressure down there, also from the supporters.
"The supporters want to see entertaining, exciting football. Alan Curbishley
is a manager who would rather have the 1-0 win - and most professionals
would agree with that. "West Ham fans want to see a 3-2 win or a 4-3 loss
and they'd be happy. They know they're not going to be winning major
trophies every year so they want to see exciting, entertaining football.
"Perhaps they haven't seen that in the last year or so under Alan
Curbishley. "It's not just what has happened with George McCartney, I think
this has been growing for the last year or so."
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Alan Curbishley factfile - Times Online
1957: Born, London, November 8.
Played in midfield for England schools, youth and under-21 level.
1974: Joins West Ham. Makes 85 appearances and scores five goals.
1979: Joins Birmingham and in his first season does not miss one league
game.
1983: Signed by Aston Villa but has an unhappy time, making only 36
appearances in one and a half seasons.
1984: Joins Charlton early in the season and makes a total of 63 appearances
with six goals in three seasons.
1987: Moves to Brighton and quickly becomes a regular, scoring 13 goals in
116 matches.
1990: Rejoins Charlton but after a first season when he appeared 27 times,
only plays once in each of the next two seasons.
1991: Takes over as joint manager with Steve Gritt.
1992: Club returns to The Valley.
1995: Gritt leaves, putting Curbishley in full control but Charlton finish a
disappointing 15th.
1996: Charlton lose in the play-off semi-finals to Crystal Palace. Lee
Bowyer sold to Leeds for £2.6million.
1998: Charlton qualify for the play-offs again and this time win promotion
in the most dramatic of climaxes. At 4-4 after extra time, they defeat
Sunderland in a penalty shoot-out at Wembley.
1999: Relegated from Premier League.
2000: Promoted as champions of Division One.
2001: Charlton finish ninth in the Premier League.
June 8 - Curbishley signs new four-year contract to quash speculation
linking him with vacant West Ham hotseat.
2002: Charlton finish 14th in the league.
2003: The Addicks improve to 12th in the Premier League.
2004: February - Signs three-and-a-half year extension to his contract at
Charlton.
May - Charlton finish seventh in Premier League.
June - Linked with vacancy at Liverpool but Anfield club appoint Rafael
Benitez.
2005: May 1 - Admits he might consider his future after losing 4-0 to
Manchester United at The Valley, leaving the side languishing in 11th after
pushing for UEFA Cup place just weeks earlier.
2006: March - Holds preliminary talks with FA chief Brian Barwick about the
possibility of replacing Sven-Goran Eriksson as England manager after the
World Cup.
April - Denies speculation he has had a second meeting with the FA about the
England job, claiming continued the continued reports had "hijacked"
Charlton's season.
April 29 - Announces he is to leave Charlton at the end of the season after
almost 15 years in charge.
December - Appointed West Ham manager with Mervyn Day as his assistant.
Beats Manchester United in first game in charge but club become embroiled in
a relegation battle and a controversial legal saga over the registration of
striker Carlos Tevez.
2007: May - West Ham complete their escape from relegation with a 1-0 defeat
of Manchester United in their final game, Tevez scoring the winner.
2008: May - West Ham finish 10th in the Premier League.
September 3 - Resigns as West Ham manager.
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Bilic installed as favourite for vacant Hammers role - Guardian Series
3:14pm Wednesday 3rd September 2008
BOOKMAKERS William Hill have installed Slaven Bilic as favourite to land the
vacant West Ham manager's role. Alan Curbishley sensationally quit his role
as Irons chief earlier today. And the talk around who will be his
replacement is already doing the rounds. Croatia boss Bilic - who played for
the club between 1996-7 and was a crowd favourite - is 3/1 to succeed
Curbishley, although he has apparently ruled himself out of the job.
Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp, who managed the club between 1994 and 2001,
is second favourite at 6/1, followed by Sam Allardyce at 8/1 and current
England under-21 boss Stuart Pearce at 10/1. Hammers legend Paolo Di Canio
is also an outsider at 14/1, while another legend, Sir Trevor Brooking,
seems a far bet at 40/1. West Ham have confirmed that they will be drawing
up a shortlist of candidates for the role.
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Curbishley departs with massive endorsement - KUMB
Filed: Wednesday, 3rd September 2008
By: Staff Writer
A poll on KUMB.com had revealed overwhelming support for Alan Curbishley on
the day he handed in his resignation. The poll, started last night currently
stands at 87% support for Curbishley with nearly 500 supporters voting.
That flies in the face of continuous media reports suggesting that most
Hammers fans wanted to see the back of the manager, who resigned this
lunchtime in protest at the board's decision to undermine him by selling
players without his knowledge. An earlier KUMB.com poll taken at the end of
last season revealed similarly huge support for Curbishley, who lasted in
the job for just 21 months having succeeded Alan Pardew in December 2006.
Now supporters are set to turn on the board for what has been perceived as
disgraceful treatment of the club's 11th full-time manager, who many felt
was just turning the corner having, as he did, most of his squad fit and at
his disposal.
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Bilic favourite - KUMB
Filed: Wednesday, 3rd September 2008
By: Staff Writer
Croatia boss Slaven Bilic has been installed as favourite to succeed Alan
Curbishley. The national team boss, who spent a year at West Ham in the
1990s is odds-on to follow Curbishley having recently admitted that he would
be interested in the post should it become vacant. Other names in the hat at
this early stage include Sam Allardyce, Kevin Keegan and former boss Harry
Redknapp. Curbishley ended a stormy two-year reign as Hammers boss earlier
today when he resigned in protest at the board's decision to sell key
players from his squad against the manager's wishes. Ironically a KUMB poll
taken today saw a massive majority (90%) vote in favour of retaining the
services of the now-departed manager.
Current odds
5/4 Bilic, 7/1 H Redknapp, 11/1 Mancini, 11/1 Rijkaard, 14/1 Deschamps, 16/1
Allardyce, 16/1 Keegan, 20/1 Shearer, 20/1 Houllier, 20/1 Poyet, 20/1
Gullit, 28/1 Moyes, 28/1 Strachan, 33/1 Wise, 33/1 M Laudrup, 33/1 Pearce,
33/1 McClaren, 33/1 Ranieri, 33/1 W Smith, 50/1 Ince.
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REVEALED: Curbs quit West Ham because club officials tried to sell Ashton to
Spurs and Bellamy to City behind his back - Daily Mail
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 3:17 PM on 03rd September 2008
Alan Curbishley today sensationally quit as West Ham boss because club
official's attempted to sell Craig Bellamy and Dean Ashton's behind his
back. Sportsmail online understands that on discovering that Ashton had been
offered to Tottenham, and Bellamy to the new Arab owners at Manchester City,
on the final day of the transfer window, Curbishley considered it time to
walk. The former Charlton manager, who has been in charge at Upton Park
since December 2006, had become frustrated with the club's unreal
expectations to finish in the top seven of the Barclays Premier League. If
they expected him to finish so highly in the league, why were they selling
his best players without his knowledge - Curbishley must have surely
questioned?
The 50-year-old held a series of meetings with the Upton Park hierarchy and
after a final summit with Hammers' chief executive Scott Duxbury - to
'clarify' his role - Curbishley felt his position had become untenable.
Curbishley was told to cut costs over the summer, but he did not realise the
extent of the club's financial problems until they began selling players
without his consent. Freddie Ljungberg's astronomical contract was paid up,
John Pantsil and Bobby Zamora were sold to Fulham and Ferdinand signed for
Sunderland last week. Central defender Matthew Upson, who has forced his
way back into the England squad, was considered by Arsenal but Arsene Wenger
signed a cheaper option in Mikael Silvestre.
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Bilic Favourite For Hammers As Moyes Favourite To Be Next Boss Out - William
Hill
BILIC FAVOURITE TO BE HAMMERS' NEW BOSS
William Hill have installed Slaven Bilic as 3/1 favourite to succeed Alan
Curbishley as the next permanent West Ham manager.
S BILIC 3/1
H REDKNAPP 6/1
S ALLARDYCE 8/1
S PEARCE 10/1
L VAN GAAL 12/1
G POYET 12/1
G HODDLE 12/1
R MARTINEZ 12/1
D MOYES 14/1
R GULLIT 14/1
P DI CANIO 14/1
D DESCHAMPS 14/1
T VENABLES 16/1
B DAVIES 16/1
N WINTERBURN 16/1
M ALLEN 16/1
G VIALLI 16/1
S COPPELL 20/1
D OLEARY 20/1
A SHEARER 20/1
A GRANT 20/1
M JOL 25/1
G SOUTHGATE 25/1
I DOWIE 25/1
G GRAHAM 25/1
S GORAN ERIKSSON 33/1
K KEEGAN 33/1
D WISE 33/1
T BROOKING 40/1
K BOND 40/1
G ROEDER 40/1
BARACK OBAMA 10,000/1
William Hill: Next Prem Manager to go' Without Keegan':
David Moyes 9/4
Mark Hughes 5/1
Paul Ince 5/1
Harry Redknapp 11/2
Rafa Benitez 6/1
Gary Megson 13/2
Juande Ramos 16/1
Roy Hodgson 16/1
Phil Brown 16/1
Tony Mowbray 20/1
Roy Keane 20/1
Steve Bruce 20/1
Tony Pulis 20/1
Gareth Southgate 25/1
Martin O'Neil 33/1
No Manager 33/1
Arsene Wenger 40/1
Phil Scolari 40/1
Alex Ferguson 40/1
CITY 'TOP FOUR' ODDS SLASHED
MANCHESTER CITY supporters have rushed to back their team to finish in the
top four THIS season with William Hill - who have cut their odds for it to
happen from 15/2 to 4/1. 'Despite the fact that they are currently just one
player better off - and one unproven in the Premiership, at that, City fans
are convinced that this season will see them break into the top four and
we've been knocked over for our 15/2 that they can do so'said Hill's
spokesman Graham Sharpe.
Hills' odds for where City will finish this season are:
66/1 FIRST
9/2 2ND TO 4TH INCL
4/1 TOP FOUR
EVENS 5TH TO 7TH
15/8 8TH TO 10TH
5/1 ELEVENTH OR LOWER
WILLIAM HILL have slashed their odds for Manchester City to break their own
British transfer record in the NEXT Transfer window, from 7/4 to 6/5, and
offer 8/13 that they will not do so.
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Alan Curbishley Resigns Be Careful Of What You Wish For - West Ham Fans.org
Submitted by Neville Nixon on 3 September, 2008 - 13:39.
Well all you Curbs bashers have got your way, on behalf of all genuine West
Ham fans it is with a feeling of deep regret that we are reporting this
event. Alan Curbishley has resigned as manager of West Ham United, many fans
have been calling for a change and that is what they have got, but be
careful of what you wish for. As we had previously mentioned, there was a
definite agenda happening behind the scenes, expect Gian Luca Nani to take
control in the short term, but Slaven Bilic is the bookie's favourite and
will almost certainly be installed as the new manger in weeks if not days. -
Ed. PS: Fanno I hope you will be able to find another 'Turds' to despise!
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Bilic rules out West Ham job - Setanta
by Jure Bohoric, 03 September 2008
Slaven Bilic has insisted he will continue as Croatia boss as speculation
mounts he could be set to succeed Alan Curbishley at West Ham. Curbishley
resigned as West Ham boss on Wednesday, and Bilic is one of the favourites
to take over. However, despite having played at Upton Park in the 1990s,
Bilic has ruled out a return until after the World Cup in two years. "It is
true – I get calls from England all the time, just like before," he said.
"But I can't say anything about West Ham United. "Now that the game with
England is getting closer, they will write more about me coming there. "I
signed new contract to coach Croatia and that's all I can say. I will
continue my job as national team coach until end of World Cup 2010."
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Alan Curbishley resigns as West Ham manager•
Speculation mounts that Slaven Bilic will take over
Curbishley believed to be unhappy at club's transfer policy
Paul Doyle guardian.co.uk
Wednesday September 03 2008 14:35 BST
Monday's closure of the transfer window might have put a temporary stop to
player coming-and-goings, but it seems only to have kick-started managerial
moves. Following yesterday's commotion at Newcastle, Alan Curbishley has
resigned as West Ham manager. "We can confirm that we have accepted Alan
Curbishley's resignation as we feel it is in the best interests of both
parties," read a statement on the West Ham website. "We wish Alan all the
success in the future. A shortlist of candidates is being drawn up and an
announcement will be made in due course about the new West Ham United
manager."
West Ham have won two of their first three league matches this season -
their best start to a campaign for nine years - but Curbishley had been
vilified by some fans for his perceived underachievement last season, when,
despite suffering a savage spate of injuries, West Ham finished 10th. There
has long been speculation that Croatia manager and former West Ham player
Slaven Bilic is being lined up to take charge of the Hammers. The manager's
decision today is understood to have been prompted not by those rumours, but
by the sale of players this summer without his consent. Last year West Ham
forked out huge transfer fees and wages to attract a slew of new stars to
the club, though injuries have meant that many of them have only played
sporadically.
This summer signalled a change of policy at Upton Park as the club decided
to trim the squad to cut costs. That not only prevented Curbishley from
bringing in all the players he sought but, more frustratingly, meant he lost
some of those he wanted to hold on to.Last week's sale of Anton Ferdinand to
Sunderland angered Curbishley, but he was reportedly placated by assurances
that there would be no further departures. When full-back George McCartney
then followed Ferdinand to Sunderland, Curbishley's patience reached
breaking point.
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ALAN CURBISHLEY LEAVES WEST HAM - Cmon Yu Irons
3 September 2008
Most West Ham fans could never ever think of betraying the club we love and
be jealous of any other club.
Man City, New owners with money coming from bottomless pockets, buying
players at incredible amounts of money and with promises from their owners
there is more big signings to come, now stop and think! you cant buy
success, it has to be earned by hard work and players who wear the badge
with pride and not thinking of the pay cheque for £150,000 at the end of the
month.
Many West Ham fans showing anger and jealousy that we did not do the same as
Man City some even going to the extent of saying they are losing their love
for the club, a football club is a business and any business that has
suffered as much as West Ham have needs to be run with strict rules and
management.
Myself and i dare say thousands of other Hammers fans could never even think
about losing our feelings for West Ham, the true fans would be tested to the
limit with anger and frustration but still bleed claret and blue, our
children and our children's children will carry on where we leave off and
will still show the same passion for a club that never fails to disappoint
and makes grown men cry.
My son in law is a Liverpool fan, but are his children Liverpool fans? the
answer is quite obvious, they are West Ham fans with passion.
Don't be jealous of Man City, Chelsea or these clubs, look at Real Madrid
and how much they spent and ask, " When did they last win some silverware?"
Be proud to be a Hammers supporter through thick and thin and if your not
then support another club because there is no room here at West Ham for you!
This post was submitted by Terry Howard 40 Years ST Holder on Submit a Post.
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Curbishley quits Upton Park - ITN
Updated 14.25 Wed Sep 03 2008
Alan Curbishley has resigned as manager of West Ham United after less than
two years in charge. Bookmakers made Curbishley their favourite to become
the first managerial casualty in the Premier League of the season and fans
booed at Upton Park last week when West Ham struggled to beat Macclesfield
Town in the Carling Cup. "A shortlist of candidates is being drawn up" -
West Ham statementA club statement read: "We can confirm that we have
accepted Alan Curbishley's resignation as we feel it is in the best
interests of both parties. We wish Alan all the success in the future. "A
shortlist of candidates is being drawn up and an announcement will be made
in due course about the new West Ham United manager."
Curbishley had been in charge since December 2006 and he helped the club
avoid relegation on the final day of the same season. The highlights of his
time as manager at Upton Park were three Premier League wins over Manchester
United.
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Curbishley resigns as West Ham boss - metro.co.uk
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
West Ham manager Alan Curbishley has resigned from his position at Upton
Park. Curbishley was reportedly unhappy at the exit of two key defenders -
Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney, both to Sunderland - just days before
the transfer window closed but it is unclear if this provoked his
resignation. West Ham have yet to confirm his departure but have released a
statement defending their recent transfer dealings. 'The transfers of Anton
Ferdinand and George McCartney along with the release of Freddie Ljungberg
were right for the club and decisions had to be taken based on our best
long-term interests,' claimed the statement. 'In the past week, agreement
could not be reached with Ferdinand on a new contract to replace his
original deal that had just two years left to run while McCartney handed in
a formal written transfer request after failing to resolve his personal
reasons for wanting a move away. 'The club is fully committed to a
high-quality first-team squad based on solid financial foundations that will
challenge at the top end of the Premier League and in the cup competitions.'
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Curbishley quits Hammers - Setanta
by Tom Adams, 03 September 2008
Alan Curbishley has become the first managerial casualty of the new Premier
League season, leaving West Ham after just four games of the campaign.
Despite beating Wigan and Manchester City in the league, and defeating
Macclesfield to progress in the Carling Cup, tensions over the club's
transfer policy have seemingly led to the manager's departure. Curbishley
was reportedly angered by the decision to sell Anton Ferdinand and then saw
George McCartney depart the club on transfer deadline day, without a
replacement arriving. The former Charlton boss has also been targeted by
Hammers fans recently and has now opted to step down from his job at Upton
Park. Curbishley was appointed to the role in December 2006 and memorably
led the East London side to safety when relegation looked a distinct
possibility in his first season. The Hammers finished tenth last term
despite suffering from a debilitating run of injuries.
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Curbs Quits West Ham - the Sun
ALAN CURBISHLEY has sensationally resigned as manager of West Ham. The
Hammers have made their best start to a league campaign in nine years and
have won two of their opening three games. But Curbishley, who joined the
club in 2006, has become the Premier League's first managerial casualty of
the season. Irons fans never really accepted their former player as a
manager, although last weekend's 4-1 win over Blackburn suggested they could
be still be won over. Despite things looking bright on the pitch, Curbishley
is reported to have quit his post following the club's decision to sell
defender George McCartney to Sunderland without his knowledge on transfer
deadline day. He told a friend he felt 'humiliated' after assurances from
the West Ham board that no more players would be leaving Upton Park this
summer. Croatia manager Slaven Bilic is the fans' favourite to replace
Curbishley. But it would take a huge offer to persuade him to join the
Londoners because he recently agreed a new contract with his country. Curbs
led the Hammers to 28 wins in 71 games, with 14 draws and 29 defeats.
More to follow...
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Alan Curbishley quits as West Ham boss after humiliation over McCartney sale
- Daily Mail
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 2:23 PM on 03rd September 2008
Alan Curbishley has resigned as manager of Premier League side West Ham. Top
of the West Ham website remains an unfortunate statement 'clarifying the
club's activities this summer' which opened with the sentence 'West Ham
United are looking to a bright future after a summer of consolidation and a
positive start to the new season at the Boleyn Ground.' Sportsmail reported
today that Curbishley had indicated he would be prepared to accept a
severance package in the wake of George McCartney's controversial move to
Sunderland. Curbishley believes he is being deliberately undermined by the
board after he went on record to claim the fire sale was officially over
following Anton Ferdinand's £8million sale to Sunderland.
The manager was originally led to believe the club were in negotiations with
Chelsea for two right backs - Paulo Ferreira and Juliano Belletti - but
neither deal was completed in the transfer window. Curbishley believed he
was simply keeping the seat warm until a replacement becomes available,
possibly Croatia coach Slaven Bilic. Bilic, who is preparing for Croatia's
World Cup qualifier against England in Zagreb next Wednesday, is the board's
top target and would be the overwhelming choice of West Ham supporters.
More to follow
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