Curbishley quits Hammers post

Alan Curbishley said that a 'breach of trust and confidence' led to his resignation as West Ham United manager after less than two years at Upton Park.

Curbishley, 50, who also played for West Ham in the 1970s, succeeded Alan Pardew as coach in December 2006, but explained in a statement released through the League Managers' Association (LMA) that his position had become untenable.

'I have been incredibly proud to manage such a great club and my decision to resign has been very tough,' he said.

'The selection of players is critical to the job of the manager and I had an agreement with the club that I alone would determine the composition of the squad. It was made quite clear that I had the final say.

'However, the club continued to make significant player decisions without involving me. In the end such a breach of trust and confidence meant that I had no option but to leave."

In an interview with Sky Sports News he added: 'On Sunday morning I went into a meeting at Upton Park and was hoping to bring some loan (signings) in and I was told that I would not be in that position unless someone left the club and said 'well let's all go home then' because I don't want anyone to leave because I was happy with the way things were.

'I was quite happy to stick with the squad if I could not improve it, but that was not the case.'

He had already made it known he was upset about the sale of Anton Ferdinand to Sunderland last week and the sale of defender George McCartney, also to Sunderland, just before the close of Monday's transfer window was the final straw.

'I could not just sit around and be silent about it,' he said.

His resignation was accepted by the club's Icelandic owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson.

A statement on the club's website (www.whufc.com) said: 'We can confirm that we have accepted Alan Curbishley's resignation as we feel that 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.'

The club said their transfer policy was in the club's best interests and that the sales of Ferdinand and McCartney and the release of Freddie Ljungberg 'were right for the club'.

'Decisions had to be taken based on our best long-term interests. 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.'

Gudmundsson told the website: 'I can assure our loyal supporters that we are working hard to bring sustained success to West Ham United. Everyone, including the CEO and Board, is committed to this common goal.'

West Ham have won two of their opening three Premier League games this season and have scored eight goals in their last two matches; a 4-1 win over Macclesfield Town in the League Cup and a 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in Curbishley's last match in charge on Saturday.

West Ham's next manager will be their fifth in the last seven years since Harry Redknapp left in 2001, a stark contrast to the six managers they had in an 88-year period from 1902 to 1990.

The club said coach Kevin Keen would act as caretaker manager until a long-term replacement for Curbishley was appointed.

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