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I bumped into Mervyn Day, Alan Curbishley's No 2, at a golf event in Kent in the close season. I had met him only once before, but as I walked in he was not in the mood for pleasantries. He went straight to the point: “What is it with you lot in the media? You're always having a go at us. We're not entertaining enough, we're too like Charlton.”

“Well,” I replied. “There are a lot of West Ham fans in the media and your way of playing is a bit of a contrast with the old West Ham tradition of exciting football.”

His rant, I thought, revealed a paranoia that has spread down from the manager to his staff. And the mood at the club only seemed to get worse over the summer and as the season began. Now Curbishley has quit as West Ham United manager, saying that he had a lack of control over transfers. The wider reason for his departure is that there are four key factions you need on your side at a club: the board, the players, the fans and the media. And Curbishley was 4-0 down.

Background

• Critical fans tough on Curbishley

• West Ham show off continental credentials

• West Ham's qualified backing for Curbishley

• Curbishley feels sympathy for 'pilloried' Grant

Background

• Curbishley in call for action

• Curbishley feeling like a hero at Upton Park

• Curbishley 'delighted' to be back home

• Curbishley announced as new West Ham manager

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Curbishley has not won trophies, but he is a successful manager because he is a survivor, having spent nearly two decades in the dugout. But while mid-table Premier League survival was fine at Charlton Athletic, it was not enough at West Ham, whose fans are among the most demanding. You have to say that finishing tenth last term, given all the injuries, was a decent effort, but neither the manager's personality nor the football he produced was inspiring.

Some of Curbishley's methods rubbed players up the wrong way. Remember his criticism of the squad's “Baby Bentley” culture? How did that sit with the club's strategy of signing players who were merely decent on massive wages? How did the salaries of these arrivals make the existing players feel?

It is not as if this parting of the ways is a surprise. A source close to the club told me that there was a staff meeting at West Ham in the summer and the conversation turned to plans for the turn of the year. “Doesn't matter,” one of them said. “We won't be here by then.” But the club's timing is bizarre - this could and should have happened much earlier, certainly not two days after the transfer window closed.

The moment is perfect for Curbishley, though: fifth in the table after a 4-1 win. He must have realised that it was not going to get any better at a club where troubled relationships and cost-cutting were strangling him. He knew that he was about to run out of air. A couple of defeats in the coming weeks and he would have gone anyway, although perhaps with a big compensation deal if he had been forced out rather than quit.

He is smart to leave now, though. The table does not show it, but unless they can find a friendly billionaire sheikh, West Ham face a bleak future. Low morale, money tight, perhaps a few more stars out of the door in January: it is a recipe for relegation trouble. Yet expectation levels from fans and the board will remain high. It is not the most appealing prospect for Curbishley's successor, is it?

Beware the break
International breaks spell trouble for managers. A couple of days of peace and quiet at the training ground gives chairmen the perfect opportunity to fire and hire

Sammy Lee Lost his job as manager of Bolton Wanderers last season on day England lost 2-1 to Russia in Moscow.
Iain Dowie England were preparing for a friendly against Holland in November 2006 when Charlton Athletic replaced him with Les Reed.
Peter Taylor Sacked by Crystal Palace last October while England were preparing to face Estonia at Wembley.
Steve Bruce Decided to swap Birmingham City for Wigan Athletic two days before Croatia beat England 3-2 at Wembley last November.