Curbs closes in on Hammer's Helm

Talk about striking whilst the "iron's" hot! Merely days after the sacking of Alan Pardew at Upton Park, comes the announcement that West Ham have opened talks with former Charlton boss Alan Curbishley.

After allegedley turning down the job, back in 2001, it seems Curbishley will get a second bite of the East London cherry, as new West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson moved quickly into what has been reported as 'positive negotiations'.

It is rumoured that Curbs could even be unveiled as the new Iron's boss in as soon as 48 hours time! This surely would be too soon a time scale to replace a man that most Hammer's fans idolised and worshiped as they sung proudly "Alan Pardew's claret and blue Army!"

And right the fans were to sing too, celebrating the valiant conquests of last year in reaching a top 10 premiership finish and being part of one of the most memorable F.A. Cup finals of all time, despite losing on penalties. However this year has seen Pardew's men floundering at the bottom of the Premiership table, with just 4 wins from 17 games.

The look on Magnusson's face, hiding within his jacket as Bolton's Nicolas Anelka hammered in their fourth goal on Saturday was a picture that told a thousand stories. He clearly had seen enough, almost to the point where he looked as if he wanted to be sick. After backing Pardew from day one, Magnusson thought with his wallet and not his heart, seeing a change as the best thing for his 'investment'. Will this be an ever increasing trend with the rise of the foreign investor? Only time will tell.

Some will argue that the arrival of Argentine duo Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano amid the storm over the Joorabchian takevover was the beginning of the end for Pardew. However, such arguments merely paper over the cracks of a team that is simply under performing.

After all, Tevez has only made 7 Premiership starts and Mascherano only 3. Along with Shevchenko, they add to the ever growing list of big name foreign imports that are struggling to find their feet in the Premiership. True, their arrival may have lowered team morale and self belief amongst players, yet less strikingly it is both injuries and loss of form that has been the real downfall at Upton Park.

Early injuries to the likes of Gabbidon, Ferdinand, , Bowyer and most importantly, Dean Ashton have all disrupted the free flowing football that we saw from the Hammers last season. Combine this with a simultaneous loss of form by certain players, notably the likes of Nigel Reo-Coker and Paul Konchesky and you begin to get down to the root of the problem Curbishley may have to face.

More to the point, is Curbishley really the right man for the job? Forums and messageboards across the web have been flooded with Hammers fans expressing their delight at their proposed replacement, yet even Curbs himself warned that fans should not take his appointmet for granted; "I'm flattered by the response from fans who believe I should be the next boss but two and two do not always make four."

Such wise words will serve warning for any fans who think that good times are simply right around the corner. For sure, Curbs may just be the perfect man to get West Ham and their Argentine superstars back firing on all cylinders. But first, they must negotiate the tough task of a home tie against Premiership leaders Manchester United on Sunday. What a baptism of fire that may turn out to be!