They're lucky to be in the Premiership, what with the farce that knocked Sheffield United out of the league last term.
David Brenchley:
So, another win and Alan Curbishley's job remains for another year, not that it would have been in danger had Derby managed to escape from Upton Park with three points. After joining when the club was staring relegation in the face, Curbishley has done exactly what has been asked of him and stabilised the club. Then again, stability is his middle name - or should that be mediocrity?
He did exactly what was asked of him at Charlton as well, and more. After 15 years with one club, it is hard to change mentality. Having reached the Premier League, all Curbishley had to do was survive. He did that comfortably. Every season was the same: a good start to the season followed by gaining the magic 45 points and looking comfortable in the top ten then trailing off and finishing 14th. Sound familiar? The difference between then and now is the crowd.
The Charlton fans seemed happy with being a Premier League club. The board never really had too much money and Curbishley managed that well. Now he is at West Ham, a club with tradition - no offence meant to Charlton - and expectant fans. The fans are now beginning to make their opinions on Curbishley heard and have been widely condemned for it. "You don't know what you're doing" rang around The Boleyn Ground as Carlton Cole came on and proceeded to score the winning goal - harsh maybe but surely the fans have a right to demand a comfortable win against a team relegated before Easter.
Even the most positive fan will admit that, after last season, a mid-table finish would be a great achievement, this isn't being disputed. What seems to be the problem is the way Curbishley's teams seem to fade towards the end of the season. As with his time at Charlton, West Ham's players seem to have reached the magical 45 points target and patted themselves on the back, not realising there are still games left to play. Losing to Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham are perfectly acceptable; capitulating 4-0 to all three is unforgivable to any West Ham fan.
On current form, West Ham will don't look like picking up any points from their last three games. If Newcastle and Tottenham can pick up two wins in that time (bearing in mind the former play West Ham at the weekend) West Ham will finish 12th. As a West Ham fan, I have to stick up for the crowd. The stick the team is receiving isn't because we feel we should be higher in the table, it is because of the manner of the performances.
In my lifetime, West Ham fans have always known that their team isn't the best - even when we qualified for European campaigns. What West Ham have always been famed for though are attacking performances. With the prices of season tickets going up every year, surely the fans have a right to demand value for money, even if it means relegation scraps.