Alan Curbishley makes feelings clear on David Moyes as former West Ham boss explains pressure of management

Alan Curbishley West Ham David Moyes

West Ham news: Alan Curbishley has opened up on the pressures of being a football manager

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Jack Otway

By Jack Otway


Published: 23/11/2023

- 11:25

Updated: 23/11/2023

- 11:27

EXCLUSIVE: The 66-year-old has opened up on the current Hammers manager

Alan Curbishley has hailed David Moyes for the work he's done at West Ham and feels the Scot is a manager worth keeping.

Reports have suggested the 60-year-old could leave the London Stadium at the end of the season, despite everything he's achieved during his time in the dugout.


Moyes has helped West Ham consolidate their place in the Premier League, having previously often flirted with relegation.

And he steered the club to UEFA Conference League glory last season, with Fiorentina beaten 2-1 in the final back in June.

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West Ham news: David Moyes' long-term future at the London Stadium is currently up in the air

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Curbishley knows all about the pressures of managing West Ham, having previously spent just shy of two years in east London.

Now, speaking exclusively to GB News via Free Bets UK, the 66-year-old has praised Moyes and insisted he deserves to stay in the job.

"He's done a fantastic job," Curbishley said.

"I think there have been two occasions when he's gone in there and had to save them from a relegation scrap.

"He's got them to the top seven, top half of the table regularly and now [is] a European Cup winner, etc.

"Is hard to fathom. I do understand the West Ham fans, they do talk about possession-based football, because everyone's talking about that now and West Ham don't normally dominate possession.

"But when you start considering possession, it's mainly in the back four anyway, passing around between the keeper and the back for it's not in attacking situations.

"Nevertheless, you should be careful what you wish for.

"Has David been there long enough? Who knows?

"But if that is the case, that's a big decision that David Sullivan is going to make.

"I don't know what David situation is in but he might be in a situation where he wants to move on.

"Does he want to stay? I've not had that conversation with him.

"But I do think the club is established that the stadium, as I said earlier, they've gone from 35,000 from when I managed to 65,000.

"It's a massive club now. Perhaps the expectations level is more than just the results."

Curbishley feels his own time in management is over.

But he's keen to become a mentor for current Premier League bosses and sympathises with the pressures of the modern game.

"Absolutely," he said when asked about the importance of managers having somebody to help them.

"I just think that with more and more mobile phones, you probably can't even go out for a meal.

"Sometimes as a manager you fear to go out, or may not have been out for a month or so, because of the result.

"It does take a toll on families, like your children go to school and they could be asked questions like 'is your Dad struggling'. It's a very pressurised job.

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West Ham news: Alan Curbishley has shed light on the pressure of being a football manager

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"Don't get me wrong, the rewards are fantastic now. In the Premier League especially.

"But you have to take that with it. It's probably a lot more [pressurised] when I was managing because it's so much more high profile."

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