Curbishley said in an interview to be shown on Football Night on Five tonight: “It was like going on a blind date when I first met him [Magnusson] as I had never spoken to him before.
“I don’t think any of us envisioned that the relationship was going to be tested so soon. When you’ve won one game in ten [league matches], there’s no hiding place. There’s no hiding place for me, the players and the chairman. I have had a whirlwind eight weeks, but the chairman has had a whirlwind ten weeks.
“Everywhere I look and go there is a West Ham fan. They’re not happy and I can understand that. We’re trying our hardest but it’s not been good enough. The milkman and postman are fans. They left me alone when I was Charlton Athletic manager. It brings added pressure. I took my father-in-law, who is 82, a West Ham plate out of the canteen and he won’t eat off anything else now. It is a different situation to Charlton as I live in amongst it [now].”
Curbs also said: “I’ve not really had enough time to impose myself on the squad because the team’s changed every week. I found myself picking the team Friday mornings because of injuries and the lack of form.”
