WEST Ham fans deserve better than Curbishley and his dull, dreary, unwinning Charlton-a-likes <br></br>GUNNERS: Get another striker and you might challenge for honours <br></br>STOKE CITY - the new Derby - you've got no chance

14 April 2012

Humiliation - it's the only word for how West Ham fans are feeling after the abject surrender of their team against ten men in Manchester.

"Sorry Avram," says Alan Curbishley, according to the back page of the Daily Mail. Well West Ham are one sorry club and their manager is like Humpty Dumpty ... he's fallen off his wall and there's no way of putting him together again.

• The previous HATCHET MAN

"West Ham did not turn up," said Alan Hansen. "They were looking for a beach somewhere."

This is a club who have been in the same position in the league for 19 weeks. They don't go up, they don't go down. A little bit like the game at Old Trafford: West Ham did not go forward with any menace, they offered no threat to Manchester United – they curled up and caved in. Where is their ambition?

Scroll down for more

How times change: Last year Carlos Tevez saved West Ham at Old Trafford - this year he helped savage them

Now, United are the superior team with the better players, but West Ham had beaten them in each of their previous three encounters.

When United strolled into a 3-0 lead, it was nothing more than anyone expected, especially from this West Ham team under Curbishley.

Then Nani was sent off for his head-push on Lucas Neil (great pinch to wind him up) and Dean Ashton scored with a sensational overhead kick and suddenly we had a game. Or we should have done.

Surely, West Ham would send bodies forward, bring on another striker, attack with relish – they had nothing to lose. Instead, they collapsed, they gave up. They only played with two up front once they were 4-1 down.

The old pals' act extended to the pitch when Alan met Alex

This epic title race deserved more than this; it deserved for West Ham to really go after United and to take the head-to-head between United and Chelsea down to the last kicks.

Imagine how West Ham fans might have been feeling through the summer. We beat Man U, their fans would be able to say ... in their own backyard. Or at least, we gave them a right good chasing.

Instead, their supporters stumble into the summer with a loathing for what Curbishley has turned their team into - and the dull, Charlton-like, unattractive football they play.

What a sad bunch they are but this club with rich and proud traditions of playing good football deserve more. A better team and a better manager.

He couldn't even face the cameras after the game. He was right to hide away.

••••••

Sad time: Ashton

Why didn't Dean Ashton celebrate his amazing scissor kick at Old Trafford? He was a Manchester United fan as a boy but he is a West Ham player now.

Maybe he was hoping he might get a move to Old Trafford. Never mind son. You have to stay fit to get a move to a big club.

••••••

Talking about players failing to celebrate, did anyone see the Arsenal bench rise as one when they scored their winner against Everton ... all accept for Manuel Almunia. What was all that about?

••••••

Arsenal fell just short but they remained unbeaten at home in all competitions, they played some amazing football and if they had more firepower, they might have been running off with the silverware.

••••••

Barcelona scored six goals against Valencia on Sunday in a mesmerising attacking display – if you needed it putting into perspective what an achievement it was for United to have kept back to back clean sheets against them, this was it.

••••••

Now, this is not rocket science, but Birmingham did not have a single shot on target at Fulham, which probably explains why they lost. They need some target practice this week, before it's too late.

••••••

Jimmy Bullard is a clever footballer who has inspired Fulham's push away at the bottom.

Roy Hodgson has turned out to be a wily old fox of a manager who looked to have no chance of survival but has somehow climbed away from the bottom three with one game to go.

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Touch of class: Bullard

And how about this ... they've achieved it playing football, keeping the ball on the deck and with Bullard orchestrating their survival.

I still expect to see him ending up at Portsmouth next season.

Brilliant: Torres

••••••

Fernando Torres has scored in the last eight home game for Liverpool.

They've ended up with nothing, but he is something very special.

••••••

West Brom are the Manchester United of the Championship – they scored the most goals, played the most attractive football and they will grace the Premier League if they take the same attitude into the top flight.

Stoke, meanwhile, are a bunch of long ball charlies who score most of their goals from set plays and don't have a cat in hell's chance of survival.

••••••

See the gates in the Championship on Sunday? More than 36,000 at Sheffield Wednesday, almost 32,000 at Southampton and attendances of more than 20,000 at Charlton, Palace, Ipswich, Stoke and Wolves.

Big clubs, proper fans and it was one hell of a season.

••••••

Derby are officially the worst team in Premier League history, but anyone who has had the misfortune of watching them this season knew that already.

••••••

Adrian Chiles on MOTD2 is a bit of a hero but seeing him and Lee Dixon dressed as Batman and Robin at the season ended for them was the biggest laugh of the weekend.

Compare that to Gary and the gang on the main sofa who take themselves far too seriously and you'll see why Chiles presents the best football programme on TV.

••••••

Good weekend

Cristiano the Great. Thirty Premier League goals ... now go and beat Shearer's record.

Steve Bruce. Excellent work as Wigan manager. Remarkable that they are 13th now.

Jimmy Bullard. Touch of class.

El Hadji Diouf. We don't like him, but he's a good player. Would you want him at your club?

West Brom and Stoke. Appearing at a Premier League ground near you ... soon.

Neil Warnock. He made the play-offs. Scroll down for more

Next stop Shearer's record: Ronaldo has been superb this season

Bad weekend

Alan Curbishley. And his team of losers.

Steve Coppell. At least if Reading go down, we won't have to endure those dour post-match interviews on MOTD.

Villa. How can you expect to keep Gareth Barry if you can't beat Wigan? With Everton losing at Arsenal, this was your big chance and you blew it.

Birmingham. Sinking. Still think it was right to let Bruce go?

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