While Alan Curbishley might claim that the Hammers board are firmly behind him, all the signs seem to indicate that the manager is living on borrowed time at the Boleyn Ground. Despite a winning start to their league campaign, West Ham have had two particularly performances, losing 3-0 at Man City before drawing 1-1 at home to Macclesfield in the Carling Cup.

The Daily Mail are now reporting that striker Carlton Cole is supposedly considering his future, and while there are no actual quotes regarding this, there are some very real comments made by Matthew Upson which suggest that Curbs is in danger of ‘losing the dressing room’.

While boss Alan Curbishley has insisted no more players will leave, his mood will not have been lightened by defender Matthew Upson’s reaction to fans who chanted ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ at the manager during Wednesday’s Carling Cup tie against Macclesfield.

‘I wasn’t surprised,’ said Upson. ‘I think the fans had every right to be a little bit impatient.

‘They have every right to be frustrated and if they’re angry at the manager, then that’s just something he needs to deal with.’

Cole was the subject of a bid from Sunderland recently, while Hamburg have also shown interest.

What needs to be done at West Ham to steady the ship, or has the damage already been done? This Icelandic consortium apparently seem reluctant to splash out on any new players, or indeed offer a new contract to any of the existing squad players. Should Curbishley be given the sack or would a new manager also struggle at the moment?