Hammers are going places - Curbishley

New West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is convinced he has returned to a "club going places".

The former Charlton manager was unveiled on Wednesday as Alan Pardew's successor, inheriting a side which ended the last campaign as FA Cup finalists, but now sit third bottom of the Barclays Premiership. The 49-year-old sought plenty of advice from within the game on the prospect of stepping into the Upton Park hotseat - including his old friend Sir Alex Ferguson.

Curbishley said: "I spoke to a lot of people before taking this appointment, and they are all coming out with the same thing - this club can go places. I said to Sir Alex that West Ham were third from bottom. He then reminded me that 20 years ago, so were Manchester United when he took over."