It’s hard to know who to feel sorry for - Alan Pardew or West Ham.

Magnusson’s claim that there was a ‘cancer’ that needed to be removed (referring to ‘tensions’ in the dressing room between players and manager) is fair, but to use that as justification for Pardew’s removal insults our intelligence. Poor form breeds unrest, and often the manager is not the only one responsible for it.

We don’t know the whole story, and because of that I won’t say that Magnusson doesn’t know what he’s doing and that he’s not the right man to head West Ham.

However, I do know this - West Ham’s internal troubles were due to the players and their form, and as much as the manager needs to take responsibility for results on the pitch, you cannot blame the manager for players that refuse to play as asked to.

Sacking Pardew and bringing in Curbishley was a mistake because Curbishley is not a motivator - Pardew is.

Ironic that when West Ham needed Pardew most, they managed the exact opposite and sacked him.