After a period of inactivity, i shall be reviving the player of the week sector, as in the last WC. We will examine how his attributes in FM do (or don't) represent the player's performance.

For this first week, instead of a player we shall start with a manager. West Ham have a different Alan in charge and Alan Curbishley is the man who is our boss of the week.

Alan Curbishley coached West Ham magnificiently in his team's win over ManUn. West Ham presented a disciplined defensive effort, and he had the chance to benefit from an excellent  James Collins, who kept Rooney to nearly non-existing in the game.

Curbishley, born in 1957, moved to West Ham from Charlton. He has a decent PA of 160, and is already nearing it with a PA of 150. Defense (15) and Man Management (17) are his strong points. Combine it with some excellent 18 in the hidden attribute Pressing and you ge an explanation for the solid defense West Ham presented in this weekend's match. Though he is not adaptable (6), he managed to quickly get in the skin of his new role, and his determination of 16 might help him to produce good results.

 Unfortunately neither attacking (13) nor tactical (14) games are Curbishley's strong points. So don't expect West Ham to be playing all out in the future