West Ham boss Alan Curbishley has bemoaned the added expectation placed on his Hammers side this season.Curbishley's men grabbed seven wins from the last nine Premier League fixtures at the end of last season to finish 15th and complete an amazing escape from relegation.

And the momentum at Upton Park prompted many fans and pundits to tip the Hammers for a top-six finish this season.

But after three consecutive 4-0 defeats pressure has mounted on Curbishley and the Hammers manager, who received the board's backing on Monday, has conceded that results have left him with an uneasy feeling.

"What has happened in the last couple of weeks does leave me bitterly disappointed, so can we get some facts straight," Curbishley told the Daily Express.

"Over the last 20 years, although a lot of time has been spent in the top division, West Ham have had an average league position of 13th.

"This year, expectation levels have bee lifted and I understand that.

"During the close season we spent £7million on players, not forgetting what we laid out during the window trying to stay up, which made a total of £25million.

"No sooner had we survived than I read last summer people were expecting us to reach a European place.

"But from the day we started pre-season training we have lost nearly all of those we brought in through injury. I still have not been able to field my strongest side.

"I never expected those three results.

"It has been a horrible week for me, the players and the fans, but there has been no board meeting about it, no players' meeting either.

"For me, it's the sleepless nights again; the knot of anxiety in the stomach, but it goes with the job. I have to stay strong."

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