Alan Curbishley is still angry over the manner of his departure from West Ham United.

Four days after a 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers at the end of August, Curbishley decided to leave West Ham when his left back was sold to Sunderland, days after a key centre back, Anton Ferdinand, had left for the same destination.

"After the Blackburn game, the last thing on my mind was that I wouldn't be managing the club in a couple of days. I was looking forward to much better things," he told The Times.

"I'm massively disappointed with the way it ended, but I felt that I was undermined to the extent I had no choice. They [the club's board] told me they were going to sell George McCartney and I'd told the players and press no one else was going to leave. If you're responsible for results you've got to be in control and we weren't blessed with a lot of fit defenders at the time and had no other recognised left back at the club."

Curbishley's compensation claim is continuing and likely to be heard by a Premier League tribunal in the new year.

He is keen on the Sunderland job and added: "Where they are at the moment is retrievable.

"For the size of club that they are, they've yo-yoed so many times. But the Premier League needs Sunderland."