West Ham skipper Lucas Neill insists he had no hand in Alan Curbishley's demise. Neill's clash with Curbishley after West Ham's 4-1 victory over Blackburn attracted much attention.

While confirming "one or two verbals" did take place after the Blackburn game, Neill denied the row prompted Curbishley to depart.

"We talked openly," Neill said. "It was a high-pressure game. We won, and emotions were quite high. We had one or two verbals at each other, and that was it.

"We shook hands straight after and it was forgotten. It just happened that it occurred right before he handed in his resignation."