Alan Curbishley, the West Ham United manager, has said that the League Managers Association (LMA) is determined to quell the obscenities that have taken hold within some football crowds. The organisation is considering ways of stopping the vitriolic abuse after a spate of high-profile incidents in recent months convinced it to act.

Curbishley should have been walking off the Craven Cottage pitch to applause after a victory last Saturday, but instead he was subjected to chants of “Paolo Di Canio” by West Ham fans angered by the style of play. Avram Grant was reported to have been the victim of anti-Semitic abuse from some Chelsea fans during the 2-1 extra-time defeat by Tottenham Hotspur in the Carling Cup final last Sunday. Police are also investigating a package containing white powder that was sent to the Chelsea first-team coach last week. Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, has said that the responsibility to improve behaviour lies with clubs, although Curbishley appears resigned to the situation.

“You do have to have a crash helmet on and you do need to be able to handle it,” Curbishley said. “It’s poor. I know that the LMA is thinking of ways to stop it. It’s becoming more prevalent, people can say what they want to a manager and players.”

Curbishley has received excrement in the post, an unsigned letter from one of his own players, abuse in a supermarket and was disparaged by both sets of supporters when West Ham lost 4-0 away to Charlton Athletic, his former side, last season.

“I used to get letters signed with a line saying, ‘If you want to have a meeting, come and see me,’ ” he said. “I wasn’t too fussed about an anonymous, unsigned, nasty letter. It’s just part and parcel of what the game has become.

“The world is: we are heroes if we win, and castigated if we lose. I must admit you get things going on in football matches now that you don’t enjoy. It’s not nice, but you’ve got to shrug your shoulders and get on with it.”

Some West Ham fans believe that the team are not adhering to their tradition of playing flowing, attacking football, even if that might result in defeat. They have not scored more than one goal in any of their past six matches but play Chelsea tomorrow with a chance to close the gap on the European places.

“They [the fans] are getting frustrated,” Curbishley said. “We have not been prolific. I am not too fussed. If you look at the number of points we have taken in the past year, it has been European form. But you can’t please everyone. Unless we win 3-0 at the weekend or it is a cracking game [they will not be happy].”

Curbishley expects the midfield players to contribute more goals. “They just have to do better,” he said.