Alan Curbishley has received the backing of the West Ham United board after three consecutive 4-0 defeats, the latest humiliation coming against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on Sunday. The manager is under no immediate threat of dismissal, but there are enough concerns about results that the board will review the situation over the coming months.

The board is keen to avoid any kneejerk reaction to performances, although Curbishley’s odds of being the next Barclays Premier League manager to be dismissed have tumbled in the past few days. Slaven Bilic, the Croatia coach and former West Ham player, would be among the candidates.

“The board of West Ham United recognise that recent results have been disappointing and frustrating,” a statement from the club said. “However, there is no question of Alan Curbishley’s future as manager being called into doubt. Alan, his staff and the players have done well to put the club into the top half of the table, despite a massive injury list, and they have the full support of the board. Of course, there are challenges to be met and further improvements needed to keep moving forward.”

West Ham are, however, expected to announce the appointment soon of Gianluca Nani as their technical director. Nani has agreed a three-year deal and will leave his post as general manager of Brescia, the Serie B club, at the end of the season. The Italian’s duties would include finding players and conducting transfers.

Curbishley brought players in for extra training on their scheduled day off yesterday. The former Charlton Athletic manager believes that the players may have “hit a wall” after a spate of injuries. He has pointed to his team having conceded only 23 goals in 26 league matches until they were beaten by Chelsea ten days ago and that Robert Green, the goalkeeper, and Matthew Upson and Anton Ferdinand, the defenders, were in contention for call-ups to the England squad. Upson did return to the England side for the friendly against Switzerland last month after a four-year absence.

Fabio Capello, the England manager, sent Franco Baldini, the national team’s general manager, to White Hart Lane on Sunday to watch several players. Green could do little about the Tottenham goals or those scored by Liverpool at Anfield four days earlier. “In the past week, I wouldn’t say I’ve had one saveable one, really,” Green said. “It’s been immensely frustrating, but you’ve just got to look at yourself, as have the rest of the guys, and think, ‘What else can I be doing for the team?’

“I’ve looked at all 12 goals and you start questioning yourself, but you’ve got to keep believing that you’re doing the right things. You need to listen to criticism because that’s how you learn and get better. We’ve got a hell of a lot to learn from this week. If someone turns to me and says, ‘You could do this’ in a certain situation, then I’ll take it on board.”

Despite the goals conceded, West Ham’s real problems may lie at the opposite end of the pitch. The midfield has appeared sterile and pedestrian, and Dean Ashton and Carlton Cole have not gelled as an attacking partnership. “We’ve had three bad results and everyone is going to get flak for it — we’re under no illusions about that,” Green said. “It can’t really get any worse. I can’t remember a week in football like it, nor can many of the other lads in the dressing-room.”