Pardew shocked by hammer blow

Alan Pardew believes he deserved more time as West Ham manager.

Pardew was sacked after a run of three defeats in which his side failed to score a goal and the former Reading boss admits he was surprised by chairman Eggert Magnusson's decision to show him the door when the two met following the 4-0 drubbing by Bolton which came on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Wigan.

"The performance was poor and I expected to have a conversation about that," Pardew told Sky Sports News. "He laid it on the line for me - it was a gut feeling after the two performances and I think I maybe deserved a bit more than that."

Pardew revealed he was sacked after declining the chance to resign, adding: "He offered me 'mutual consent' but I wasn't going to accept that because I thought I could turn things around."

Despite his disappointment, Pardew is forecasting a bright future for the Hammers under his successor Alan Curbishley.

Pardew said: "There are a lot things that are going to work for Curbs at West Ham - he's going to inherit a great squad, he's got money in the transfer window and he's got Dean Ashton coming back."