His skipper, Nigel Reo-Coker, wanted a move in the summer to Arsenal but the then boss Alan Pardew knocked back Arsene Wenger's offer.
Since then the midfielder has been a shadow of his normal self. So much so the West Ham fans want to see the back of him. When to going gets tough ... Reo-Coker doesn't get going.
So Curbishley is said to be ready to offer his half-hearted misfit to Newcastle in exchange for Scott Parker, who played for him at Charlton Athletic.
Roeder: "This talk looks as though it is coming out of East London and it is an attempt to unsettle Scott. This makes me angry, but when I read that stuff on Sunday morning, I took it as being nothing more than a joke.
"I did not make Scott Parker my captain to succeed Alan Shearer as the leader of this club to sell him. I can see Scott Parker being captain of Newcastle for many years to come."