Monday 21 December 2015 08:31, UK
Swansea caretaker boss Alan Curtis insists he is preparing to lead Swansea into their festive fixtures as the club's search for a new manager continues.
Curtis picked up his first point since being put in temporary charge following the sacking of Garry Monk as Swansea fought out a goalless draw with West Ham at the Liberty Stadium on Super Sunday.
The draw was not enough to take Swansea out of the Premier League relegation zone but, just like Curtis' dug-out debut in the 2-1 defeat at Manchester City last weekend, it was an improved performance compared to the final games of Monk's 22-month reign.
Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins hopes to name a new manager in the next week - with former Argentina and Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa still the preferred choice - but Curtis says his job is to focus on preparing the team for the Boxing Day visit of West Brom and the trip to Crystal Palace two days later.
"We are preparing as if we are in charge, there is a quick turnaround of games," Curtis said after Swansea had ended a run of three successive defeats.
"We have to prepare not just for West Brom, but for Palace. If someone comes in they can take the reins but we have to prepare.
"It is important to bring someone in sooner rather than later, but it is more important to get the right man. If that takes a while then we are happy to carry on - and we assume we will be in charge."
Swansea dominated for long periods but they struggled to create the clear cut chances to break down a resilient West Ham defence that have now recorded three straight clean sheets.
But Curtis felt they should have been awarded a 62nd-minute penalty when Ki Sung-Yueng's goalbound shot struck the hand of Hammers defender James Collins.
"I was not sure at the time, but when I see it again it looks like a penalty," Curtis said.
"Down the bottom you do not get the decisions you deserve. If we could get a penalty and go a goal up it's crucial to us, especially where we are.
"I think we could have relaxed a little bit more and maybe seen the game out. Maybe the luck is just not on our side at the moment," he added.
"We just need that good fortune and we are frustrated."
However, Curtis saw plenty of positives from the display that ended a run of 10 Premier League games without a clean sheet and thinks his side took a huge step forward against the Hammers.
He said: "It's great having the possession and I said to the players after the game that at least we looked like a Swansea City team again but obviously what we've got to find again is something in that last third.
"Maybe we could have passed the ball forward a bit quicker in the final third but we've over emphasised the fact we want to keep the ball and pass it around.
We haven't done that in the last couple of months so perhaps there was an over exaggeration in terms of the possession we did have but in terms of where we want to be it's certainly a big step forward."
