Money and contacts are the key to Sven's success, says Curbs

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The former England coach has taken advantage of the cash provided by City's new owner Thaksin Shinawatra and made the most of his network of contacts to revitalise the club.

Eriksson began his career in the English league with a 2-0 opening day victory over the Hammers and his side return to Upton Park in the third round of the FA Cup tomorrow.

Curbishley believes the Swede will be enjoying the fact that he has put one over on his critics and said he was the best person to exploit the investment from the new owner.

"He got England job because of club record - he was so successful," said the Hammers boss. "His CV is there for everyone to see. At Lazio he had a lot of money and bought an exciting team who were very successful.

"When he got to City, with new chairman, with his contacts and by being a manager for so long, he had a knowledge of a lot of clubs.

"They did some really good business in summer. He brought a lot of people in who fans perhaps wouldn't have heard of, and they've been successful.

"He's been there before, and if they go again in this transfer window or next summer, I don't think he'll be too shy.

"A lot of us should applaud what he's done. He got a lot of stick when he left England but he reached the quarter-finals of every tournament.

"Perhaps we expected a bit more - but we always do. He qualified, and when you look at it now, you would take it.

"I think he's quietly having a little smile to himself. Club management is different - not always on an even keel. This time last year, Stuart Pearce was wondering where the next transfer would come from, then suddenly there's a complete turnaround in their outlook and fortunes. Sven's come into it and done very well."

But while Eriksson has spent his cash wisely, Curbishley is also a fan of Everton's David Moyes.

He has managed to build Everton into a top-six side without overstretching the budget but Curbishley said Eriksson cannot be blamed for making the most of his opportunity at City.

"I think there's two ways you can go about it. David Moyes has done it slightly differently, Everton have grown into a top-five or top-six side over the past couple of seasons because of doing it consistently on the pitch and gathering a team well within a budget," he added.

"But if you're in a position where Sven turns up at Man City and there is a total change of policy then he's probably the best man to exploit that. "I think a lot of the players he's attracted there have come through his contacts he has made over his career.

"But we've seen Leeds have a go at it and try to get into that top four and unfortunately they did it with other people's money and it wasn't successful and you can see the difficulties that brings.

"But if you're talking about people pushing a lot of money at it you only have to look at what the top four earn more than the other clubs because they're the top four.

"There's a big gap every year and it's getting bigger so perhaps one of the way of bridging that gap is by spending the money."