The Croatia manager Slaven Bilic categorically ruled himself out of the running for the West Ham manager's job today, despite indications from the club that their former centre-back is near the top of their list of six candidates, thought also to include Gerard Houllier, Gianfranco Zola, Roberto Mancini and Roberto Donadoni. Other names linked to the job, like Sam Allardyce and Paolo Di Canio, are thought to have been rejected by the club.

Bilic admitted that the reports linking him to the job had been a hot topic of conversation around Croatia's training base in Catez, Slovenia, but insisted that the rumours weren't proving a distraction ahead of his country's forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and England.

"The story's not bothering me," he said. "I'm used to this story. It's nothing new. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I won't go. Of course the players have read about this on the internet, but it's not a problem for them because I've told them I'm not going. I haven't changed my mind about this. I want to stay with Croatia."

The whole issue seems to be regarded with bemusement by the Croatian media, with only half-joking suggestions that the whole story is part of an English plot to destabilise Croatia ahead of next Wednesday's meeting at the Maksimir. It would, after all, be an astonishing volte face were Bilic to turn his back on his country now. He signed a two-year extension to his contract in May that doubled his salary to a reported £100,000 a year and, while he could probably multiply that by 10 were he to take a job in the Premier League, he has repeatedly made clear that money is not his main motivation.

Bilic admitted after Croatia's penalty shoot-out exit toTurkey in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 that he had considering resigning, but he seems to have felt it his duty to carry on. He is staunchly patriotic and, given his father was a leading dissident in Tito's Yugoslavia, lobbying for autonomy for Croatia within the federation, it is widely perceived that he would see it not merely as a betrayal of country but also of family were he to abandon Croatia at the start of their qualifying campaign.

Certainly the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) seems confident that they will hang on to the manager who has restored self-confidence after a dreadful World Cup in 2006. Vlatko Markovic, the president of the HNS, laughed off the suggestion that they could be persuaded to part with Bilic were West Ham to offer £4m in compensation. "That doesn't matter," he said. "We have a lot of money. We could buy West Ham."

The way things are going, Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson might be wishing they would, with England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce having also asked today not to be listed among West Ham's potential replacements for Curbishley. The former West Ham manager Harry Redknapp ruled himself out of the running yesterday and Pearce today followed suit, saying he wants to continue in his current role within the England set-up.

Pearce spent two seasons with the Hammers as a player from 1999 to 2001 and was among the early favourites to succeed Curbishley, who resigned on Wednesday. "You can bet with me. I will take your bet any time," Pearce said, ahead of the Under-21 side's European Championship qualifier against Portugal at Wembley on Friday.

"I manage this team," he added. "I am very proud to do so and will not be stepping down from this job, because I love the job I do. I said to the FA bosses when I took this job that I will honour my contract. I have said that many times before in the past, and that applies today.''

Pearce also voiced support for Curbishley. "Alan is a fantastic manager with a great deal of experience who has proved himself time and again in the Premier League,'' Pearce said. ''That is what Alan is in my eyes, and that will never diminish.

West Ham's vice-chairman, meanwhile, has blamed Curbishley for the wrangling over transfers that led to a breakdown in his relationship with the board. Asgeir Fridgeirsson rejected Curbishley's claims that the club's transfer policy represented a "breach of trust and confidence".

"We agreed a transfer budget and the way forward at an April board meeting," he told BBC Sport. "Alan agreed with the plans, but was then reluctant to reach all the difficult decisions about the squad. If he had made this claim in April, when discussing our budget and plans for the forthcoming season, he might have a legitimate complaint. But he went to all the board meetings and was a dominant voice."