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Town Target Curbishley
Monday, 22nd Oct 2012 06:37

Former Charlton and West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is understood to be the man the Blues are looking to bring to Portman Road if and when Paul Jewell’s time at the club comes to an end.

The incumbent manager currently still has the backing of owner Marcus Evans and chief executive Simon Clegg, but with Town 23rd in the Championship and having picked up only one league win so far this season, that situation could quickly change.

Over the weekend, Jewell said he would consider his Town future but is set to remain in charge for Tuesday’s game against his former club Derby County.

Curbishley has long been a manager admired by club owner Evans with the 54-year-old understood to have been on the short-list of candidates to succeed Roy Keane before Jewell’s appointment.

Former midfielder Curbishley played for West Ham, Birmingham, Aston Villa, Charlton (twice), Brighton and Hove Albion and the England U21s in a career which ran from 1975 until 1993.

In 1991, while he was still playing, he and Steve Gritt were appointed joint-managers at the Valley, Forest Gate-born Curbishley taking lone charge in 1995.

In 1997/98, having beaten Town in the semi-final, the Addicks reached the Premier League after defeating Sunderland 7-6 on penalties after a 4-4- draw in the play-off final at Wembley.

They were relegated in their first season back in the top flight, but returned after just one season as winners of the First Division. Curbishley subsequently signed several members of George Burley’s Town side — Matt Holland, Hermann Hreidarsson, Darren Bent, Darren Ambrose and Marcus Bent.

Having been linked with plenty of bigger jobs during his time at Charlton, Curbishley eventually left the Valley at the end of the 2005/06 campaign.

He took over at West Ham, his boyhood club, in December 2006 and in his first season saved their Premier League status on the final day via a 1-0 win at Manchester United.

Having fallen out with the Hammers’ directors after Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney were sold without his say-so, he resigned in September 2008, winning a case for constructive dismissal in November of the following year.

More recently Curbishley, who is based in Abridge near Chelmsford, was reported to have rejected approaches from Wolves and Bolton.

Given the Blues’ current position, it would be a surprise if owner Evans hadn’t sounded out Curbishley and other potential new managers, Roy Keane having been lined up prior to Jim Magilton’s sacking and Jewell’s appointment coming only a couple of days after Keane’s exit.


Photo: Action Images



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northstand78 added 06:49 - Oct 22
Got to be better than we've got....

Well a little bit..
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footyblue added 06:52 - Oct 22
not convinced he would be the right man for the job
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village_blue added 06:58 - Oct 22
Wouldn't hold my breath on this happening as Curbs was ths favourite to replace Jim Magilton all those years ago and it didn't happen then so why now.
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SilentMajority added 06:59 - Oct 22
Experienced? Yup. More importantly is he available without having to pay off another club? Yup.

Can he steady the ship? Let's hope so. I just hope he's kept his tactics relevant and modern and isn't set in his ways. Good luck to him if he's going to be the man.
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ericclacton added 07:03 - Oct 22
Very interesting, let me think about it.
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blue78 added 07:06 - Oct 22
Backwards step again got to be Owen Coyle
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bedsitfc added 07:06 - Oct 22
Dear god nooooooo!!!!!!

Crap style while losing
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casanovacrow added 07:08 - Oct 22
Not convinced he's the right man for the job now, maybe when Jewell got the job he should've got it but he's been out of the game so long and I have a feeling he'll end up spending stupid amounts of money on old rubbish.
We need to avoid players and managers past their prime, its the reason we are in this mess to start with

The only good things are he's been out so long most of the players who have played for him before have retired so we shouldn't get lumped with the rubbish from HIS past on stupid wages and he cant do as bad as we currently are.

would personally love to see someone with ipswich in their blood take over or a young manager with a good knowledge of lower leagues come in.

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ChiefXL added 07:11 - Oct 22
I definitely believe a man who in the past five years has shown absolutely no hunger or desire to get back into management is the man to take us forward
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bontcho added 07:16 - Oct 22
A couple of years ago would have been a top choice. Not so convinced these days. The game moves on quickly as Jewell seems to show.
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brockleyblueboy added 07:20 - Oct 22
Aree with posts that he has been out of the game way too long. 4 years is a long time in football.

Agree would like to see a young hungry manager come in.

But you never know. I am so disillusioned with everything that is going on its painful.
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Edmunds5 added 07:21 - Oct 22
Hold your horses guys, he hasn't even taken the job yet alone manage a game so lets not judge him yet. Instinctively I would be pleased with this appointment, has had decent enough success at West Ham and did an excellent job at Charlton, no coincidence for me that an established Premier League side then went sinking down the leagues after he left. People have mentioned Sean O'Driscoll and his impact at Forest and I think Curbishley would be similar for us, He strikes me as someone who is polite and soft spoken but can get his point across successfully, I would certainly back him to get us out of this current mess and we could do alot worse.
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ericclacton added 07:24 - Oct 22
Good comment casanovacrow, you've summed it up perfectly, I agree.
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TractorRoyNo1 added 07:26 - Oct 22
Taking wet spam to court upset other owners Evans is in a corner ac would do for me along with Herman or Holland
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Edmunds5 added 07:30 - Oct 22
You've raised an interesting point there TractorToyNo1, Matt Holland as assistant could be an idea. Even Hermann, he would help the defence out.
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StuartBrett8 added 07:31 - Oct 22
much more likely than the 'Arry' link :)
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blueblood66 added 07:31 - Oct 22
At last!!
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 07:35 - Oct 22
I definitely don't think someone who has been out of the game for 5 years would be a risk worth taking after so many let-downs. Anyway, PJ hasn't left yet. His "new" team should at least be given the next two home games. (The Swedes are in town then, so we're bound to pick up points :-)) The loss to a very good Hull side was hardly a surprise. I don't think PJ is the long-term answer any more, but I'm not certain a knee-jerk reaction right now (by which I mean this coming week) is what´s needed, and if we win the next two home games (big "if") PJ may still well not see his contract renewed. When the new man comes in, the re-building carousel will begin again. It would be good if the platform for that were not from the bottom three but at least out of the relegation places. I reckon PJ might just about be able to manage that before he leaves us.
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RegencyBlue added 07:37 - Oct 22
Not sure about this.

4/5 years ago I would have said yes without hesitation but he has been out of day to day involvement in the game a long time now and as bontcho said above things move on quickly.

Having said that it could work because in his time at Charlton, a similar club to ours in many ways, he established them in the Premier League playing reasonable football.



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manualthetisfanclub added 07:51 - Oct 22
Been out of game too long,but who really decent would come here IMO? This job ain't that attractive anymore,got to be realistic,can't live on history of yesteryear!
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baldman added 07:52 - Oct 22
It pains me to say it but I just don't care at the moment I have no trust at all with the club what I would like to see is the guts ripped out and start again keep klug and Osman but the rest can go I agree with holland as number 2 that's if he wants it as to who for the next manager I just don't know who's gonna want to come and then find half of his team goes back a man manager for me someone who puts there arm round and tell them everything is good not one who slags them off on tv
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Mark added 08:01 - Oct 22
It's hard to say how Curbishley would do here, as he has a good record but has been out of the game a long time. I can't help comparing to Norwich who went for the opposite sort of manager, someone who knew League One and the players to identify to bring in from the lower leagues to take them forwards.

We do need to change now I think, and Curbishley could be a good choice. It's always a bit of a lottery, as who would have thought Pardew would have been so good at Newcastle or Hodgeson so bad at Liverpool?!
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muhrensleftfoot added 08:01 - Oct 22
PJ won't be here much longer. He may have had a future with us if he'd been more positive after the Hull defeat, but he just sounds like a beaten man now. How can he lift the players when he's so low himself. Curbishley would suit us well. He had Charlton punching above their weight for years, and is well used to working under a tight budget. Can't think about too many down points really. The few years out of the game may be a positive too, as he'll be ready for a new challenge. And ITFC is one helluva a big challenge now, after years of mismanagement.
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BigginBlue added 08:02 - Oct 22
I really believe we need a young manager who has made a mark in the game and is a talker. Keane and jewell seem to have had many of the same characteristic traits which we know now to be the wrong management for this club. Would love to see someone like Paul ince take over
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Stato added 08:06 - Oct 22
Another one who falls into the "bloody nice bloke" camp ans was my choice when magilton left but not the right choice now. Nigel Adkins might be about to become avaiable ?
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