Below is extracts from an an article i wrote in Nov 2008, following Pardew's exit.
In my eyes, we are exactly where we are two years ago only another division lower and more desperate than ever to turn things around.
Virtually everything in the article still stands up; we are still sliding, we desperately need someone to somehow stop the slide and get us moving forward again, and we are much more likely to achieve that with someone with experience than a punt on a rookie.
In the period since the article, Curbishley has not done a day's work and now must have the best have the best garden in the South of England. Yes he has a high opinion of his managerial abilities, he thinks he should be managing a top 10 club, but he isn't, and at the end of the day i am convinced he is a football man who simply wants to do what he is good at.
A short-term contract till the end of the season will give him the opportunity to turn things around here, prove to everyone in football what a good manager he is and raise his profile again, and if it didn't work out then there is the excuse that the club is in too much of a mess.
Somehow, we have to halt this slide now, because our core fanbase is very much at breaking point, and i really doubt the chances of our survival if that starts to erode any further.
.........................................
Can Charlton Take That Curbishley Back For Good?
Imagine the scenario: Little-known boy-band had a successful run. Lead singer eventually fancied a new challenge, to prove himself without his band mates. His career then failed to hit the heights he would have hoped. Rest of the band promptly sunk without trace. After a considered time, the band reform and return to their earlier success.
Saturday night saw the contestants of X-Factor dedicate the show to songs of the UK's most successful boy band. At the same time in a less joyous corner of London, Charlton manager Alan Pardew was handed his P45 and similarly told 'Take That'
We'll leave the poor analogies there for now, but it was wholly unsurprising that only moments after the announcement, fans and media alike were speculating on the potential return of their former chief crooner.
Following Pardew's dismissal, many have been saying that things cannot get any worse, but the harsh reality is that it almost certainly can. Absolutely everything needs to be done now to give us the best possible chance of avoiding that scenario.
As well as league position, Charlton are in an equally perilous financial position, whilst currently stewarded by a far from ideal and unconvincing whip. The net result is the realisation we are currently a particularly unattractive proposition. Worthwhile candidates are unlikely to be jamming The Valley phone lines, while we are equally unlikely to be in a position to pay compensation for a currently employed manager.
We are in a niche scenario; we need a short-term tonic in results while the future ownership of the club can be resolved. Curbishley is the man who offers us the ideal chance of achieving that at this moment in time.
But why is Curbishley right for Charlton ?
Forget he previously managed us, take things purely at face value now. Curbishley is quite simply the most experienced and successful manager out of work at present. He has a long history of being successful working under budgetary constraints. His strengths have proved to be organising a defined, almost methodical play structure where all players know their individual role.
We have no real slack to take a punt on an un-experienced candidate at present, nor have we time or funds for someone to completely rip up the playing side of the club and give them considered free reign to start and build again. There are currently too many uncertainties surrounding us at present.
What we need desperately in the short-term is an experienced hand to provide strong direction, motivation and organisation skills. Someone who will quickly gain player respect and reap a response. In all honesty, not too much is fundamentally wrong, and the squad is certainly capable of doing better than its current league position with only minor additions and adjustments.
But why is Charlton currently right for Curbishley ?
This is by far and away the most important question, because on the face of it the ‘pro’ column will be much shorter than the ‘cons’. But Curbishley is a genuine football man who will not relish being out of the game for too long. He has had two enhanced breaks in the last two years, and I am sure he is by now getting bored with gardening.
He has stated his desire to return to the Premier League, but when you look around there are not too many obvious candidates. Curbishley turned 51 last week (53 now), and has lived happily just north of the Thames since the end of his playing days. His wife is well known to have more interest in rugby than football, just how much desire does Curbishley have to uproot his settled family life and relocate at this stage of his career? Is the desire to remain in the Premiership so burning that it would willingly lead him to Blackburn or Bolton?
So where is there realistically for Curbishley to go in the Premiership in the next six months? Certainly none in the South-East. Nor does he have the stock attract a top-six job any more. Now is simply not the right time to be looking for a suitable Premiership role. Is Curbishley prepared to kick his heels around at home for the next six months in the hope that something suitable may come up over the summer ?
So that leaves outside the Premiership. Of the likely candidates, Watford announced their new manager this morning, while Ipswich have picked up form of late and are in play-off contention.
Charlton currently provide the ideal scenario for Curbishley to put himself back in the shop window. The squad is capable of better results. It is ideally positioned to maintain his family life with limited disruption. Off the pitch, Kinsella, Peacock, Matthew and Gritt would help provide a backroom structure he would be familiar with.
But just as essential in this era, where managers are judged far too quickly on results, the potential for upside is definitely there. If you have faith in your ability then we are unquestionably a club in a league position where the chance of improved results are high, and that is important when taking on a new role. We tick a hell of a lot more boxes than immediately obvious.
The compromise
If we are being honest, Curbishley should rightly feel he could attract a better long-term role than what Charlton currently have to offer. So offer him something that is an incentive to him. Offer him a short-term, six-month contract to steady our ship. State that if a suitable Premiership role emerges, then he is free to go with no compensation if that is his desire. Tell him to use the period to prove his abilities again to the wider football world, seduce him with the chance to get back out on that training field again every morning. Load the contract with promotion incentives that are still possible. We are unlikely to sign long-term players in the January window, so there is little continuity issues.
If Curbishley on a short-term contract proved a success, there is little downside to either party. Charlton would be in a healthier position in football terms, while Curbishley's star will again be shining in the wider game. If he successfully turned us around, then the supporters will be granted the opportunity to share the love with Curbs he felt he was never truly afforded previously.
In six months time, the club could have a very different structure at the top of the club, may be in a completely different financial position, and in turn become a much more attractive proposition to Curbishley, or any other manager. It would give us the summer either cut our cloth, or rebuild accordingly.
A lot of people believe in the saying never go back.
But in times of uncertainty, it's sometime better the devil you know.
0
