Alan Curbishley
Encyclopedia
Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley (born 8 November 1957, Forest Gate
, east London
) is an English football
manager and former professional player.
He has worked in the FA Premier League
in management roles at Charlton Athletic
and, more recently, West Ham United, the post from which he resigned on 3 September 2008.
.
He was educated at South West Ham Technical School. Curbishley is married and lives in Abridge
, Essex
. He is the younger brother of the rock promoter Bill Curbishley
, whose clients include The Who
.
who was out with an injury, and in the summer, he was a member of the West Ham youth team, alongside Alvin Martin
, Geoff Pike
, and Paul Brush
, that was beaten by Ipswich Town 5–1 on aggregate in the final of the FA Youth Cup. His first win with the club and first goal came in a 2–1 home win over Newcastle in October 1975, in which he had replaced an injured Trevor Brooking
in the starting line. His arrival in the first team was so impressive that he was given the nickname "Whizz" by team-mate Pat Holland
. He appeared in both legs of the West Ham's European Cup Winners' Cup 3rd round tie against Den Haag in March 1976, aged 18, although he did not play in the semi-final games against Eintracht Frankfurt nor in the final against Anderlecht. He made two league and cup appearances in 1974–75, 18 appearances in 1975–76, 12 appearances in 1976–77 and 36 appearances in 1977–78, while competing for a midfield position with Trevor Brooking
, Alan Devonshire
, Pat Holland
, Geoff Pike
and Billy Bonds
.
After West Ham were relegated at the end of the 1977–78 season, he fell out with manager, John Lyall
, and although he made a further 28 appearances for West Ham in 1978–79, he subsequently transferred to Birmingham City
in April 1979 for a fee of £225,000.
He joined local rivals Aston Villa
in 1983 but a change of managers saw him transferred again to Charlton Athletic
in the following year.
He began his first period at Charlton Athletic
in 1984, moving to Brighton & Hove Albion
in 1987. He helped them win promotion to the Second Division as Third Division runners-up in his first season
.
He returned to Charlton as player/coach under the management of Lennie Lawrence
in 1990 and would stay there for 16 years.
and was a regular in the England youth team. While at Birmingham City, he won his only England U-21 cap against Switzerland in 1980. He was selected for the England B squad in 1981 but a fractured kneecap ended his involvement with England.
, taking sole command from June 1995 and masterminding the revival of the club's fortunes with two promotions and consolidation into the Premier League
.
Under Alan Curbishley Charlton won promotion, via the play-offs in 1997–98 after a thrilling play-off final against Sunderland at Wembley
. The match ended in a 4–4 draw with Charlton winning 7–6 on penalty kicks, to take their place in the Premiership for 1998–99. Charlton had a good first month of the season with a 5–0 home win over Southampton
and credible 0–0 draws away to Newcastle United and Arsenal
respectively, which saw Alan Curbishley win Manager of the Month for August. However, after victory over Nottingham Forest, in the first game of October, Charlton won just one more game (against West Ham 4–2), before a dreadful run that yielded only three points from 13 games, including eight consecutive defeats, by February 1999. Charlton then won three in a row against Wimbledon, Liverpool and Derby, and Curbishley was again Manager of the Month, but the damage was already done. From 16th Charlton won just two more games before the end of the season. The double was completed over the Hammers and Aston Villa were beaten 4–3, leaving the Addicks needing a last-day victory over Sheffield Wednesday while hoping that Southampton failed against Everton. Charlton lost and Southampton won so it was back to Division One.
The club resisted the knee-jerk reaction to relegation by sacking their manager, and keeping that continuity proved an investment that paid dividends. With the prolific Andy Hunt
netting 24 league goals, aided by Clive Mendonca
on 9, John Robinson
and Graham Stuart
on 7 and Richard Rufus
on 6, Charlton stormed to the First Division championship winning 27 of their 46 league games to take the title with 91 points, two points ahead of Manchester City. Then, as if quashing any doubts about their title-winning form, Charlton thumped City 4–0 on the opening day of the Premiership.
Charlton didn't have a prolific scorer in 2000–01 and again the goals were more widespread among the team. Jonatan Johansson
finished top scorer with 11 league goals, and Shaun Bartlett
, Claus Jensen
, Graham Stuart and Mathias Svensson
all hit five each. A couple of useful unbeaten runs kept Charlton around mid-table position, although they were fifth in September after beating Newcastle. The best sequence nine games unbeaten, came between the last game of 2000, when the league double was completed over Manchester City, 4–1, and a goalless draw with Middlesbrough
that left the Addicks in eighth place. Eventually Charlton finished the campaign in a convincing ninth place – some highlights included a 3–3 draw at home to Manchester United and wins at home against Chelsea and Arsenal.
The following season was similar in that the team reached as high as eighth at the turn of the year, but no wins in the final eight games brought them perilously close to the drop. In the end though, three draws from the last four games ensured safety in 14th place. Ably assisted by Keith Peacock
and Mervyn Day
, Alan Curbishley built a sound squad capable of holding its own in the elite league with a good balance of experience and youth, with Chris Bart-Williams
, Chris Powell
and Graham Stuart alongside up and coming youngsters Scott Parker
and Luke Young. It looked as if the team might make a real impact and five successive wins in early 2003 elevated the side to sixth, although defeat by Arsenal started a run of eight defeats in the last 10 games for a 12th place finish.
Charlton did so well in 2003–04 that they even threatened to claim a Champions League slot for a large part of the campaign, this eventually resulted in a 7th place finish by the end of the season. Curbishley continued to mastermind their consolidation over the next two seasons with 11th and 13th place finishes. During the 2005–06 season he also celebrated his 600th game in charge of the team with a 1–0 victory at one of his old clubs, Birmingham, in September 2005. Darren Bent
scored the goal.
Curbishley was named by the media as amongst the favourites to succeed Sven-Göran Eriksson
when it was announced in January 2006 that Eriksson would step down as England
manager after the 2006 FIFA World Cup
. Several British
Sunday newspaper
s reported in March 2006 that Curbishley had been interviewed for the job of England manager by the Football Association
. The post however eventually went to Steve McClaren
.
Richard Murray
, chairman of Charlton Athletic, announced in April 2006 that Curbishley would leave the club at the end of the 2005/06 season. Curbishley denied that this had anything to do with being interviewed for the England manager post and speculation that this was so later proven false when Steve McClaren
was announced as England's head coach. Curbishley managed his final game as manager of Charlton away to Manchester United
on 7 May 2006, which Charlton lost 4–0. Overall, he managed 729 games for the Addicks, just one fewer than the record held by Jimmy Seed
.
After Curbishley's departure, Charlton suffered two relegations in three years.
, Everton
, Bolton Wanderers
, Wigan Athletic
, Arsenal
, Middlesbrough
and a 1–0 win at Manchester United
on the last day of the season, to keep West Ham in the Premier League. The 2007–08 Premier League season was relatively successful for Curbishley, as he led the club to a top ten finish despite long-term injuries to many of the key signings he had made that summer, including Scott Parker
, Craig Bellamy
, Kieron Dyer
and Julien Faubert
. Before the start of the 2008–09 Premier League season, there was ever increasing speculation about his future at the club.
Despite the club taking six points from their first three games, he was unhappy with the club's transfer policy after key players Anton Ferdinand
and George McCartney
were sold without his permission, a claim denied by the West Ham United board of directors, and he resigned his post on 2 September 2008.
Since leaving West Ham he has resurrected his TV career despite being linked with several high profile managerial positions.
On 3 November 2009, Curbishley won his case for constructive dismissal
against West Ham United. After the ruling, he said: "I am obviously delighted with this result. I very much enjoyed my time at West Ham and never wanted to leave, but on joining the club I insisted that my contract contained a clause confirming that I would have final say on the selection of players to be transferred to and from the club." West Ham paid him £2.2 million in compensation.
Forest Gate
Forest Gate is a residential area in the London Borough of Newham, 7 miles northeast of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Manor Park to the east and and to the west lies Stratford town centre. The northern half of the busy Green Street runs through it.-History:...
, east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) is an English football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
manager and former professional player.
He has worked in the FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
in management roles at Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
and, more recently, West Ham United, the post from which he resigned on 3 September 2008.
Background
Curbishley was one of a total of five children born to a London docker and his wife. He grew up a mile from West Ham StationWest Ham station
West Ham station is an interchange station located on the corner of Manor Road and Memorial Avenue in the West Ham neighbourhood of the London Borough of Newham in east London, England. The station is served by London Underground, National Rail and Docklands Light Railway services...
.
He was educated at South West Ham Technical School. Curbishley is married and lives in Abridge
Abridge
Abridge is a village in Essex, England. It is on the River Roding, southwest of the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the district of Epping Forest and in the parliamentary constituency of Brentwood & Ongar...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. He is the younger brother of the rock promoter Bill Curbishley
Bill Curbishley
Bill Curbishley is a music producer and band manager, best known for his work with English rock groups The Who and Judas Priest as well as artists Jimmy Page and Robert Plant....
, whose clients include The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
.
Club career
He began his football playing career with West Ham United, joining them as an apprentice on leaving school in the summer of 1974. After impressing in West Ham's South East Counties League side and owing to an injury crisis following pre-season training, he was named as substitute against Everton in August 1974 at the age of 16 and became the youngest ever West Ham player to be named on the teamsheet, although he did not play. He made his first team debut in a 1–0 home defeat against Chelsea in March 1975, coming into the team for Billy BondsBilly Bonds
William Arthur "Billy" Bonds MBE is a former professional footballer and manager, who is most often associated with West Ham United with whom he spent 27 years as player and manager...
who was out with an injury, and in the summer, he was a member of the West Ham youth team, alongside Alvin Martin
Alvin Martin
Alvin Edward Martin is a retired English footballer who played as a defender.Playing most of his footballing career for West Ham United he appeared in 598 games for scoring 34 goals...
, Geoff Pike
Geoff Pike
Geoff Pike is an English former footballer midfielder.Pike played his early football in Thurrock and later with Gidea Park Rangers. He joined West Ham United in 1975 and was a member of the side that reached the 1975 FA Youth Cup Final. He made his league debut on 6 March 1976 against Birmingham...
, and Paul Brush
Paul Brush
Paul Brush is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Southend United...
, that was beaten by Ipswich Town 5–1 on aggregate in the final of the FA Youth Cup. His first win with the club and first goal came in a 2–1 home win over Newcastle in October 1975, in which he had replaced an injured Trevor Brooking
Trevor Brooking
Sir Trevor David Brooking CBE is a football player turned manager, on-air analyst, and administrator.Brooking attended Ripple Infants School and left Ilford County High School with 11 O-levels and 2 A-levels....
in the starting line. His arrival in the first team was so impressive that he was given the nickname "Whizz" by team-mate Pat Holland
Pat Holland
Pat Holland is an English former footballer who played for West Ham United.Holland, a midfielder, made 296 appearances for the east London club between 1969 and 1981, including the FA Cup Final in 1975 and the European Cup Winners Cup Final in 1976, where he scored one of West Ham's goals as they...
. He appeared in both legs of the West Ham's European Cup Winners' Cup 3rd round tie against Den Haag in March 1976, aged 18, although he did not play in the semi-final games against Eintracht Frankfurt nor in the final against Anderlecht. He made two league and cup appearances in 1974–75, 18 appearances in 1975–76, 12 appearances in 1976–77 and 36 appearances in 1977–78, while competing for a midfield position with Trevor Brooking
Trevor Brooking
Sir Trevor David Brooking CBE is a football player turned manager, on-air analyst, and administrator.Brooking attended Ripple Infants School and left Ilford County High School with 11 O-levels and 2 A-levels....
, Alan Devonshire
Alan Devonshire
Alan Devonshire is a retired English footballer and manager of Conference National club Braintree Town. He was a wide midfielder who made his name in the late 1970s playing for West Ham United . He won eight caps for England between 1980 and 1983...
, Pat Holland
Pat Holland
Pat Holland is an English former footballer who played for West Ham United.Holland, a midfielder, made 296 appearances for the east London club between 1969 and 1981, including the FA Cup Final in 1975 and the European Cup Winners Cup Final in 1976, where he scored one of West Ham's goals as they...
, Geoff Pike
Geoff Pike
Geoff Pike is an English former footballer midfielder.Pike played his early football in Thurrock and later with Gidea Park Rangers. He joined West Ham United in 1975 and was a member of the side that reached the 1975 FA Youth Cup Final. He made his league debut on 6 March 1976 against Birmingham...
and Billy Bonds
Billy Bonds
William Arthur "Billy" Bonds MBE is a former professional footballer and manager, who is most often associated with West Ham United with whom he spent 27 years as player and manager...
.
After West Ham were relegated at the end of the 1977–78 season, he fell out with manager, John Lyall
John Lyall
John Angus Lyall was an English footballer and manager of Scottish descent. His mother, Catherine, was from the Isle of Lewis, his father, James, was from Kirriemuir. He was born in Ilford, Essex.- Youth team career :...
, and although he made a further 28 appearances for West Ham in 1978–79, he subsequently transferred to Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in April 1979 for a fee of £225,000.
He joined local rivals Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
in 1983 but a change of managers saw him transferred again to Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
in the following year.
He began his first period at Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
in 1984, moving to Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
in 1987. He helped them win promotion to the Second Division as Third Division runners-up in his first season
1987-88 in English football
The 1987–88 season was the 120th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season....
.
He returned to Charlton as player/coach under the management of Lennie Lawrence
Lennie Lawrence
Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, is a British football manager who is assistant manager of Crystal Palace. He has managed a number of English clubs and one Welsh club in a coaching career spanning over 30 years...
in 1990 and would stay there for 16 years.
International career
Curbishley was capped at schoolboy level for EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
and was a regular in the England youth team. While at Birmingham City, he won his only England U-21 cap against Switzerland in 1980. He was selected for the England B squad in 1981 but a fractured kneecap ended his involvement with England.
Charlton Athletic
When Lennie Lawrence left in July 1991, Curbishley became joint manager of the club with Steve GrittSteve Gritt
Stephen John "Steve" Gritt is a former English football player and manager. His playing career included spells at Charlton Athletic, Bournemouth and Walsall.-Playing career:...
, taking sole command from June 1995 and masterminding the revival of the club's fortunes with two promotions and consolidation into the Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
.
Under Alan Curbishley Charlton won promotion, via the play-offs in 1997–98 after a thrilling play-off final against Sunderland at Wembley
Wembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
. The match ended in a 4–4 draw with Charlton winning 7–6 on penalty kicks, to take their place in the Premiership for 1998–99. Charlton had a good first month of the season with a 5–0 home win over Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
and credible 0–0 draws away to Newcastle United and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
respectively, which saw Alan Curbishley win Manager of the Month for August. However, after victory over Nottingham Forest, in the first game of October, Charlton won just one more game (against West Ham 4–2), before a dreadful run that yielded only three points from 13 games, including eight consecutive defeats, by February 1999. Charlton then won three in a row against Wimbledon, Liverpool and Derby, and Curbishley was again Manager of the Month, but the damage was already done. From 16th Charlton won just two more games before the end of the season. The double was completed over the Hammers and Aston Villa were beaten 4–3, leaving the Addicks needing a last-day victory over Sheffield Wednesday while hoping that Southampton failed against Everton. Charlton lost and Southampton won so it was back to Division One.
The club resisted the knee-jerk reaction to relegation by sacking their manager, and keeping that continuity proved an investment that paid dividends. With the prolific Andy Hunt
Andy Hunt (footballer)
Andrew "Andy" Hunt is a former English footballer.-Career:Hunt started his career in non-league football, whilst training in business and tourism management, with King's Lynn and Kettering Town before being signed by then manager Jim Smith for Newcastle United in early 1991...
netting 24 league goals, aided by Clive Mendonca
Clive Mendonca
Clive Paul Mendonca is an English former professional footballer, who played as a striker between 1986 and 2002 notably for Grimsby Town and Charlton Athletic...
on 9, John Robinson
John Robinson (footballer)
John Robert Campbell Robinson is a Rhodesian-born former Welsh professional footballer. He made over 400 appearances during his professional career with Brighton & Hove Albion, Charlton Athletic, Cardiff City and Gillingham and also won 30 caps for Wales.-Early life:Robinson was born in Bulawayo,...
and Graham Stuart
Graham Stuart (footballer)
Graham Charles Stuart is a former English football player who played as an attacking midfielder. He retired after being released by Norwich City on 17 May 2005....
on 7 and Richard Rufus
Richard Rufus
Richard Raymond Rufus is a former English football player, who spent his entire career at Charlton Athletic.Born in nearby Lewisham, Rufus progressed through the youth system at The Valley, making his debut for the club as a teenager in 1994 at the age of 19...
on 6, Charlton stormed to the First Division championship winning 27 of their 46 league games to take the title with 91 points, two points ahead of Manchester City. Then, as if quashing any doubts about their title-winning form, Charlton thumped City 4–0 on the opening day of the Premiership.
Charlton didn't have a prolific scorer in 2000–01 and again the goals were more widespread among the team. Jonatan Johansson
Jonatan Johansson (footballer)
Jonatan Lillebror Johansson is a retired Finnish footballer. He last played for TPS in Finnish Veikkausliiga. His main position was a striker and he was a regular in the Finnish national team.- Early career :...
finished top scorer with 11 league goals, and Shaun Bartlett
Shaun Bartlett
Shaun Bartlett is a retired South African football striker who last played for Bloemfontein Celtic.-Early life:...
, Claus Jensen
Claus Jensen
Claus William Jensen is a former Danish professional footballer, who played as a midfielder. Jensen played more than 40 games and scored 8 goals for the Denmark national football team, and represented Denmark at the 2002 World Cup and 2004 European Championship tournaments. He is the cousin of AaB...
, Graham Stuart and Mathias Svensson
Mathias Svensson
Mathias Svensson is a retired Swedish footballer. He played as striker and his last team was IF Elfsborg, having spent much of his career in England. He won three full international caps for Sweden during his career...
all hit five each. A couple of useful unbeaten runs kept Charlton around mid-table position, although they were fifth in September after beating Newcastle. The best sequence nine games unbeaten, came between the last game of 2000, when the league double was completed over Manchester City, 4–1, and a goalless draw with Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
that left the Addicks in eighth place. Eventually Charlton finished the campaign in a convincing ninth place – some highlights included a 3–3 draw at home to Manchester United and wins at home against Chelsea and Arsenal.
The following season was similar in that the team reached as high as eighth at the turn of the year, but no wins in the final eight games brought them perilously close to the drop. In the end though, three draws from the last four games ensured safety in 14th place. Ably assisted by Keith Peacock
Keith Peacock
Keith Peacock is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Peacock played his entire professional career for Charlton Athletic, making over 500 Football League appearances between 1962 and 1979...
and Mervyn Day
Mervyn Day
Mervyn Day is a former professional footballer who played in the Football League as a goalkeeper for West Ham United, Leyton Orient, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Luton Town, Sheffield United and Carlisle United. He later managed Carlisle United...
, Alan Curbishley built a sound squad capable of holding its own in the elite league with a good balance of experience and youth, with Chris Bart-Williams
Chris Bart-Williams
Christopher Gerald Bart-Williams is a Sierra Leonean-born English former footballer. His position was defence or midfield....
, Chris Powell
Chris Powell
Christopher George Robin "Chris" Powell is an English football manager and retired player, who had a long career as a left back, crowned by five caps for the English national team...
and Graham Stuart alongside up and coming youngsters Scott Parker
Scott Parker
Scott Parker may refer to:*Scott Parker *Scott Parker *Scott Parker *Scott Parker *Scott "Jagged" Parker, one half of the professional wrestling tag team 2.0...
and Luke Young. It looked as if the team might make a real impact and five successive wins in early 2003 elevated the side to sixth, although defeat by Arsenal started a run of eight defeats in the last 10 games for a 12th place finish.
Charlton did so well in 2003–04 that they even threatened to claim a Champions League slot for a large part of the campaign, this eventually resulted in a 7th place finish by the end of the season. Curbishley continued to mastermind their consolidation over the next two seasons with 11th and 13th place finishes. During the 2005–06 season he also celebrated his 600th game in charge of the team with a 1–0 victory at one of his old clubs, Birmingham, in September 2005. Darren Bent
Darren Bent
Darren Ashley Bent is an English footballer who plays for Aston Villa as a striker.Bent started his career with Ipswich Town. After progressing through their youth system he made his first team debut in 2001. He made 122 appearances and scored 48 goals in the league for Ipswich, before joining...
scored the goal.
Curbishley was named by the media as amongst the favourites to succeed Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....
when it was announced in January 2006 that Eriksson would step down as England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
manager after the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. Several British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Sunday newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s reported in March 2006 that Curbishley had been interviewed for the job of England manager by the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
. The post however eventually went to Steve McClaren
Steve McClaren
Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
.
Richard Murray
Richard Murray
Richard Alan Murray is an English businessman and the former chairman of Charlton Athletic F.C.Murray founded Avesco plc, the specialist services provider to the entertainment & sports industry in 1984, where he was Chairman for almost 20 years; he is the Chairman of Investinmedia plc and has other...
, chairman of Charlton Athletic, announced in April 2006 that Curbishley would leave the club at the end of the 2005/06 season. Curbishley denied that this had anything to do with being interviewed for the England manager post and speculation that this was so later proven false when Steve McClaren
Steve McClaren
Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
was announced as England's head coach. Curbishley managed his final game as manager of Charlton away to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
on 7 May 2006, which Charlton lost 4–0. Overall, he managed 729 games for the Addicks, just one fewer than the record held by Jimmy Seed
Jimmy Seed
James Marshall "Jimmy" Seed was an English footballer and football manager.Despite being born in Blackhill, Seed was brought up in the village of Whitburn on the coast just to the north of Sunderland...
.
After Curbishley's departure, Charlton suffered two relegations in three years.
West Ham United
After a short spell away from the game, which was augmented by work as a television pundit, Curbishley returned to management in December 2006 when he was appointed as manager of West Ham United. After looking certain for relegation, Curbishley led West Ham to seven wins out of their last nine games, beating Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
, Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
and a 1–0 win at Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
on the last day of the season, to keep West Ham in the Premier League. The 2007–08 Premier League season was relatively successful for Curbishley, as he led the club to a top ten finish despite long-term injuries to many of the key signings he had made that summer, including Scott Parker
Scott Parker (footballer)
Scott Matthew Parker is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team. He is the FWA Footballer of the Year for the 2010–11 season. He has represented England at every level from under-16 to senior. Uniquely, he won his first four England...
, Craig Bellamy
Craig Bellamy
Craig Douglas Bellamy is a Welsh footballer who plays as a striker for Liverpool and the Welsh national team. Born in Cardiff, Bellamy was the captain of the Welsh national side for four years after taking over from Ryan Giggs in 2007, but stood down in January 2011 due to constant injuries...
, Kieron Dyer
Kieron Dyer
Kieron Courtney Dyer is an English footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers. Born in Ipswich, he is an attacking midfielder who played youth football for his home club before going on to make nearly 100 league appearances for the club's first team...
and Julien Faubert
Julien Faubert
Julien Faubert is a French footballer who plays for West Ham United as a right back or midfielder in the Championship. Faubert started his footballing career in France with Cannes before moving to Bordeaux. In 2007 he moved to England to play for West Ham...
. Before the start of the 2008–09 Premier League season, there was ever increasing speculation about his future at the club.
Despite the club taking six points from their first three games, he was unhappy with the club's transfer policy after key players Anton Ferdinand
Anton Ferdinand
Anton Julian Ferdinand is an English footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers as a defender. He is the brother of Manchester United and England centre-back Rio Ferdinand and the cousin of former England striker Les Ferdinand and Southend United defender Kane Ferdinand. Like his brother, Anton...
and George McCartney
George McCartney
George McCartney is a Northern Irish footballer who plays for West Ham United on loan from Sunderland. He began his youth career at Sunderland, moving to West Ham before returning to Sunderland at the start of Roy Keane's time at charge...
were sold without his permission, a claim denied by the West Ham United board of directors, and he resigned his post on 2 September 2008.
Since leaving West Ham he has resurrected his TV career despite being linked with several high profile managerial positions.
On 3 November 2009, Curbishley won his case for constructive dismissal
Constructive dismissal
In employment law, constructive dismissal, also called constructive discharge, occurs when employees resign because their employer's behaviour has become so intolerable or heinous or made life so difficult that the employee has no choice but to resign. Because the resignation was not truly...
against West Ham United. After the ruling, he said: "I am obviously delighted with this result. I very much enjoyed my time at West Ham and never wanted to leave, but on joining the club I insisted that my contract contained a clause confirming that I would have final say on the selection of players to be transferred to and from the club." West Ham paid him £2.2 million in compensation.
Managerial stats
- As of 3 September 2008.
Team Nat From To Record G W L D Win % Charlton Athletic (Joint manager with Steve Gritt) Charlton Athletic F.C.Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
24 July 1991 15 June 1995
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic F.C.Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,... 16 June 1995 8 May 2006
West Ham United West Ham United F.C.West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current... 13 December 2006 3 September 2008
As player
with West Ham United- FA Youth CupFA Youth CupThe Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
runners-up: 1974–75
with Birmingham City- Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
promotion: 1979–80
with Brighton & Hove Albion- Football League Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
runners-up: 1987–88
As manager
with Charlton Athletic- Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(second tier) play-off winnerFootball League Championship play-offsThe Football League Championship play-offs are a series of playoff matches contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the Football League Championship table. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with 6th playing 3rd and 5th playing 4th, with the return fixtures following...
: 1997–98 - Football League First Division (second tier) champions: 1999–2000
External links
} - FA Youth Cup