Hvor lang tid brukte Curbishley før Charlton ble gode?
Fant litt info om curbishley. Minner kanskje mye om leeds og Blackwell? Alle managere, gode eller dårlige, har hatt grusomme perioder. Get f**king over it.
Alan Curbishley is one of the most respected managers in the Premier League and he is regularly being touted as a future England coach. Curbishley is the second longest-serving manager in the Premiership behind Sir Alex Ferguson, having been in charge at The Valley since 1991. During this time, he has guided Charlton on an upward curve of steady improvement, and, despite some early setbacks, he has taken the club from being a languishing First Division side to a solid top-flight outfit that is capable of challenging for Europe.
Curbishley began his career as an apprentice at West Ham in 1973, followed by spells at Birmingham City and Aston Villa, before moving to Charlton. The reliable yet unremarkable midfield player was sold to Brighton by Lennie Lawrence in 1987, but returned three years later and accompanied his playing role with a position as first-team coach. When Lawrence was offered and accepted the Middlesbrough job, the 33-year-old Curbishley was appointed joint manager with Steve Gritt.
However, this was not a great time to be a Charlton fan. A string of bad results saw them plummet down what was then the First Division, partly due to that fact that they were playing their home games at West Ham's Upton Park due to refurbishments at The Valley. To make matters worse, the club was forced to sell their best player, Rob Lee, to ease financial pressures. After four seasons, the managerial duo came to an end and Gritt was sacked, with Curbishley taking on all management duties. The new Charlton chairman, Richard Murray, showed faith in Curbishley's managerial promise, and the two have since struck up a close relationship.
Since taking over sole control of the team, Curbishley has turned a struggling first-division side into an entertaining, mid-table Premiership outfit - an achievement that cannot be underestimated. After disappointment in the play-offs in 1996, he led the Addicks to the glamour and riches of the Premiership in 1998. With a young and inexperienced side, Charlton were relegated the following year, but again Murray kept faith with his young manager. This faith was spectacularly repaid, and Charlton cruised to the First Division title in style in the 1999-2000 season. This time there was to be no mistake and the team consolidated its position.