Alan Curbishley Exclusive Interview With OLBG

Alan Curbishley has spells as a player with West ham united, Birmingham City, Aston Villa, Charlton and Brighton as a midfielder, before taking roles with Charlton and West Ham as manager. He had a short spell as Technical director at Fulham too. here he speaks exclusively to OLBG

David Moyes was not included on the shortlist for Premier League manager of the season. What are your thoughts on that and can you explain the thinking behind your answer?

I was surprised a little bit, but when you see the list, you can understand.

Thomas Frank is a newly promoted manager who's done a great job at Brentford, then the two at the top of the table speak for themselves.

But what West Ham have done this season, considering the success they had last season as well, they've established themselves in the top six in the Premier League.

They were a whisker away from a Europa League final, so I did find it surprising that he wasn't on the list.

I'm sure it wouldn't bother David (Moyes) too much, I know him quite well and I think he'll be pleased with the way the season has gone.

He'll be looking forward to next season, pressing David Sullivan and David Gold for an opportunity to improve his squad.

What have you made of West Ham's season? Europa League semi-final, European qualification again, decent performance in domestic cups...

One of the biggest things for me is that the question over the stadium seems to have finally gone away.

That was always an excuse and always something to fall back on when things weren't going West Ham's way.

That's gone away now, and I remember Ray Winston saying something a few years ago when he was asked about West Ham struggling at the London Stadium.

He basically said when they start playing better then I'm sure the atmosphere will pick up, which is exactly what's happened.

Their winning games there now, Upton Park is long gone, and everyone has accepted the situation.

60,000 fans turning up every week and the team is backing it up on the pitch, West Ham have turned themselves into a top six club.

They'll be looking to get into the Europa League again that's for sure or at least getting themselves into a European competition.

The way they've performed will make David (Moyes) go to the owners because if West Ham want to improve on all fronts, then maybe the squad needs improving in certain areas.

That may have taken its toll in the end for the semi-final because they did alright in the domestic cups as well so a lot of those players have played a lot of games.

It'll be a big summer for everybody in the club in terms of recruitment for next season.

And what can they achieve next season and what would you say they should be targeting?

Top six has got to be the target now, to be in the top half of the Premier League is an achievement, but they should be targeting the top six and competing with the bigger clubs.

They've competed with the top teams this season, they've played well against Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham.

So, they're right up there with them and it's the second season in a row that they've done that.

Being a European club is now an exciting prospect for the club in terms of the recruitment they can do.

If they have a good summer in the transfer window, then they should be able to compete with those teams again.

You worked with Mark Noble during your time at West Ham, how was that, what do you think of him and have you any anecdotes that shows what kind of a player and person he is?

It was interesting because when I arrived at the club, Mark was just about to go out on loan.

He had a few loan spells before I arrived, and he was about to go out on loan to Ipswich.

He came to see me and basically said that he wanted to go out on loan to get some experience but now there's a change in manager do I get a chance with you?

I said yes of course, I've just come in, so I need to assess the squad and find a way of winning games at the same time.

As the story goes, he didn't go out on loan and he stayed and from that moment onwards, he was in my face every day.

In training, around the club and on matchdays he was in my face saying, 'look at me, give me a chance' and that's what happened.

That was all he needed, and it might not have happened if he went out on loan, who knows?, but he decided to stay, got into the side and never really came out of it.

You could see his mentality and his love for the club, I remember when he scored his first goal at home to Spurs.

It was a massive game, and we were winning 3-2 with eight or nine minutes left and ended up being beat 4-3.

It left us with 10 games and 10 points behind but looking back at the footage of the game a few days later, he scored his first goal but that wasn't what stood out to me.

At the end of game Mark was on his hunches and in tears.

I think after that result a lot of people thought we were going to go down, but we came out of that game having played so well which gave me the opportunity to not change anything.

We went away to Blackburn and got a result which was the start of the great escape and Mark was a big part of that and has been a big part of the club since.

But whenever I see that Tottenham game, I always see Mark Noble sitting in the centre circle on his hunches crying because we've been beat.

He loves that club and he's shown the same love throughout his career.

How big of a miss will Mark Noble be in that West Ham dressing room?

He epitomises what you need at a football club, he'll come in and talk to all the staff, the catering staff, the groundsmen and he'll make sure to go see some of the younger players.

I think that is the respect that he's got and earned throughout the years and really nothing has changed since he first got into in the side.

There have been quite a few managers at West Ham since I left, and I remember him saying to me that he's had to impress them all.

He's never considered himself the favourite, he always felt like he had to prove himself to the next manager which gives him the edge.

I know he's not played a lot of football this season, but I'm sure David Moyes would have no hesitation about putting him in.

It's just been unfortunate for him that the midfield trio has been so strong to try and force his way in.

But if it came down to it, I don't think David would have any issues with starting him.

What do you think of the speculation around Declan Rice’s future? Will he be priced out of a move?

I think his situation could be very similar to Harry Kane at Spurs.

The situation with Declan is slightly different, he's had all this speculation around him, but he looks like he's always been enjoying his football at West Ham.

I feel like he's in a position to let his contract run down and it will put things into his favour if he does want to leave the football club.

It's a big decision, West Ham I know have offered a long-term contract to him, but on the other hand does he let it run down to get that move to a top team.

It's always risky when you do that because a loss of form or an injury could come around, but I always have a lot of time for players that allow their contract to run down.

They take that gamble and I'm thinking that's what he might do.

Would there be any complaints from the West Ham fans if he did leave?

I don't think so.

Manchester United couldn't hold onto Ronaldo when Real Madrid came along.

You've seen bigger clubs struggle to keep their best players at times and I don't think West Ham fans would begrudge Declan Rice if he moved.

He gives his all, he's given everything for the club and that transfer fee will be massive.

They've seen young players leave over the years and although it does hurt, but these players go onto bigger things.

The likes of Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, and Rio Ferdinand, they've moved on to bigger clubs and been successful in their careers from it.

You can't begrudge that and as a manager if you get what you think is a fair price, then morally there's not a lot you can do.

Jarrod Bowen has been tipped to be a future England international, do you think he deserves the opportunity to show what he can do at that level?

I think he can step up to that level and he's deserving of a chance to show that.

Gareth (Southgate) will be keeping a close eye on what he's been doing at West Ham.

His work ethic stands out to me, the amount of work he does in 90 minutes is almost as good as the goals he scores or the assists he gets.

His all-round game is fantastic and it goes to show that you can look down in the lower leagues and pluck some players out.

You don't always need to go to Premier League clubs or abroad, there are players in the Championship and League One out there.

If you get the scouting right, you can pick them out and make them a big part of your club, that's exactly what West Ham and Jarrod Bowen have done since he left Hull.

You had a stint at Brighton in your playing career, what do you make of the club right now since they were promoted to the Premier League?

I think the last 10 years have been amazing at Brighton since the owner took over.

They've moved from the Goldstone Ground and built a fantastic stadium which gets 30,000 supporters and could keep getting bigger.

I know Graham Potter is currently doing an excellent job, but it started way before him with previous people at the club.

They've been winning promotions, stabilising the club so they deserve a lot of credit along with the owner.

This year they have pushed on to another level, they look a great threat in every game they play which you have to give Graham Potter credit for.

It's been well deserved, they've built a new training ground, a new stadium and they had a plan to get to this point and establishing themselves as a Premier League which is exactly what they're doing.

How much credit does Graham Potter deserve, could you see him managing a top club in the future?

What I think he's done is take the club to that next stage, previous managers were happy to hit that 40-point mark and ensure safety.

But I think he's been asking for a bit more and asking that of his own players and the supporters.

They've been a little disappointing at home at times and tailed off at one point, so the recruitment for them in the summer will be interesting.

But it's great to see an English manager doing so well and it's great to see that Brighton have taken a chance on him.

If he carries on keeping Brighton in the top half of the table, then his next move will be upwards.

But at the moment, he's only been in the Premier League for a few seasons, and I think he would like to remain there for a few more.

If that move does come along to the so-called bigger clubs, then he'll be ready, but for now I think he's in the right place.

Fulham are back in the Premier League once again, they haven’t got the recruitment right the past two stints – how vital is this summer for the club?

I think the owner and those involved in recruitment have a big job in the summer because they've got themselves into a yoyo situation.

It's very difficult when you're in that position like the Watford's and Norwich's of this world when it comes to recruitment.

How attractive of a club are you, you go up and down from the Premier League which makes it difficult.

They've got to get the players who have the right mentality and who they can realistically bring in.

They might even have to put relegation clauses into contracts which clubs and players don't like.

But the real question is around if they can attract the players with the right mentality and ability to keep them up.

That would make them more attractive for the following season.

It's a difficult balancing act, they could throw the book at it but if it doesn't work then that puts the club in a worse position.

But on the flip side, do you go in with lower offers and end up not being good enough.

It'll be interesting to see how Fulham cope with it this time around.

Do you think Johnnie Jackson deserved more time at Charlton?

I think he deserved more time when you consider where the club where when he took over.

They looked like they would be in a relegation battle, and he had a fantastic run as caretaker manager.

He then got the job and went on a bad run, but he had all of his centre forwards injured.

All of them were injured which made them go on a poor run, but they turned it around towards the end of the season.

It was a hard call on him, and I know he'll be very disappointed that it's ended, but he's gone and done the right thing by getting back in straight away.

I know AFC Wimbledon have been relegated and looking to bounce straight back, but as a young manager when you lose a job it's vital you get back in as soon as possible.

There's a stat that 60% of first-time managers never get another job as a manager.

So, he's got his first job at Charlton then jumped straight back in which is something that you have to do.

I'm sure they'll be looking at promotion, but for him getting back in is the biggest thing.

He’s dropped down to League Two with AFC Wimbledon, what will he take from Charlton into that job?

I know at Charlton there was a new problem to solve which he hasn't been used to.

It makes the days’ work a little bit longer and I'm sure he'll be looking at this new job to give his everything.

I would think at a club like AFC Wimbledon he would have control of everything, not just recruitment and coaching the team, but getting out there and scouting players.

Being involved himself in more aspects and I think this move will help him realise what it takes to be a manager in the lower leagues.

It will bode well if he can get AFC Wimbledon back on track because I know he's a very good coach.

If he can get that club back on track, then it will help his career and I wish him all the best because I know he's always wanted to be a manager.

He was assistant to Lee Bowyer and others, but he's always been itching to get that opportunity himself.

I think he is going to be successful in his career.

Image: Skysports

How important is it that Charlton get the right man in next as manager, especially considering how difficult it’s proven to get out of League One?

When I last looked at the League One table, there were 10 former Premier League clubs in that division.

It's so difficult to get out of, we've seen Sheffield Wednesday fall short and you just need to take a look at Sunderland over the past few years, although they have a chance this year in the playoffs.

The teams coming down as well such as Derby, it makes the division very difficult to get out of.

The owners have admitted that the recruitment hasn't been good enough and there's been situations that haven't been ideal for managers coming in.

But recruitment will be the biggest thing for the club and the supporters, but firstly they've got to get the right manager in.

I'm sure there will be plenty of applicants and maybe some surprise applicants for the job because it's such a big club.

Someone said to me recently that in the all-time Premier League table, Charlton are 26th which proves that they are a big club.

They've got the potential to be a Premier League club again, but the first job is to get out of League One which isn't easy.

You were linked with both the Manchester United and Liverpool job during your time in charge at Charlton – would you have loved the opportunity to manage either club?

Of course I would have.

There was a lot of interest with the Liverpool job, but they ended up going with Rafa Benitez instead.

He had been successful in Spain, so it was fair enough and it was around the time that more foreign managers started to come into the league.

The quality of someone like Benitez coming in, you could understand that decision, but there was a stiff with the Liverpool job.

I would have loved to be given the opportunity, but I'm not sure if I was ready at the time.

I was maybe in the same position Graham Potter is in now, I needed a few more seasons in the Premier League to get that experience.

With Manchester United I'm not too sure on that job, I know I was on a shortlist drawn up by Sir Alex, but it was never mentioned to me at the time.

When I was at Charlton, I was linked with a few jobs, but no moves ever really materialised and like I said, it was maybe similar to Graham Potter.

If he keeps doing what he's doing at Brighton, then he will be getting linked with jobs when they become available.

Eddie Howe did a really good job at Bournemouth and was in the right place at the right time when the Newcastle job came along.

There is opportunities out there, it'll be interesting to see what offers Sean Dyche gets now he's left Burnley.

But there was a stiff around the Liverpool job when I was managing Charlton.

Have you any plans to return to management? Future plans if not?

I could have got back in on a few occasions, there were offers from Championship clubs and teams in the bottom three of the Premier League with 10 games to go.

They were difficult situations to go back into, but the right job for me after what I did in the Premier League never really came up.

The Eddie Howe situation never really happened to me when I left West Ham.

I think it's been partly my fault; I got a bit too picky with the jobs on offer.

People always advised me to get back in, as I've said to a lot of young managers, you've got to get back in as soon as possible.

That's why you see the Sam Allardyce’s, and the Steve Bruce's constantly linked with jobs and even David Moyes to a certain extent.

You've got to get yourself back in as soon as you can because it could be a long time that you're out of work which has basically happened to me.

I don't think there's a club out there now that would take a gamble on someone who's been out of the game for so long.

I did enjoy the mentor job I did at Fulham for Rene Meulensteen and Kit Symons.

I think it was a job that might start being created because there's a lot of young managers out there that do need experienced mentors.

These mentors who aren't going to be a threat to their jobs, but perhaps someone who these young managers can lean on for advice.

It is a lonely world when it isn't going so well in football management, so there is a role for a mentor, and you may start to see that in the coming seasons.

I'd consider an offer if it came my way, I haven't been on Mars for the past however many years.

I've been keeping an eye on things, I've done a lot of TV work for the Premier League, so I am aware of what's going on.

As I've said I haven't been living in a bunker, but things have moved on.

They move on very quickly in football, but if there are any opportunities out there that suit me, then I would be considering them, who knows what might come.

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