http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2020290,00.html
West Ham manager knows victory is vital over a club and boss he knows only too well, writes Marc Isaacs
Saturday February 24, 2007
The Guardian
A seat intended for Alan Curbishley will be going spare at the Valley this afternoon. He had originally planned to attend the match against West Ham as a spectator, enjoying a well deserved break after 15 years as manager of Charlton, but now he will be in the visitors' dug-out.
"As the season progressed I started looking at the fixtures again and wanted to go as a fan," he said. "I always said I wanted to go back to the Valley and watch a big game and this will certainly be the case with a sell-out crowd and a great atmosphere. But I didn't expect to watch it from the dug-out."
Even though Curbishley worked wonders with the limited resources available to him at Charlton he always had a soft spot for his first love, West Ham, and was frequently linked with a move across the Thames. And when he eventually left Charlton it was natural that he earmarked the derby with West Ham as the perfect occasion for his first return to the Valley.
"It is quite unique what has happened between the clubs and I would not have thought they would both be in the bottom three. I certainly didn't think I would be the manager of West Ham and this game would be so important considering our positions in the league. I am looking forward to it and know it will be strange in some respects. But all I am concentrating on is getting the right result."
Despite the significance of the game, with both sides in the relegation zone, Curbishley is expecting a warm reception from the Charlton supporters. "I started off [as Charlton manager] at Upton Park because that is where we were playing at the time. We had 18 months there which I thoroughly enjoyed, but as the years have gone on Charlton has become a big part of my life.
"I have spoken to the board since I left the club and we parted on very amicable terms. The chairman, Richard Murray, phoned me the day I joined West Ham to wish me all the best. His exact words were 'I hope our luck is a bit better than your luck' because they were in the bottom three along with us. If both clubs had been in a different position I'm sure the atmosphere would have been a lot more relaxed. It is such an important game but I would like to think I will get a decent reception."
Although most of the attention has concerned Curbishley's return to Charlton, the fixture has extra significance because the former West Ham manager Alan Pardew has moved in the opposite direction and is trying to steer Charlton out of the bottom three. Curbishley has a special relationship with Pardew, dating back to when he signed him as a player in 1991. The contract was drawn up in the Cross Keys pub in New Eltham and Curbishley still remembers the impact the midfielder made at the club during his four-year spell at the Valley.
"I sold Andy Peake to Middlesbrough because we were not taking too much money at Upton Park and were not paying the rent. We had a bid of £150,000 for Peake and that paid the rent for three months. The club said I could sign a free transfer to replace him and we got Pards.
"He came on a free from Crystal Palace and I remember haggling with him in a pub all afternoon over £15 before he signed. He was our third signing, along with Garry Nelson and Steve Gatting, and was one of the players who was instrumental in Charlton's success that first year at Upton Park. He came in and scored 10 goals that season and he had a great influence on the players."
From the start Curbishley could see the leadership qualities Pardew possessed and knew he would become a successful manager. When the West Ham job became available in 2003 it was Curbishley who recommended Pardew to the chairman, Terence Brown, and he has nothing but admiration for the job his former player did in guiding the club back to the Premiership. "I always had it in my mind that he would become a manager one day," added Curbishley. "When the job became vacant at West Ham a couple of years ago I was asked about him by the people in charge at the time and I recommended him. We all go back a long way.
"I don't think the West Ham fans can forget what Alan Pardew did for the club. In two years he turned the place around. They got into the play-offs twice and won promotion back to the Premiership. I'm sure the fans will remember that and give him the response he deserves."
In an ideal world, at this stage of the season Curbishley the returning fan would probably have settled for a draw between the two sides that will always have a place in his heart. As it is, with the plight his current and former clubs find themselves in, there will be no room for sentiment. And for the first time ever at the Valley, Alan Curbishley will be rooting for an away win.
Pardew the player
Alan Pardew, was Alan Curbishley's third signing as manager of then cash-strapped Charlton, arriving in 1991 after four years at Crystal Palace, where his industrious midfield work - not to mention his famous 1990 FA Cup semi-final winning goal against Liverpool - had caught Curbishley's eye. Pardew scored 10 goals from midfield in his first full season as Charlton narrowly missed out on the old Division Two play-offs. His four-year spell at the club coincided with a steady upturn in their fortunes. Charlton returned to The Valley in December 1992 after seven years in exile as a platform was built for later assaults on the Premiership. In total he scored 24 goals in 104 games for Charlton before seeing out his playing career with Barnet between 1995-97.
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Alan Curbishley and Alan Pardew go back a long way. At one time they had a manager-player relationship, now they are firm friends; this afternoon they sit in the dugouts each other occupied little more than 10 months ago as managers of Charlton and West Ham respectively. Now they are managers of West Ham and Charlton. The friendship will be suspended for 90 minutes.
"Alan's got a job to do at Charlton and I've got a job to do here," Curbishley said ahead of this afternoon's meeting at the Valley. "I don't think anything should get in the way of that."
It was Curbishley who took Pardew to Charlton nearly 15 years ago except, confusingly, it was West Ham because that was where Charlton were decamped. Now they are doing each other's old job, and they will do each other down to make sure their club stay in the Premiership.
Curbishley recalls the day Pardew joined Charlton. "I had to sell someone to pay the wages for three months. We weren't taking in too much money at Upton Park. We had a bid for Andy Peake of £150,000 [from Middlesbrough], which helped us out, and the board said, 'You can go and get a free transfer'. So we went and got Pards [from Crystal Palace]. "I remember haggling in a pub with him over £15 a week. I don't think £15 a week was going to make much difference to anybody, but it was what he was on at Palace and we weren't quite in their league at the time."
Now Pardew drives around in a top-of-the range Ferrari. "It was the days when players were motivated by playing," Curbishley said.
The admiration that developed was mutual, and Pardew yesterday described the debt he owed to Curbishley's management. "I was a better player under Curbs, I got a greater knowledge of the role I was playing," he said. "What I found was a strict structure - about the organisation of the team, the effectiveness of the opposition and how to counter that. He is very thorough."
This thoroughness was well absorbed, and more than a decade later Curbishley was recommending his former player to be manager of West Ham.
It will be strange for Curbishley to return to the Valley, and Pardew is keen that Charlton honour him with the reception he deserves. "That's his right," said his former protege. "I think it will feel a bit different for me - there was a lot of emotion involved when I was manager at West Ham, and my love for them won't ever die. There is a lot of pressure on both of us."
Pardew underlined his belief that West Ham and Charlton would survive their relegation run-ins. "We must draw in the others. Here we want to win, but after that, as far as I'm concerned, West Ham can win every game as long as we do, too."
The capital’s biggest game of the weekend takes place today at The Valley, as Charlton Athletic and West Ham United concern themselves with achieving the main aim of almost every other club in the Barclays Premiership: staying there.
The exchange of managers that has taken place since last season gives it extra sizzle, as does the fact that the loser, if any, will be seen as virtually down.
But Alan Pardew, the Charlton manager and former West Ham boss, was keen to play down the significance of a match he believes will not decide the fate of either club, or rate as his biggest challenge as a manager.
“Almost winning the FA Cup Final last season was my biggest game by some distance,” he said yesterday. “I’ve had other bigger games than this, such as play-off finals.
“This is a big game, but it has to be taken in context. A team that loses will still have a chance. You only have to look at Portsmouth [last season] to know there is enough time left. So it’s not the end of the world, not the be-all and end-all. But of course it puts you in a great position to catch Wigan and the rest if you win.”
Pardew does not see the match as an opportunity for him to gain revenge on the club who dismissed him 11 weeks ago. He retains a high regard for West Ham and Alan Curbishley, their manager, who once signed him as a player for Charlton. “Of course I want to win the game,” he said. “I’m desperate to succeed here at Charlton, but it is a pressure situation for both managers, [playing] their former clubs.
“I hope Curbs gets an ovation and I’m sure he will at a stadium that wasn’t even here when he arrived. It is his right.”
Does Pardew expect an ovation from the visiting fans?
“I hope so, but I don’t know,” he said. “I’m not going to disguise the fact that it will feel different, and it will be strange for Curbs, too. There is a lot of emotion involved.
“I was manager of West Ham and my love for them won’t ever die. I want them to survive and I want us to survive.
“We are up against each other in this match, but in the next few weeks we are up against the others and we can pull them in and that is what we need to do.”
The likelihood, however, is that two, or even three, London area teams will go down this season, leaving the capital with only four Premiership clubs — its smallest top-flight presence since 1981-82, when Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham were its sole representatives.
Eighteen London derby matches could disappear from the top division’s fixture list, while, should Derby County, Preston North End and Sunder-land be promoted, travelling fans of the remaining four London teams can look forward to putting more than 1,300 extra miles on their cars’ clocks next season.
In the 1989-90 season, eight London clubs were in the old first division, and with Luton Town and Southampton alongside them, half of the elite were based south of Toddington services on the M1.
The north-south divide in next season’s Premiership could fall not between Coventry and Luton but between Everton and Liverpool
West Ham's preparations for their relegation clash with Charlton were thrown into turmoil on Friday night when it emerged that winger Matthew Etherington is undergoing treatment for a gambling addiction.
Sportsmail understands that Etherington, who has confronted his demons and has the total support of his club while he is being treated, is being counselled at the renowned Sporting Chance clinic in Hampshire.
The player told Sportsmail: "I have made a personal decision to take steps to tackle a gambling problem which has developed over recent times."
Etherington’s gambling problem spiralled out of control towards the end of 2006, but the player has the backing of manager Alan Curbishley and chairman Eggert Magnusson.
The midfielder, who spent a week at the clinic last month and is receiving ongoing treatment, is likely to be named on the substitutes’ bench at Charlton today as West Ham go in search of their first Premiership victory since December.
Etherington told Sportsmail: "I have made a personal decision to take steps to tackle my gambling problem.
"I would like to thank my family for their incredible support during this time, all of my team-mates at West Ham and manager Alan Curbishley for their understanding.
"As anyone who has suffered an addiction illness will know, this is not a problem that will disappear overnight and the Sporting Chance clinic is playing a key role in my recovery programme."
Etherington, who said he could not remember the last day in his life when he didn’t have a bet, spent a residential week at Sporting Chance last month.
The Hammers midfielder believes that the clinic has given him the best possible chance of making a full recovery and sources close to Etherington claim he is making good progress after receiving intensive counselling.
It is understood that he has not had a bet in three weeks. Etherington, who was told by his Hammers team-mates that there would be no shame if he sought help from professionals, is the second player at Upton Park to be be treated for gambling problems in the last three months.
Goalkeeper Roy Carroll was admitted into the Capio Nightingale rehabilitation clinic in November after he faced up to a drinking and gambling problem.
At the time, the Hammers players were betting vast sums of money on card schools on the team coach and at one stage Carroll owed one of his team-mates a staggering £30,000.
Peter Kay, chief executive at Sporting Chance, said: "Paul Martin, Matthew’s agent, has been thoroughly professional and I cannot speak highly enough of him.
"Matthew has been incredibly brave by confronting his problems. It is difficult for players to come forward in the modern climate.
"For any person to put up their hands and say they have been beaten by an addiction takes immense courage and strength of character. Certain people say they are weak willed and need to pull themselves together, but the opposite is true: it is the strength of character that prevents them seeking help.
"I salute Matthew for the work he has done. He has given the same commitment to beating this problem as he does to his football.
"The PFA, the FA and the Premier League all support preventative education and Alan Curbishley has been a tower of strength."
The Sporting Chance Clinic was formed in 2000 by former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams, who was treated for alcoholism and drug addiction.
One of its patrons is his ex-Arsenal team-mate Paul Merson, who brought the issue of addiction in football into the spotlight in 1994 when he publicly admitted to suffering from gambling and alcohol problems
Matt Holland says Alan Pardew has given the Charlton squad confidence to start their Premiership survival bid with a weekend win against West Ham.
"The manager's very positive, he's got everyone up," Holland told BBC Sport.
"There's a belief about the place that we can stay up and everyone's pulling in the same direction.
"We're looking at winning half our remaining games which will be tough, so we need to win our home games, starting with West Ham on Saturday."
Huge interest surrounds the derby against the Hammers at The Valley and Holland describes the meeting as "massive".
Pardew started the season in charge at West Ham, while current Upton Park boss Curbishley left Charlton last summer after 15 years in charge.
And the teams are locked together on 20 points in the relegation zone.
But it is the three points and not the associated circus that is the priority for the players, a point echoed by Addicks assistant Phil Parkinson.
"There is going to be a lot of hype with both managers up against their old clubs, a local derby and a relegation battle," he told BBC Sport.
"But the lads are focused, they know what is required and I can sense they are ready for the challenge."
Good managers, good coaches and good players really produce at this time of the season
Phil Parkinson
Charlton's last match was a 2-0 defeat at Manchester United on 10 February, and with a free weekend because of their third round exit from the FA Cup the squad headed to Malaga in Spain for some warm-weather training.
"It was hard, hard work," said Holland. "Double sessions and tough training.
"Since the manager's been in we've had a lot of games and not much time on the training field, with matches coming thick and fast.
"So it was a chance to get some intense work done, go through some ideas on our shape and get in top physical condition for our survival bid."
Parkinson was pleased with the application of the players and acknowledged the boost in morale the impending return of England international duo Darren Bent and Luke Young has had on the squad.
Bent has been out since 30 December, when he injured his knee playing against Aston Villa, while Young has been sidelined since damaging his knee ligaments against Liverpool on 16 December.
"We feel with Darren and Luke coming back into the squad we've a good chance of avoiding relegation," said former Colchester and Hull boss Parkinson.
"Those two coming back gives everybody a lift.
"We've a lot of honesty, a lot of commitment and we're excited about the run-in."
Charlton have 11 games left this season, including fixtures against fellow strugglers Watford, Wigan and Sheffield United, as well as the match with the Hammers.
Darren and Luke did all the work in Spain and that is great news for the club - a big boost at this stage of the season
Matt Holland
And Parkinson is confident Pardew will get the best from the squad at this crucial stage of the season.
"It's the good managers, the good coaches and the good players who really produce at this time of the season," he stated.
"We are now looking to reproduce our best work on the training ground - that will then produce good work in matches on a Saturday.
"Alan is very relaxed the way he goes about his business and there is no way any pressure will be transmitted to the players.
"Rather than telling them they have got to win we are telling them what they need to do to win and we are focusing on those processes rather than the outcome."
Pardew has freshened things up by changing the training ground around and putting up motivational quotes on the walls, cosmetics of which Holland approves.
"He focuses on the positive in order to help the players believe we can get out of the situation we're in," he added.
"And everyone has to give it everything they have possibly got in these last 11 games.
"Wigan are the team we're looking to peg back so their draw with Watford was probably the best result for us on Wednesday.
"If we can get close to them we can look at the teams above them, but for now it is Wigan who we have to catch.
"It's a mini-season now and we have to win half our games.
"Portsmouth did it 12 months ago, they are the example to us and hopefully we can be the team that does it this year."