To me the first 4 paragraphs of that article sum up pretty accurately what happened, from reading things from back then. Honestly, there seems to be a new kind of myth emerging... that no one wanted Curbs to leave.
No one is claiming that no one wanted him to go - the myth is that he was hounded out by an angry majority that thought we needed someone better to take us to the next level.
He was supported by a less vocal/silent majority.
Just skimming through but haven't seen it anywhere about the majority wanting him out. In fact yours is possibly the first I've read trying to suggest a majority myth.
It's without doubt that there was at that time a vocal element that wanted Curbs out
I'm not just talking about this article, I've seen various over the last few years plus comments from journalists and football fans on Twitter.
Fair enough, this one doesn't specifically say majority. However my point really was that whatever way it's worded people believe he was sacked or resigned following significant pressure on him and/or the board.
While it's true some wanted him to go it wasn't a group of fans that caused it to happen.
I remember telling my son to cherish those years as they might be the best it'll ever get. So sad that I was right.
Whilst the good days seem a lifetime ago we are only 2 great seasons (or even 1.5 depending on how this one pans out) from a return to the top flight where anything can happen.
With our current team, the spirit and league position we could be nearer to a return to that than we have been since the previous owners, particularly if we get new owners who have funds and ambition football- wise.
I wouldn't know as the current owners led me to decide I wasn't returning until they go.
I remember telling my son to cherish those years as they might be the best it'll ever get. So sad that I was right.
Whilst the good days seem a lifetime ago we are only 2 great seasons (or even 1.5 depending on how this one pans out) from a return to the top flight where anything can happen.
With our current team, the spirit and league position we could be nearer to a return to that than we have been since the previous owners, particularly if we get new owners who have funds and ambition football- wise.
And that is the correct attitude. Whilst I hate to see what has happened to my club since the departure of Curbs, I do like to have a bit of hope. Success is always a little bit sweeter when it’s not handed out on a plate.
I remember telling my son to cherish those years as they might be the best it'll ever get. So sad that I was right.
Whilst the good days seem a lifetime ago we are only 2 great seasons (or even 1.5 depending on how this one pans out) from a return to the top flight where anything can happen.
With our current team, the spirit and league position we could be nearer to a return to that than we have been since the previous owners, particularly if we get new owners who have funds and ambition football- wise.
I wouldn't know as the current owners led me to decide I wasn't returning until they go.
Well at least you (or I ) won't miss any of our premiership games while this shower are in charge
I've always called him The Real Sir Alan as of 2003 onwards. May have been later than that but was a reference to Alan Sugar on the Apprentice being called Sir Alan at the time.
I wish these journalists and pundits would stop this nonsense too. Has The Real Sir Alan put any of these myths to bed himself?
I seem to remember many saying Curbs has done all he can with Charlton. This was back in the 'Your Views' days though.
Well maybe he had. Season after season of not competing February onwards. Unable to inspire his teams to perform once safety had been assured. No progress in cups, league or FA except for the 1/4 in his last season when he failed to inspire his team to beat a very average Boro at home. If he had, Charlton could well have been in the UEFA Cup the next season.
I was only 9 or 10 at the time so wasn't really involved in all the internet bickering about it.
The first thing I remember is my friends dad who I used to go with in those days saying to me "I think they're announcing Curbishley is leaving" as the players and staff formed a guard of honour by the tunnel. Then the announcer saying "ladies and gentlemen Mr Alan Curbishley" and the standing ovation.
I just remember the shock and confusion of it. It had simply never occurred to me that he might leave. To me he had always been there and always would be. Every other Saturday from the age of 4 I had walked down Floyd road to the ground, sat in the same seat and watched Curbs march out the tunnel past us in the lower west, to the dugout. He simply was Charlton. Players had come and gone, favourite players had changed (always JJ or Powell) but Curbs was always there.
It was the first time football made me sad. Losing had never really upset me, I always enjoyed going to the game and left the ground happy. That day I didn't.
I seem to remember many saying Curbs has done all he can with Charlton. This was back in the 'Your Views' days though.
Well maybe he had. Season after season of not competing February onwards. Unable to inspire his teams to perform once safety had been assured. No progress in cups, league or FA except for the 1/4 in his last season when he failed to inspire his team to beat a very average Boro at home. If he had, Charlton could well have been in the UEFA Cup the next season.
Sssssh...... The majority on here don't wish to remember this part of the Curbs era. I believe the Boro quarter final was his true turning point ! We took 10,000 to Boro, and he send out a team that just looked like he had told them not to bother. It was the cup and he was not interested, and if that was how he felt the Feck the fans ! He ran the club, not them.
As said his departure wasn't the problem, it was the disasterous replacement and subsequent appointments that did the damage. However, was and remains a legend, but flawless and in no way responsible for his own departure ! Think the rose tinted glasses are on.
With the passage of time impossible to prove now but it would not surprise me if one fan on something like TalkSport had said words to the effect that Curbs had taken Charlton as far as he could and that it got picked up for discussion in the show and then snowballed. Once journalists pick up on a 'story' then, well, surprise surprise it can easily escalate into something like 'Charlton fans want Curbishley to go'. The exact number of fans who felt that way will never be known - I felt and sensed and the time that it was a minority and in any event Curbs was not forced out by the fans - there were other more significant factors in play.
It is a source of annoyance though that myth can become 'fact' in this way and then be churned out year after year because journalists will not do their homework.
i don't think we should accept anything less than a billionaire Charlton fan, Varney as CEO, Curbishly as director of football, Powell as manager, kermogant as lead striker/coach, Jackson and Solly as Charlton leaders, konsa, djiksteel and Aribo as vice captains.
Oh and also katrien, Tony and Roland leaving and ridding the club of their unfortunately noxious presence
Hindsight is fucking brilliant. I love the clarity of it, the unfailing perspective.
I have nothing but admiration for people who have it in such abundance.
Well TBF, to me, I'll think you'll find I said what I've said on here many times and at the time! Of course all this was pre-CL and my posts were on Nettaddicks. Len Glover and Henry Irving amongst others will testify that. Henry actually banned me from Nettaddicks for saying that CAFC will remain a "sh**ty little club" if they cannot show ambition, I posted that in December 2005 after a lacklustre performance at home stopped us going 2nd or 3rd in the Prem at Christmas. I wanted CAFC to go to the next level. If you don't have ambition in sport then why play? I really don't understand those who would prefer to be a mid-table mediocre club that simply stays in the Prem at the expense of trying to compete with the top teams
Hindsight is fucking brilliant. I love the clarity of it, the unfailing perspective.
I have nothing but admiration for people who have it in such abundance.
Well TBF, to me, I'll think you'll find I said what I've said on here many times and at the time! Of course all this was pre-CL and my posts were on Nettaddicks. Len Glover and Henry Irving amongst others will testify that. Henry actually banned me from Nettaddicks for saying that CAFC will remain a "sh**ty little club" if they cannot show ambition, I posted that in December 2005 after a lacklustre performance at home stopped us going 2nd or 3rd in the Prem at Christmas. I wanted CAFC to go to the next level. If you don't have ambition in sport then why play? I really don't understand those who would prefer to be a mid-table mediocre club that simply stays in the Prem at the expense of trying to compete with the top teams
Hindsight is fucking brilliant. I love the clarity of it, the unfailing perspective.
I have nothing but admiration for people who have it in such abundance.
Well TBF, to me, I'll think you'll find I said what I've said on here many times and at the time! Of course all this was pre-CL and my posts were on Nettaddicks. Len Glover and Henry Irving amongst others will testify that. Henry actually banned me from Nettaddicks for saying that CAFC will remain a "sh**ty little club" if they cannot show ambition, I posted that in December 2005 after a lacklustre performance at home stopped us going 2nd or 3rd in the Prem at Christmas. I wanted CAFC to go to the next level. If you don't have ambition in sport then why play? I really don't understand those who would prefer to be a mid-table mediocre club that simply stays in the Prem at the expense of trying to compete with the top teams
There was no next level to reach us being in the prem was a as good as it was ever going to get
This is actually true, but most people ever accept such realities as that. If we got back to 8th and then dropped to 14th, I am pretty sure everyone would call for the manager's head or claim we "lack ambition."
Charlton finishing 8th would be equal in impressiveness as Tottenham winning the Champions League. No matter what we do, we cannot compete over time with the big 6, for the following reasons.
1. We don't have a large enough stadium. Even in our peak year we were 14th in EPL attendance, at 26,000 per match. That will not get the job done, as we will be many, many millions per year of lower revenues and thus, less to spend on bringing in (or keeping) talent.
2. We would not have the endorsements. ManU signed a 700 million endorsement deal? Yeah, our whole turnover would not be more than 120 million in the EPL, even with TV money. Again, we would not have the wages to compete.
3. FFP. Perhaps big clubs get away flouting the rules, but we would not.
I would be very impressed if we got back to the EPL and were mid-table again. It would be very hard to do.
There was no next level to reach us being in the prem was a as good as it was ever going to get
This is actually true, but most people ever accept such realities as that. If we got back to 8th and then dropped to 14th, I am pretty sure everyone would call for the manager's head or claim we "lack ambition."
Charlton finishing 8th would be equal in impressiveness as Tottenham winning the Champions League. No matter what we do, we cannot compete over time with the big 6, for the following reasons.
1. We don't have a large enough stadium. Even in our peak year we were 14th in EPL attendance, at 26,000 per match. That will not get the job done, as we will be many, many millions per year of lower revenues and thus, less to spend on bringing in (or keeping) talent.
2. We would not have the endorsements. ManU signed a 700 million endorsement deal? Yeah, our whole turnover would not be more than 120 million in the EPL, even with TV money. Again, we would not have the wages to compete.
3. FFP. Perhaps big clubs get away flouting the rules, but we would not.
I would be very impressed if we got back to the EPL and were mid-table again. It would be very hard to do.
West Brom don’t even manage 26,000 now. Them, Watford, Burnley, Brighton etc seem to be doing ok with their lower attendances. There’s no reason why if we eventually got back up we couldn’t get to mid-table.
I wrote an article about this a few years ago. One of the most common misconceptions in football and largely down to one man.
After every single game, 'Kelvin from Sevenoaks' would be put through on air on Talksport and repeat the same dirge about Curbishley taking 'us' as far as he can etc etc. This would expand to virtually every Talksport presenter on every show whenever Charlton got mentioned as 'Charlton fans, has Curbishley taken you as far as you can go?'
Kelvin from Sevenoaks was of course Kelvin McKenzie, a Charlton fan for about 20 minutes and who just so happened to be Talksport's Station Manager at the time.
Of course there were a few that felt the same and it was time for a change, but this still remains the biggest exaggeration in football and it drives me mad
From the research I've been doing it seems there was genuine shock when Jimmy Seed (bear with me) was sacked [after 23 1/2 years], but I'm quite sure that there would have been a small vocal minority spouting off in pubs that he had to go after the poor start to the 56/7 season. The difference is - the internet.
Comments
Fair enough, this one doesn't specifically say majority. However my point really was that whatever way it's worded people believe he was sacked or resigned following significant pressure on him and/or the board.
While it's true some wanted him to go it wasn't a group of fans that caused it to happen.
Some people.
Some people are morons.
That includes charlton fans.
I wouldn't call the minority of our supporters that wanted curbs gone morons.
I would just say that those people lack a certain rational...foreword thinking and balanced objective mindset.
It's just also an opinion.
Booo
Whilst I hate to see what has happened to my club since the departure of Curbs, I do like to have a bit of hope. Success is always a little bit sweeter when it’s not handed out on a plate.
But Murray made the decision, and I doubt the view of a minority of support held much sway in that.
And he's been trying to right that wrong for the last ten years.
It is,imo , why he won't walk away.
I wish these journalists and pundits would stop this nonsense too. Has The Real Sir Alan put any of these myths to bed himself?
The first thing I remember is my friends dad who I used to go with in those days saying to me "I think they're announcing Curbishley is leaving" as the players and staff formed a guard of honour by the tunnel. Then the announcer saying "ladies and gentlemen Mr Alan Curbishley" and the standing ovation.
I just remember the shock and confusion of it. It had simply never occurred to me that he might leave. To me he had always been there and always would be. Every other Saturday from the age of 4 I had walked down Floyd road to the ground, sat in the same seat and watched Curbs march out the tunnel past us in the lower west, to the dugout. He simply was Charlton. Players had come and gone, favourite players had changed (always JJ or Powell) but Curbs was always there.
It was the first time football made me sad. Losing had never really upset me, I always enjoyed going to the game and left the ground happy. That day I didn't.
As said his departure wasn't the problem, it was the disasterous replacement and subsequent appointments that did the damage. However, was and remains a legend, but flawless and in no way responsible for his own departure ! Think the rose tinted glasses are on.
I have nothing but admiration for people who have it in such abundance.
It is a source of annoyance though that myth can become 'fact' in this way and then be churned out year after year because journalists will not do their homework.
Oh and also katrien, Tony and Roland leaving and ridding the club of their unfortunately noxious presence
Maybe that's just me that last bit
He probably had got us as far as he could , didn’t mean we thought anyone else could get us further though.
Charlton finishing 8th would be equal in impressiveness as Tottenham winning the Champions League. No matter what we do, we cannot compete over time with the big 6, for the following reasons.
1. We don't have a large enough stadium. Even in our peak year we were 14th in EPL attendance, at 26,000 per match. That will not get the job done, as we will be many, many millions per year of lower revenues and thus, less to spend on bringing in (or keeping) talent.
2. We would not have the endorsements. ManU signed a 700 million endorsement deal? Yeah, our whole turnover would not be more than 120 million in the EPL, even with TV money. Again, we would not have the wages to compete.
3. FFP. Perhaps big clubs get away flouting the rules, but we would not.
I would be very impressed if we got back to the EPL and were mid-table again. It would be very hard to do.
After every single game, 'Kelvin from Sevenoaks' would be put through on air on Talksport and repeat the same dirge about Curbishley taking 'us' as far as he can etc etc. This would expand to virtually every Talksport presenter on every show whenever Charlton got mentioned as 'Charlton fans, has Curbishley taken you as far as you can go?'
Kelvin from Sevenoaks was of course Kelvin McKenzie, a Charlton fan for about 20 minutes and who just so happened to be Talksport's Station Manager at the time.
Of course there were a few that felt the same and it was time for a change, but this still remains the biggest exaggeration in football and it drives me mad