It annoys me too because it wasn’t me. However, it’s not true to say that no one wanted it because some people definitely did. It would be interesting to see how many people actually did want it. Although presumably most people wouldn’t admit that now, given what happened.
I seem to recall thinking he was looking run down, like he was losing the drive to keep making us over achieve. Honestly don't think any of us wanted him out, think of what he could have done with the funds wasted by Dowie and Pardew.
I was a season ticket holder at the time and i do remember there wqs a large minority of fans who complained he had taken us as far as he could. Thats not to say there was a concerted effort to oust him. I think for context though this was all pre social media really.
He should have been allowed to stay for the last year of his contract , which he was willing to do, and the season after Prem money increased quite a bit and he was happy to be involved in finding his successor but Murray was too clever to need any of his help .
for the record I knew he was the gel holding us up and foresaw how shit we’d be without him but not as completely shit as we have been in the last 15 years 10th season of third tier wankness to start soon , utter guff
There were definitely murmurs but that's all they were. I'm trying to think back to my perspective. I was 1 when Curbs became manager and I was 16 when he left. I remember being very sad but also thinking that it wasn't the end of the world and that we could do something different and grow. People talk now about letting Curbs see out the final year of his contract but I still think that would have been a mistake; if we were never able to motivate the players to care past securing safety every year then I think we might have really struggled if we'd seen that apathy for a full season. The real problem was that there wasn't a plan for him going. It's not that we'd identified this carefully planned out new way of playing and we had a shortlist of talented coaches that fit the criteria along with a list of players for each role, we just had Richard Murray getting all jealous of the attention Curbs got and reckoning he was the real mastermind behind it all. Even now you look at who was available and there's no obvious name that jumps out at you. I was sort of ok when it looked like we were getting Billy Davies but I was really, really worried when it turned out to be Dowie. I can still remember the sinking feeling now was it was confirmed. As much as I love Curbs I think our biggest mistake isn't that he left, but how Murray reacted to it
I was happy for a change. Just because the decisions that followed that were bad/wrong does not mean it was the wrong initial decision.
Fair play to you for being ready to admit that. Not many do.
I'll admit to something in turn. At the time I still believed, more or less, in Richard Murray, although I wasn't around so much and didn't really understand the boardroom changes. But I had always assumed that RM had done what any sensible business leader would do in a normal company - have a file marked "What if Curbs leaves?" containing a list of possible candidates, some of whom he might have had dinner with, just to get to know them ona mutual "what if, in future? " basis. Happens all the time in business.
Turns out he had no such file. I was gobsmacked and shaken by that revelation. When I managed to ask him why not, some time later, he said it was because such activity would have been regarded as "tapping up". I was even more gobsmacked and shaken, because it really is not, and I wondered how he'd maintained the senior management of his own business, which seemed to be thriving.
This same commentary popped up on radio 5 last night on their night time football show. Tim Vickery called it 'charlton syndrome' or something similar when describing the Bournemouth sacking. Didn't get challenged.
We didn't have the resources to compete in the top half of the Premier League. The fact that we competed there and over a sustained period of time was because of Curbs. We were overachieving because of him. Anybody who knows anything knew it was going to be difficult to replace him and we duly fcuked up. I don't doubt there were those who felt he had taken us as far as he could. The point is, he had taken us as far as anybody could with the resources at his disposal. As for this urban myth, frequently perpetuated on Sky Sports, that Charlton fans wanted him out and the patronising "be careful what you wish for" jibes we have had to listen to for years, this is just that, a myth trotted out by people too lazy to seek out the facts. What you actually had was half a dozem morons on Talksport, given a voice to provoke a click bait reaction. Fcuk 'em all
I was one happy to see Curbs go at the time. He started to fall out with key players who I liked and moved them on and the lack of cup runs by playing weakened teams really grated on me. We were usually mid table and it made for a boring second half of the season.
In early 2006 I stopped going and gave my season ticket away having rarely missed a home game since 93.I was back the following season even though I did anticipate we would struggle without Curbs. I feel bad saying it now but had Curbs stayed I'm not sure that I would have renewed.
Despite this I get really annoyed at the press wrongly stating he was sacked and their continued narrative of look at Charlton now - careful what you wish for. I was most definitely in the minority and It was Curbs decision not to commit to a new long term contract so I think he sensed it was coming to a natural end too.
What was most telling for me as to how the Charlton majority felt about Curbs was the send off he got in those last 2 games in 2006. Bar Fergie at Man U, I can't think of any other managers in the Prem who got that level of adulation and thanks when they left a club.
The simple fact is the Curbs era came to a natural end. History will say nobody benefitted from it, he didn't and neither did we but that's how it goes sometimes. I just wish the press would consider that rather than peddling their negative and inaccurate portrayal of events to suit their narrative of bashing Charlton fans.
To be fair it wasn’t Curbs leaving it was me, my last game on English soil before buggering off to Canada was Portsmouth away in October 2005 - we won 2-1 and sat 2nd in the league. After I left we lost 6 of the next 7 games and our slide down the table & leagues has been almost uninterrupted. Those of you who wanted me out have a lot to answer for!!
To be fair it wasn’t Curbs leaving it was me, my last game on English soil before buggering off to Canada was Portsmouth away in October 2005 - we won 2-1 and sat 2nd in the league. After I left we lost 6 of the next 7 games and our slide down the table & leagues has been almost uninterrupted. Those of you who wanted me out have a lot to answer for!!
Remember that one good 2nd half performance, standing behind the goal i seem to remember.
Come April, start getting ready for the beach, and throwing every cup fixture. Those things started to aggravate. A minority me included felt that was Curbs, trying to show how much he was in charge. NO ONE, including him is bigger than the club.
Curbs was on the podcast quickly kevin and he speaks openly about him leaving, he went to Murray or Varney (cant remember which) to discuss spending 3.5 million on Steve Sidwell and they would only do it if he signed a new contract. I think as some have said already the mistake wasnt Curbs going solely, it was who they appointed afterwards.
Comments
We wanted Curbs to stay. I mean all of my family did at least.
for the record I knew he was the gel holding us up and foresaw how shit we’d be without him but not as completely shit as we have been in the last 15 years 10th season of third tier wankness to start soon , utter guff
I'll admit to something in turn. At the time I still believed, more or less, in Richard Murray, although I wasn't around so much and didn't really understand the boardroom changes. But I had always assumed that RM had done what any sensible business leader would do in a normal company - have a file marked "What if Curbs leaves?" containing a list of possible candidates, some of whom he might have had dinner with, just to get to know them ona mutual "what if, in future? " basis. Happens all the time in business.
Turns out he had no such file. I was gobsmacked and shaken by that revelation. When I managed to ask him why not, some time later, he said it was because such activity would have been regarded as "tapping up". I was even more gobsmacked and shaken, because it really is not, and I wondered how he'd maintained the senior management of his own business, which seemed to be thriving.
It caused many an argument in the house.
His opinion didn’t count anyhoo being a Spurs fan lol
The fact that we competed there and over a sustained period of time was because of Curbs.
We were overachieving because of him.
Anybody who knows anything knew it was going to be difficult to replace him and we duly fcuked up.
I don't doubt there were those who felt he had taken us as far as he could.
The point is, he had taken us as far as anybody could with the resources at his disposal.
As for this urban myth, frequently perpetuated on Sky Sports, that Charlton fans wanted him out and the patronising "be careful what you wish for" jibes we have had to listen to for years, this is just that, a myth trotted out by people too lazy to seek out the facts.
What you actually had was half a dozem morons on Talksport, given a voice to provoke a click bait reaction.
Fcuk 'em all
In early 2006 I stopped going and gave my season ticket away having rarely missed a home game since 93.I was back the following season even though I did anticipate we would struggle without Curbs. I feel bad saying it now but had Curbs stayed I'm not sure that I would have renewed.
Despite this I get really annoyed at the press wrongly stating he was sacked and their continued narrative of look at Charlton now - careful what you wish for. I was most definitely in the minority and It was Curbs decision not to commit to a new long term contract so I think he sensed it was coming to a natural end too.
What was most telling for me as to how the Charlton majority felt about Curbs was the send off he got in those last 2 games in 2006. Bar Fergie at Man U, I can't think of any other managers in the Prem who got that level of adulation and thanks when they left a club.
The simple fact is the Curbs era came to a natural end. History will say nobody benefitted from it, he didn't and neither did we but that's how it goes sometimes. I just wish the press would consider that rather than peddling their negative and inaccurate portrayal of events to suit their narrative of bashing Charlton fans.
At 39 minutes Keys claims he was sacked
https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/why-curbishley-left-charlton-in-his-own-words/
Makes me want to punch the person saying/typing one of them square on the nose.
Might as well just type 'might'of' instead of might've (which in itself is a massive clue to the divs out there).
Apologies.