Curbishley Resignation Sets New Trend

Seems the closing of the player transfer window was also the opening of the manager exit door. First Kevin Keegan (maybe) parted ways with Newcastle yesterday, and now Alan Curbishley has resigned at West Ham Utd. Curbs has been under pressure at West Ham for the team’s perceived poor performance last season (even though they finished 10th with half the team out injured) but he actually made a great start to 2008/9.

So the problems weren’t on the pitch. Word is that Curbishley resigned because the board were selling players without his permission. Sound familiar?

The parallels between Curbishley and Keegan are pretty striking. Both signed on believing they’d have money to spend, only for the two clubs to sell sell sell in the transfer window. And it’s one thing to sell a player, but something else entirely to do it against the manager’s wishes.

For Keegan it was the sale of James Milner to Aston Villa. For Curbishley it was the club flogging first Anton Ferdinand and then George McCartney to Sunderland.

Seems it’s a new trend in the Premier League that supposedly wealthy boards want some of their outlay back, and are prepared to undermine the manager’s authority to do so. It’s a worrying development in the Premier League, arguably the league where – historically – managers have had the most control over the day to day goings on at the club. This is a league where “directors of football” and “technical directors” are still strange concepts for most.

Keegan and Curbishley were used to having the freedom to shape a team. If a player had to leave, they were involved with the sale and given the money to reinvest. But that was a more stable financial time.

The new business model is more, well, businessy. The boards at Newcastle and West Ham both needed to get some money back so they sold some of their assets and every other consideration – including the happiness of manager and fans – was secondary.

And of course, the end of one managerial reign means a new one must begin anyday now. Current favourite is ex-West Ham player/smoker and current Croatia manager/smoker Slaven Bilic, with odds of 5/4. For my money, I don’t see an individual like Bilic working for a board that sells players over his head. So if you’re in a gambling mood then I’d suggest backing someone else, like maybe Stuart Pearce, Glenn Hoddle or Sam Allardyce.

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Category: English Premier League