Steve Clarke & Alan Curbishley

[White Noise]

Just reading an interview with Curbs in this evenings Standard and it says that the Fulham managers position looks like being filled by one of Sven, Sparky or Steve Clarke.

I had not seen Steve's name mentioned before. What do people think of him as an option?

Also, Curbs says "I was told I was on the shortlist but that there were a couple of people ahead of me, so I knew that was going nowhere. I have got to wait and see if the phone rings.

So there we have it from the horses mouth. Curbs is no better (and probably reasonably lower) than third in the clubs mind.

[Serotonin]

Sven with Steve Clarke in tow? Clarke to do the day to day on the training pitch, and then he can pick up the pieces when Sven inevitably legs it... If we have to have an ex dark side name, Clarke would be better than Zola...

[Lighthouse]

Has Clarke ever been a manager before? He has been a coach to some of the flare managers I think like Zola and Gullit. So would fit the coaching manager that Fulham seem to be after. Other than the fact that he has been connected to sides that struggle with Newcastle and Spam he has also been connected with the success of Chelscum.

Any manager is a gamble so why not a coach with the MD doing the the business side. Might be ideal.

[ScalleysDad]

Steve Clarke will have the one thing we can't measure and several other candidates can only pray for ............... players respect. Huw Jennings and co stay we could be onto something.

[Rambling_Syd_Rumpo]

I for one have been screaming for a well known manager,however,the more I think about this the more I think it makes sense,very good sense-if Steve Clarke becomes the next manager of Fulham FC I would not have a problem with it at all :clap_hands:

[TheDaddy]

I would be more than happy to have Steve Clarke over Sven gonnahaveyermoneyoffyou Eriksson.

Two different men Clarke wanting to build a reputation Eriksson had but its just money these days with him whats he done since England !

[White Noise]

Tracked the article down -


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/football/article-23853294-my-career-has-been-damaged-by-legal-fight-with-hammers-says-alan-curbishley.do

My career has been damaged by legal fight with Hammers, says Alan Curbishley


Mick Collins


06.07.10

Just over four years ago, Alan Curbishley was being interviewed for the England job. Now he admits he might have to start from scratch if he wants to be a manager again.

The man who turned Charlton into Premier League regulars and rescued West Ham from relegation is struggling to understand why he cannot get a job in the top half of the Premier League.

After being denied a chance to take up any offers last season because of legal action over his exit from West Ham, which is now resolved, he was linked last week with replacing Roy Hodgson at Fulham.

But he never believed he was really in the running to take over at Craven Cottage, a vacancy which now looks like being filled by Sven-Goran Eriksson, Mark Hughes or Steve Clarke.

"I was told I was on the shortlist but that there were a couple of people ahead of me, so I knew that was going nowhere," said 52-year-old Curbishley. "I've got to wait and see if the phone rings.

"If you look at my career, my average position in the Premier League is 10th, so that's where I need to be looking. No offence to anyone else but the Premier League is where everyone wants to be.

"I'll maybe have to reposition myself. Who knows? Start over again, if I have to. It's damaged me a bit, because I've been out for a while, and it's hard to come back if you're away for too long."

Curbishley has not been involved in management since September 2008, when he quit West Ham after they sold full-back George McCartney without his knowledge.

And yet, had the fates been different, he might have experienced the World Cup at closer range than that of a mere spectator.

Instead, in 2006 the Football Association appointed Steve McClaren, setting in train a personal rollercoaster ride, as Curbishley's 15-year spell as Charlton boss came to an end — "I found myself driving a different route to work, just to make it different, to change the routine" — and a turbulent period at West Ham ensued.

Having taken over at Upton Park in December 2006 with the club seeming doomed to relegation, the escape he masterminded, culminating in a 1-0 win at Old Trafford on the final day of the season, saved West Ham millions. Having both played for and supported them, he is well aware of the scale of the achievement.

"We won seven of the last nine with the same group of players who got themselves into that mess, so I got something a bit special out of them," said Curbishley. "Nobody will ever put together a run to escape relegation like that again."

The club's purchase in 2006 by an Icelandic group was loudly celebrated by many fans, who believed wrongly they were about to receive a huge financial boost.

"They didn't have the money, they'd borrowed it," said Curbishley. "That's why the club's in debt. When they left, they left it with that debt. The problems they've got now all come from that."
It was a decision made in the boardroom, as a result of that financial chaos, which changed his career.

"I had a clause in my contract, saying they couldn't sell players without my agreement, because if I'm going to get the sack, I want it to be for my decisions and not theirs," he said.

"Then they sold George McCartney on deadline day to bring in £6million and kept me out of it. The position was impossible.

"If I'd allowed it to go on, I'd have been finished. They knew what my reaction would be, and they went and did it anyway, which is why I'm where I am now.

"Although I've won the case [against West Ham], I don't know what else I've won, because I'm not working, it's not my fault and it's been 20 months.

"After I left but before the case ended, the people who were running the place were still there, walking around the boardrooms of other clubs at away games, so I don't suppose they did me any favours."

[FatFreddysCat]

Clarke surely has to be a joke ?????? Curbishley, yeah if we want to just survive for a few seasons on the cheap. Sven GRR John Terrys dad, just interested in money and shagging, ok not all that bad but no. Sparkyticus for me.

[ScalleysDad]

Steve Clarke was always one of the more cranial player/coaches and then coaches. He has had a long apprenticeship working with both football brains and nut jobs. As was said earlier with our backroom intact, it would disintegrate under Hughes, and Clarke in the sleeves rolled up mode MAFF and the players get what they want. Erikson might as well drive the bus by comparison.

[FatFreddysCat]

Steve Clarke? Your having a laugh, i'd much rather get a translater in for Lee , at least he's Fulham, well after Newcastle.

[Ichabod Magoo]

Methinks somebody has his Clark(e)'s confused.

[jarv]

I think Curbishley would be a perfect fit. He appears to have an excellent work ethic, not so big ego and very pragmatic, like RH.
He is probably the best qualified candidate to keep Fulham where they are working with limited resources.

What does his track record look like on buying players,? Apart from Lucas Neill and Boa, both way over priced.

[Tktd]

Sven and Sparky - both a step up from what we used to have in Coleman, Sanchez etc - finally Fayed has realised to put money into good managers could reap rewards with cheap but practical buys.

[Tktd]

I think Curbishley would be a perfect fit. He appears to have an excellent work ethic, not so big ego and very pragmatic, like RH.
He is probably the best qualified candidate to keep Fulham where they are working with limited resources.

What does his track record look like on buying players,? Apart from Lucas Neill and Boa, both way over priced.

You need to be accepted to a mental assylum to keep you away from any sort of influencing the Fulham hierachy.

Curbishly's appointment would meant that we would probably say goodbye to the majority of our squad - you know, the squad that got us to the Europa League final, beating Shakthar, Juve etc...

Sparky has no enemies in the dressing room and has a good reputation for all teams he's coached - he nearly got wales qualified for a major international tournament on limited resources, did really well at Blackburn, bringing in much needed quality to their squad in players like Santa Cruz, Benni Mccarthy and players like Samba etc. Then went to Man City and bought in top quality players none of whom were pre-madonnas but players with a solid work ethic. He's sensible, achieves results, is respected throughout the game (although not to the levels of Roy) and has no tarnished reputation like that of Curbishly who sued his last club and Sven who brought England into disrepute.