Curbs Under Pressure

Just to get things straight from the start. I am not one of the Curbs out brigade. At least, not yet. Equally, I am not one of those that will blindly defend Curbs to the hilt because of what he has done for our Club.

Alan Curbishley is, in my opinion, Charlton Athletic Football Club’s greatest ever manager. His achievements cannot be underestimated but, at the same time, this cannot be allowed to obscure justifiable criticism that is currently being aimed in his direction. Those who blindly defend him are sadly deluded. If some fans are currently criticising Curbs it doesn’t mean that they don’t recognise his achievements but they are not allowing them to cloud their judgement of recent events. I, and other fans whose opinions I respect, are quite rightly questioning as to whether Curbs has taken us as far as he is capable of going. It is no disgrace if this is the case. It happens at all clubs in the end.

This season has been, frankly, dull. Debates have raged over formations but I realise Curbs has been forced to play 4-5-1 because he has recognised that he doesn’t have the personnel currently at his disposal to play his favoured 4-4-2 system. However, that does not have to mean that we play football that is as dull as dishwater. The 4-5-1 system should be fluid enough to become 4-3-3 during games and we have the players to suite this but Curbs hasn’t seen fit to stick with Rommerdahl sufficiently to make this work. By using square pegs to fit round holes we have become a negative team using what should be positive tactics. Add to this the fact that the team lacks motivation, desire, passion and, perhaps surprisingly of all, team spirit and you are left with a very disappointing end to a generally disappointing season. Ninth at present, seventh a couple of weeks ago but, in general, a lack of excitement and entertainment. Alan has also alienated a number of senior players, especially Jeffers, Euell and Rommerdahl. Add to this the dubious return of Fish to the West Brom line-up and the then indefensible (literally) selection of him again against Man City and you have another question mark over Curbs judgement.

For the fourth season out of five we seem to have amassed the required forty points and then hit a brick wall. Perhaps Curbs has too. One win in nine games is simply unacceptable. Perhaps he is unable to take us beyond the point where survival is assured and a position achieved from which we can push on to the next stage, European football. It is no point in arguing that we are punching above our weight as, in my opinion, so are Bolton and Everton, but if they are capable of forcing themselves into European qualification then why can’t we. It is only right that we should question Alan’s ability to take us further. We should not be prepared to sit on our laurels and be satisfied with where we are in relation to where we have come from. To do so could easily lead to complacency and an acceptance of survival as being the benchmark to which we aspire.

Current criticism of Curbs is in my opinion justified. With season ticket renewals due very shortly our end of season slump will have a detrimental effect on the volume of renewals. Rightly or wrongly fans are dissatisfied with what they have generally witnessed this season. With the cost of a season ticket rising significantly for next season fans are not greatly looking forward to more of the same. If Alan wants to improve the quality of the squad for next season then recent performances have hardly helped towards securing the mass season ticket renewal that would generate the funds required for squad investment.

In all walks of life there comes a time when you have maximised your potential, when you have reached so far but can reach no further. Time will tell as to whether Alan Curbishley has reached this point. In the meantime there is no harm in debating as to whether this is the case.