The Kerb for Curbs

What a week indeed, certainly some strange goings on uuurm going on. We've seen McCartney leave, Green back in the England squad, two unknowns come in a day after the close of the transfer window, Curbs walk out, and now we are in pursuit of a new manager.

Let me just say that my polls seem to be a bit prophetic; the first was in regards to whether or not Green will get called back into the England squad....a week or two later he does. And the second asked if Curbs would still be around or if he would be replaced.....1 day after it went up Curbs walked out! Needless to say I'm scared of putting any other questions up apart from will Ronadinho come to Upton Park, I think for this poll I may only leave one option for response - "yes."


Details, details, details...

You all know what happened by now so I won't rehash what you've probably already read on better and more popular blogs (thanks for the few of you that do follow this though, and please spread the word, it'd be nice to have an early retirement off the back of giving my opinion ;-)
But we should now look ahead to what the hell we are going to do, and delve into what I think are some reasons that explain the recent activity at UP...

Firstly, I have a bit of reality that I'd like to share with you all regarding our fans' reported favourites to replace Curbs...

1) Bilic - sorry, but he's not a club manager, he has no experience there, and due to that will have just as few contacts in the European club football world as Curbs. He's not really proven at all, and jumping in just because he's an ex-iron would be silly. Did we also forget in this haze of lust that he jumped ship from us for better money at Everton?

2) DiCanio - as much as I love the man he too has little experience to manage a team. I do not question his dedication or commitment, nor his passion and love for the club, but I believe that his services would be better put to use as a strikers' coach, following in the role of Ludo. If he would like to some day be our manager, then he won't mind playing second fiddle for a while under the wing of a more veteran manager. Think Carlos Quiroz.

3) H - I love H, I love what he did for us, I loved his commitment, I loved his MOTD interviews, but realistically he's not exactly king stable is he? How many players came in and out of the doors of UP when he was with us. Add on to that our new board's high influence in transfers and he'll keep well away.

So there you have it. I personally have no clue who we will bring in (please not Big Sam, not our style at all), but the one thing that is apparent is that the board are running this operation a little differently than times past. From the top down we look more like a continental set up with Nani playing a role that you just don't see in English football, and what self respecting English manager that is in no rush to find a new job would possibly contend with that? I think we'll be looking abroad for a new manager, someone who isn't going to be alienated by the way that this board wants to run things...who that'll be, time will only tell - maybe for this reason alone it could be DiCanio.


Curbs

I was sad to see him go to be honest, you could see his power waning, and with the decisions the board has made recently I think it became apparent that he was facing an uphill battle to manage the way he wanted to. I'd just like to say thanks Curbs, you kept us up and steadied the ship, you should have been given at least this year to show your mettle.

Hopefully, the clear out, and the lack of signings is an indication that the board knew that they were forcing Curbs out and that this money isn't going to Landisbaki (or whatever it is!) but is being put in the kitty for the next manager to use in January or next summer. As I've mentioned before, Nani's stamp on the incomings is already apparent, and this could be yet another sign of an incoming foreign manager, possibly Italian. I think I'll change my name to Guiseppi, and send in the old CV.