Keith Curle - success, failure and mediocrity

[Piglet_Phoenix]

In honesty, Curle’s sacking has come a season too late, but let’s take an objective look at his time at the club, focusing strategically rather than on individual moments.

When he arrived he inherited a team, thanks to the mis-management of the previous two incumbents in our “hot seat”, in absolute shambles. Curle did an excellent job steadying a sinking ship and bringing fight, drive and professionalism back to the side. He also showed a willingness to trust in young players (I wonder where this disappeared to?) Our final league position of twentieth, with fifty points, was creditable. Some argued he didn’t use the more experienced players in our squad enough – but you could also argue these players had been part of the problem when he arrived. So an absolute tick in the box after year one – and plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

This improvement continued for year two, and Curle’s team building continued at speed. Impressive performances in the cups and ending the season playing sparkling football left an optimistic air and feeling of better days to come. A final position of tenth with a points tally of sixty seven points was creditable, especially against the backdrop of the difficulties caused by Storm Desmond – and Curle earned himself some wriggle room in the transfer market.

Then it, arguably, at the start of 16/17 all started to go wrong in the transfer market. Too many of Curle’s signings failed to make the grade and it left our squad looking awfully shallow as the season progressed. Signings such as Adams and Jones flipped us to the top of the league and we were suddenly left staring promotion in the face, it seemed as if Curle’s approach had succeeded and in truth – you’ll never be presented with a better opportunity of being promoted than we had in 16/17. However, the injury to Jones and the failure to acknowledge or properly prepare for the inevitable departure of Wyke were telling. This, along with the acquisition of and reliance upon defensive disaster area Gary Liddle and the unfathomable exile of Mark Ellis led to our season descending into shambles again. A final position of sixth along with a memorable defeat in the playoffs was poor return for the investment Curle had been allowed to make in the team – and the capitulation from our positon at the turn of the year was a disgrace.

It had been clear from the start of 2017, Curle was not capable of continuing the improvement and he looked almost entirely out of his depth. Our home form for the past seven**** months has been entirely unacceptable. However, at the end of last season he was given further opportunity to succeed with another generous budget to invest in the side. This time, there was a failure to add any players to the squad who would have anywhere near the impact of Adams or Jones. We wasted our resources on the likes of Hope, Etuhu, Parkes and a striker in Bennett who failed to settle in until half the season was over. These signings, along with the stubborn refusal to either invest in a goalkeeper or a genuine left-back meant we’ve predictably gone backwards this season. Our abysmal home record is the third worst in the division and we struggled and spluttered to reach a position of tenth, with sixty seven points – exactly the same as Curle’s first full season at the club.

So how far have we come?

We’re clearly in a better position than when Kavanagh was shown the door. But in nearly four years, despite spending millions overall, building Curle’s team and signing scores of players we’re in exactly the same position as we were at the end of season 15/16 – but we’re on the downward curve this time.

Whoever inherits the team inherits a squad at the end of its cycle, we have problems and issues all over the park. Curle has left a real mess for his successor.

We have no goalkeeper with any league experience.

We have a massive loss in the middle of our back four with the retirement of Hill (who was always a short term fix). We’re stuck with Liddle and Grainger has failed to reach acceptable standard this season

We lack experience and quality upfront. Bennett has improved, but Stockton looks a waste of space and Nadesan will be back off to Fleetwood.

Without Adams our midfield is creatively bereft, he’s also out of contract. Both Adams and Kennedy, if they can regain fitness, will be massive assets to any club at this level but there have to be huge questions marks whether they’ll play for us again.

Jones and Joyce lack the cohesiveness they once possessed in central midfield and are regularly out muscled by stronger players.

So in summary, we lack dependable quality all over the pitch and desperately need to bring players into the squad to fix problems and issues in defence, midfield and attack. It’s a massive job, there has been little or no planning for the future at all for the last two years.

Curle, in four years, has succeeded in turning us into a mediocre tier four club with no youth players coming through, no squad depth, and a team falling to pieces. We’re in a better position than when he took over from Kavanagh but in no better position than after his first year in charge and his legacy is whole host of problems – including a reduced budget for his successor.

Reason to celebrate and be thankful? No.

[crushalime]

Good write up there Piglet agree with a lot of it but not about the mess that he has left us in as the nine or so players we have left are not too bad to build around unlike the clart we had on long term contracts when Keith took over strangling the budget the new bloke wont have this and there are very few players to move on and this should not be too hard if needed as they are only on one year deals.

The madness is that they have asked Keith to help with the retain list, why on earth would you do that, it is not a normal thing to do otherwise just keep Curle as the manager to manage the players he has signed - the new bloke might be furious and want shot of them right away to get his players in.

Just because Curle has been courteous to the press and other media it does not mean that he has not got an axe to grind.

[Piglet_Phoenix]

Didn't the club also say Curle's decisions about the retained list were provisional depending on his successor's agreement?

It's all a pointless exercise, if you ask me, Curle's telling the players (hypothetically) if he'd have retained them in the event he'd been given a new contract. The only way he would have been offered a contract would have been if we'd made the playoffs (or been promoted), in which case his retained list would've been different anyway - so it's all a hugely futile activity.

The most disappointing thing has been the "automatic" contract extensions some of our players have received this season, this takes any choice out of the equation entirely.

[MoorBlue]

Good points.
Well made.
8 players have been released, the loan players have left, so let’s hope we get a new manager in this week.

[griff]

Welcome aboard MoorBlue. Do we know you?