Alan Curbishley returned to West Ham as manager on Wednesday, bucking the trend of foreign coaches taking over Premier League clubs.
The Hammers, who recently became the sixth Premier League club to fall under foreign ownership, could have gone for another star manager from overseas. Instead, they opted for a 49-year-old Englishman born a short bus ride from Upton Park.
Curbishley replaces Alan Pardew, who was fired on Monday. A former Charlton manager who began his playing career at West Ham, Curbishley has the task of lifting the Hammers out of the relegation zone.
PHOTO: AP
He has a tough start, however, because West Ham faces Premier League leader Manchester United on Sunday. United has won 10 of its last 11 league games, while the Hammers have lost five out of six and are in 18th place in the 20-team division.
Although no English coach has won the Premier League in 14 years or the FA Cup in 11, West Ham has always relied on managers with strong local connections. With the exception of former Scottish international Lou Macari, who was in charge for only a season in 1989, West Ham has had managers born or raised in London.
That's despite the fact that West Ham's new owner, Eggert Magnusson, is from Iceland.
"If you'd said to me when I was 16 and an apprentice [at West Ham] that one day I would be manager I would have thought it was impossible," Curbishley said. "I am deeply delighted. I am looking forward to the challenge."
Mervyn Day, a former West Ham goalkeeper, was hired as Curbishley's assistant.
Seven months after he ended his 15-year spell at Charlton, Curbishley returns to the club where he started his career. He played 85 times for the Hammers between 1974-79 before moving on to Birmingham, Aston Villa, Brighton and then Charlton, where he became a coach in 1991.
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