Great Expectations

Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There's no better rule.
Charles Dickens

Alan Curbishley today voiced his concern about the "people who have no history or affiliation" with the Premier League clubs they own and have "unrealistic expectations" of their managers.

In what the Daily Mail is calling "a remarkable outburst that may upset West Ham's Icelandic owners", Curbishley said he was worried about the constant changing of managers and the effect it is having on English football. Curbishley was talking in the wake of Jose Mourinho's departure from Chelsea and the news earlier this week that billionaire Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, who owns more than 90 per cent of the club, is to have a bigger involvement at West Ham, with Eggert Magnusson stepping back to become non-executive chairman.

"It's a fact that people are taking charge of football clubs now with no previous history or affiliation to that club," said Curbishley. "At Aston Villa, for example, Doug Ellis had been there 'forever', as had the Moores family at Liverpool. There was a sense that the the owners were fans first, that they understood the English game. Now we have people in charge of English clubs and it's their first attempt. My worry, and obviously there is a similar situation at West Ham, is that the people who are in charge haven't got that history and that can be a difficult situation. They might react to criticism, they might react to results while perhaps a seasoned campaigner would take things in their stride. This year, the expectation levels for a lot of clubs have become unrealistic. Short-termism seems to be to the fore. The pressure's on everyone and it's all about now." Speaking about the moves in the West Ham boardroom, Curbishley said: "Nothing much has changed. Eggert will still be in the directors' box but BG will have a bigger involvement."