GLAD TO BE BACK
Keith Curle on his new challenge as Northampton Town manager
KEITH Curle wanted to return to management at a club where he could really make a difference – and he reckons Northampton Town is the perfect place.
The former Manchester City and Wolves defender left Carlisle, where he had been in charge for three-and-a-half years, when his contract expired in the summer and was content to bide his time in the search for a new job.
He held talks with clubs, but nothing tempted him – until Northampton chairman Kelvin Thomas contacted him in the aftermath of dismissing Dean Austin last Sunday, following a 4-0 defeat at Mansfield the previous day which left the Cobblers 21st in the table.
The 54-year-old said: “It came across in the first phone call that myself and my assistant Colin West were the first ones that he wanted to speak to.
“It’s what I wanted to hear and it’s only positive when you’re at the top of someone’s agenda.
“It was good to have a meeting with the chairman and explain where I was at, where I had been and what I was looking to do.
“I had spoken to a few other clubs over the summer over positions that had become vacant, and it’s no disrespect to them, but this one was the one that enthralled me the most. There’s an opportunity to take the club forward and achieve my ambitions. “I needed a job, I wanted a job, but I needed the right club for where I’m at at the moment.”
There are similarities to when the former England defender took the Carlisle reins. The Cumbrians were bottom of League Two and winless having been relegated from League One the previous season.
Northampton also suffered relegation last term and have found readjusting to life in the EFL basement difficult. It means Curle has a tough job on his hands to turn their losing momentum around, but he’s never been scared of a challenge.
And he can take heart from what he achieved at Carlisle, saving their status before taking them to the League Two play-offs.
He said: “When I went in at Carlisle, I had short-term, medium-term and long-term plans about where I could take the club and it’s no different now.
“Short-term, it’s about getting the players functioning to get us points and out of the relegation battle that the club is in.
“We want to go as high as we can this season and then go forward. We need to be at the top of the division and trying to get out of it.”
Since Chris Wilder led Northampton to the League Two title in 2015-16, the Cobblers have lost their way. Rob Page, Justin Edinburgh, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Austin have all had spells in the hotseat, but the club have been on a downward spiral.
However, Curle, who started with a goalless home draw against Bury in midweek and 1-1 draw at Swindon yesterday, believes there is reason for optimism.
He added: “The infrastructure and facilities at the club are excellent, the pitch, the stadium.
“I’ve got to say that the welcome that both myself and Colin have received from everyone at the football club has been very encouraging. A successful club is a welcoming club.”