Alan’s the Man to Curb Pompey’s Fall: By Andrew Walker

Tiger is quick of the mark with this one – on the back of Tony Adam’s dismissal last night, he argues the case for Alan Curbishley as an immediate replacement…

In December, we wrote about the danger of the big-name appointment following Paul Ince’s sacking at Blackburn Rovers, and we told Tony Adams and Gianfranco Zola to be warned.

While Zola has impressed most observers with his work at West Ham, Adams has fallen foul of the Premier League managerial trap door. He lasted one match (16) and one win (2) less than Ince.

In truth, Adams was a continuity choice; an affordable, available option to replace Harry Redknapp, the suddenness of whose departure no doubt contributed to his swift appointment.

Adams follows a long line of Number Two’s who have had a brief and unsuccessful spell in the hot seat. Les Reed, Steve Wigley, Sammy Lee, Chris Hutchings. We could go on…

It can be hard for an internal appointment to assert their authority on a club, especially when they have been a popular member of staff in a less senior position. Indeed, many coaches’ personalities are simply better suited to the support role.

Yet on the face of it, Tony Adams should make a great leader. He enjoyed a high level-playing career as captain of club and country. He has overcome personal demons, which should command respect from anyone. However, it seems he was unable to communicate effectively with his team, and the results have been disastrous.

Now Portsmouth should call on a man with a great track record of dragging teams out of the mire. Alan Curbishley performed miracles on a shoestring at Charlton for 15 years; work that looks all the better as his former team prop up the Championship.

His efforts with West Ham in the 2006/07 season were remarkable. With the Hammers deep in trouble, he masterminded their survival with a run of seven wins from the last nine league games, culminating with a last-day victory at, of all places, Old Trafford.

He then left the club suddenly in September, citing the sale of key players without his permission as undermining his position.

Curbishley has expressed his desire to return to management, but only at Premier League level. A deal may already be done, with rumours of contact from Peter Storrie, the Portsmouth Executive Chairman, in advance of Adams’ dismissal.

Storrie will have to convince Curbishley that he will not have his best players sold behind his back. You could argue, with the recent sales of Lassana Diarra and Jermain Defoe, that this has already been done.

Assuming those reassurances are made, expect Curbishley to take up the challenge. Given the concentration of teams in the lower reaches of the table, he will see this as a great opportunity to add to his CV by guiding Portsmouth to safety.