Keith Curle Sacked!

Keith Curle has today been relieved of his duties as Notts County manager with immediate effect. Notts were disappointing against Hartlepool with the performance not reaching the standard of a team who sat nearly 30 points above then bottom of the league Hartlepool. Notts now look forward in their search for a new manager to replace Curle, and with a few big names jobless at present, speculation will be flooding the media for the next week or two. Being a Notts fan it is not unusual to expect sackings and changes of manager.

A poor run of form when many believe Notts should be at least battling away in the play-offs would most normally be the primary reason for a manager’s departure. In this case however, Mr. Trew explains that ‘this (was) a business decision as much as a footballing one’ going on to explain that ‘fans are obviously key to the club and their support is essential’.

Whilst many will over-look this as they begin to dream of big name managers such as Nigel Adkins or Simon Grayson, that small quote demonstrates something quite extraordinary. Perhaps that Trew was forced into sacking Curle not as a result of the loss to Hartlepool, but rather the resulting expectation of a miniscule attendance for Notts’ next home game. I feel that fan power has truly cost Keith Curle his job and one can imagine a sympathetic call to Curle on Sunday afternoon from the board.

Alas, with Keith Curle gone and Notts still able to push into the playoffs with a good run of results, Curle will become a distant memory. I would suggest that the next manager to appointed will be one with good public relations, especially in interviews and winning the respect of fans. If there’s one thing Mr. Trew wants, that is much increased home attendances to get money circulating around Notts again. With a capable squad and the right manager at the helm, the potential for a great season is not all lost.