Charlton supremo hopes to hold on to highly-rated Curbishley

CHARLTON chief executive Peter Varney would not be surprised to see Alan Curbishley eventually take up a coaching role with England.

Curbishley, 47, celebrated his 600th league game in charge of the south-east London club with a 1-0 win at Birmingham on Saturday, and has long been regarded as one of the most talented English coaches around.

He has already been touted a potential candidate to succeed Sven-Goran Eriksson, who came under fire after England’s 1-0 defeat to Northern Ireland in Belfast.

And while both the Addicks boss and his chief executive remain fully focussed on the task in hand at The Valley, Varney said: “I’m not surprised Alan’s being linked with the England job - and it’s a great reflection on him and Charlton. I’d personally like to see an Englishman as the next England manager, and the fact is that Alan’s one of the best English coaches there is - but he’s got a job to do here.”