Former Charlton Athletic and West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley says he would have loved to manage Liverpool after making the shortlist to replace Gerard Houllier in 2004.
The 64-year-old was with Charlton between 1991 and 2006 before he took charge of West Ham from 2006 to 2008. He was among the candidates considered by Liverpool to take over from Houllier 18 years ago. Rafa Benitez, however, was the preferred option and the Spaniard went on to guide the club to its fifth European Cup.
And now Curbishley has opened up on the links to Anfield but admits he isn't sure if he was ready at the time to take on such a huge role.
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"Of course I would have," he said in an interview with OLBG. "There was a lot of interest with the Liverpool job, but they ended up going with Benitez instead.
"He had been successful in Spain, so it was fair enough and it was around the time that more foreign managers started to come into the league. The quality of someone like Benitez coming in, you could understand that decision, but there was a stiff with the Liverpool job.
"I would have loved to be given the opportunity, but I'm not sure if I was ready at the time. I was maybe in the same position Graham Potter is in now, I needed a few more seasons in the Premier League to get that experience."
Curbishley was also linked with other big jobs in the Premier League, including Manchester United, but moves never materialised, and he hasn't been in management since leaving West Ham in 2008.
"I could have got back in on a few occasions, he added. "There were offers from Championship clubs and teams in the bottom three of the Premier League with 10 games to go.
"They were difficult situations to go back into, but the right job for me after what I did in the Premier League never really came up. The Eddie Howe situation never really happened to me when I left West Ham.
"I think it's been partly my fault; I got a bit too picky with the jobs on offer."
