Former Charlton Athletic manager Alan Curbishley has looked back on strong links that he was in line for the vacant Liverpool job before Rafa Benitez was eventually appointed in 2004.
After taking sole charge of the Addicks in 1995 he went on to lead the club into Premier League via the play-offs in 1998 after a barn-storming Wembley final against Sunderland. But despite being relegated back to the second tier of English football the following season, Curbishley kept his job and took Charlton straight back to the Premier League a year later, romping to the First Division title with 91 points, two ahead of Manchester City.
After consolidating Charlton's status in the Premier League, Curbishley started to become linked with the top jobs in English football and that included Liverpool following the exit of Gerard Houllier in 2004.
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Speaking to OLBG, when asked if he would have been interested in the hot seat at Liverpool or Manchester United, Curbishley said: "Of course I would have. There was a lot of interest with the Liverpool job, but they ended up going with Rafa 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.
"With Manchester United I'm not too sure on that job, I know I was on a shortlist drawn up by Sir Alex, but it was never mentioned to me at the time. When I was at Charlton, I was linked with a few jobs, but no moves ever really materialised and like I said, it was maybe similar to Graham Potter. If he keeps doing what he's doing at Brighton, then he will be getting linked with jobs when they become available.
"Eddie Howe did a really good job at Bournemouth and was in the right place at the right time when the Newcastle job came along. There are opportunities out there, it'll be interesting to see what offers Sean Dyche gets now he's left Burnley. But there was a stiff around the Liverpool job when I was managing Charlton."
Ultimately, Liverpool's decision to appoint Benitez instead paid off, with the Spaniard winning the Champions League in his first season and the FA Cup a year later. Curbishley would stay at Charlton until 2006, before moving to West Ham United. He left the Hammers in 2008 and, now 64, has not managed a club since.
