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Ryan Dabbs

‘I’m sure we’d have finished in the top four or five if he hadn’t joined Chelsea in January. Him leaving damaged the team, but we couldn’t stand in his way’: Alan Curbishley reflects on failed Champions League dream after selling key player

Alan Curbishley Chelsea Charlton UEFA Champions League Scott Parker Europe Charlton Athletic Liverpool the Premier League
LONDON - APRIL 16: Charlton Athletic manager Alan Curbishley looks on during the Barclays Premiership match between Charlton Athletic and Bolton Wanderers at The Valley on April 16, 2005 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images).

Alan Curbishley spent 15 years at Charlton between 1991 and 2006 and came agonisingly close to qualifying for Europe, but for the sale of one of his key players to Chelsea.

After getting Charlton into the Premier League in 1998, Curbishley managed to retain the faith of the club when they suffered relegation back to the second tier after just one season. The former manager retained the faith of the club's board to immediately bounce straight back up in 2000, where they remained for six seasons under Curbishley.

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