Oldham Athletic set to quickly appoint new manager

Oldham Athletic are set to quickly appoint former Northampton Town boss Keith Curle as their new manager, reports BBC Radio Manchester.

The 57-year-old led the Cobblers to promotion from League Two last term but was sacked in February after a poor run of form left them 23rd in League One.

Harry Kewell was sacked by the Latics on Sunday after seven months in charge.

Oldham Athletic are set to appoint Keith Curle as their new Head Coach.

He led Northampton to promotion from League Two last season, before being sacked last month.

👉 More: https://t.co/9zLGxVSdOW #OAFC pic.twitter.com/KpNwkwHXNQ

— BBC RM Sport (@BBCRMsport) March 8, 2021

Curle will be the eighth different manager at the club since Abdallah Lemsagam took over as owner in 2018.

Former Leeds and Liverpool winger Kewell, 42, had been appointed in August, taking over from Dino Maamria after spells with Crawley Town and Notts County.

Despite scoring 49 goals in 32 League Two fixtures this season, the third-highest of any team in the fourth tier, the Latics have so far conceded a league-high 56 goals and are 16th in the table.

Bristol-born Keith Curle had previously been reportedly interested in the managerial vacancy at the Memorial Stadium following Paul Tisdale’s exit.

Bristol Live understood Curle, who started his playing career at the Gas, was eager to immediately return to work after his two-and-a-half-year stay at Northampton Town came to an end last month, however he didn’t get the job.

The Cobblers got rid of Curle within minutes of Tisdale’s sacking at the Gas, and the 57-year-old wants to get back in the dugout as soon as possible.

Curle has experienced a fair amount in his managerial career which stretches to more than 500 games, having been in charge at the likes of Mansfield Town, Torquay United, Notts County and Carlisle United before taking the job at Sixfields.

The ex-England international, who had three games in the Three Lions first team back in 1992, guided the Cobblers to promotion via the League Two playoff final in June with a 4-0 win over Exeter City but was relieved of his duties this week.

Curle started his playing career with Bristol Rovers as early as 1981 before going on to sign for Manchester City and Wolves. He also made appearances with Bristol City and Wimbledon before moving into management in 2002.

He also spent time on Neil Warnock’s coaching staff at Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace, winning promotion to the Premier League with Queens Park Rangers and reached the Championship playoffs with the Eagles.

MANAGERIAL STATS:

Mansfield Town – 3 December 2002 until 11 November 2004 – 104 games, 39 wins, 23 draws, 42 defeats, 37.5 win %
Chester City – 2 May 2005 until 18 February 2006 – 39 games, 12 wins, 10 draws, 17 defeats, 30.8 win %
Torquay United – 8 February 2007 until 17 May 2007 – 15 games, 2 wins, 4 draws, 9 defeats, 13.3 win %
Notts County – 20 February 2012 until 3 February 2013 – 51 games, 23 wins, 14 draws, 14 defeats, 45.1 win %
Carlisle United – 19 September 2014 until 5 May 2018 – 207 games, 79 wins, 62 draws, 66 defeats, 38.2 win %
Northampton Town – 1 October 2018 until 10 February 2021 – 125 games, 47 wins, 32 draws, 46 defeats, 37.6 win %
Total – 541 games, 202 wins, 145 draws, 194 defeats, 37.3 win %

Oldham Athletic will be Curle’s 7th job in management and will make him the eighth different manager at the club since Abdallah Lemsagam took over as owner in 2018.

Take a look at his CV 👇#OAFC pic.twitter.com/x0KZ5yi6IL

— BBC RM Sport (@BBCRMsport) March 8, 2021

There was plenty of reaction with Oldham Athletic set to quickly appoint a new manager…

@AdamLordNQ: With Curle, Latics set for a drastic style shift. Time at Northampton included plenty of talk about his pragmatic style of play #oafc

@bluemoon219: Good luck Curly wurly

@kylesproat2: When you take a job to be reunited with @nickyadams10

@BeckyGamesterN: Oh good, thanks to this Keith Curle news I’ve now got “Mysterious Curle, I wanna play 3-5-2” to the tune of Peter Andre’s Mysterious Girl in my head. One of THE best chants. Didn’t somebody get a tattoo of it as well?

@dean_hutchings: Anyone thinking that Curle is experienced and a good appointment? It’s irrelevant it doesn’t matter, he’s just another statistic he won’t be able to choose his players and will inevitably go, it’s just a case of when with #oafc

@Alison_louise31: It doesn’t matter if they guy coming in has experience in league 2 or not, nothing will ever work until we get rid of these clowns #oafc

@neilsjoy: If it is to be Keith Curle then @OfficialOAFC have an experienced League 2 manager with a recent promotion from the division on his CV. A small win in the current circumstances but a win nevertheless. #oafc

@WritingWrongsUK: Lemsagam will be Curle-ing him out before 2021 is done. @stringer_oafc @d3d4football

@HarryOafc: #oafc Curle would be a good appointment if we didn’t have a self-destructive owner with Alan Sugar disease

@BrendanRogers69: Haha if they don’t have money problems now they soon will have.

@Ajd367: Curle for me is a better manager on paper than HK. Of course it likely won’t matter given the circus will continue to operate behind the scenes. However in normal circumstances, a mgr with recent experience in promotion from this level would be seen as a decent appointment #oafc

@sebparkinson: I’ll give him until the end of the year before he’s gone as well

@MawerOAFC: From just an on-the-pitch perspective, it’s the correct decision. #oafc

@afrancis_oafc: Best of luck Keith, cos you’ll need it lad. Did the owner tell you at your interview that he’s a rank amateur when it comes to running a football club and that he can’t keep his nose out of team selection?

#mysteriousCurle #oafc pic.twitter.com/pvyA5SiR7J

— James Manton Howard (@themantonhoward) March 8, 2021