Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley (born 8 November 1957) is an English former football player and manager. He played as a midfielder for West Ham United, Birmingham City, Aston Villa, Charlton Athletic and Brighton & Hove Albion and has worked in the Premier League in management roles at Charlton Athletic and West Ham United. In December 2013 he was appointed technical director at Fulham only to be removed from the role in February 2014. He again joined Fulham's coaching staff in March 2015. Background Curbishley was one of five children born to a London docker and his wife. He grew up a mile from West Ham station. He was educated at South West Ham Technical School. Curbishley is married. He is the younger brother of the rock band manager Bill Curbishley, who since the mid 1970s has been manager of The Who. He has also managed Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin since the 1990s Playing career Club career He began his football playing career with West Ham United, joining them as an apprentice on leaving school in the summer of 1974. After impressing in West Ham's South East Counties League side and owing to an injury crisis following pre-season training, he was named as substitute against Everton in August 1974 at the age of 16 and became the youngest ever West Ham player to be named on the teamsheet, although he did not play. He made his first team debut in a 1–0 home defeat against Chelsea in March 1975, coming into the team for Billy Bonds who was out with an injury, and in the summer, he was a member of the West Ham youth team, alongside Alvin Martin, Geoff Pike, and Paul Brush, that was beaten by Ipswich Town 5–1 on aggregate in the final of the FA Youth Cup. Curbishley's first win with the club and first goal came in a 2–1 home win over Newcastle in October 1975, in which he had replaced an injured Trevor Brooking in the starting line-up. His arrival in the first team was so impressive that he was given the nickname "Whizz" by teammate Pat Holland. He appeared in both legs of the West Ham's European Cup Winners' Cup 3rd round tie against Den Haag in March 1976, aged 18, although he did not play in the semi-final games against Eintracht Frankfurt nor in the final against Anderlecht. He made