Curbishley would help the Addicks reach the top flight for the first time in 29 years before he was sold to Brighton & Hove Albion for £30,000 in 1987.

It would be three years before Curbs would return to the south east London club, this time combining his playing duties with the role of reserve coach. A few months later he was promoted to first team coach following the dismissal of Mike Flanagan.

By the summer of 1991 Curbishley had been handed the manager's job at the club, in tandem with Steve Gritt, after Lennie Lawrence had been sacked. He was only 33-years-old at the time.

But these were tough times for Charlton. They were playing at Upton Park, the home of West Ham, while their own ground, The Valley, was renovated. Unfortunately the club had run out of cash and were left in limbo.

The performances on the pitch belied the chaos behind the scenes, and the new managerial duo guided Charlton to the brink of the play-offs in their first season at the helm.

The financial strife at the club led to the sale of a number of top stars, most notably Rob Lee, in order to fund the completion of The Valley. After a couple of further delays, the Addicks finally returned home in December 1992.

The midfield star effectively hung up his boots in August 1993 when he made his final appearance in a game against Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Curbishley assumed sole control of the club in 1995 following the appointment of a new chairman in Richard Murray. The Addicks had a poor season in 1994/95, and Murray decided to relieve Gritt of his duties but showed faith in Curbishley's managerial abilities.

Since then Murray and Curbishley have forged one of the closest manager/chairman relationships in the game.

Charlton reached the First Division play-off semi-finals in 1996, but went all the way to Wembley in 1998 and Curbishley would guide his side into the Premiership for the first time. The Addicks edged into the top flight after winning a penalty shoot-out against Sunderland.

The club's stay with the elite may have been brief, but there were may good moments along the way - including two Manager of the Month awards for Curbs. Charlton even led the Premiership early in the 1998/99 season.

Curbishley was determined to earn promotion at the first time, and it was achieved in style as the Addicks smashed a club record by winning 12 consecutive games on their way to the title. Another club record was broken as the club secured promotion with three games remaining.

Since the Addicks returned to the Premiership, Curbishley has made them a force to be reckoned with. No longer favourites for relegation, the club can now be considered as an established side in the upper echelon on English football.

That is down to Curbishley, and the way he has moulded a group of players without any real star names into an effective unit.

Kevin Keegan tipped Curbishley as a future England manager, and it was after his resignation that Curbs was asked to help out with the England set-up prior to Sven Goran Eriksson's appointment.

Curbishley always seems to be linked with a move to a bigger club, and his name was mentioned in conjunction with the vacant jobs at former clubs West Ham United in the summer of 2001 and then Aston Villa when John Gregory had walked.

The manager stayed loyal, although he must surely look for a new challenge in the not too distant future.

The 2001/02 season saw the Addicks' squad decimated by injuries, but they were eighth until a poor run at the end of the campaign saw them drop down the table.