Curtis Fleming has revealed the managers who have had a major influence on his coaching career.
The 55-year-old will oversee his first match as the club's Interim Head Coach on Saturday when Charlton travel to Blackpool.
“When I coach I work a lot from my playing days, not because I played at a level or anything like that," said Fleming. "I played with some really good players which is lovely, but I wasn’t a good player. I always say we were both painters - they were Van Gogh and I was a painter and decorator!
“I had Bryan Robson as a manager for seven years and I’m not name-dropping because he was a bit of a legend. He wasn’t a brilliant coach, but what a man - what a man. You’d go to war for him and I get a little bit like that now even when I speak about him because he’s a good man.
“I think that is half the battle - when you play there is so much going on and it’s great to have people you can trust. He used to drop us and we would thank him because he’d say, ‘you’re not playing this week but you will next week.’
“I was also lucky enough to have Terry Venables for a short period of time and I loved his simplicity. Out of the coaches I worked with he was probably the best. Tony Pulis also gave different messages and you always learned."
"Nigel Pearson, who I have worked with over the past few years, has got teams up to the Premier League and built clubs up. You learn good bits and there are certain bits that I wouldn't do. When you get to my age and you’ve been around a bit, you’re going to know what you are and know what you have to do to be you. You won’t see me in a three-piece suit on Saturday because I’m doing one game - that’s just me.”
