George Frederick Curtis (3 December 1919 – 17 November 2004)[1] was an English professional footballer and coach, who played as an inside forward.
[2][3] Curtis had impressed Southampton manager Bill Dodgin who valued him at £10,000, in an exchange transfer that also saw Tom Rudkin arrive at The Dell, with Don Roper moving to Highbury.
[4] Nicknamed Twinkletoes by his teammates, Curtis was a clever, nimble player, whose feints and tricks were appreciated by the supporters, although they often frustrated his colleagues.
[5][4] He then joined French team Valenciennes for a fee of £1,500 staying for a year between 1952 and 1953, before returning to see out his playing days as player-coach at Chelmsford City.
Curtis' move to Chelmsford City was somewhat hindered due to a strike in France, but he eventually joined the Southern League side for 'a four-figure fee'.
Before the beginning of his coaching career, Curtis went on to manage noted Indian club Mohun Bagan for a while in 1945, during his wartime visit to the country.
[8]Curtis introduced modern defensive football to Norway, with a flat backline 4–4–2 formation, pressure on the ball carrier and tactical focus.
The dynamic duo of Iversen and Harald Sunde had been sold to Belgian Division 2 club Racing Mechelen before the start of the season and with them went all of Rosenborg's attacking play.
After a car accident in which his Norwegian wife died, Curtis's focus shifted elsewhere and Rosenborg quickly ended up struggling to avoid relegation.
A 0–4 defeat against Division 3 side Røros in the 2nd round of the cup sealed his fate: Curtis was released from his contract on 27 August 1976.