At the start of the season the board announced a strategic financial review. There were rumours of Russians and Nigerians but sinse nothing. We have a team which doesn`t look capable of sustaining a promotion push and the club have just announced losses of £10 million. We are losing the edge our recent premiership status gave us and I think things are not all well with our managerial setup. This team is pretty much made up of Pardew buys and we look downright awful. Our championship rivals have been able to attract significant investment most notably of course QPR. If our board does not see fit to court investment from what seems a never ending supply of foreigners with wads of cash then we will be left far behind. Thank God Bernie Ecclestone took his cash and contacts to West London and not down the road to Millwall....Think about it. Am I alone in thinking that we need this kind of change ?
0
Comments
I wrote a blog about this a year ago and I think it's still relevant now... http://joeaddick.blogspot.com/
Relegation from the premier league probably hid the fact that Bent & Young or any other asset courted would've been sold off anyway. Even if we'd stayed up...
Our profile as a club which was on the up & up for some time under great team management went on a steady decline after the season we lost the likes of Parker & DiCanio, and then later Murphy & Smertin...
As with all our previous managers Pardew will now start getting the blame by many for the inconsistencies in our team but I really believe those inconsistencies were inevitable…Our low profile and lack of resources have dictated the continual loss of our best assets. Instead of being in the ideal position of building a team/club around them. Taking that into account I think Pardew's signings this season have been shrewd...They were always going to be hit and mainly miss.
We certainly don't have a team capable of competing in the prem next season.
Our board ultimately could not and can not compete in what has become a high stakes game in which those with the biggest resources rise to the top and the rest are splashing around more cash then we could dream of…Just to survive.
I think investment is key especially for those of us who don't want to see us become a Yo-Yo club flitting from league to league.
No doubt the board would like to re-establish Charlton as a Prem club.
After all, that is where the money is - but costs can easily escalate and become prohibitive despite TV money.
Maybe they would settle as a yo-yo club as a 2nd but acceptable choice.
Promotion from the CCC and immediate relegation would bring an instant £30+ and £11 million of parachute money - and they only need to operate with a decent CCC standard squad in the Prem at just a little over running costs in the 2nd tier.
Curbishley/Murray operated this model the first time we were promoted and kept the club solvent for the Championship winning next season. Watford did the same last season and consequently didn't have to break their team like we did - and got off to a flying start this season.
By Prem standards, it's low running costs and roller coaster maximum interest for supporters.
Second point: sure Pards has a hit or miss aproach to signing lower league players.
He sifts through those players with qualities that appeal to him and who he feels are capable of the step up.
Naturally, it's a gamble and for a variety of reasons same players don't make the higher grade- but some paid off handsomely for him in his Reading & West Ham days.
I agree with you, there'll be a couple that come through but we can't really expect every one of them to be successful.
Aye. Still, could be worse, we could be sixth rather than fifth in the league.
If only we'd all sold our houses and invested in gold when we were told - any one of us could've stepped into the breach then!
I don’t think Pardew has a hit or miss “approach”… I was resigned to the fact that we would end up with that outcome considering the number of players brought in aligned with the resources available to him. He was never in a position to splash out £7M on an Ashton…Just as Curbs was never in a position to offer Parker massive wages as he now can at West Ham.
Personally I hope the board don’t accept us as a Yo-Yo club for one minute…
If that was the case it puts their “Target 40.000” to bed really.
There’s been constant finger pointing at all our managers even when we were a steady prem club. We attained a low profile around 4 seasons ago…Was that all down to the managers? Their team selections? The signings ?(Ok some of Dowie’s were cack).
Ultimately the club attracted what they got and they weren’t a patch on the ones that got away. We got excited when we signed Murphy and he wasn’t that good but that’s as good as it got after we lost our real talents.
Other than those fans that want us to hold onto some sort of tradition which the prem league doesn’t seem to entertain these days. I can’t see any other solution other than a serious investment for us to compete at that level.
Let me finish that:
I trust the board to do what they think is right for the club.
I just worry that they may be wrong.