15 points from our last 16 games..... Great, I went all limp when I saw that final table. Proves the lack of ambition at the club and the inabilty of the managerial staff to inspire and motivate the players. And when anyone dared to suggest such at the time you got the old "People need to remember where we've come from. Just a few years ago we didn't have a ground blah blah blah!"
Even on MOTD you got the likes of Lawrenson saying things like "I've heard Charlton fans on phone-ins saying they want the club to go to another level and suggesting AC has taken them as far as he can. Well I think Charlton should be careful what they wish for."
And Lee Dixon said exactly the same a short while ago about another clubs fans musing about ambition and he said "These people should look at Charlton and see what happened to them."
So we are not allowed ambition? We are not allowed to want to push on to another level? We have to know our place and just be a little club to make up the numbers in the Prem should we ever be lucky enough to get there again.
Be careful what you wish for!! I wished for success and ambition, I didn't wish for 2 relegations.
You fail to understand how the team was set up under AC. There wasn't a lack of motivation, inspiration, or whatever you want to call it. The team played a high tempo game, outworking so called better teams to get the results. The end result of this was safety by Feb, and inevitable hopes of a high finish. The problem was and always will be that we had a small squad, as they tired and things like injuries and suspensions took their toll the form fell away, hence the end of season slump.
Taking us to the next level would have required a jump in wages that we simply couldn't afford, we would have needed a lot more players to give us not only the ability to rotate, but to also have a squad with the quality that players could hit form and play as a cohesive unit with less playing time and more changes to the starting eleven. Simply put it would have required the club practically doubling the wage will to go from finishing 7-10 to finishing 3-6.
We might have fluked it one year, namely the year Parker jumped ship, our early season form had been simply sensational, so even with a typical end of season slump we'd have been close, and that added goal might have meant the slump didn't come.
However, if we had finished 5th or 6th and qualified for Europe we would have really struggled the following year. Relying on early season form and fitness to get us sufficient points would have been very difficult with the additional burden on Europe.
I'll always wonder what would've happened if we had replaced Curbs with decent manager and avoided the whole Dowie fiasco. But still as JT says in another 5 years we may well be back there, all part of football I suppose.
That was the season when Parker left. We were in 4th when he left us and 7th at the end - if he'd stayed I'm certain we would have got at least place higher and that would have meant European football.
Still gutted that we never made it into Europe - Ipswich, Fulham, Bolton, Stoke, Birmingham, Pompey, Middlesborough, Scumwall (albeit very briefly), all comparable to us or smaller, all played in Europe during the last 10 years or so.
We done very well to finish 7th in that season considering 2 of our best centre backs were injured (Rowett and Rufus) and losing Parker halfway through.
And regarding people's comments on what happened when Curbs left, we could go on for years about it (We have on here) but simple fact is..our board chose to put Dowie in a management team already chosen by themselves, they spent the money and also chose to get rid of Dowie who was popular amongst the players for Les Reed who wasn't.
Table looks even better if you read it the week before when we had played 1 less game. We sold parker on the deadline day and the next day lost at home to Bolton. Easy to let your guard down and start to like Parker when you see the way he plays, how well he’s done for Spurs etc, England captain. Just takes one look at that table to remember what a c u next Tuesday he is.
On the verge of becoming a genuinely big club then, properly mixing it with arsenal Liverpool Chelsea, 40k ground in the pipeline. Oh to be back in that place.
Seven of those teams that were in the Prem are now in the Championship and the Addicks in League 1. As RandyAndy said above - you have to be wary about spending to buy success.
Also, of those 8, 5 or 6 got there through the cup, which is pretty much luck of the draw. If you want to bash Parker further, we lost to Gillingham in the cup the day or day after it came out Parker was refusing to train/play. If we'd have won that game, we'd have got Millwall in the next round and the easy route they had to the final.
Also, of those 8, 5 or 6 got there through the cup, which is pretty much luck of the draw. If you want to bash Parker further, we lost to Gillingham in the cup the day or day after it came out Parker was refusing to train/play. If we'd have won that game, we'd have got Millwall in the next round and the easy route they had to the final.
Thats not correct. He kicked off after the Wolves game a couple of weeks later, which we won 2nil. He was still on the straight and narrow at the time of the Gills game, cant blame him for that.
To be fair to randy andy Parker was left out of the Gills game bcause "his head was not right" according to Curbs. This was because the Bank of Chelsea had been onto his agent/family.
He was on Football Focus the day of the Wolves game talking about his commitment to the club, and then apparently went to see Richard Murray straight after the final whistle to demand to speak to Chelsea.
Thanks Chirpy, I knew he was left out at the last minute and it resulted in a very deflated looking performance from the team. That was the year we really had a chance in the cup (with hindsight), up until that stage we'd been playing fantastic football, and we now know the run from there to the final was possibly one of the easiest cup runs (on paper) in living memory.
we would have won that Gillingham game, if only we had got a nice early goal....
Bloody cold that game was, on the open scaffolded seats.
I read Jeff Winters book and he said that Gils v Charlton game was the coldest he had ever been at football. And that's from a native of Middlesbrough!
It was perishing behind that goal..and the football was worse.
To be fair to randy andy Parker was left out of the Gills game bcause "his head was not right" according to Curbs. This was because the Bank of Chelsea had been onto his agent/family.
Still not sure this is right. He was left out of the Everton game the week after the Wolves win because "he was not in the right frame of mind", see link below. I thought the first time he piped up was after the Wolves game, as referred to by Mr Largo above when he said he started demanding answers etc whilst still in his kit after hearing of Chelsea's interest. This is what Curbs referred to in his autobiography as well. Don't personally recall anything arising before that or about the Gillingham game, but it would make sense regarding being cup tied etc, but it could just be the case that Curbs wanted to rest him.
Did anyone really think that we would finish 4th (even if we'd kept Parker)?
We were 4th when he left and were a much better team with him than without him so why not?
I'm convinced we would have finished 4th if Parker had stayed. Liverpool got it with 60pts and without Parker we were only 7 points back.
Points per game average before Parker left: 1.6 Points per game average after Parker left: 1.06
European football the following season would have helped us retain and attract quality players. None of it matters now of course. In fact if Parker had stayed our wages and transfer fee outlay might have been bigger and our fall even harder.
I do have a dislike for Parker (more disappointment because I hoped he was different from all the other players) but the reality is that football is a business and the board disposed of Kinsella when it suited them so why shouldn't a player act in the same way.
You fail to understand how the team was set up under AC. There wasn't a lack of motivation, inspiration, or whatever you want to call it. The team played a high tempo game, outworking so called better teams to get the results. The end result of this was safety by Feb, and inevitable hopes of a high finish. The problem was and always will be that we had a small squad, as they tired and things like injuries and suspensions took their toll the form fell away, hence the end of season slump.
Taking us to the next level would have required a jump in wages that we simply couldn't afford, we would have needed a lot more players to give us not only the ability to rotate, but to also have a squad with the quality that players could hit form and play as a cohesive unit with less playing time and more changes to the starting eleven. Simply put it would have required the club practically doubling the wage will to go from finishing 7-10 to finishing 3-6.
We might have fluked it one year, namely the year Parker jumped ship, our early season form had been simply sensational, so even with a typical end of season slump we'd have been close, and that added goal might have meant the slump didn't come.
However, if we had finished 5th or 6th and qualified for Europe we would have really struggled the following year. Relying on early season form and fitness to get us sufficient points would have been very difficult with the additional burden on Europe.
Great post.
Some people think if we'd finished high up once then that would've been it - our divine right to finish that high from then on.
Doesn't work like that - apart from on your playstations.
I do have a dislike for Parker (more disappointment because I hoped he was different from all the other players) but the reality is that football is a business and the board disposed of Kinsella when it suited them so why shouldn't a player act in the same way.
exactly and no one who has joined us in this revival is here for the love of charlton , they are here cos we are the ones that have offered more in wages and suit their needs , anyone who thinks anything else is living in cloud cuckoo land
Comments
And when anyone dared to suggest such at the time you got the old "People need to remember where we've come from. Just a few years ago we didn't have a ground blah blah blah!"
Even on MOTD you got the likes of Lawrenson saying things like "I've heard Charlton fans on phone-ins saying they want the club to go to another level and suggesting AC has taken them as far as he can. Well I think Charlton should be careful what they wish for."
And Lee Dixon said exactly the same a short while ago about another clubs fans musing about ambition and he said "These people should look at Charlton and see what happened to them."
So we are not allowed ambition? We are not allowed to want to push on to another level? We have to know our place and just be a little club to make up the numbers in the Prem should we ever be lucky enough to get there again.
Be careful what you wish for!! I wished for success and ambition, I didn't wish for 2 relegations.
That season really peed me off.
Taking us to the next level would have required a jump in wages that we simply couldn't afford, we would have needed a lot more players to give us not only the ability to rotate, but to also have a squad with the quality that players could hit form and play as a cohesive unit with less playing time and more changes to the starting eleven. Simply put it would have required the club practically doubling the wage will to go from finishing 7-10 to finishing 3-6.
We might have fluked it one year, namely the year Parker jumped ship, our early season form had been simply sensational, so even with a typical end of season slump we'd have been close, and that added goal might have meant the slump didn't come.
However, if we had finished 5th or 6th and qualified for Europe we would have really struggled the following year. Relying on early season form and fitness to get us sufficient points would have been very difficult with the additional burden on Europe.
Still gutted that we never made it into Europe - Ipswich, Fulham, Bolton, Stoke, Birmingham, Pompey, Middlesborough, Scumwall (albeit very briefly), all comparable to us or smaller, all played in Europe during the last 10 years or so.
And regarding people's comments on what happened when Curbs left, we could go on for years about it (We have on here) but simple fact is..our board chose to put Dowie in a management team already chosen by themselves, they spent the money and also chose to get rid of Dowie who was popular amongst the players for Les Reed who wasn't.
On the verge of becoming a genuinely big club then, properly mixing it with arsenal Liverpool Chelsea, 40k ground in the pipeline. Oh to be back in that place.
Bloody cold that game was, on the open scaffolded seats.
It was perishing behind that goal..and the football was worse.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/curbishley-drops-unsettled-parker-6977578.html
Points per game average before Parker left: 1.6
Points per game average after Parker left: 1.06
European football the following season would have helped us retain and attract quality players. None of it matters now of course. In fact if Parker had stayed our wages and transfer fee outlay might have been bigger and our fall even harder.
I do have a dislike for Parker (more disappointment because I hoped he was different from all the other players) but the reality is that football is a business and the board disposed of Kinsella when it suited them so why shouldn't a player act in the same way.
Some people think if we'd finished high up once then that would've been it - our divine right to finish that high from then on.
Doesn't work like that - apart from on your playstations.