A plea to Roland Duchatelet

Covered End

Dear Roland,

Charlton are very likely to be relegated in 3 months time, unless you get in at least 3 loan players, that are BETTER than we already have.

So far, you haven't strengthened an already weak squad, as you have sold our best forward, best midfield player and best goalkeeper.

No doubt the reasons were financial, but from a football perspective, this is desperate.

I have supported Charlton for over 40 years and have little doubt, that we are doomed unless you act NOW.

Anyway, I'm quite certain Chris Powell has told you what we need.

Please give our manager, players and fans a break. We all deserve it.

We have won 5 games, drawn 9 and lost 14 so far. 24 points from 28 games.

To stay up we probably need to achieve 26 points from 18 games.

Are you with us or against us ?

cafcdan18

We need to have at least a fighting chance.

A winger or two has to be a priority, the fact Dale and now Cousins have played RM sums it up for me and with Harriot out of favour, Stewart has not been replaced.

Astrit may be a good replacement for Dale, time will tell but would still like a new CM.

Reza and/or Polish Pete may be the goalscorer we crave. Not sure with Church and not-so Marvellous Powell will bring in another striker.

Jordan Ibe and Jonny Williams please.

flyingkiwiDK

You forgot to mention that these loan signings need to come from another Championship side (or better!)

Greenie

One of the sold players might have got an 'injury' if we had kept him, good work by Roland to get rid!
But agree we need a few more wide players.

Jensenwasclass

Great article Covered End.
I hope by the end of the week we will realise who RD is allowing us to sign.
Sadly so far we seem to have missed the boat.
I want a proven striker (pref: British and familiar with Championship or Prem standard).
Also a decent winger, but won't hold my breath!

stilladdicted

Preferably players that are Championship ready and speak English.

Ted\'s Addicksson

Another 'wish list' thread.

Keep asking and it may sink in.

smiffyboy

No good moaning at RD when Powell chooses to play players out of position to accommodate others

LuckyReds

Is this really what we need though? Don't get me wrong, I know it's what we need too...

But as it is we've got a team that's changed dramatically in the last few weeks, is it worth shaking it up again? I know we don't have much choice, but I can't help but think we're damned if we do and damned if we don't.

Covered End

smiffyboy said:

No good moaning at RD when Powell chooses to play players out of position to accommodate others

We all know Powell plays players out of position. But specifically why does he ?

Because he hasn't got a strong enough squad !

If he doesn't/didn't play Stephens, Pritchard, Cousins wide he has to play Green.

We all know what happens when Green starts. Answer he's never had a good game.

He can play Wilson there, but then we don't have a decent right back, as Solly has been injured for most of the season.

We have no one decent on left mid either.

Stewart was ok, but he's gone and not been replaced.

Harriot has been poor & Evina shocking.

Chizz

Fifteen minutes. That's how long this thread took to go from an interesting and direct, open letter to the owner, to the vacuous repetition of moans about the Manager. Well done Charlton.

Greenie

Chizz said:

Fifteen minutes. That's how long this thread took to go from an interesting and direct, open letter to the owner, to the vacuous repetition of moans about the Manager. Well done Charlton.

So what? It's a football forum, people will have a difference if opinion.
If you want to hear what you want start "ChizzForum" with only you as a member. Although I would be careful when you google it. ;o)

MSE7

We will probably get Lee Cook back again

nth_london_addick

we aint where we are because RD has weakened the team we are where we are because that team that has been weakend was not doing the business

Bedsaddick

I can't help but feel that four Million pound reduction in the purchase price if we are relegated clause , is he's only goal at the moment. Unless he shows some real intent immediately , i think that we , as a club , have gone out of the frying pan into the fire.

AdamAddick

i wonder if powell even knows jonny williams is available for loan

Covered End

nth london addick said:

we aint where we are because RD has weakened the team we are where we are because that team that has been weakend was not doing the business

I didn't say RD has weakened the team tbf. I said he hasn't strenghtened an already weak squad.

thenewbie

nth london addick said:

we aint where we are because RD has weakened the team we are where we are because that team that has been weakend was not doing the business

Exactly, at no point this season have we been in good form, or even playing particularly well. We've simply slipped from merely bad, to outright terrible, and I can't say that placing blame on the new owner is fair. That said, it's well within his power and budget to set things right, so the ball is in your court Monsieur Duchatelet as far as I'm concerned.

Covered End

thenewbie said:

nth london addick said:

we aint where we are because RD has weakened the team we are where we are because that team that has been weakend was not doing the business

Exactly, at no point this season have we been in good form, or even playing particularly well. We've simply slipped from merely bad, to outright terrible, and I can't say that placing blame on the new owner is fair. That said, it's well within his power and budget to set things right, so the ball is in your court Monsieur Duchatelet as far as I'm concerned.

Agreed & I haven't blamed him. But I'm asking him to do something now, if he really cares.

vff

It sounds like you guys are agreeing. Seth Plum on the how depressed thread said that he had chatted to Katrien and they were aware of the problems apparently.

Covered End

vff said:

It sounds like you guys are agreeing. Seth Plum on the how depressed thread said that he had chatted to Katrien and they were aware of the problems apparently.

Quite. But are they going to do something to keep us up ?

Chizz

Bedsaddick said:

I can't help but feel that four Million pound reduction in the purchase price if we are relegated clause , is he's only goal at the moment. Unless he shows some real intent immediately , i think that we , as a club , have gone out of the frying pan into the fire.

It's a really important point. But also, it's worth bearing in mind that the cost of relegation is more than four million pounds per season. So it would be a very false economy.

Mortimerician

Is it? I'm not sure there's a 4M difference in profit/loss between the leagues. Revenue maybe, but that's irrelevant.

vff

Covered End said:

vff said:

It sounds like you guys are agreeing. Seth Plum on the how depressed thread said that he had chatted to Katrien and they were aware of the problems apparently.

Quite. But are they going to do something to keep us up ?

That is the million dollar question. (or over 4 million dollar + interest on loans payable to Richard Murray question). RD and Katrien need to also factor in, how many season ticket holders will be lost due to the cumulative pain suffered over the last years by Charlton supporters. It is much harder to get the supporters back when lost. RD and Katrien need to be looking to maintain status, as it will be easier to keep hold of the young great players we have got if Charlton are playing in the Championships.

It is in their hands.

BigAndyCAFC

Covered End said:

Dear Roland,

Charlton are very likely to be relegated in 3 months time, unless you get in at least 3 loan players, that are BETTER than we already have.

So far, you haven't strengthened an already weak squad, as you have sold our best forward, best midfield player and best goalkeeper.

No doubt the reasons were financial, but from a football perspective, this is desperate.

I have supported Charlton for over 40 years and have little doubt, that we are doomed unless you act NOW.

Anyway, I'm quite certain Chris Powell has told you what we need.

Please give our manager, players and fans a break. We all deserve it.

We have won 5 games, drawn 9 and lost 14 so far. 24 points from 28 games.

To stay up we probably need to achieve 26 points from 18 games.

Are you with us or against us ?

Please tell me you never actually posted this rubbish? How feeble do you make the club look. We need to man up and fight for survival.. Not beg!

vff

I am no expert on the finance, but it does seem as though RD would be a little more worried and Katrien Miere, Didier and Charles would be a little less relaxed if the relegation clause was not in place.

It would be interesting to know from those more financially smart than I am, what the difference is in staying in the Championship and League One is.

dallas

the players brought in should have been done in the summer not now all we needed was a winger and two strikers

clb74

vff said:

I am no expert on the finance, but it does seem as though RD would be a little more worried and Katrien Miere, Didier and Charles would be a little less relaxed if the relegation clause was not in place.

It would be interesting to know from those more financially smart than I am, what the difference is in staying in the Championship and League One is.

£8.52

vff

clb74 said:

vff said:

I am no expert on the finance, but it does seem as though RD would be a little more worried and Katrien Miere, Didier and Charles would be a little less relaxed if the relegation clause was not in place.

It would be interesting to know from those more financially smart than I am, what the difference is in staying in the Championship and League One is.

£8.52

I take it that's the television money for league one.

Mundell Fleming

I suspect we may all be preaching to the converted.

Whilst Duchatelet may be able to handle relegation, both financially and emotionally, it's highly unlikely that he'd prefer it to remaining in the Championship. Moreover, based on the evidence of the "Meet the Board" video alone, we can be confident that he understands that the squad needs to be strengthened if we are to survive.

That's not the issue. The issue is finding the right players, as Chris Powell himself said last week. The fact is that players that are both good enough to improve our current First XI and who are surplus to immediate requirements at their current Clubs, don't grow on trees. Moreover, there are other Clubs out there looking for them. It won't be easy. I'd bet that if there is a Cameron Stewart clone out there we'd snap him up. We're not likely to do much better than that, but where is this player?

We need to keep our fingers crossed that the right players are available.

dallas

but we can do better than Danny Green