1st of all Riga has done a very good job for us in his part in keeping charlton up and I hope he stays. His points to game tally is clearly better this season then under Powell, cant deny that, but...
It appears some people have a one or the other attitude in regards to who is a better manager, Powell or Riga. Too many hours of Football manager or something gives people a distorted view of common sense and what football is all about.
I would also like to say that Riga has alot more years of experience than Chris Powell, that is not a for or against argument for either manager, but as perspective goes, Riga is more equipped in terms of years with his coaching experience to manage a football club.
Riga is getting alot of praise with slight hinted re-marks that Powell done charlton no favours during his tenure.
Chris Powell pulled in a great amount of effort to get the club back to the championship. He shrugged off his rookie manager status when under pressure for the failings of the previous season and brought a whole new squad to get us out the whole that was league 1. Im not gana bother with the timeline of his achievements while at Charlton, I will allow people to just reflect on that themselves.
The season carries a whole varied wide load of reasons for why we have struggled. I dont think many managers would have been happy getting their club 9th for what was a great achievement, and not being allowed to push on and improve the squad. Forced to take a step backwards and just manage the club. A step backwards on a squad that was not really that strong in the championship.
Then Powell had RD on his case depleting the squad even further.
Riga comes in with a fresh mind and fresh approach to our squad. He is not already worn down and can pass on his ideas in good light to the current team. That is one major factor in why we stayed up this season.
You might not have enjoyed Powells management style from a tactical point of view. Like I say entilted have your own opinion of course and if you wish to challenge what ive said in support of Powell, im all ears.
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Powell has a track record you simply cannot argue with, particularly seeing how everything conspired against him from the moment we got promoted. With Lawrie Wilson being the only investment on a League One squad, the 9th place finish was remarkable.
Having the team severely weakened again in the summer, with added uncertainty and cut-backs behind the scenes, made his efforts this campaign very credible too. A couple of points from those 4 games in hand and we had our heads above water which is quite something given the budget.
This doesn't mean Riga hasn't done an excellent job. He has. We all like Riga, and for good reason. But his efforts do seem to be tarnishing how people view Powell now, and that's why the above perspective is important.
It's a certain type of fan who sees football in a pretty black-and-white way and thinks Powell 'had to go' - they're usually the thicker ones I'm afraid to say - and it would be tragic if that mindset spreads through the fanbase given the wonders Powell worked with us. Riga's short-term success should not affect Powell's great legacy.
Powell did a great job last season.
Powell didn't do the job as (proven by Riga) it could have been done this year.
Riga takes over and the upturn in form guides us to safety.
End of.
I would however like to add that Parkie should also take some credit as he signed Jacko :-)
100% this.
More than anything I am sick to the back teeth of talking about a previous manager. Kinsella didn't get this much attention as assistant and he was as much of a playing legend as Powell (and some may say more so).
I almost hope we do get a new manager next season to distance ourselves from any Powell / Riga transition and move on.
We have stayed up before the last game of the season
Have one thread stay together in there and mourn
Even Powell has said you move on
I made the thread just to get my point accross that all of a sudden, another manager in jose riga keeps us up that powell is now considered (by a few) to be a shite manager.
It irritated me.
I can now personally be set free like a dove flying into the sky.
Seems so and apparently there is no in between, you are either Powell or Riga camp. I was in the pro Powell camp but soon realised that no matter how much good he had done in the couple of seasons before, Riga was/is doing a far better job with the same tools.
The comment on the interview today about winning the games in hand was laughable, we had won 6 games in the previous 30... Statistically we would have been lucky to get 3 PTs in total from all those rearranged games under Powell
One I think that has been proved by the player stuff that was being put upon Powell before he left, then not occurring after he left.
One theory is that RD wanted his man in, knew SCP was very popular with fans, so orchestrated a pressure scenario he thought would lead to SCP resigning / leaving quietly. Powell didn't, probably taking the approach of his mate Malky McKay, and in the end a poisonous situation evolved where Powell and the squad weren't happy, and RD wasn't happy.
In hindsight, the best thing that could of happened was on RD first day, he walked in, shook SCPs hand, then laid him off. But he couldn't do that as it most definitively would have led to a wide scale fans backlash.
He poured his heart and soul into the job. He proved he wasn't too nice for the job which was many peoples fear when he was appointed by getting rid of the dead wood in the squad and rebuilding to huge success.
He broke a number of records in winning the league.
He did wonders last season.
He represented himself and our club in a wonderful way.
He struck up a relationship with the fans that will probably not be matched again.
He made us proud again.
Since his departure he has demonstrated again what a classy man he is.
He has made quotes on the radio today that are taken out of context on here. He is then told to 'be classy' . People should have known better. And to be honest why should he not have a little dig. Although I know not the truth I believe that RD's methods and approach towards CP were pretty dire and classless.
He deserved better.
I thought the decision was wrong at the time, who knows how the season would have turned out had he stayed, we can all speculate, second guess and pontificate all we like.
Clearly Riga has something about him and has got the players playing for him. Credit to them for that because many were Powell fans through and through.
I hope Powell is able to expand in what happened in the last few months but I doubt he will.
Let's remember him for all the good things he did for us and not champ at the bit when he allows himself some form if occasional rebuke.
Powell said recently that he should have asked RD on day one how long they will be in a working relationship together. If he had done so I believe RD would have fobbed him off. However it was clear within days that Powell was being placed in a position which was making his day to day working practically impossible.
The press conferences were lip service and you will see Powell's disdain for RD.
A group of players, you can probably guess which ones, tried on several occasions to get some clarity from RD and KM, without success.
RD certainly did try to insist on team selection, this was the easiest way to cause a rift with CP.
By going against this it gave RD the opportunity to get rid of CP once a performance like that against Sheff Utd occurred.
Riga has not necessarily declined to play the SL players, merely he is not dealing with the same interference from RD so can play who he decides to as RD has had his way by removing the barrier that was CP.
Riga was brought in as a stopgap but that is now being reconsidered.
Powell and RD don't fit and one goes it wasn't going to be RD
Nowhere near the first team under Powell? Are you sure? Harrriott played in 15 games this season under Powell and was injured for a while too.
The result, therefore, is that I end up missing Powelly all the more! But that's my problem, not Riga's. I really hope he is kept on.
If we can say the same about Duchatelet and Riga in 2017 then we are laughing!
To put it in context, clubs like Fulham and Cardiff spent around £100M to make the journey from third tier to Premier League. CAFC have made that first leg for considerably less.