The only issue with the Academy for the last seven years has been that the ownership of the club has not been financially strong enough to hold onto the likes of Shelvey and Jenkinson for longer until they were worth £3-5m instead of the £1M + bonus items received. All that changed in January when someone worth €500m took over. Every couple of years the academy wins their u18 section and we can see the calibre of players coming through. Give them another couple of years and we will see them improve still further. Individual players will come and go but the Charlton squad will get younger and the players better. I agree with Mundell that we are bottom eight right now but I can see us moving into the middle eight IF Duchatelet makes that choice this summer.
But it hasn't, has it? Poyet will most likely walk on free along with Hamer, Morrison and Dervite. Roland Duchatelet could have offered them new contracts in January, the same as he did with Jackson, Wiggins and supposedly Kermorgant. Yes, they're not all academy players, but they're still good young players who could have formed the spine of this time for years to come.
Regarding Poyet i think the rule is if we offer him a long term contract and he refuses to sign to go elsewhere we are still eligible for compensation. its if we don't offer him anything and he walks for free same as Semi Ajayi did to Arsenal. We only offered a 6 month contract and it wasn't enough to meet the requirements so we lost him for nothing.
Could be wrong.
Disappointing to lose Dervite, but there are better defenders about. He was good for a goal and got stuck in but i always thought he got turned too easily. I would still have kept him if i had a choice, but there you go.
@The Red Robin - IMO you cant say it say it hasnt changed and then point to contacts made before the takeover.
I took @seriously_red to mean we would be more likely to offer more substantial offers on a first contract basis. Thats the key...yeah here u go, son nice shiny new contract for 12 months which rolls over on a 12 month basis for 4 years, subject to conditions such as games played.
He meant we would be able to make longer term contractual obligations due to RDs financial stability thus maximising value should we be unable to keep them for football reasons (2 big or good for us)
Whoever signed DP to a contract with a wage uplift on games played but with no auto Extension clause activated at that moment wants shooting
@The Red Robin - IMO you cant say it say it hasnt changed and then point to contacts made before the takeover.
I took @seriously_red to mean we would be more likely to offer more substantial offers on a first contract basis. Thats they key...yeah here u go son nice shiny new contract for 12 months which rolls over on a 12 month basis for 4 years, subject to conditions such as games played.
He meant we would be able to make longer term contractual obligations due to RDs financial stability thus maximising value should we be unable to keep them for football reasons (2 big or good for us)
Whoever signed DP to a contract with a wage uplift on games played but with no auto Extension clause activated at that moment wants shooting
I don't see your point?
I said: 'But it hasn't, has it? Poyet will most likely walk on free along with Hamer, Morrison and Dervite. Roland Duchatelet could have offered them new contracts in January, the same as he did with Jackson, Wiggins and supposedly Kermorgant. Yes, they're not all academy players, but they're still good young players who could have formed the spine of this time for years to come.'
Yes, these players were signed by the previous owner, but so were Jackson and Wiggins, who were both offered new contracts by Duchatelet this season. My point is, he could also have offered contracts to Poyet, Hamer, Morrison and Dervite at the same time. But he didn't.
Just to be clear... by Viewfinder's drivel I was referring specifically to the repeated assertion we should shut the academy down and only buy "proven" championship players. Not everything else he posts, which is often well written and thought out (even if I disagree with most of it!)
@The Red Robin - IMO you cant say it say it hasnt changed and then point to contacts made before the takeover.
I took @seriously_red to mean we would be more likely to offer more substantial offers on a first contract basis. Thats they key...yeah here u go son nice shiny new contract for 12 months which rolls over on a 12 month basis for 4 years, subject to conditions such as games played.
He meant we would be able to make longer term contractual obligations due to RDs financial stability thus maximising value should we be unable to keep them for football reasons (2 big or good for us)
Whoever signed DP to a contract with a wage uplift on games played but with no auto Extension clause activated at that moment wants shooting
I don't see your point?
I said: 'But it hasn't, has it? Poyet will most likely walk on free along with Hamer, Morrison and Dervite. Roland Duchatelet could have offered them new contracts in January, the same as he did with Jackson, Wiggins and supposedly Kermorgant. Yes, they're not all academy players, but they're still good young players who could have formed the spine of this time for years to come.'
Yes, these players were signed by the previous owner, but so were Jackson and Wiggins, who were both offered new contracts by Duchatelet this season. My point is, he could also have offered contracts to Poyet, Hamer, Morrison and Dervite at the same time. But he didn't.
I could be wrong but I think Diego has had a deal on the table for some time. The fact he hasn't signed it is hardly RD's fault.
@The Red Robin - IMO you cant say it say it hasnt changed and then point to contacts made before the takeover.
I took @seriously_red to mean we would be more likely to offer more substantial offers on a first contract basis. Thats they key...yeah here u go son nice shiny new contract for 12 months which rolls over on a 12 month basis for 4 years, subject to conditions such as games played.
He meant we would be able to make longer term contractual obligations due to RDs financial stability thus maximising value should we be unable to keep them for football reasons (2 big or good for us)
Whoever signed DP to a contract with a wage uplift on games played but with no auto Extension clause activated at that moment wants shooting
I don't see your point?
I said: 'But it hasn't, has it? Poyet will most likely walk on free along with Hamer, Morrison and Dervite. Roland Duchatelet could have offered them new contracts in January, the same as he did with Jackson, Wiggins and supposedly Kermorgant. Yes, they're not all academy players, but they're still good young players who could have formed the spine of this time for years to come.'
Yes, these players were signed by the previous owner, but so were Jackson and Wiggins, who were both offered new contracts by Duchatelet this season. My point is, he could also have offered contracts to Poyet, Hamer, Morrison and Dervite at the same time. But he didn't.
Jackson is captain and fan's favourite, and Wiggins is one of the few players with a (half) decent potential selling price - not to mention the fact that he was supposedly being watched closely which pushed CAFC into offering contract. You would imagine that all players would expect a payrise, and at the very least a like-for-like offer. Cannot blame them for that.
But in January, there was a very real possibility that we would be relegated.....all of a sudden you have Championship wages in a League 1 team..... Now, I am no multi-millionnaire businessman, but that doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
Now we know what we can afford to pay, its up to the players to accept or look for more money elsewhere
I am talking about academy players and the need to avoid such a ridiculous situation such as DP. Which is what I took @seriously_red to mean.
if you give youth player a contract that activates better wages after a cert number of games played, it is logical that the player will be coveted as he is playing games. It therefore has to be accompanied by an extension otherwise u will lose him.
As we are going to see more and more..its that first contract for homegrowns that is crucial. Because if a prospect starts making it at Charlton, we cant keep him. We can just maximise value.
Its what southampton have done very successfully. That key balance between having 3/5 academy graduates going down the leagues, 1/5 staying and 1/5 wanting to go to Chelsea after 25 games. You want to be able to the good uns for as long as possible contractually but let the less good uns go onto pastures new without having to pay them for extended periods.
I agree its not the same for the established players. Anyway..ive now gone onto a different thread topic.
I find it reassuring to think that as I grow older and change strips away those things which are familiar to me I will always be able to come on to this forum and bathe in the nostalgia of Charlton fans reacting to mildly challenging opinions about football players by being incredibly rude to each other. Carry on. You were saying?
I always enjoy your eloquent posts, though in all honesty I'm never entirely sure whether you're being entirely serious!!
In that spirit, I thought I'd post a reply in tongue-in-cheek mode.
One Sunday evening in March this year I found myself at Estadio Santiago Bernabeau for the La Liga game between Real and Barcelona. For the record, the away team won a fantastic contest 4-3. Just 48 hours later I was at Rochdale for the Sky Bet League Two match against Portsmouth.
I was quite impressed by Rochdale. They played attractive passing football, as do all of Keith Hill's sides, but they lacked the searing pace of the magnificent, almost unplayable Angel Di Maria. That was disappointing. In central midfield, the young Joe Allen was combative and linked play well, but where Xavi and Iniesta spun, turned or simply drifted away from their markers at will, Allen, unless already in space when the ball arrived, found himself three feet in the air or ten yards back from where he started. Its not clear quite what Hill is doing on the training ground. I liked the look of Olly Lancashire at CB for Dale, but he lacks the panache of Gerard Piquet and Sergio Ramos. The ageing, lumbering Patrick Agyemang, alone upfront for Pompey, didn't carry quiet the same threat as Karim Benzema. It was clear that Carlo Ancelotti was getting more out of his players than Richie Barker. No wonder Barker then got sacked!! And don't talk to me about the full backs. Once you've seen the seemingly tireless Danny Alves marauding relentlessly up and down his line the game is never quite the same again.
So what's my point? By the time I'd arrived at Spotland I'd recalibrated. I wasn't expecting to see Messi, Ronaldo, Mascherano or Xabi Alonso. I really enjoyed the evening. Rochdale's fans were very happy, their side won 3-0 and eventually clinched only their third ever promotion.
We're better than Rochdale, but at the Valley we'll never see the quality I saw earlier this year in Madrid. Last season we were a bottom eight Championship side, but we did enough to survive. Truth be told that was our level the year before too, not withstanding our eventually misleading points total, and the odds are it will be a similar story next season. It's all about wage bill.
We are where we are, wilting begonias or not!! I'll bet you've renewed your season ticket and I'd bet you enjoy it really though!! If not, take out a subscription to Sky Sports!! The quality of football these days is unreal. But that's the point. It's not real. What we have is honest, hard working professionals, wearing the shirt with pride. Michael Morrison is not a Rio Ferdinand, or even a Nemanja Vidic, but he is a hero in his own right and gives everything he's got. A man you'd want next to you in a trench, as they say. Let's enjoy it for what it is and think positive!!
:-)
PS @Wheresmeticket? I've spoken to my therapist and the trip to Rochdale is OK, apparently, at least compared with the "cautiously optimistic about Charlton next season" problem I'm wrestling with!!
Mundell - Jonathan Swift in his tract 'A Modest Proposal' appears to advocate eating babies, but we know this is a case of exaggeration for good effect. The nub of my point is that I believe many Lifers overestimate the quality of our academy graduates; at least, the old adage that "the end-of-season table doesn't lie" surely proves our paucity of skills throughout the squad. Those pitiful games under Powell when we failed to have a single shot on target are still fresh in the mind. Of course I'm grateful that Riga has made some significant improvements.
Duchatelet's model of prudence, his distaste for big transfer fees and heavy reliance on home-grown players strikes me as being a bit ho-hum, dull and worthy. He's a fantastically rich man and refuses to spend on star signings. As a punter of long-standing - yes, of course I've renewed my season ticket in the Covered End! - I want to be excited by adventurous and attacking football, and have therefore been frustrated over the last couple of years. We should aim high and demand the best: really, a club like ours with a big history, a good ground and decent support should at least be nibbling at the play-offs. Sometimes I think we set our sights too low.
I very much enjoyed your vivid contrast from Real Madrid to Rochdale in one easy move! Great stuff, Mundell: I always enjoy your informative and insightful posts.
Viewfinder, when you say WE should aim high what you are saying is "Roland, open your cheque book and spend your money." I don't think we've got a right to say that.
Bearing in mind that the transfer window is not yet open, most contracts have not yet expired and most of the league football world (particularly in Leeds) are on holiday - is all this panic about signed and released players a tad premature? It could well be the case that until players and agents are all around to negotiate that things just won't move forward. A real sense of panic seems to have descended on CL. I appreciate there are those who are worried about Roland and those who are totally the opposite and those are strongly held views, but our collective blood pressure needs to drop!!
@calydon_road Precisely... Not a guess by me just look at Standard Liege squad... 19 year old players worth €2-5m on contracts until 2018. I have absolutely no idea how they built that squad but I can see the instant attraction of CAFC to Duchatelet: relatively cheap, great academy and every single player over 24 out of contract this summer...and the coaching staff too. We now know for certain that Duchatelet can bus in a decent head coach like Riga overnight and I believe he can fund and manage the executive team. There will be mistakes and an absence of explanation but we are in the best place since 2007 IMHO. However it needs questions, analysis and for the fans to work together to be heard.
Put Standard Liege in the Championship and they won't set it alight. The dynamic in Belgium is different and with it, what you need to be successful IMO.
@calydon_road Precisely... Not a guess by me just look at Standard Liege squad... 19 year old players worth €2-5m on contracts until 2018. I have absolutely no idea how they built that squad but I can see the instant attraction of CAFC to Duchatelet: relatively cheap, great academy and every single player over 24 out of contract this summer...and the coaching staff too. We now know for certain that Duchatelet can bus in a decent head coach like Riga overnight and I believe he can fund and manage the executive team. There will be mistakes and an absence of explanation but we are in the best place since 2007 IMHO. However it needs questions, analysis and for the fans to work together to be heard.
If you think that this could be a successful model in the Championship then i suggest you go have another look at the other teams in the league.
I always enjoy your eloquent posts, though in all honesty I'm never entirely sure whether you're being entirely serious!!
In that spirit, I thought I'd post a reply in tongue-in-cheek mode.
One Sunday evening in March this year I found myself at Estadio Santiago Bernabeau for the La Liga game between Real and Barcelona. For the record, the away team won a fantastic contest 4-3. Just 48 hours later I was at Rochdale for the Sky Bet League Two match against Portsmouth.
I was quite impressed by Rochdale. They played attractive passing football, as do all of Keith Hill's sides, but they lacked the searing pace of the magnificent, almost unplayable Angel Di Maria. That was disappointing. In central midfield, the young Joe Allen was combative and linked play well, but where Xavi and Iniesta spun, turned or simply drifted away from their markers at will, Allen, unless already in space when the ball arrived, found himself three feet in the air or ten yards back from where he started. Its not clear quite what Hill is doing on the training ground. I liked the look of Olly Lancashire at CB for Dale, but he lacks the panache of Gerard Piquet and Sergio Ramos. The ageing, lumbering Patrick Agyemang, alone upfront for Pompey, didn't carry quiet the same threat as Karim Benzema. It was clear that Carlo Ancelotti was getting more out of his players than Richie Barker. No wonder Barker then got sacked!! And don't talk to me about the full backs. Once you've seen the seemingly tireless Danny Alves marauding relentlessly up and down his line the game is never quite the same again.
So what's my point? By the time I'd arrived at Spotland I'd recalibrated. I wasn't expecting to see Messi, Ronaldo, Mascherano or Xabi Alonso. I really enjoyed the evening. Rochdale's fans were very happy, their side won 3-0 and eventually clinched only their third ever promotion.
We're better than Rochdale, but at the Valley we'll never see the quality I saw earlier this year in Madrid. Last season we were a bottom eight Championship side, but we did enough to survive. Truth be told that was our level the year before too, not withstanding our eventually misleading points total, and the odds are it will be a similar story next season. It's all about wage bill.
We are where we are, wilting begonias or not!! I'll bet you've renewed your season ticket and I'd bet you enjoy it really though!! If not, take out a subscription to Sky Sports!! The quality of football these days is unreal. But that's the point. It's not real. What we have is honest, hard working professionals, wearing the shirt with pride. Michael Morrison is not a Rio Ferdinand, or even a Nemanja Vidic, but he is a hero in his own right and gives everything he's got. A man you'd want next to you in a trench, as they say. Let's enjoy it for what it is and think positive!!
:-)
PS @Wheresmeticket? I've spoken to my therapist and the trip to Rochdale is OK, apparently, at least compared with the "cautiously optimistic about Charlton next season" problem I'm wrestling with!!
Mundell - Jonathan Swift in his tract 'A Modest Proposal' appears to advocate eating babies, but we know this is a case of exaggeration for good effect. The nub of my point is that I believe many Lifers overestimate the quality of our academy graduates; at least, the old adage that "the end-of-season table doesn't lie" surely proves our paucity of skills throughout the squad. Those pitiful games under Powell when we failed to have a single shot on target are still fresh in the mind. Of course I'm grateful that Riga has made some significant improvements.
Duchatelet's model of prudence, his distaste for big transfer fees and heavy reliance on home-grown players strikes me as being a bit ho-hum, dull and worthy. He's a fantastically rich man and refuses to spend on star signings. As a punter of long-standing - yes, of course I've renewed my season ticket in the Covered End! - I want to be excited by adventurous and attacking football, and have therefore been frustrated over the last couple of years. We should aim high and demand the best: really, a club like ours with a big history, a good ground and decent support should at least be nibbling at the play-offs. Sometimes I think we set our sights too low.
I very mubut ch enjoyed your vivid contrast from Real Madrid to Rochdale in one easy move! Great stuff, Mundell: I always enjoy your informative and insightful posts.
But he's not fantastically rich in football ownership terms is he? Yes he can stop the club going into admin, but he's not a billionaire who sees the club as his toy and will throw ridiculous money at it.
RD is reported to be a half billionaire. That is a shed load of money. I don't think people realise the difference between a million and a billion.
If a million SECONDS was represented by 12 days then a billion seconds would be 31 years.
The difference is phenomenal. Roland May not be the richest football owner out there but his wealth is almost impossible to get your head around.
I'm not suggesting that RD has any intention of spending 1 euro more than he has to but if he needs to spend a few bob then it's hardly a problem for him.
@calydon_road Precisely... Not a guess by me just look at Standard Liege squad... 19 year old players worth €2-5m on contracts until 2018. I have absolutely no idea how they built that squad but I can see the instant attraction of CAFC to Duchatelet: relatively cheap, great academy and every single player over 24 out of contract this summer...and the coaching staff too. We now know for certain that Duchatelet can bus in a decent head coach like Riga overnight and I believe he can fund and manage the executive team. There will be mistakes and an absence of explanation but we are in the best place since 2007 IMHO. However it needs questions, analysis and for the fans to work together to be heard.
If you think that this could be a successful model in the Championship then i suggest you go have another look at the other teams in the league.
RD is reported to be a half billionaire. That is a shed load of money. I don't think people realise the difference between a million and a billion.
If a million SECONDS was represented by 12 days then a billion seconds would be 31 years.
The difference is phenomenal. Roland May not be the richest football owner out there but his wealth is almost impossible to get your head around.
I'm not suggesting that RD has any intention of spending 1 euro more than he has to but if he needs to spend a few bob then it's hardly a problem for him.
am I missing something here RD net worth is reported as 500M. I think I can handle conceptualizing what 500 times something is.
RD is reported to be a half billionaire. That is a shed load of money. I don't think people realise the difference between a million and a billion.
If a million SECONDS was represented by 12 days then a billion seconds would be 31 years.
The difference is phenomenal. Roland May not be the richest football owner out there but his wealth is almost impossible to get your head around.
I'm not suggesting that RD has any intention of spending 1 euro more than he has to but if he needs to spend a few bob then it's hardly a problem for him.
You're right, £500m pounds, if that's what he's worth, is a very sizeable fortune and, quite obviously, it means that neither Duchatelet nor his children, nor their children, will ever have to worry about money. He could spend a few tens of millions developing his network, never get any of it back, and it wouldn't really matter one way or the other.
The fundamental question, therefore, is what is his motivation? What is he trying to accomplish and why? Very wealthy people act in many, many different ways. Some just want to keep making more money. It's how they keep score on their success in life. Others build foundations and aim to make the world a better place. Yet more simply indulge themselves and/or develop a new passion.
Duchatelet has developed a new passion. His network is what he now does. He's on a mission. But to where is the question. We may never know. Our friends at Standard de Liege certainly don't. My own view, for what it's worth, is that it's not about success on the pitch for its own sake, i.e. promotion for Charlton or Alcorcon or a Champions League last sixteen place for Standard, not that this wouldn't be welcome. Nor, per se, is it about making more money, i.e. a Premier League or Champions League TV windfall.
I suspect that Duchatelet's goals are more complex and nuanced than these obvious and conventional objectives might imply. It would appear that he has become fascinated by, as he sees it, the madhouse that is professional football, the extraordinary passion, tribalism and complete lack of financial sanity. It seems he wants to be a part of this world, but on his terms. Terms which include logic, analysis and discipline and which eschew, almost on principle, conventional wisdom, the game's closed shop mentality and practices which make no sense. Further, he wants to prove that "his way" can work.
In a piece I wrote for TNT6 I speculated about what Duchatelet might mean when he says that his Clubs must aim to breakeven. Whatever he means the key point is that his focus is clearly on what he wants to do not what he needs to do. That's a critical distinction.
What he won't want to do is fail and, ultimately, that might be the biggest positive in all of this. There are clear risks as Duchatelet finds his feet, as we saw in January, and we may struggle for a while with a playing budget which does not match that of most teams in the Division, but at some point along the journey there has to be a chance that the combination of his deep pockets with a long-term and thoughtful approach to the management of his Clubs will pay genuine on-the-pitch dividends.
The key to eventual success might well be the experience and quality of his football advisors, managers and coaches and a network wide director of football might help too. We all await developments with interest I'm sure.
What he won't want to do is fail and, ultimately, that might be the biggest positive in all of this.
Unless he judges success across the group rather than by each team... if all his teams get relegated/make a loss but Standard win the Champions League would he consider that a failure?
I think that (and like you say, what is the definition of break even - per club or across the group) is the biggest question of the network structure... and one that I suspect won't be answered (especially if the answer is my hypothetical scenario above.
Disclaimer: this is not a criticism of RD or panicking or suggesting a boycott etc... but I think a valid question that fans should at least be asking.
RD is reported to be a half billionaire. That is a shed load of money. I don't think people realise the difference between a million and a billion.
If a million SECONDS was represented by 12 days then a billion seconds would be 31 years.
The difference is phenomenal. Roland May not be the richest football owner out there but his wealth is almost impossible to get your head around.
I'm not suggesting that RD has any intention of spending 1 euro more than he has to but if he needs to spend a few bob then it's hardly a problem for him.
The Independent said in Jan he was worth £419m, which is more than I realised. BUT, I dare say that amount would only just pay for the current Man City squad and their wages. And no doubt that figure is actually largely assets, rather than the ready cash the Sheiks and co are dripping with from flogging barrel loads of oil.
RD is reported to be a half billionaire. That is a shed load of money. I don't think people realise the difference between a million and a billion.
If a million SECONDS was represented by 12 days then a billion seconds would be 31 years.
The difference is phenomenal. Roland May not be the richest football owner out there but his wealth is almost impossible to get your head around.
I'm not suggesting that RD has any intention of spending 1 euro more than he has to but if he needs to spend a few bob then it's hardly a problem for him.
The Independent said in Jan he was worth £419m, which is more than I realised. BUT, I dare say that amount would only just pay for the current Man City squad and their wages. And no doubt that figure is actually largely assets, rather than the ready cash the Sheiks and co are dripping with from flogging barrel loads of oil.
I get your point SHG, but I genuinely wonder (as daft as it sounds) if he has the capability to splash the cash like Viewfinder expects, especially when you factor in that Liege and the rest of the network all have the same expectations.
Comments
Could be wrong.
Disappointing to lose Dervite, but there are better defenders about. He was good for a goal and got stuck in but i always thought he got turned too easily. I would still have kept him if i had a choice, but there you go.
I took @seriously_red to mean we would be more likely to offer more substantial offers on a first contract basis. Thats the key...yeah here u go, son nice shiny new contract for 12 months which rolls over on a 12 month basis for 4 years, subject to conditions such as games played.
He meant we would be able to make longer term contractual obligations due to RDs financial stability thus maximising value should we be unable to keep them for football reasons (2 big or good for us)
Whoever signed DP to a contract with a wage uplift on games played but with no auto Extension clause activated at that moment wants shooting
@Madz
i dont think it was a new contract. It was an activation of a clause in his first pro contract. Didnt extend duration just increased remuneration.
We have offered him at least 1 contract, possibly 2, which will guarantee compensation. Shame its penauts.
I said: 'But it hasn't, has it? Poyet will most likely walk on free along with Hamer, Morrison and Dervite. Roland Duchatelet could have offered them new contracts in January, the same as he did with Jackson, Wiggins and supposedly Kermorgant. Yes, they're not all academy players, but they're still good young players who could have formed the spine of this time for years to come.'
Yes, these players were signed by the previous owner, but so were Jackson and Wiggins, who were both offered new contracts by Duchatelet this season. My point is, he could also have offered contracts to Poyet, Hamer, Morrison and Dervite at the same time. But he didn't.
But in January, there was a very real possibility that we would be relegated.....all of a sudden you have Championship wages in a League 1 team..... Now, I am no multi-millionnaire businessman, but that doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
Now we know what we can afford to pay, its up to the players to accept or look for more money elsewhere
if you give youth player a contract that activates better wages after a cert number of games played, it is logical that the player will be coveted as he is playing games. It therefore has to be accompanied by an extension otherwise u will lose him.
As we are going to see more and more..its that first contract for homegrowns that is crucial. Because if a prospect starts making it at Charlton, we cant keep him. We can just maximise value.
Its what southampton have done very successfully. That key balance between having 3/5 academy graduates going down the leagues, 1/5 staying and 1/5 wanting to go to Chelsea after 25 games. You want to be able to the good uns for as long as possible contractually but let the less good uns go onto pastures new without having to pay them for extended periods.
I agree its not the same for the established players. Anyway..ive now gone onto a different thread topic.
Duchatelet's model of prudence, his distaste for big transfer fees and heavy reliance on home-grown players strikes me as being a bit ho-hum, dull and worthy. He's a fantastically rich man and refuses to spend on star signings. As a punter of long-standing - yes, of course I've renewed my season ticket in the Covered End! - I want to be excited by adventurous and attacking football, and have therefore been frustrated over the last couple of years. We should aim high and demand the best: really, a club like ours with a big history, a good ground and decent support should at least be nibbling at the play-offs. Sometimes I think we set our sights too low.
I very much enjoyed your vivid contrast from Real Madrid to Rochdale in one easy move! Great stuff, Mundell: I always enjoy your informative and insightful posts.
Been though 13 pages and still not sure?
Or am I just thick?
Precisely... Not a guess by me just look at Standard Liege squad... 19 year old players worth €2-5m on contracts until 2018.
I have absolutely no idea how they built that squad but I can see the instant attraction of CAFC to Duchatelet: relatively cheap, great academy and every single player over 24 out of contract this summer...and the coaching staff too.
We now know for certain that Duchatelet can bus in a decent head coach like Riga overnight and I believe he can fund and manage the executive team. There will be mistakes and an absence of explanation but we are in the best place since 2007 IMHO.
However it needs questions, analysis and for the fans to work together to be heard.
If a million SECONDS was represented by 12 days then a billion seconds would be 31 years.
The difference is phenomenal. Roland May not be the richest football owner out there but his wealth is almost impossible to get your head around.
I'm not suggesting that RD has any intention of spending 1 euro more than he has to but if he needs to spend a few bob then it's hardly a problem for him.
Southampton....ok not in the Championship anymore but because they were promoted from it, its a valid comparison.
I would like to hear how the outlines I made for the youth contracts dont work as a model.
A sugardaddy/benefactor model also doesnt work on any other basis than a charitable one.
The Liehberr (sp) family at Saints havent spent much on players, both to get up and once promoted. A bit but mostly covered by sales.
Probably a net 60M richer this summer is Shaw and Lallana go.
RD is following Liehberr model but he seems more eccentric in his methods. 28M the now deceased owner bought Saints for. am I missing something here RD net worth is reported as 500M. I think I can handle conceptualizing what 500 times something is.
The fundamental question, therefore, is what is his motivation? What is he trying to accomplish and why? Very wealthy people act in many, many different ways. Some just want to keep making more money. It's how they keep score on their success in life. Others build foundations and aim to make the world a better place. Yet more simply indulge themselves and/or develop a new passion.
Duchatelet has developed a new passion. His network is what he now does. He's on a mission. But to where is the question. We may never know. Our friends at Standard de Liege certainly don't. My own view, for what it's worth, is that it's not about success on the pitch for its own sake, i.e. promotion for Charlton or Alcorcon or a Champions League last sixteen place for Standard, not that this wouldn't be welcome. Nor, per se, is it about making more money, i.e. a Premier League or Champions League TV windfall.
I suspect that Duchatelet's goals are more complex and nuanced than these obvious and conventional objectives might imply. It would appear that he has become fascinated by, as he sees it, the madhouse that is professional football, the extraordinary passion, tribalism and complete lack of financial sanity. It seems he wants to be a part of this world, but on his terms. Terms which include logic, analysis and discipline and which eschew, almost on principle, conventional wisdom, the game's closed shop mentality and practices which make no sense. Further, he wants to prove that "his way" can work.
In a piece I wrote for TNT6 I speculated about what Duchatelet might mean when he says that his Clubs must aim to breakeven. Whatever he means the key point is that his focus is clearly on what he wants to do not what he needs to do. That's a critical distinction.
What he won't want to do is fail and, ultimately, that might be the biggest positive in all of this. There are clear risks as Duchatelet finds his feet, as we saw in January, and we may struggle for a while with a playing budget which does not match that of most teams in the Division, but at some point along the journey there has to be a chance that the combination of his deep pockets with a long-term and thoughtful approach to the management of his Clubs will pay genuine on-the-pitch dividends.
The key to eventual success might well be the experience and quality of his football advisors, managers and coaches and a network wide director of football might help too. We all await developments with interest I'm sure.
I think that (and like you say, what is the definition of break even - per club or across the group) is the biggest question of the network structure... and one that I suspect won't be answered (especially if the answer is my hypothetical scenario above.
Disclaimer: this is not a criticism of RD or panicking or suggesting a boycott etc... but I think a valid question that fans should at least be asking.