I have been thinking about our club constantly it seems now for months. I know most people were excited when we found out we had (at last) a new owner, but it wasn't long before the negativity started, firstly with the sacking of Chris Powell, then the sale of certain players! The "infamous" loanees from 'the network' and then not offering Jose Riga the job which he seemed to adapt to very very well! I could go on BUT look where we are now, financially getting stability ie not paying silly money for players or silly wages, our much maligned pitch being completely overhauled, now replacing those awful faded seats, a new young well thought of coach/manager. Yes I know we haven't got certain players signed up renewing their contracts, or made any grandstand signings (any signings come to that) but I am sure Bob P would not have come here if he wasn't promised some sort of budget or half decent players from the network. So I know it's frustrating seeing other clubs signing players, I hate it to be honest but I do think we have to be patient and hopefully we will attract some good players by the way our club is going, if it's true the goal is to get back to the premiership this shouldn't be impossible.
So I for one have changed my mind (at the moment anyway!) about our new ownership and am quietly looking forward and excited about the future.
So let's get behind Mr Duchatelet, after all he's the one with the money!!!
COYR....
22
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He has deep pockets unlike the spiv and the solicitor.
I think he'll be good for us but he's not going to spend big money to get success. And he seems willing to change coaches often as well as let players go if he doesn't want to pay what they want.
Doesn't mean I won't criticise or that I'm not concerned about some practices such as player recruitment and the network. But KM is a big improvement on Bradshaw and Prothero IMO.
So it will be a long and bumpy road IMO but with luck and Roland we'll get there.
However, on the other hand its difficult to deny the club are still in a mess, we have a squad that spells out fairly clearly "strong relegation candidates". And this Bob Peeters bloke has very little managerial experience unlike Riga did when he came in. Under Powell, we had a clear direction and a strong determination to go upwards. After seeing the way he and Alex Dyer were treated and then to see what happened to Riga Im just not sure that I can trust him with the future of our club. If Diego Poyet leaves (or now it could be a matter of when) I feel that this will have been one of his main reasons for doing so. If we had someone who we knew about such as Jason Euell in charge I would feel more comfortable and trusting towards Roland.
Dont know if anyone agrees with this but I think its just worth pointing out. We are at the end of what was a happy but short era and are now entering a new one, I just dont feel that there is enough evidence at the moment to say that this one is going to be anywhere near as good as the last. Mr Duchatelet's motives are still not clear and it worries me.
I have always enjoyed seeing young Charlton players proving their worth; if this an RD priority I can live with that.
If, by the end of this Summers transfer window, we have a team playing good football that shows we can compete, I can live with that.
Forgive me if I don't share your enthusiasm!
So I don't really question his intent but I do worry about he's approach.
On the positive side, he's just pumped a bar into a Premiership quality pitch, the most investment the ground has seen since the new stands were built. He's also put another half into the academy, to bring it back to Premiership standard. That clearly isn't the intent of a man who expects us to get relegated to the third tier and be limited indefinitely as a feeder club to SL. I'm sure he thinks that the easiest way for him to make money out of his investment is to get us promoted.
On the negative, there's a danger he's throwing out the baby with the bathwater by getting rid of all the old faces. The club has always felt special in that way and there's the risk we'll end up like all the other soulless clubs. But, again, I don't doubt that the guy's intention is to improve the talent at the club, however brutal his tactics.
As for Bob, I seem to remember the same people saying similar things about Jose when he arrived ....
Finally, as for us being a feeder club, well, wake up people, we've been a feeder club for years. In fact, in the forty years I've supported Charlton, I can only remember a couple of years in the Premiership when it didn't feel like that, only to be rudely reminded of the fact when the arrogant Russian bought the player our entire team was built around, then stuck him in their reserves.
Remember the Jonjo deal where Liverpool were going to give us priority on loanees? There were a few of those deals. I can't remember Arsenal, Villa, Man U, or Mr Redknapp doing us any favours after picking up our best talent at rock bottom prices once we'd taken all the risk and done all the development work. With RDC there is at least a chance of Poyet being promised CL football at SL and hanging on an extra year or coming back when we've improved. Under the old regime (and may still be true) we would simply have lost him to one of the big 4 and got SFA for him.
Let's put things in perspective - we've definitely been in worse scrapes than this!!
Genuinely, I have missed the story.
Moan & groan or get behind the new owner and his team. As I said it's his money and basically I would expect him to do what he wants. So what if we have "unknown players" signing or foreign players? We haven't exactly set the world alight with some known and English players recently (in my opinion)
I also do not think the regime change will have anything to do with DP staying or leaving us.
As for our other players, New deals have apparently been laid on the table only to be refused.
Once again I wholeheartedly agree with Mr Duchatelet in not offering silly money for "getting on" players or average ones. I think the players mentioned in the last day or so look very promising, as other posters have said the proof will be when the season kicks off.
The "old Charlton" has been "ripped apart" quite a few times in the nearly 50 years I have been going to the valley, what with "always selling our best players" etc....I can even hear my old man moaning about one of his heroes Len Glover........
And for a "small club in London" I don't think we've done to bad!
COYR
Early days and It may well be that there is a substantial investment in the academy, as it would make sense. But I don't think there has been any yet.
Anyone got any idea what he's on about?!