I have been in the 'negative' camp. I would rather it be 'cautious' but if it suits the 'positive' camp to term anyone who voices their concerns as such then so be it.
Of course I am appreciative to RD for bailing us out. I am grateful to him for getting the pitch sorted. I am impressed by the sponsorship deals he has signed us up to.
However, these are all 'givens' of any half decent owner. And let us be honest he had little choice concerning the pitch.
What I am 'cautious' about is his reluctance to expand on his decisions or to fully explain them. He did not cover himself in glory in his conduct on arrival re the signings and the way he dealt with Powell. And, yes, I have moved in from that as we managed to stay up.
The appointment of Peeters is fine, I will support him totally. However, why it has taken RD so long to make a comment on his appointment is beyond me and then we get some half baked answer about his approach to youth team players as the main reason. This follows KMs anodyne, lip service comment in recent weeks.
This was a great opportunity to convince the supporters of why we should be excited by Peeters' appointment. An opportunity to eulogise about how lucky we are to have secured his services. Instead we get a few sentences.
We are still short on players and are a week away from 'when we hoped to have the majority of our transfer deals done.' Well, it will be a busy week, then.
I know RD has the right to run his businesses his way. He is a proven businessman and will spend his money how he sees fit. But the ethos of the club is important to me. How it is represented is also important to me. How it values it's fans and workforce is important to me.
I think RD has a way to go to convince me that he has the club at heart. We are not a pawn in some grand game of football chess. I don't care if that is emotive, unrealistic or soft. It is how I feel about the club I have supported for 30 years and I have a right to be cautious.
I think RD is somewhat robotic and don't think we'll often get a lot of "personal feeling" in his comments. RD reminds me of Mr Spock. If he thinks it's logical, he will do it, even if everyone else disagrees.
I imagine guaranteeing your place in the division would be the pre-season aspiration for half the clubs in the Championship each summer so I'm not sure it is fair to criticise RD for saying it is Charlton's as well.
Makes sense to me - reach safety first and then push on from there.
It was always Curbs' mantra. Safety first and then build.
RD favoured Peeters over Riga. Fair enough and I don't think it's anything to do with us why. Did we query why Curbs, Dowie, Pardew, Parkinson, Lawrence etc etc were appointed over anyone else? No we didn't. Seems we are only doing so now because RD is in charge and some want to use that as a stick to beat RD over the head with.
We didn't query why those managers were appointed over anyone else? Really? Really?
People still post about why now and they certainly did then (if the internet was around).
Do you not remember the long debate about Gritt v Curbs?
That debate was only long because the pigeons kept getting lost en route ;-)
Riga joins Blackpool, so much for a theory he wanted to go back home etc for family reasons.
Riga should have been given the job, end of. F*** all the other comments/reasons/theories.
I thought it was RD allowed Riga to leave Leige whilst under contract for family reasons. Then, when we were in the brown stuff, RD approached Riga to come in short term to save us and Riga agreed as he felt he owed RD because of the Leige situation. Riga came in, saved us, returned to Milan whilst at the same time telling RD he wanted the job full time. RD though was worried that if he appointed Riga he might once again have a Leige situation on his hands halfway through the season, hence appointing Peeters.
We've all been asking for some time what RD's intentions and goals are for the club... obviously long term it's to get back to the PL... but yes I do think the owner should be attempting in public statements to inspire the fans, playing staff and potential new recruits that we're aiming for more than just fourth from bottom.
I said earlier that I found the press conference encouraging, and like I said in my post I think/hope that it's just the way he phrased it, but no, after the dire season we had last year I really hoped that our owner would come out with something more positive than "the main goal is to stay up".
People are too quick to jump down the throats of those perceived to be anti-RD. I'm not... I'm cautiously optimistic given news of potential signings... but yes ideally I would like our owner to be leading from the front with a rallying cry for what we *could* achieve - I don't think my suggested positive meaning is unrealistic for the club by any means. I'm not suggesting he should have said the goal was promotion, or even the play-offs.
Unfortunately some people on here get a whiff of an anti-RD post and the red (green) mist descends and the chance for rational discussion goes up in smoke.
Fair points made. I like what you did there, but you can understand why those who want to give our new structure time get pissed off at the constant negativity.
But it isn't constant negativity. You and Vally Gary, Greenie Jnr and others keep saying that but it just isn't true.
There is a wide spectrum of views on here from RD is great and everything is fine at one extreame to RD is bad and can do nothing right at the other but the majority sit somewhere in the middle.
Hopeful and willing to see the positive aspects of RD reign so far and the potential for the future while at the same time seeing the negative aspects and appreciating the risks.
But it seems that we now live in some sort of fundamentalist state where not even the mildest criticism of BP and/or RD is allowed. Making a joke about BP looking like Karl Pilkington is slagging off RD, showing sympathy for a long serving member of staff made redundant is slagging off RD, etc etc, etc.
Weegie made a legitimate point that RD didn't really explain what BP had that JR didn't. Remember it was Riga she was talking about, not Powell. She didn't mention Powell at all.
RD even says himself that BPs virtue of playing the kids was also shared by Riga so the question is legitamate. Why Peeters and not Riga.
Asking that question is not "constant negativity" or "slagging off RD", it's a legitimate question that RD could easily answer and doesn't warrant the abuse she received.
This. Don't quite understand why any mild criticism of RD etc is straight away given the 'get over Powell and stop discussing anything at all' treatment. I've criticised Roland a lot in the past, yet I thought Powell should've gone. Does this mean I'm an extra terrestrial? Should I adjust my views on Powell's sacking to suit the pro-RD agenda?
We've all been asking for some time what RD's intentions and goals are for the club... obviously long term it's to get back to the PL... but yes I do think the owner should be attempting in public statements to inspire the fans, playing staff and potential new recruits that we're aiming for more than just fourth from bottom.
I said earlier that I found the press conference encouraging, and like I said in my post I think/hope that it's just the way he phrased it, but no, after the dire season we had last year I really hoped that our owner would come out with something more positive than "the main goal is to stay up".
People are too quick to jump down the throats of those perceived to be anti-RD. I'm not... I'm cautiously optimistic given news of potential signings... but yes ideally I would like our owner to be leading from the front with a rallying cry for what we *could* achieve - I don't think my suggested positive meaning is unrealistic for the club by any means. I'm not suggesting he should have said the goal was promotion, or even the play-offs.
Unfortunately some people on here get a whiff of an anti-RD post and the red (green) mist descends and the chance for rational discussion goes up in smoke.
Fair points made. I like what you did there, but you can understand why those who want to give our new structure time get pissed off at the constant negativity.
But it isn't constant negativity. You and Vally Gary, Greenie Jnr and others keep saying that but it just isn't true.
There is a wide spectrum of views on here from RD is great and everything is fine at one extreame to RD is bad and can do nothing right at the other but the majority sit somewhere in the middle.
Hopeful and willing to see the positive aspects of RD reign so far and the potential for the future while at the same time seeing the negative aspects and appreciating the risks.
But it seems that we now live in some sort of fundamentalist state where not even the mildest criticism of BP and/or RD is allowed. Making a joke about BP looking like Karl Pilkington is slagging off RD, showing sympathy for a long serving member of staff made redundant is slagging off RD, etc etc, etc.
Weegie made a legitimate point that RD didn't really explain what BP had that JR didn't. Remember it was Riga she was talking about, not Powell. She didn't mention Powell at all.
RD even says himself that BPs virtue of playing the kids was also shared by Riga so the question is legitamate. Why Peeters and not Riga.
Asking that question is not "constant negativity" or "slagging off RD", it's a legitimate question that RD could easily answer and doesn't warrant the abuse she received.
This. Don't quite understand why any mild criticism of RD etc is straight away given the 'get over Powell and stop discussing anything at all' treatment. I've criticised Roland a lot in the past, yet I thought Powell should've gone. Does this mean I'm an extra terrestrial? Should I adjust my views on Powell's sacking to suit the pro-RD agenda?
We've all been asking for some time what RD's intentions and goals are for the club... obviously long term it's to get back to the PL... but yes I do think the owner should be attempting in public statements to inspire the fans, playing staff and potential new recruits that we're aiming for more than just fourth from bottom.
I said earlier that I found the press conference encouraging, and like I said in my post I think/hope that it's just the way he phrased it, but no, after the dire season we had last year I really hoped that our owner would come out with something more positive than "the main goal is to stay up".
People are too quick to jump down the throats of those perceived to be anti-RD. I'm not... I'm cautiously optimistic given news of potential signings... but yes ideally I would like our owner to be leading from the front with a rallying cry for what we *could* achieve - I don't think my suggested positive meaning is unrealistic for the club by any means. I'm not suggesting he should have said the goal was promotion, or even the play-offs.
Unfortunately some people on here get a whiff of an anti-RD post and the red (green) mist descends and the chance for rational discussion goes up in smoke.
Fair points made. I like what you did there, but you can understand why those who want to give our new structure time get pissed off at the constant negativity.
But it isn't constant negativity. You and Vally Gary, Greenie Jnr and others keep saying that but it just isn't true.
There is a wide spectrum of views on here from RD is great and everything is fine at one extreame to RD is bad and can do nothing right at the other but the majority sit somewhere in the middle.
Hopeful and willing to see the positive aspects of RD reign so far and the potential for the future while at the same time seeing the negative aspects and appreciating the risks.
But it seems that we now live in some sort of fundamentalist state where not even the mildest criticism of BP and/or RD is allowed. Making a joke about BP looking like Karl Pilkington is slagging off RD, showing sympathy for a long serving member of staff made redundant is slagging off RD, etc etc, etc.
Weegie made a legitimate point that RD didn't really explain what BP had that JR didn't. Remember it was Riga she was talking about, not Powell. She didn't mention Powell at all.
RD even says himself that BPs virtue of playing the kids was also shared by Riga so the question is legitamate. Why Peeters and not Riga.
Asking that question is not "constant negativity" or "slagging off RD", it's a legitimate question that RD could easily answer and doesn't warrant the abuse she received.
This. Don't quite understand why any mild criticism of RD etc is straight away given the 'get over Powell and stop discussing anything at all' treatment. I've criticised Roland a lot in the past, yet I thought Powell should've gone. Does this mean I'm an extra terrestrial? Should I adjust my views on Powell's sacking to suit the pro-RD agenda?
@vff I think perhaps Duchatelet is simply being cautious with the rhetoric. I would love to see us contest the play-offs final next May but they need to build a team and squad that improves on last season. And rush in too quickly with too many new signings might risk undermining the 20 odd players who are signed up for the next two or three years. I can see us getting 60+ points next season but the top six take 4 or 6 points of each and every one of the bottom half of the division - that would be a massive step up from where we were under Riga beating some but being hammered by the likes of Brighton. The thing about Duchatelet and his wealth is that he can underwrite the costs of progress and accelerate the club's growth on and off the pitch. But he can't / won't do it overnight because he is relying on and empowering management to deliver.
You seriously expect an Owner/ Chairman/ CEO/ managing Director to publicly discuss why he appointed one candidate for a position over another? Really? Good luck with having anyone apply for one of your jobs.
What did you really expect him to say?
The suggestion is beyond ludicrous. He outlined why he chose Peeters - he believed he was the best person to successfully bring our younger players through to perform and succeed at playing in the Championship. He acknowledge Riga had comparative skills but felt Peeters offered more. That's it.
Anything beyond that is a huge discourtesy to the candidate you did not pick. What do you want him to do? Start to list all things Riga had cocked up at Standard Liege when he worked for him before?
Each candidate will have had discussions with the owner concerning their vision for the future and how they would contribute to it. We were not privy to such discussion. We had/ have no right to be privy to the detail of such discussions.
I suggest many people may well see the red mist from reading a fundamentally ignorant comment.
The suggestion that to recruit Peeters, an employed, contracted Head Coach of a professional Belgian club operating at the highest level in Belgium which will have involved paying compensation to his employers Wassland-Beveren for his contract will have been cheaper than recruiting an effectively unemployed coach sitting on his doorstep barely warrants a moments scrutiny - it is derogatory to the coach, to the owner and the club. The only thing cheap is the comment itself.
way over the top, @Grapevine49, in your criticism of a supporter who actually happens to have managed, run and advised blue chip businesses at the highest level, but chooses not to allude to it.
Of course you are right that in a selection process you have to be circumspect about what you say about those not selected (even at a personal one to one level, it is rare for those losing out to receive honest feedback).
However we are not talking about a new CEO of RD's microelectronics business, a matter of no interest to anyone outside that business, and certainly not the general public. You know how public is football as a business, and I hope you accept that (whether you like it or not) the customers of football are stakeholders in the business. Most of them think they have a right to know about the reason for such decisions, and the media encourages them to think so. I can agree with you that it is unhealthy. But it is so.
Specifically we are constantly reminded (sometimes by our fellow fans, some of who are living out their own CEO fantasies) that it is a results business. So what puzzles fans in the Riga case is that he appears to have handsomely delivered the results, and still got the elbow. There may be good reasons for that. And maybe those reasons are such that RD can't find a discreet way to discuss them. But I thoroughly object to the way you pour scorn on those poor souls who have the temerity to wonder about it.
Now turning to Weegie's suggestion that Peeters is the cheaper option. She is far from the only one to have suggested this. It is coming from Belgium. It goes like this: If you believe that the way to financial health is to concentrate on growing your own players, why not apply that principle to the manager (sorry, head coach)? It is reasonable to suppose that a 40 year old with little experience commands a lower salary than a 56 year old with extensive European experience. But the Belgians have gone beyond that. They have suggested that RD might put a transfer fee on Peeters contract. It is not that uncommon nowadays, is it? Now this theory is undermined by the apparent one year rolling contract, but nevertheless it is perfectly reasonable to suppose that cost was part of RD's decision. I am seeing it all the time in businesses running at a loss. Get shot of the senior managers and give the job to young guns at half the price.
I have to say this constant raking over of what RD did or didn't say or mean (or BP, or KM etc) leaves me wanting to choke myself to death on my Belgium Chocolates.
It's legitimate to question the plans but surely when they they are in place and visible. When signings good or bad are in actually kicking football's around wearing the Sword in Roundel on their shirts, and we see whether good ole Bob can make a team produce play that on balance is watchable and reasonably successful. Until then we have nothing of substance to go on. None of us had heard of the divine Jose Riga six months ago. Now he is canonised. Maybe BP will do even better?
Last season Burnley outperformed teams like QPR with much less resources both in the bank and on the pitch. Was that because the northern air was more invigorating than dahn sarf? Maybe it had something to do with the manager - in only his second job in that role being able to make more out of less? No one posting on here could have predicted with any reasonable certainty a few years back that Dyche would turn out to decent as a manager.
Perhaps good ole Bob might just be RD's ace in the pack. We have signed two excellent players in the last week and yes we need some more but hey - don't you think BP and RD know this? Is RD trying to scrimp and scrape like the last two jokers who ran the club did? No he is are not. Value for money, bringing young players on, investing in the playing surface, and re - energising the training ground development all looks and sounds pretty good to me. Streamlining the backroom staff and making great club servants redundant isn't nice for those affected but it is to be expected for a business that is losing millions of pounds a year.
In the end though what counts is how we perform from the gun to the finishing tape and no one can predict how that will go when the squad is being worked on, the Head Coach has only just got onto dry land and players haven't yet returned for pre season.
So before I end it all with death by chocolate - a plea - let's just see how things pan out - in pre - season, and during the course of the season before we pass judgement on RD's choice of Head Coach and his Belgio - centric transfer policy or the drafting in of toddlers into the first team?
If BP turns out to be a dud, or if Tin Tin and his freres Belgiques are vastly too lightweight for the Championship, then will I pass judgement - not till then. Remember the land of Chocolate, and Van Rompuy has produced players who would walk into the current England team so maybe they know a bit about coaching and stuff?
Really like the look of what Peeters is saying , I feel that Burnley last season showed what a Fairly average , Low budget squad could achieve , Albeit with 1 or 2 quality players ( Ings, Trippier.) By no means am I saying we can hope for anything like Burnley this season , but the foundations are being strengthened without spending silly money , We can't argue that Roland is making us Financially more stable and Seemingly thinking long term , Looking forward to this season already , We could suprise a few
I have to say this constant raking over of what RD did or didn't say or mean (or BP, or KM etc) leaves me wanting to choke myself to death on my Belgium Chocolates.
Hercule Bingvanaddick
I guess there is worst ways to go, if you are going to go.
I have to say this constant raking over of what RD did or didn't say or mean (or BP, or KM etc) leaves me wanting to choke myself to death on my Belgium Chocolates.
It's legitimate to question the plans but surely when they they are in place and visible. When signings good or bad are in actually kicking football's around wearing the Sword in Roundel on their shirts, and we see whether good ole Bob can make a team produce play that on balance is watchable and reasonably successful. Until then we have nothing of substance to go on. None of us had heard of the divine Jose Riga six months ago. Now he is canonised. Maybe BP will do even better?
Last season Burnley outperformed teams like QPR with much less resources both in the bank and on the pitch. Was that because the northern air was more invigorating than dahn sarf? Maybe it had something to do with the manager - in only his second job in that role being able to make more out of less? No one posting on here could have predicted with any reasonable certainty a few years back that Dyche would turn out to decent as a manager.
Perhaps good ole Bob might just be RD's ace in the pack. We have signed two excellent players in the last week and yes we need some more but hey - don't you think BP and RD know this? Is RD trying to scrimp and scrape like the last two jokers who ran the club did? No he is are not. Value for money, bringing young players on, investing in the playing surface, and re - energising the training ground development all looks and sounds pretty good to me. Streamlining the backroom staff and making great club servants redundant isn't nice for those affected but it is to be expected for a business that is losing millions of pounds a year.
In the end though what counts is how we perform from the gun to the finishing tape and no one can predict how that will go when the squad is being worked on, the Head Coach has only just got onto dry land and players haven't yet returned for pre season.
So before I end it all with death by chocolate - a plea - let's just see how things pan out - in pre - season, and during the course of the season before we pass judgement on RD's choice of Head Coach and his Belgio - centric transfer policy or the drafting in of toddlers into the first team?
If BP turns out to be a dud, or if Tin Tin and his freres Belgiques are vastly too lightweight for the Championship, then will I pass judgement - not till then. Remember the land of Chocolate, and Van Rompuy has produced players who would walk into the current England team so maybe they know a bit about coaching and stuff?
Hercule Bingvanaddick
I take your point but don't forget that Burnley received a huge boost from their single year in the Premiership where they - very cleverly - decided not to spunk the lot on overpriced stars but to build a very good young squad from the lower leagues best players.
It has worked out a treat for them - but they could not have done it without the multi-millions from that one season in the Premiership.
Prague - No, I do not owe Weegie an apology. I can but suggest for you to try and drag in another contributors' personal CV is entirely inappropriate. I can assure you it is no ones' interest to descend into such a fatuous argument.
Nor is my response over the top. As I explained to Weegie someone please tell me exactly what you want the owner to tell you about the appointment of Peeters that is a ) not commercially sensitive b) subject to corporate confidentiality c) would not potentially undermine the working relationships within the club (his employees).
Perhaps you can tell me what you would expect him to say in public about selecting one candidate over another. Seriously tell me? Tell me what he can say that will not fall into the above categories or some general meaningless platitude any CEOs will fall back on without casting some negative connotation on the failed candidate?
You can hypothesize again if you must over why Riga "spun" his departure from Standard Liege, and hypothesize over Peeters being a cheaper option but once again it is speculation upon speculation upon speculation. I recognize the internet lives for such stuff no matter how spurious but just because you keep repeating it does not give it any greater veracity than when you hypothesized it in the first place - we are not dealing with some Buddhist chant to achieve greater enlightenment.
The comment expressed, however it was intended, was as described "ignorant of the facts". Your speculation is similarly ignorant of the facts.
I have repeatedly said I have absolutely no idea whether the Duchatelet approach will work - it may all end in tears. So no head in the sand - no RD "love in" from me - no blind acceptance everything in the garden is rosy - just an acknowledgement the club restructuring is a work in progress and is likely to remain so for a while yet.
I, like many others including his own son, am extremely critical of the man's communication skills - WHERE IT IS APPROPRIATE.
I do not see however why I or anyone else should accept such an unwarranted and inappropriate comment on a coach I have yet to see operate without reply.
I, unlike so many on here, many of whom should know better will not seek to denigrate a guy who has effectively ensured our ability to operate next season in the Championship. He paid in large part the debt incurred by the previous owners used to secure our promotion to, and retention of a Championship status. That was not "cheap" - unlike the sundry parties supposedly interested in the club but trying to drive the price ever lower.
I respect that the man owns the club I have supported for over 50yrs.
I respect the fact he is in position to provide the club some financial stability for the first time since the club empowered Dowie and Pardew to run amok. We have been trying to play catch up ever since
I respect the fact he is showing the intentions of exploring a successful SUSTAINABLE future for the club not just another 2 or 3yr roll of the dice.
I sincerely hope he and the team he assembles will be successful in their endeavours. Any success will be evident from the results on the pitch AND the financial results off the pitch NOT by what he says in a Press conference.
I respect all of that because the consequences of long term failure in EITHER department will not augur well for the future of our CLUB.
I do not for one moment delude myself as to the personal interests of the owner but it is a huge mistake to assume you understand anyone's motivation in business for doing anything. In owning a football club the motivation has to be even more obscure.
I can but leave you to consider the long term future for the club. Then consider a full profile of the man who owns the club, the ground, the training ground and the golden ticket. Against such considerations alone he has my full support in making us a successful organisation.
While I in no way question other peoples' support of the club isn't it strange that I find it somewhat isolating in declaring such support for my club on this board?
Prague - No, I do not owe Weegie an apology. I can but suggest for you to try and drag in another contributors' personal CV is entirely inappropriate. I can assure you it is no ones' interest to descend into such a fatuous argument.
Nor is my response over the top. As I explained to Weegie someone please tell me exactly what you want the owner to tell you about the appointment of Peeters that is a ) not commercially sensitive b) subject to corporate confidentiality c) would not potentially undermine the working relationships within the club (his employees).
Perhaps you can tell me what you would expect him to say in public about selecting one candidate over another. Seriously tell me? Tell me what he can say that will not fall into the above categories or some general meaningless platitude any CEOs will fall back on without casting some negative connotation on the failed candidate?
You can hypothesize again if you must over why Riga "spun" his departure from Standard Liege, and hypothesize over Peeters being a cheaper option but once again it is speculation upon speculation upon speculation. I recognize the internet lives for such stuff no matter how spurious but just because you keep repeating it does not give it any greater veracity than when you hypothesized it in the first place - we are not dealing with some Buddhist chant to achieve greater enlightenment.
The comment expressed, however it was intended, was as described "ignorant of the facts". Your speculation is similarly ignorant of the facts.
I have repeatedly said I have absolutely no idea whether the Duchatelet approach will work - it may all end in tears. So no head in the sand - no RD "love in" from me - no blind acceptance everything in the garden is rosy - just an acknowledgement the club restructuring is a work in progress and is likely to remain so for a while yet.
I, like many others including his own son, am extremely critical of the man's communication skills - WHERE IT IS APPROPRIATE.
I do not see however why I or anyone else should accept such an unwarranted and inappropriate comment on a coach I have yet to see operate without reply.
I, unlike so many on here, many of whom should know better will not seek to denigrate a guy who has effectively ensured our ability to operate next season in the Championship. He paid in large part the debt incurred by the previous owners used to secure our promotion to, and retention of a Championship status. That was not "cheap" - unlike the sundry parties supposedly interested in the club but trying to drive the price ever lower.
I respect that the man owns the club I have supported for over 50yrs.
I respect the fact he is in position to provide the club some financial stability for the first time since the club empowered Dowie and Pardew to run amok. We have been trying to play catch up ever since
I respect the fact he is showing the intentions of exploring a successful SUSTAINABLE future for the club not just another 2 or 3yr roll of the dice.
I sincerely hope he and the team he assembles will be successful in their endeavours. Any success will be evident from the results on the pitch AND the financial results off the pitch NOT by what he says in a Press conference.
I respect all of that because the consequences of long term failure in EITHER department will not augur well for the future of our CLUB.
I do not for one moment delude myself as to the personal interests of the owner but it is a huge mistake to assume you understand anyone's motivation in business for doing anything. In owning a football club the motivation has to be even more obscure.
I can but leave you to consider the long term future for the club. Then consider a full profile of the man who owns the club, the ground, the training ground and the golden ticket. Against such considerations alone he has my full support in making us a successful organisation.
While I in no way question other peoples' support of the club isn't it strange that I find it somewhat isolating in declaring such support for my club on this board?
Weegie - do you know that Peeters was cheaper or was it a deliberate inflammatory statement knowing you were going to get a reaction? And that is a genuine question and not a wind up.
If you know for a fact that Peeters was cheaper then I apologize. If you didn't then you knew exactly what you were doing and I agree that it is getting a bit old.
I believe it is the latter but that's purely an intuition.
Comments
Of course I am appreciative to RD for bailing us out. I am grateful to him for getting the pitch sorted. I am impressed by the sponsorship deals he has signed us up to.
However, these are all 'givens' of any half decent owner. And let us be honest he had little choice concerning the pitch.
What I am 'cautious' about is his reluctance to expand on his decisions or to fully explain them. He did not cover himself in glory in his conduct on arrival re the signings and the way he dealt with Powell. And, yes, I have moved in from that as we managed to stay up.
The appointment of Peeters is fine, I will support him totally. However, why it has taken RD so long to make a comment on his appointment is beyond me and then we get some half baked answer about his approach to youth team players as the main reason. This follows KMs anodyne, lip service comment in recent weeks.
This was a great opportunity to convince the supporters of why we should be excited by Peeters' appointment. An opportunity to eulogise about how lucky we are to have secured his services. Instead we get a few sentences.
We are still short on players and are a week away from 'when we hoped to have the majority of our transfer deals done.' Well, it will be a busy week, then.
I know RD has the right to run his businesses his way. He is a proven businessman and will spend his money how he sees fit. But the ethos of the club is important to me. How it is represented is also important to me. How it values it's fans and workforce is important to me.
I think RD has a way to go to convince me that he has the club at heart. We are not a pawn in some grand game of football chess. I don't care if that is emotive, unrealistic or soft. It is how I feel about the club I have supported for 30 years and I have a right to be cautious.
RD reminds me of Mr Spock. If he thinks it's logical, he will do it, even if everyone else disagrees.
Beam me up Scotty.
Riga should have been given the job, end of. F*** all the other comments/reasons/theories.
Seems fair enough to me.
RD is reluctant to take him on full time for a year as he walked out on him at SL.
Total rubbish though ;-)
Of course you are right that in a selection process you have to be circumspect about what you say about those not selected (even at a personal one to one level, it is rare for those losing out to receive honest feedback).
However we are not talking about a new CEO of RD's microelectronics business, a matter of no interest to anyone outside that business, and certainly not the general public. You know how public is football as a business, and I hope you accept that (whether you like it or not) the customers of football are stakeholders in the business. Most of them think they have a right to know about the reason for such decisions, and the media encourages them to think so. I can agree with you that it is unhealthy. But it is so.
Specifically we are constantly reminded (sometimes by our fellow fans, some of who are living out their own CEO fantasies) that it is a results business. So what puzzles fans in the Riga case is that he appears to have handsomely delivered the results, and still got the elbow. There may be good reasons for that. And maybe those reasons are such that RD can't find a discreet way to discuss them. But I thoroughly object to the way you pour scorn on those poor souls who have the temerity to wonder about it.
Now turning to Weegie's suggestion that Peeters is the cheaper option. She is far from the only one to have suggested this. It is coming from Belgium. It goes like this: If you believe that the way to financial health is to concentrate on growing your own players, why not apply that principle to the manager (sorry, head coach)? It is reasonable to suppose that a 40 year old with little experience commands a lower salary than a 56 year old with extensive European experience. But the Belgians have gone beyond that. They have suggested that RD might put a transfer fee on Peeters contract. It is not that uncommon nowadays, is it? Now this theory is undermined by the apparent one year rolling contract, but nevertheless it is perfectly reasonable to suppose that cost was part of RD's decision. I am seeing it all the time in businesses running at a loss. Get shot of the senior managers and give the job to young guns at half the price.
I think you owe Weegie an apology.
I am seriously considering making this picture my screen saver. It will definitely make think twice about wasting too much time on the computer.
It's legitimate to question the plans but surely when they they are in place and visible. When signings good or bad are in actually kicking football's around wearing the Sword in Roundel on their shirts, and we see whether good ole Bob can make a team produce play that on balance is watchable and reasonably successful. Until then we have nothing of substance to go on. None of us had heard of the divine Jose Riga six months ago. Now he is canonised. Maybe BP will do even better?
Last season Burnley outperformed teams like QPR with much less resources both in the bank and on the pitch. Was that because the northern air was more invigorating than dahn sarf? Maybe it had something to do with the manager - in only his second job in that role being able to make more out of less? No one posting on here could have predicted with any reasonable certainty a few years back that Dyche would turn out to decent as a manager.
Perhaps good ole Bob might just be RD's ace in the pack. We have signed two excellent players in the last week and yes we need some more but hey - don't you think BP and RD know this? Is RD trying to scrimp and scrape like the last two jokers who ran the club did? No he is are not. Value for money, bringing young players on, investing in the playing surface, and re - energising the training ground development all looks and sounds pretty good to me. Streamlining the backroom staff and making great club servants redundant isn't nice for those affected but it is to be expected for a business that is losing millions of pounds a year.
In the end though what counts is how we perform from the gun to the finishing tape and no one can predict how that will go when the squad is being worked on, the Head Coach has only just got onto dry land and players haven't yet returned for pre season.
So before I end it all with death by chocolate - a plea - let's just see how things pan out - in pre - season, and during the course of the season before we pass judgement on RD's choice of Head Coach and his Belgio - centric transfer policy or the drafting in of toddlers into the first team?
If BP turns out to be a dud, or if Tin Tin and his freres Belgiques are vastly too lightweight for the Championship, then will I pass judgement - not till then. Remember the land of Chocolate, and Van Rompuy has produced players who would walk into the current England team so maybe they know a bit about coaching and stuff?
Hercule Bingvanaddick
It has worked out a treat for them - but they could not have done it without the multi-millions from that one season in the Premiership.
Nor is my response over the top. As I explained to Weegie someone please tell me exactly what you want the owner to tell you about the appointment of Peeters that is a ) not commercially sensitive b) subject to corporate confidentiality c) would not potentially undermine the working relationships within the club (his employees).
Perhaps you can tell me what you would expect him to say in public about selecting one candidate over another. Seriously tell me? Tell me what he can say that will not fall into the above categories or some general meaningless platitude any CEOs will fall back on without casting some negative connotation on the failed candidate?
You can hypothesize again if you must over why Riga "spun" his departure from Standard Liege, and hypothesize over Peeters being a cheaper option but once again it is speculation upon speculation upon speculation. I recognize the internet lives for such stuff no matter how spurious but just because you keep repeating it does not give it any greater veracity than when you hypothesized it in the first place - we are not dealing with some Buddhist chant to achieve greater enlightenment.
The comment expressed, however it was intended, was as described "ignorant of the facts". Your speculation is similarly ignorant of the facts.
I have repeatedly said I have absolutely no idea whether the Duchatelet approach will work - it may all end in tears.
So no head in the sand - no RD "love in" from me - no blind acceptance everything in the garden is rosy - just an acknowledgement the club restructuring is a work in progress and is likely to remain so for a while yet.
I, like many others including his own son, am extremely critical of the man's communication skills - WHERE IT IS APPROPRIATE.
I do not see however why I or anyone else should accept such an unwarranted and inappropriate comment on a coach I have yet to see operate without reply.
I, unlike so many on here, many of whom should know better will not seek to denigrate a guy who has effectively ensured our ability to operate next season in the Championship. He paid in large part the debt incurred by the previous owners used to secure our promotion to, and retention of a Championship status. That was not "cheap" - unlike the sundry parties supposedly interested in the club but trying to drive the price ever lower.
I respect that the man owns the club I have supported for over 50yrs.
I respect the fact he is in position to provide the club some financial stability for the first time since the club empowered Dowie and Pardew to run amok. We have been trying to play catch up ever since
I respect the fact he is showing the intentions of exploring a successful SUSTAINABLE future for the club not just another 2 or 3yr roll of the dice.
I sincerely hope he and the team he assembles will be successful in their endeavours. Any success will be evident from the results on the pitch AND the financial results off the pitch NOT by what he says in a Press conference.
I respect all of that because the consequences of long term failure in EITHER department will not augur well for the future of our CLUB.
I do not for one moment delude myself as to the personal interests of the owner but it is a huge mistake to assume you understand anyone's motivation in business for doing anything. In owning a football club the motivation has to be even more obscure.
I can but leave you to consider the long term future for the club. Then consider a full profile of the man who owns the club, the ground, the training ground and the golden ticket. Against such considerations alone he has my full support in making us a successful organisation.
While I in no way question other peoples' support of the club isn't it strange that I find it somewhat isolating in declaring such support for my club on this board?
If you know for a fact that Peeters was cheaper then I apologize. If you didn't then you knew exactly what you were doing and I agree that it is getting a bit old.
I believe it is the latter but that's purely an intuition.