Some of you asked about the 'Belgian' view on Peeters and the reasons Riga got sacked so here we go. Peeters had a good stint at two clubs and a truly awful stint at my hometeam but we were in turmoil and no coach really succeeded in that period so i cant put too much blame on him.
Tactics : Riga plays a more rational football, more focus on organisation than creation. Peeters used to play a 4-3-3 (sometimes 4-4-2) passing play based on fast counterattacks (a bit like every other modern coach bar the ones at Barca, Bayern and Dortmund). He prefers a more continental style of play (less hoofing, more passing play) and will be a bit more adventurous than Riga.
Personality: Riga is a professor with an enormous amount of knowledge of the game, Peeters is the more likeable flamboyant guy, a coach who is close with his group and thrives on motivational skills. As a player he has seen the highs and lows of the game too and has played in the championship himself)
Reason why Riga got the boot : this is RD 101 , take a rational result focused coach to steady the ship and replace him with a younger, more flamboyant and PR minded coach. He did it at Sint truiden , he did it at Standard and he is doing it again. He sees football like a company, the right manager for the right period of transition you are going through. Riga was needed to steady, Peeters is needed to improve on and off the pitch.
The only thing that would be worrying is if there are big ego's in the dressing room that will refuse to adapt/accept his style of play, cant see him imposing himself but maybe he has learned/evolved the last few years. At Kaagent that was the main issue.
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Thanks @Belgian_Spur, that's really helpful. We are grateful to all the Belgians on here who help to offer a different viewpoint.
Some might, perhaps most might but not all would do this. Some people recognise that career development depends on the individual and club, and one path does not suit all.
Emotionally I don't like this part of the modern game , but in terms of looking at the situation rationally I am starting to understand it.
I would argue that Chris Powell and Jose Riga are excellent managers and both did a good job for us. The problem for me about change is knowing when should someone move on and what is the succession plan . I reluctantly accepted Powell's sacking because I understood that we needed someone new to 'steady the ship' and we were in grave danger of playing in League 1 again . Riga took on this brief superbly and achieved the target with a match to spare. For that reason I would have wanted him to continue .
I do know that it is a generally a facet of modern management outside football that people are recruited on short term contracts to achieve specific goals and then let go . Therefore Riga was recruited on a short term contract to keep Charlton up and nothing else . As supporters we took him to our hearts and he became a favourite .
I just hope that I will start to understand this change emotionally as a fan in a year's time in the same way I accepted Powell's fate.
Nearly two thirds of the squad came through the academy or joined CAFC in 2010. We have a large number of new high value players joining and I expect there will be more over the next 12 months in order for our club to push on. The whole thing has been very understated on the PR and comms side but there is clearly something quite big going on.
The friendlies and fixtures against Peterborough, Colchester and Brentford will hopefully give Peeters and the new squad the chance to hit the ground running before some tougher opponents roll up... Can't wait for the season to kick off
Tempered excitement from me i'm a bit of a cynical miserable old git who has seen a few false dawns, i seriously want Bob to do well for us , i hope he hasn't got a touch of the Dowies about him, and despite the Welling result , their are encouraging signs.I look forward to see our strongest team play together , still imo need an experienced keeper, which i'm guessing we will sign by the end of August , i just can't believe Nick Pope is ready for first team football , its a big step up!
But as all of you know, making a team gel (esp with new players) takes time and a few bad results combined with a lack of patience can make things go sour very fast.
Btw Moussa is awesome , dont know if he'll be awesome all the time but dead cert that he'll score a wondergoal or two this season. The kind of player that will divide opinions, some will love the flair, others will loathe the inconsitency. From a purist point of view, his technical skills are quite impressive. But i dont know the championship that well, no idea how he'll cope with the 'physical' defenders.
He does things his own way and got very rich doing so.
May I ask you about one of my concerns?
Big Bob has arrived, he has to assemble a team, he has to establish his authority, he has to be a leader on tactics, style, and strategy for the team and he has to cope with events at Charlton day by day and week by week.
Now that is quite a lot to be getting on with, however I wonder if he is any good at considering the opposition and the nature of the competition. The Championship is tough, merciless and takes no prisoners, and other clubs will not be passive, they will set up to win matches, they will be aware of strengths and weaknesses around the league and so on, in short they will have sussed out the opposition.
Do you think that Bob has the attitude that we must get Charlton right, and let others worry about what we do, or is he able to set things up before matches to cope with the particular strengths and weaknesses of the teams we play, and the players we will face?
I suppose I am worried that the new regime may be a bit naïve regarding what is required, and other teams will have our measure and be set up to beat us, but that Bob and co will be constantly surprised by events match by match.
Will Bob have what it takes to set us up to cope with Bolton away on a cold midweek February evening, or Wigan at home on a sunny autumn Saturday?
Is he tactically stromg enough. .. no idea
When we had the 0-0 at Brighton two seasons ago a Brighton fan wrote the following (this is NOT supposed to be about Chris Powell, but an insight into how much attention needs to be paid to the opposition):
'Thoughts on Charlton tonight...
Hats off to them, they did a fantastic job on us. Their scout needs a raise because they played an almost perfect game. Tactically, that was the best I have seen a side defend against us. It wasn't just as simple as kicking us off the park or sitting deep and trying to hit us on the break or score from a set piece, it was thought-out from front to back.
1. Their 14 was all over Bridcutt like a rash. Did not give him a minute's peace, snapping at his heels for 90 minutes and refusing to allow him the time on the ball when he drops in to receive it from the centre backs. Still amazes me so few teams have worked out how key he is to us.
2. Their back four actually played quite deep, with their centre backs taking it in turns to bump and jostle Ulloa, nothing blatant enough to be called a foul, but rarely did he get more than a yard or two of space as they were usually touch (shirt-pulling) tight.
3. Meanwhile, whilst the defence was deep, their wingers and striker pressed very high and with good intensity all game, as some opposing sides have tried, but vitally their whole team's shape was also very narrow. There was room in wide positions if we had time to pick out a switch ball or diagonal, but all the passes were being so rushed by the forward pressure we couldn't move it laterally with pace and accuracy. This meant it was just front to back, and they had Jackson and their other centre mid sitting in the hole between defence and midfield, blocking the route on the deck and crowding the space if Lopez or Vicente tried to drop deeper to pick it up.
4. The two centre mids also shifted across the pitch as a unit to help out their full-back whenever we got it wide to Buckley or Kaz, and much like we did to Zaha, they were happy to funnel them into blind alleys and towards the corner flag without really ever committing to the tackle and getting isolated one-on-one. It was so tight that we had to try impossible little one-touch triangles to get through, and inevitably they had enough numbers for someone to make an interception.
5. Their keeper had a worldie. I can't help thinking if we kept playing until Saturday we wouldn't have scored. Fair play to him.
All this leads me to wonder why Gus didn't want to make a change. With 25 minutes to go Orlandi & Hammond went out to warm up. Bridcutt was walking a bit of a tightrope on a yellow and with a couple of other fouls to his name, and LuaLua, whilst beating his man over and over, had his head permanently down and was just brainlessly smacking it fifteen yards over the bar or lashing missile-like crosses the same distance over Ulloa's head. It was more or less like-for-like, but would have given 'that something different' that Gus always wants. Orlandi, whilst not as quick or skilful as Kaz, is ten times more intelligent as a footballer and has an absolute wand of a left foot to whip some meaningful crosses in. Hammond is not as good at the role LB plays, but would perhaps have coped a little better with their 14 as he's bigger and stronger, and would also have added more height for the 1,286 corners we won. The time ticked away...game over. Job done for Charlton, and for once not a cynical hatchet job; or a sit back and time-waste from minute one, nick a mouldy deflected goal for a 1-0 type job, but a disciplined and tactically superb job. On that evidence I wouldn't mind having at least a look at Powell when Poyet eventually goes. Not as first choice, but perhaps put him on a shortlist.'
Not only is that a great analysis (yes from one fans perspective) but provides an insight into the kind of thinking needed to get results in this league.
I hope our non-playing staff, newly assembled that they are, are up to the job.
He could step up , and i know he did really well at York last season but there is more pressure at this level and if you drop a clanger or two your career can quickly go down the pan , ie fans are not particularly supportive/quick to write players off etc , goalie is a big position to fill and you need a heck of a lot of self belief as well as ability, not easy , i really hope Nick pulls through it as he comes across as a nice lad , maybe we as fans should sign a pettion to support him come what may, through thick and thin this season? (yes i know its a daft idea , but it does stop and make you think).
Chris Powell has achieved alot in the game and developed excellæent raport with everyone he met, but has a manager he is still very much learning his trade - to be considered truly good.