I know there have been plenty of posts about what has happened and what is yet to come but I have put a lot (way too much most likely) of thought into how I feel now I have stopped to think and I find maybe it will help me if no-one else to put it down in words. I should add the disclaimer that many may and probably will see this as Duchatalet apologising, but I am not ashamed of the fact that I still feel the potential under RD (regardless of my feelings about him as a person) is greater than it has been at any time since the Premiership era, and this is why:
It's possible the 'four managers in ten months' factoid, whilst dramatic, may not be quite the sign of madness it first seems. Powell was not a Duchatalet appointment for one thing; he himself came in when Parkinson could have felt himself very unlucky to be given the boot instead of cash to prove his case - many times new owners have appointed new coaches/managers that they prefer, it is by no means exclusive to RD.
In the case of Riga, although there was confusion at the time it has been made very clear by Katrien (on behalf of Roland) that he was only ever originally intended as a short term fix. He wasn't fired, he wasn't removed, he served the time originally contracted for and then moved on - in many ways a friendlier, more magnanimous exit than many managers receive. He may have WANTED to come back but had no contractual right or obligation to do so.
Bob Peeters' short reign it seems must go down as a failure, albeit a valiant one that will leave many wondering what could have been. Whether on the pitch or in the dressing room, or even both, clearly Peeters had not fulfilled expectations, and poor form was entirely due to poor performances, and for my own part there was doubt as to whether Bob could turn it around - not due to ability or lack thereof, purely because it seemed unfortunately he WAS the problem, at least in part.
This fourth appointment is therefore the most critical of them all. The statement by the club with it's references to a longer contract for the next manager seems to me an implicit admission that perhaps the upper hierarchy were in error, perhaps too keen to appoint an inexperienced manager or simply misjudging his ability. Bob was clearly in the frame before Riga was even out of the door, this time despite many rumours the club do seem to intend to be more thorough and wide-ranging in their next recruitment attempt. There was a wide held belief that it would be Peeters out, Luzon in within 24 hours - this has not happened and with time it seems increasingly unlikely to me.
I appreciate that this is a long-winded blathering post so I will wrap it up with a comparison: in a similar amount of time Murray appointed Dowie, Reed, Pardew and Parkinson. Of those four, to me only Parkinson comes out with any credit simply through having absolutely nothing to play with due to the profligacy and frankly incompetence of the prior three managers. Duchatalet's two appointments have been an experienced, albeit underrated manager who got a demotivated and flagging team to fight successfully for survival and a promising young coach who has not made it with Charlton - but may very well have more success with more experience. Murray is as much a fan as anyone, Duchatalet is pragmatic and profit-minded perhaps to a fault - but perhaps his business-like approach is more suitable to where we are, and where we want to be.
To paraphrase Gary Oldman, perhaps "Roland is not the owner we deserve, he is the owner we need." Time will tell but I for one do not by any means consider his experiment a failure yet. There have been setbacks and missteps but there has been good alongside the bad and if the next manager, Belgian, British, young or old, gets a proper foundation built and sets up the club to match RD's long term plans we could be looking at an era of success at the expense of a year or two's turmoil.
Or maybe we're up the creek, without a paddle and sprung a leak, with crocodiles lurking. But we the fans will endure, and while we do, so will the club.
Up The Addicks!
7
Comments
You could be right with Duchatelet over time. but after selling Yann and Stevens, they took a terrible risk with our short term future, Only the finding of poyet from the U21 and various good games from the non- network players
kept us up.
I said 3 weeks ago that bob was at the crossroads of his CAFC career. He stalled at that very moment.
We sure need a lift.
Watching Charlton in recent months I was increasingly of the view that Peeters was trying to instil a rigid way of playing that whilst potentially attractive was beyond the skills and football intelligence of many of the players. Instead of allowing for variation to suit the strengths of the players, BP seemed to have an insistence on one approach irrespective of the nature of the opposition, the state of play in a game or the aptitude of key squad members. Martinez at Everton has recently experienced similar discord with players on this issue although it seems he is more willing to be flexible.
If Roland is in it for the money then there are better ways of realising a profit on an expenditure of £20 million pound and losses of between £5-7m per annum than investing it in a middle order, unfashionable football club in SE London. Why he has chosen to do what he has is a mystery to me. That goes for his other network investment. How the investment at St Truiden can be explained in terms of short term profit is totally mystifying having enjoyed a brief, lager enhanced trip to watch Charltons pre season adventures.
We may well see some further investment when a head coach is in place that RD is confident or believes will meet the short term objective (consolidate championship status) and longer term improvement. Clearly no scope for failing to meet objective in time set by RD.
Rigas appointment was greeted with the same mix of criticism based on almost zero evidence as we now witness following BPs exit.
As for the soul of Charlton I have no idea what that adds up to in practice. Like many others I support Charlton because my dad did, watched the likes of Lawrie, Leary et al, enjoyed the cricket score matches and came to believe that whatever happened I was Charlton til i Die. The managerial and ownership merry go round was of no significance if we were winning or at least providing good entertainment on a Saturday afternoon.
I am a customer not a shareholder or contributer to the running costs, except for buying a ticket.
Lets see what actually happens, not feverishley speculate on the basis of partial knowledge and emotional spasams.
As AFKA has put far more eloquently on another thread, the next appointment is by far the most important. Riga was a success, Peeters wasn't, it's a 50/50 rate and the next manager could go either way, RD's judgment is not proven. The next manager will have to stabilise the club and be planning further ahead than the end of the current season, so an experienced head is vital.
The real point for me however is despite all the hysteria about appointing a stooge/lackey (despite neither Riga nor Peeters fitting this mould for me), people listing a lack of has-beens and never-weres without a shred of evidence they are actually in the running, I STILL think Roland does have a plan, and does know what he's doing. I don't know whether he's right, or if his plan will work - but I am still behind it and genuinely hopeful for the future under his leadership.