Credit to Luzon for the good point at Wolves. Credit to Luzon for the win that was snatched against Rotherham. Credit to Luzon for the comeback against Norwich. Credit to Luzon for the thrashing of high flying Brentford.
Johnny Jackson was obviously asked to attend to placate the fans. He's such a lovely bloke, him being there definitely helped to keep a lid on things. Johnny did what he was asked, to perfection. He gave sensible and non controversial answers and I don't think you can take much from what he said, at a public & filmed meeting.
It was when he and Watt were allowed to leave, that it got more heated.
What I can't understand is that Luzon has basically been in charge since the Watford game and yet Saturday was apparently the first time they played like he wants them to?
What's that all about?
I think we are playing a different way to the way Peeters had us set up. Defence pushing higher and playing it forwards far more / faster. Helps when the four attacking players are all playing well but the point is that we are not playing a u shaped set of passes followed by a hopeful long diagonal ball by Bikey.
Cousins going central is facilitated by Bulot playing 90 minutes on the left. He has been with us since October (?) but hardly played.
Luzon is making the most of what we have available but one win is too early to make any kinda call. I look forward to the Wigan game - if it was a Saturday I'd be there!
As for Luzon's introduction to CAFC? It could have been presented as a decisive appointment made as a consequence of an appalling run that saw us fall from 7th to 18th.
It wasn't! That has been covered already but it suggests to me that we need a stronger board for the challenges of re establishing CAFC necessitate more gravitas, more experience and more ability to read situations / deliver a credible narrative.
I agree, but I suggest this is impossible precisely because of Duchatelet's hands-on approach to everything. He "does things his way" regardless of whether it's sensible.
KM says that he wants her to be the face of the club. I'm sure he does, it's very convenient for him, but you only need to look at her cv to know that she is unlikely to be a strong and capable leader for the business and so it has proven.
Unfortunately, the only people who will sit as directors on this board other than the two Belgians are likely to be there for personal reasons rather than because they can exercise any useful input.
It does make me laugh how people are delighted to lap up comments along the lines of 'my mate's uncle's brother was down the training ground last week and was told by one of the player's half-cousins that everyone is unhappy', but when JJ says something positive, it is quickly decided that it cannot really be true.
And then, when it is decided that JJ has, in fact, lied, when talking as a spokesman for the club directly to a meeting of several hundred fans, that is seen to be perfectly fine and acceptable.
Obviously when KM is suspected of towing the PR line, it the absolute limit - words like 'lies', 'deceit', 'ripping the heart out of the club', and 'puppet' abound and people start calling for heads to roll.
If you are liked, you can clearly do no wrong - if you are not, you can clearly do no right!
What I can't understand is that Luzon has basically been in charge since the Watford game and yet Saturday was apparently the first time they played like he wants them to?
What's that all about?
It may have taken some time to get them out of the rut they were in before he took over. Peeters had a certain style and changing that overnight may not have been possible. I'm also guessing that Luzon has been looking at his options in terms of players. He has certainly changed the squad around a fair bit and it could only be now when he is comfortable he has the correct players to implement his style. It could also be that he wanted to ensure the players fully get what he wants them to do before altering things so dramatically.
If all the above is true, then I have a bit more respect for Luzon as manager as it appears he hasn't just jumped in with both feet, it shows some thought has gone into what he is doing.
Of course he could just as well be prodding about in the dark hoping something clicks...
Sitting next to the CEO of your football club you'd be a silly man not to praise the manager they've just appointed, that's not to take away from Luzon's hard working as he has been working tirelessly at the training ground of late from what I hear.
What I can't understand is that Luzon has basically been in charge since the Watford game and yet Saturday was apparently the first time they played like he wants them to?
What's that all about?
It may have taken some time to get them out of the rut they were in before he took over. Peeters had a certain style and changing that overnight may not have been possible. I'm also guessing that Luzon has been looking at his options in terms of players. He has certainly changed the squad around a fair bit and it could only be now when he is comfortable he has the correct players to implement his style. It could also be that he wanted to ensure the players fully get what he wants them to do before altering things so dramatically.
If all the above is true, then I have a bit more respect for Luzon as manager as it appears he hasn't just jumped in with both feet, it shows some thought has gone into what he is doing.
Of course he could just as well be prodding about in the dark hoping something clicks...
Or simply that he's been trying to get that kind of performance since he started but with important players in/back like Hendo, Johnson and Jackson and both strikers fully fit for the first time, Saturday was the first time it 'worked' like it was meant to.
Luzon has definitely been fiddling with the formation/selection a little bit since he started, it depends on how charitable you are trying to be: did he have a plan all along and was trying to find the best way to implement it? Or was he trying everything in the desperate hope something would work? The fact he's gone with two up front but only once with two recognised strikers could go either way frankly with our injury record.
The really irritating things is thanks to two or three nasty injuries he CAN'T get consistency on Friday, there will need to be changes and probably a few kids on the bench even if Eagles does land in the next two days.
What I can't understand is that Luzon has basically been in charge since the Watford game and yet Saturday was apparently the first time they played like he wants them to?
What's that all about?
I think we are playing a different way to the way Peeters had us set up. Defence pushing higher and playing it forwards far more / faster. Helps when the four attacking players are all playing well but the point is that we are not playing a u shaped set of passes followed by a hopeful long diagonal ball by Bikey.
Cousins going central is facilitated by Bulot playing 90 minutes on the left. He has been with us since October (?) but hardly played.
Luzon is making the most of what we have available but one win is too early to make any kinda call. I look forward to the Wigan game - if it was a Saturday I'd be there!
As for Luzon's introduction to CAFC? It could have been presented as a decisive appointment made as a consequence of an appalling run that saw us fall from 7th to 18th.
It wasn't! That has been covered already but it suggests to me that we need a stronger board for the challenges of re establishing CAFC necessitate more gravitas, more experience and more ability to read situations / deliver a credible narrative.
I wasn't going to post on here until after tonight's meeting but having read this, the last paragraph describes my feelings at this moment in time.
When the video of the meeting has been viewed, you will make up your own minds but I'm finding myself ( not for the first time) in the Inbetweeners' camp. Yes, I still have reservations about the network & whether it can work in England. Yes, I do believe that the truth has been somewhat embroidered since the start of this season. But I also believe that the current regime is learning some lessons , albeit late in the day & frustratingly assistance offered by those with valuable knowledge from past seasons has been shrugged aside. As a result, said lessons may be painfully slow in their acceptance.
It remains to be seen how fans will react to ticket prices when they are unveiled, but Katrien stated that the Crossbars fiasco will not be repeated & that Block A will be addressed. We were assured that non Belgian/non network players ARE considered and of course the arrival of RJ , Henders ( both readily accepted by fans) are a case in point while whoever manages the team continues to play "our" lads - JJ, CS, JC, RW, CH with JG & KAG regularly featuring in the matchday squad . And only time will tell whether GL & CAFC are a match made in heaven or the other place.....
I spoke briefly with RM whilst we were at SL on Monday morning and he came over to us at the end of last night's meeting for a word. On Monday, as she stated last night, Katrien was in Belgium discussing the "c" word with RD as it has clearly been acknowledged that there is a gaping hole between Club & its fans. Richard also said that he is an advocate of the network concept but does realise that fans are ever conscious of an owner who has , and clearly wishes to maintain, no emotional ties to our Club....something which is alien to those supporting the Club for many years. And I am mindful of RD's desire for success both in the Championship initially and in the PL in the future although some decisions made since the summer have given cause for a big question mark in this area. To continue up the league & finish mid table will probably equate to a successful season in RD's book & to most fans whilst the obvious concerns of relegation will be pushed to the back of our minds. It then remains for our owner & his manager to demonstrate their cunning plan for an onwards & upwards climb during the close season when I believe we'll learn more about the strategy than we have been allowed thus far.
Finally, Mr F's appraisal of last night's meeting was important to me. He had not encountered Katrien before and had no preconceived idea of what to expect. He felt that the reassurances we were given were genuine , that Katrien was as honest as she possibly could be , that she dealt with the questions posed very competently & that the future is not as dark as some have painted...BUT the key word is TIME, for both the new manager & for the concept in general. Those who know Mr F will testify that he is a deep thinker & doesn't waste his words but is not one to be overly swayed by the opinion of others. His thoughts after tonight's meeting will be worth hearing IMO.
Sitting next to the CEO of your football club you'd be a silly man not to praise the manager they've just appointed, that's not to take away from Luzon's hard working as he has been working tirelessly at the training ground of late from what I hear.
What I can't understand is that Luzon has basically been in charge since the Watford game and yet Saturday was apparently the first time they played like he wants them to?
What's that all about?
I think we are playing a different way to the way Peeters had us set up. Defence pushing higher and playing it forwards far more / faster. Helps when the four attacking players are all playing well but the point is that we are not playing a u shaped set of passes followed by a hopeful long diagonal ball by Bikey.
Cousins going central is facilitated by Bulot playing 90 minutes on the left. He has been with us since October (?) but hardly played.
Luzon is making the most of what we have available but one win is too early to make any kinda call. I look forward to the Wigan game - if it was a Saturday I'd be there!
As for Luzon's introduction to CAFC? It could have been presented as a decisive appointment made as a consequence of an appalling run that saw us fall from 7th to 18th.
It wasn't! That has been covered already but it suggests to me that we need a stronger board for the challenges of re establishing CAFC necessitate more gravitas, more experience and more ability to read situations / deliver a credible narrative.
I wasn't going to post on here until after tonight's meeting but having read this, the last paragraph describes my feelings at this moment in time.
When the video of the meeting has been viewed, you will make up your own minds but I'm finding myself ( not for the first time) in the Inbetweeners' camp. Yes, I still have reservations about the network & whether it can work in England. Yes, I do believe that the truth has been somewhat embroidered since the start of this season. But I also believe that the current regime is learning some lessons , albeit late in the day & frustratingly assistance offered by those with valuable knowledge from past seasons has been shrugged aside. As a result, said lessons may be painfully slow in their acceptance.
It remains to be seen how fans will react to ticket prices when they are unveiled, but Katrien stated that the Crossbars fiasco will not be repeated & that Block A will be addressed. We were assured that non Belgian/non network players ARE considered and of course the arrival of RJ , Henders ( both readily accepted by fans) are a case in point while whoever manages the team continues to play "our" lads - JJ, CS, JC, RW, CH with JG & KAG regularly featuring in the matchday squad . And only time will tell whether GL & CAFC are a match made in heaven or the other place.....
I spoke briefly with RM whilst we were at SL on Monday morning and he came over to us at the end of last night's meeting for a word. On Monday, as she stated last night, Katrien was in Belgium discussing the "c" word with RD as it has clearly been acknowledged that there is a gaping hole between Club & its fans. Richard also said that he is an advocate of the network concept but does realise that fans are ever conscious of an owner who has , and clearly wishes to maintain, no emotional ties to our Club....something which is alien to those supporting the Club for many years. And I am mindful of RD's desire for success both in the Championship initially and in the PL in the future although some decisions made since the summer have given cause for a big question mark in this area. To continue up the league & finish mid table will probably equate to a successful season in RD's book & to most fans whilst the obvious concerns of relegation will be pushed to the back of our minds. It then remains for our owner & his manager to demonstrate their cunning plan for an onwards & upwards climb during the close season when I believe we'll learn more about the strategy than we have been allowed thus far.
Finally, Mr F's appraisal of last night's meeting was important to me. He had not encountered Katrien before and had no preconceived idea of what to expect. He felt that the reassurances we were given were genuine , that Katrien was as honest as she possibly could be , that she dealt with the questions posed very competently & that the future is not as dark as some have painted...BUT the key word is TIME, for both the new manager & for the concept in general. Those who know Mr F will testify that he is a deep thinker & doesn't waste his words but is not one to be overly swayed by the opinion of others. His thoughts after tonight's meeting will be worth hearing IMO.
Fanny "Splinters" Fanackapan
Splinters? Apparently Strongbow is a good cure for splinters, my wife says she always feels better with a prick in cider
What I can't understand is that Luzon has basically been in charge since the Watford game and yet Saturday was apparently the first time they played like he wants them to?
What's that all about?
Well if they started to play a new tactic straight away it would not go well and there would be confusion (in the summer it takes time for the players to adapt and learn the new tactic) so in the mean time it is best to use what they are familiar with until Luzon sees that they are ready to fully implement the new style.
Ffs give the bloke a chance! Fact Since his arrival points have been added to our total How you can judge someone after such a short period I don't know Very short memories some of u have We was in a playoff place when Powell took over and his first few months were dreadfully poor and down the table we slid Give him a chance
Ffs give the bloke a chance! Fact Since his arrival points have been added to our total How you can judge someone after such a short period I don't know Very short memories some of u have We was in a playoff place when Powell took over and his first few months were dreadfully poor and down the table we slid Give him a chance
How do you quantify a 'chance'? A week? Seven matches? A season? A couple of transfer windows? A five year plan?
On the video Katrien says that when Peeters was appointed it was as she said 'for the long term'. Peeters was given a one year contract, and sacked after about half a season and one transfer window.
She now says (take a very deep breath Seth) that Luzon is here for the 'long term' now. I hope to goodness that Luzons 'long term' is the one transfer window he has had, and no longer than to the end of this excruciating season (earlier if possible would be the ideal for me), that would be consistent with what Katrien describes as the 'long term'.
Luzon has only won one match in six. That's about 7 wins a season or 21 points if you like, he has had two draws in six, about 14 draws in a season...add it all together and that is about 35 points in a season.
Bit of a gap to fill between 35 points and mid table obscurity, let alone the play offs, let alone promotion. Why have faith in Luzon when at the moment his points return is so poor? It will get better I hear you all declare, well my answer is if it doesn't then it is relegation form isn't it?
We hear that we have a dictatorship who will brook no other perspective, which is fair enough because it is Roland's money. So if they're so great why are we not in the top six? Could it be the fan's fault? Could it bollocks, they want our trust, faith and backing, and in return we get crap results and miserable experiences.
So how long does this 'chance' for Luzon/Miere/Duchatelet last?
"To be honest, he's a bit of an arrogant tosser. All the lads are taking the piss out of him crouching down all the time and nobody understands most of what he says in training. If he's still about on 5th November we'll probably burn an effigy..."
As if JJ is gonna come out and slam him in a press conference! I have however got a good feeling about Wigan if we play the team from Sat, even though they won last night. First manager to stick Cousins through the middle from the start (I think?) which for me is a great decision.
Wigan haven't won at home since August 30th. I'm gunna go in feeling positive
Credit to Luzon for the good point at Wolves. Credit to Luzon for the win that was snatched against Rotherham. Credit to Luzon for the comeback against Norwich. Credit to Luzon for the thrashing of high flying Brentford.
Season starts Friday.
We snatched a draw from the jaws of victory against Rotherham. because we decided every one would defend and we marked each other instead of the other side.
Against Norwich the first half was in my top 3 depressing 45 mins of football and i have seen over a 1000 cafc games.
The second half he made the change which most of the people were telling him to do. bring on Watt, and keep igor on , which he failed to do against Rotherham.
Agree credit for picking a side with every one playing in their best position and being more attacking minded against Brentford.
Not having an agenda either way, not being pro or anti Roland i get hacked off with the in fighting.
If he becomes the first coach to realize you have to play 2 strikers at home every match and be more attacking in a control and pro active way, then he will win me over. The positive vibe at kick off was great against Brentford, but where have you been Masicat for the last three months ? or most of the season when we park the bus in most of the away games i went to early in season. and seemed content with a draw at home. Were you happy with that?
I know Luzon only been there 5 or 6 matches and if he understands now how to set the team up now so be it.
I could have told them after the first match at Brentford.
Credit to Luzon for the good point at Wolves. Credit to Luzon for the win that was snatched against Rotherham. Credit to Luzon for the comeback against Norwich. Credit to Luzon for the thrashing of high flying Brentford.
Season starts Friday.
We snatched a draw from the jaws of victory against Rotherham. because we decided every one would defend and we marked each other instead of the other side.
Against Norwich the first half was in my top 3 depressing 45 mins of football and i have seen over a 1000 cafc games.
The second half he made the change which most of the people were telling him to do. bring on Watt, and keep igor on , which he failed to do against Rotherham.
Agree credit for picking a side with every one playing in their best position and being more attacking minded against Brentford.
Not having an agenda either way, not being pro or anti Roland i get hacked off with the in fighting.
If he becomes the first coach to realize you have to play 2 strikers at home every match and be more attacking in a control and pro active way, then he will win me over. The positive vibe at kick off was great against Brentford, but where have you been Masicat for the last three months ? or most of the season when we park the bus in most of the away games i went to early in season. and seemed content with a draw at home. Were you happy with that?
I know Luzon only been there 5 or 6 matches and if he understands now how to set the team up now so be it.
I could have told them after the first match at Brentford.
After your 1000 games following Charlton compared to GL's 5 or 6
When the video of the meeting has been viewed, you will make up your own minds but I'm finding myself ( not for the first time) in the Inbetweeners' camp. Yes, I still have reservations about the network & whether it can work in England. Yes, I do believe that the truth has been somewhat embroidered since the start of this season. But I also believe that the current regime is learning some lessons , albeit late in the day & frustratingly assistance offered by those with valuable knowledge from past seasons has been shrugged aside. As a result, said lessons may be painfully slow in their acceptance.
Not a VIP but this bit chimed with me. I've had three new companies take over where I work in the last 15 years and observed it happen with my main client a couple of years ago. In every case, there was a clear unwillingness to learn from people already in post, going as far in some cases to a sense that the new management were desperate to do the exact opposite to what the old management had been doing, regardless of results. At no point in any of this did I get the impression that new management were willing to listen to experience until at least 18 months had elapsed. Of course, Belgian semiconductor - football conglomerates might not work in the same way as British outsourcing companies, but I certainly see a pattern.
Of course the other risk is that by the time they are prepared to take advice from the old guard, there may not be any of them left.
I'm not happy with how things are. I wasn't happy 2 seasons ago either. There is an emotional narrative connected to football that probably isn't there with electronics and I would like at least an acknowledgement of that from KM/RD, in actions. For me, jury is still out on GL, prepared to give him more games before I work out whether I like him or not and more importantly his football.
There is one other point to make about recent managers.
When Riga came in, he clearly had decided every member of the playing staff had a clean slate. This was shown by him playing Pritchard in one of his early home games, when a lot of supporters had given him up, and never wanted to see him in a Charlton shirt ever again. Later Riga is seen as some kind of genius, but turning around the team's form.
Luzon may well have done the same thing. But Luzon had the serious disadvantage of a) not having the team's no. 1 keeper. (Can we now, at least, all agree that Henderson is our first choice keeper?) b) not having Bulot available, as he was away at the ACoN. (Whatever else, surely it must be accepted that Bulot's emergence on the left wing has made us look a much more balanced side?)
Also, he has had to see and accept that some players had lost form. (The exact science of hindsight means that some are now saying, "I knew signing Bikey was a mistake!" I hope we are all honest enough to admit that if Bikey had been dropped after 5 games, we would have ALL been calling for the manager's head!)
All these things take time. He has looked at the squad, the players, and has seen a few important players become available, who he did not have access to, when he first arrived.
I have been sceptical about Luzon from the start but also willing to give him a chance. I was concerned when he took off a forward for a defender at home to Rotherham late in the game, as I think the team took it as a message to sit too deep. He did the same at home to Brentford, but we had an extra goal at the time and there was not the same gap between forwards and defenders – so maybe a frustration of mine was not due to his tactics but the interpretation of the team. The way the team set up and played on Saturday was refreshing and if that is down to him, well I might get to like him. I have long thought we are too defensive and cautious and with front players such as Vetokele, Watt, JBG and Bulot (If he continues to play as he did last week), we would seem to be a team that would benefit taking the game to opponents. It will be interesting to see how we set up and play against Wigan on Friday. I think the team reached that point in the first half against Norwich where they were at rock bottom and lost the crowd – the second half showed a way forward and maybe it could turn out to be the most important 45 minutes of the season, even if it did not achieve any points. Still early days and we shall see.
Luzon has only won one match in six. That's about 7 wins a season or 21 points if you like, he has had two draws in six, about 14 draws in a season...add it all together and that is about 35 points in a season.
Firstly, I'm going to give GL the benefit of the doubt and remove the Watford game from the equation. He was not technically in charge for that game and had barely had time to take his coat off even if he had been.
If BP had stayed, what were you expecting from the following 5 games? Personally I'd say the best I could have expected would be:
Wolves away - Loss
Rotherham at home - Win
'Boro away - Loss
Norwich at home - Loss
Brentford at home - An optimistic draw
So, 4 points from 5 games. In fact we picked up 5 from 5. Not outstanding by any stretch of the imagination but also not unexpected.
Credit to Luzon for the good point at Wolves. Credit to Luzon for the win that was snatched against Rotherham. Credit to Luzon for the comeback against Norwich. Credit to Luzon for the thrashing of high flying Brentford.
Season starts Friday.
We snatched a draw from the jaws of victory against Rotherham. because we decided every one would defend and we marked each other instead of the other side.
Against Norwich the first half was in my top 3 depressing 45 mins of football and i have seen over a 1000 cafc games.
The second half he made the change which most of the people were telling him to do. bring on Watt, and keep igor on , which he failed to do against Rotherham.
Agree credit for picking a side with every one playing in their best position and being more attacking minded against Brentford.
Not having an agenda either way, not being pro or anti Roland i get hacked off with the in fighting.
If he becomes the first coach to realize you have to play 2 strikers at home every match and be more attacking in a control and pro active way, then he will win me over. The positive vibe at kick off was great against Brentford, but where have you been Masicat for the last three months ? or most of the season when we park the bus in most of the away games i went to early in season. and seemed content with a draw at home. Were you happy with that?
I know Luzon only been there 5 or 6 matches and if he understands now how to set the team up now so be it.
I could have told them after the first match at Brentford.
After your 1000 games following Charlton compared to GL's 5 or 6
That's why they should have made me head coach!
In football as in life you need to be in credit.
Guy Luzon came in with the biggest debt since ???
But if he can at least to be seen to set the team up and they play with a bit of passion and skill, then whatever the result Luzon will get respect from the crowd, Good Friday ?
Katrien and Roland it will take longer because of the various issues of the past year.
Taking over in Jan when we hadn't won for so long and the crowd were tense is tough, plus he can't confront Katrien or Roland or he will be out of work again.
I have seen the worst of times and the best of times in 5 days ?
Comments
Credit to Luzon for the win that was snatched against Rotherham.
Credit to Luzon for the comeback against Norwich.
Credit to Luzon for the thrashing of high flying Brentford.
Season starts Friday.
Johnny did what he was asked, to perfection.
He gave sensible and non controversial answers and I don't think you can take much from what he said, at a public & filmed meeting.
It was when he and Watt were allowed to leave, that it got more heated.
the performance against Brentford was a tissue of lies.
JJ is a master of deceit, a captain of whoppers if you like.
it is endemic throughout the club.
i don't even think we're really playing Wigan on Friday anymore.
KM says that he wants her to be the face of the club. I'm sure he does, it's very convenient for him, but you only need to look at her cv to know that she is unlikely to be a strong and capable leader for the business and so it has proven.
Unfortunately, the only people who will sit as directors on this board other than the two Belgians are likely to be there for personal reasons rather than because they can exercise any useful input.
Still think he was an odd, if not the wrong, appointment, even if we do continue to improve.
And then, when it is decided that JJ has, in fact, lied, when talking as a spokesman for the club directly to a meeting of several hundred fans, that is seen to be perfectly fine and acceptable.
Obviously when KM is suspected of towing the PR line, it the absolute limit - words like 'lies', 'deceit', 'ripping the heart out of the club', and 'puppet' abound and people start calling for heads to roll.
If you are liked, you can clearly do no wrong - if you are not, you can clearly do no right!
If all the above is true, then I have a bit more respect for Luzon as manager as it appears he hasn't just jumped in with both feet, it shows some thought has gone into what he is doing.
Of course he could just as well be prodding about in the dark hoping something clicks...
Luzon has definitely been fiddling with the formation/selection a little bit since he started, it depends on how charitable you are trying to be: did he have a plan all along and was trying to find the best way to implement it? Or was he trying everything in the desperate hope something would work? The fact he's gone with two up front but only once with two recognised strikers could go either way frankly with our injury record.
The really irritating things is thanks to two or three nasty injuries he CAN'T get consistency on Friday, there will need to be changes and probably a few kids on the bench even if Eagles does land in the next two days.
When the video of the meeting has been viewed, you will make up your own minds but I'm finding myself ( not for the first time) in the Inbetweeners' camp. Yes, I still have reservations about the network & whether it can work in England. Yes, I do believe that the truth has been somewhat embroidered since the start of this season. But I also believe that the current regime is learning some lessons , albeit late in the day & frustratingly assistance offered by those with valuable knowledge from past seasons has been shrugged aside. As a result, said lessons may be painfully slow in their acceptance.
It remains to be seen how fans will react to ticket prices when they are unveiled, but Katrien stated that the Crossbars fiasco will not be repeated & that Block A will be addressed. We were assured that non Belgian/non network players ARE considered and of course the arrival of RJ , Henders ( both readily accepted by fans) are a case in point while whoever manages the team continues to play "our" lads - JJ, CS, JC, RW, CH with JG & KAG regularly featuring in the matchday squad . And only time will tell whether GL & CAFC are a match made in heaven or the other place.....
I spoke briefly with RM whilst we were at SL on Monday morning and he came over to us at the end of last night's meeting for a word. On Monday, as she stated last night, Katrien was in Belgium discussing the "c" word with RD as it has clearly been acknowledged that there is a gaping hole between Club & its fans. Richard also said that he is an advocate of the network concept but does realise that fans are ever conscious of an owner who has , and clearly wishes to maintain, no emotional ties to our Club....something which is alien to those supporting the Club for many years. And I am mindful of RD's desire for success both in the Championship initially and in the PL in the future although some decisions made since the summer have given cause for a big question mark in this area. To continue up the league & finish mid table will probably equate to a successful season in RD's book & to most fans whilst the obvious concerns of relegation will be pushed to the back of our minds. It then remains for our owner & his manager to demonstrate their cunning plan for an onwards & upwards climb during the close season when I believe we'll learn more about the strategy than we have been allowed thus far.
Finally, Mr F's appraisal of last night's meeting was important to me. He had not encountered Katrien before and had no preconceived idea of what to expect. He felt that the reassurances we were given were genuine , that Katrien was as honest as she possibly could be , that she dealt with the questions posed very competently & that the future is not as dark as some have painted...BUT the key word is TIME, for both the new manager & for the concept in general. Those who know Mr F will testify that he is a deep thinker & doesn't waste his words but is not one to be overly swayed by the opinion of others. His thoughts after tonight's meeting will be worth hearing IMO.
Fanny "Splinters" Fanackapan
I think that's what Jacko was referring to.
Fact
Since his arrival points have been added to our total
How you can judge someone after such a short period I don't know
Very short memories some of u have
We was in a playoff place when Powell took over and his first few months were dreadfully poor and down the table we slid
Give him a chance
"What's going on down here? I just spoke to some of your lads in tunnel and they're not happy with whats going on."
On the video Katrien says that when Peeters was appointed it was as she said 'for the long term'. Peeters was given a one year contract, and sacked after about half a season and one transfer window.
She now says (take a very deep breath Seth) that Luzon is here for the 'long term' now. I hope to goodness that Luzons 'long term' is the one transfer window he has had, and no longer than to the end of this excruciating season (earlier if possible would be the ideal for me), that would be consistent with what Katrien describes as the 'long term'.
Luzon has only won one match in six. That's about 7 wins a season or 21 points if you like, he has had two draws in six, about 14 draws in a season...add it all together and that is about 35 points in a season.
Bit of a gap to fill between 35 points and mid table obscurity, let alone the play offs, let alone promotion. Why have faith in Luzon when at the moment his points return is so poor? It will get better I hear you all declare, well my answer is if it doesn't then it is relegation form isn't it?
We hear that we have a dictatorship who will brook no other perspective, which is fair enough because it is Roland's money. So if they're so great why are we not in the top six? Could it be the fan's fault? Could it bollocks, they want our trust, faith and backing, and in return we get crap results and miserable experiences.
So how long does this 'chance' for Luzon/Miere/Duchatelet last?
because we decided every one would defend and we marked each other instead
of the other side.
Against Norwich the first half was in my top 3 depressing 45 mins of football
and i have seen over a 1000 cafc games.
The second half he made the change which most of the people were telling him to
do. bring on Watt, and keep igor on , which he failed to do against Rotherham.
Agree credit for picking a side with every one playing in their best position and being more attacking minded against Brentford.
Not having an agenda either way, not being pro or anti Roland i get hacked off with the in fighting.
If he becomes the first coach to realize you have to play 2 strikers at home every match and be more attacking in a control and pro active way, then he will win me over.
The positive vibe at kick off was great against Brentford,
but where have you been Masicat for the last three months ?
or most of the season when we park the bus in most of the away games i went to early in season. and seemed content with a draw at home.
Were you happy with that?
I know Luzon only been there 5 or 6 matches and if he understands now how to set the team up now so be it.
I could have told them after the first match at Brentford.
Of course the other risk is that by the time they are prepared to take advice from the old guard, there may not be any of them left.
I'm not happy with how things are. I wasn't happy 2 seasons ago either. There is an emotional narrative connected to football that probably isn't there with electronics and I would like at least an acknowledgement of that from KM/RD, in actions. For me, jury is still out on GL, prepared to give him more games before I work out whether I like him or not and more importantly his football.
When Riga came in, he clearly had decided every member of the playing staff had a clean slate. This was shown by him playing Pritchard in one of his early home games, when a lot of supporters had given him up, and never wanted to see him in a Charlton shirt ever again. Later Riga is seen as some kind of genius, but turning around the team's form.
Luzon may well have done the same thing. But Luzon had the serious disadvantage of a) not having the team's no. 1 keeper. (Can we now, at least, all agree that Henderson is our first choice keeper?) b) not having Bulot available, as he was away at the ACoN. (Whatever else, surely it must be accepted that Bulot's emergence on the left wing has made us look a much more balanced side?)
Also, he has had to see and accept that some players had lost form. (The exact science of hindsight means that some are now saying, "I knew signing Bikey was a mistake!" I hope we are all honest enough to admit that if Bikey had been dropped after 5 games, we would have ALL been calling for the manager's head!)
All these things take time. He has looked at the squad, the players, and has seen a few important players become available, who he did not have access to, when he first arrived.
So, of course it's taken a while...
If BP had stayed, what were you expecting from the following 5 games? Personally I'd say the best I could have expected would be:
Wolves away - Loss
Rotherham at home - Win
'Boro away - Loss
Norwich at home - Loss
Brentford at home - An optimistic draw
So, 4 points from 5 games. In fact we picked up 5 from 5. Not outstanding by any stretch of the imagination but also not unexpected.
In football as in life you need to be in credit.
Guy Luzon came in with the biggest debt since ???
But if he can at least to be seen to set the team up and they play with a bit of passion and skill, then whatever the result Luzon will get respect from the crowd,
Good Friday ?
Katrien and Roland it will take longer because of the various issues of the past year.
Taking over in Jan when we hadn't won for so long and the crowd were tense is tough, plus he can't confront Katrien or Roland or he will be out of work again.
I have seen the worst of times and the best of times in 5 days ?
confused ? you will be.