i honestly just see this as RD making some one "the face" of recruitment to act as an extra buffer between the fans' anger and those sitting on laptops in belgium using football manager to find players.
You could be right but I think there has been a realisation that what they have done before has failed. Now I'm not suggesting that everything will change but LL is being brought in for many of the reasons expressed by Grapevine not because RD wants to fob off the fans with a token Brit. I believe Roland knows that if he wants Championship football again he has to box a bit more clever.
The problem as I see it will be that we will still try to make signings of the cheap. British cheap instead of foreign.
Forget the ownership for 5 minutes and these emotional "anecdotes". I sometimes wonder if people think football clubs are run like a kindergarten.
For players and coaches the bottom line has to be "it is a business - it is a job". That has to be their focus. We need it to be their focus. On the few occasions I was around him he always seemed courteous and professional.
Neither Jack Charlton or Brian Clough could remember half of their players names when they were on the training pitch. They simply called the players by the numbers on the back of the shirt. Woe betide the player if they forget their shirt number!!
This club is crying out for a smidgen of the industry knowledge Lawrence has after 35 active years in the game.
Can we in gods name not give someone a bit of respect? His CV as a Director of Football/ Chief Scout is tailor made for our current situation.
Lawrence was appointed our manager in 1982.
We came close to going out of business in 1984, leaving the Valley in 1985.
He kept us in 2nd division and gained promotion in 1986. He kept us in the 1st division for 4yrs.
After 8 seasons in 91/92 he moved to Middlesboro, a club with significantly greater resources, just as any other professional would. Promoted to the Premier League they were relegated in 92/93.
He joined Bradford C (Div. 2) for 94/95. They finished mid-table.
He left to manage Luton (Div. 1) who were relegated 95/96. He stayed at Luton until 2000.
Luton later fell into non-league as a result of points docked points due the actions of club directors.
He joined Div. 1 side Grimsby 2000/01. They avoided relegation. Made a decent start to 2001/2 but was sacked later in the season after Grimsby dropped to the bottom of the table.
He joined Div. 2 Cardiff C as a consultant taking over as manager 2002. In his first full season Cardiff won promotion beating QPR in 2003 2nd division play offs. He stayed for a further 2yrs.
He was Director of Football at Bristol Rovers in a two-tier managerial structure 2005. In the first full season they won promotion into League 1 after winning the play-offs. He left the club (still in League 1) in 2010.
In 2010 he joined non-league Carshalton in a consultancy role then was appointed technical director at Hereford in League 2.
In Jan 2011, he was appointed assistant manager at Palace to support Freedman. Was appointed joint-caretaker manager but within a week joined Freedman at Bolton. At the end of the season 2012/3 season Bolton missed out on a Play Off place to Leicester C.
He left Bolton in October 2014 and later joined Freedman as assistant manager at Forest in early 2015.
The guy is steeped in industry knowledge across all levels of the game, after 40yrs actively involved in the game he will have the many contacts and inside knowledge of the market we are crying out for.
Whether a) this is more smoke and mirrors by this regime or b) they will empower him to do the job we need done are very different questions.
However in preference to the likes of possible sundry Belgian, Israeli, Serbian appointees the possible recruitment of someone with the profile of Lawrence is the nearest thing approaching sanity seen in almost 2yrs.
So, things have got that bad the CV above is something we should be bowled over with? He might of been in the game for the best part of 40 years but to honest the experience is mostly kicking around the lower reaches of football. Maybe that's where we will be in 12 month, he would be a shoe in then.
I always thought Les Reed was made for that job at our club but once again our font of all knowledge leader of the day knew better and gave him an impossible job.
I was never a fan of Lennie Lawrence after 21st September 1985, that was the worst ever day for me as a Charlton supporter at the time our last ever game at the Valley, at the end of the game the only person who would come out and talk to the supporters was Steve Gritt and the week after Lennie Lawrence said it was a good move for Charlton to go to Selhurst Park, he also called the supporters punters saying they would soon start coming to watch Charlton at Crystal Palace. In the 1985/86 season he was the first Charlton manager to be given funds to buy players and to be fair he bought well and got us promoted and kept us up for 4 years but we went down with Millwall 13 points from safety and struggled the following year in division 2 then he got the Middlesbrough job and tried to mug us off offering 2 hundred thousand for Rob Lee when we needed all the money we could get for him to return to the Valley
Assuming there might be some truth in this.......If his role is to support Riga (or whoever is manager/coach) then I'd be in favour. I think Riga is ok as a coach and has made a difference in the way we play since he returned. But removing him over the summer and having a 68 year old who hasn't had any day to day management experience in the last 11 years doesn't look too clever to me.
Lawrence returning to Charlton in some sort of assistant manager role would be fine, and, recognition by the owner that more experience of UK football is required at the club.
Another human shield for the regime to hide behind? Huge respect for all he did with the club, but not sure about this for a number of reasons.
If it did happen it would only be a matter of time (months even given the current regime's turnover of managers) before the Director of Football is asked to take over as interim manager.
Lennie did a fantastic job before but the manager post at the moment is a poisoned chalice given Duchatelet's interference with his network player policy and Meire's total mishandling of transfer negotiations/loan deals.
Might paper over a few cracks briefly but a Director of Football post offers no long term solution with this owner and his woefully flakey CEO still pulling the strings at the top.
Yann Kermorgant saw through it all right at the start. The re-building process can only really begin in earnest once Duchatelet and Meire are gone.
Another human shield for the regime to hide behind? Huge respect for all he did with the club, but not sure about this for a number of reasons.
If it did happen it would only be a matter of time (months even given the current regime's turnover of managers) before the Director of Football is asked to take over as interim manager.
Lennie did a fantastic job before but the manager post at the moment is a poisoned chalice given Duchatelet's interference with his network player policy and Meire's total mishandling of transfer negotiations/loan deals.
Might paper over a few cracks briefly but a Director of Football post offers no long term solution with this owner and his woefully flakey CEO still pulling the strings at the top.
Yann Kermorgant saw through it all right at the start. The re-building process can only really begin in earnest once Duchatelet and Meire are gone.
I'm a big LL fan, but bear in mind the possibility that he approached Charlton rather than the other way around. Murray was on the board for all of three months while LL was manager so they know each other but not well.
Hard to see how the club can get anywhere with Meire involved in the football set-up.
"According to reports, Charlton want Lawrence to be a part of the mass board level structure changes set to take place at the club and are keen on using his experience to appoint a capable head of recruitment."
Hopefully Meire goes as part of the mass board level structure change.
If there are indeed mass board level changes without a change of owner number 1 is Katrien. Without a new CEO, any other changes are cosmetic and will not be accepted.
I also think that tony panda should do one.
Maybe, if they do not have new roles we could rehire the head of security, the head of communications and the head of commercial (may have some of those titles wrong)...
They probably won't return under M. Deuxmerde though.
20 years too late, would much rather have Curbs back!
I'm not sure Curbs would be right for a DOF role at this stage, I think he'd want to be too hands on with the running of the first team, if the club are going for this sort of structure.
And other than a couple of short spells at Fulham, Curbs has barely worked in 7/8 years! Lawrence will have a lot more relevant contacts in football
Firstly, lets get a decent chief scout in to help assemble a team for next season. And even more importantly, lets see the back of Murray, Meire and Duchatelet and we might get somewhere.
"According to reports, Charlton want Lawrence to be a part of the mass board level structure changes set to take place at the club and are keen on using his experience to appoint a capable head of recruitment."
Hopefully Meire goes as part of the mass board level structure change.
thought the Board is RD, KM and RM. Can't see too many 'mass' changes happening there.
In my opinion this is all being spun by the Club in an attempt to make fans think that things are going to change and renew their season tickets as a result. Do they think we are stupid?
Comments
To be fair though, it's really good of you to say those kind words about him - I'm sure its like him hearing he's won a manager of the year award.
The problem as I see it will be that we will still try to make signings of the cheap. British cheap instead of foreign.
He might of been in the game for the best part of 40 years but to honest the experience is mostly kicking around the lower reaches of football. Maybe that's where we will be in 12 month, he would be a shoe in then.
I always thought Les Reed was made for that job at our club but once again our font of all knowledge leader of the day knew better and gave him an impossible job.
In the 1985/86 season he was the first Charlton manager to be given funds to buy players and to be fair he bought well and got us promoted and kept us up for 4 years but we went down with Millwall 13 points from safety and struggled the following year in division 2 then he got the Middlesbrough job and tried to mug us off offering 2 hundred thousand for Rob Lee when we needed all the money we could get for him to return to the Valley
Lennie Lawrence was just too Sarf London for Douchebag.
Lawrence returning to Charlton in some sort of assistant manager role would be fine, and, recognition by the owner that more experience of UK football is required at the club.
Lennie did a fantastic job before but the manager post at the moment is a poisoned chalice given Duchatelet's interference with his network player policy and Meire's total mishandling of transfer negotiations/loan deals.
Might paper over a few cracks briefly but a Director of Football post offers no long term solution with this owner and his woefully flakey CEO still pulling the strings at the top.
Yann Kermorgant saw through it all right at the start.
The re-building process can only really begin in earnest once Duchatelet and Meire are gone.
Hard to see how the club can get anywhere with Meire involved in the football set-up.
Freedman of course, got the bullet a few months ago & that twonk Paul Williams is temporarrily in charge and Forest haven't won a game under him.
It's reasonable to assume by choice or otherwise Lennie will be gone in the summer and wants a new job.
He won't be going back to Palace so Charlton or Millwall would be ideal, bearing in mind he lives in Locks Bottom.
If Lennie has been at Charlton's last 3 games, when he should be at Forest, it's reasonable to assume he's coming here.
Lennie Lawrence; or if he takes on this job ?
Born again, Red Adair.
From locks bottom to Rock Bottom.
"According to reports, Charlton want Lawrence to be a part of the mass board level structure changes set to take place at the club and are keen on using his experience to appoint a capable head of recruitment."
Hopefully Meire goes as part of the mass board level structure change.
I also think that tony panda should do one.
Maybe, if they do not have new roles we could rehire the head of security, the head of communications and the head of commercial (may have some of those titles wrong)...
They probably won't return under M. Deuxmerde though.
Anyone know how viable this source is ?
And other than a couple of short spells at Fulham, Curbs has barely worked in 7/8 years! Lawrence will have a lot more relevant contacts in football
In my opinion this is all being spun by the Club in an attempt to make fans think that things are going to change and renew their season tickets as a result. Do they think we are stupid?
Not the best Manager we've had since the early 90's (i.e my supporting time). That was Curbishley, then Powell, then Riga definitely.
Pardew looked like such a good option, but in reality was a flop, I think we all knew it deep down too.
though now I'm questioning whether you meant Lennie or Riga then I realised I'm not on the Riga thread anymore, I'm back on the Lennie one.
Lennie would based on history for me be behind Seed.