I honestly doubted the vision behind it all but thought they addressed all the questions well, so much talk of scripted questions but they clearly answered some difficult ones? They conceded that it's not gone amazingly well so far but are committed to improvement? Much better than the last 4 boards have presented imo
You're easily pleased.
Rather that than approach everything everyone says with cynicism. What out of interest did you think it was missing and wasn't addressed amongst general fan concerns?
Substance, mostly. That was the kind of presentation that probably would work quite well if you pitched it at some American speculators looking to invest in that limey soccerball game but to a bunch of fans who've been sold a whole series of pigs in pokes recently it was fluff and soft-soap stuff at best.
Sign good players on a permanent basis, give them to a manager/coach with actual vision and charisma and then and only then will I be convinced that they are anything other than deluded at best, chancers at worst.
Again, did you want them to publically chastise staff members past and present and then publically reveal our list of transfer targets? Not even mouthy MacAntony is that naive. I feel like a lot of the frustration as more to do with Appleton than anything and they explained their rationale behind sticking with him, I'm not a huge fan of what we've seen from Mickey Apples but thought their reasoning was fair enough in that they want to see what he can do with a full squad available and try to bed in some consistency. There were people in the comments calling for us to go and appoint Steve Cooper and you have to wonder what fantasy land people are living in if you think we're an attractive option to him
Scott has been a success in the past two windows, do you think?
Probably not, but then again if you'd listen to the Q&A yourself as opposed to forming opinions based on text scraps in this thread then you might have heard their glowing reviews of Scott's work off the pitch, from the people that work with him day in day out, I thought his sole job was transfer responsibility but Rodwell in particular alluded to it being a far wider encompassing role than that and the 3 of them sung their praises for Scott, so willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and some more time given he came with a good rep from Forest and colleagues who work closely with him clearly like what he's doing as a wider piece. Do I think our transfers in the summer were good? Alfie and Lloyd aside, not really but then they also had rationale for that in that their takeover wasn't fully ratified by the EFL until quite late in the window when a lot of clubs were a lot further along with their business than us so held their hands up that it was a bit of a scramble and they got some things wrong
Yes his work colleagues, all on the same payroll being subsidised by the investors say he's doing a lot of good work at the training ground that will be with us for years.
Have only seen what's happening at the training ground on the pitch.
be good to hear Airmans take on all this but sounded a lot of old bollocks to me
I think the presentation was ill conceived given the audience but they wanted to convey that they had an understanding of the issues, so fair enough.
They didn’t persuade me that they really had a plan to address them and the failure to set or at least share clear objectives is a weakness.
i don’t buy the structure. it’s top heavy for L1. I was very sceptical about Paul Elliott’s involvement beforehand and he said nothing to persuade me I am wrong.
Took Carter at face value.
The club doesn’t need more consultants. All the expertise it needs to grow is in the fanbase but clearly it isn’t in the boardroom, which is a problem.
Thought the squad thing was nonsense and I don’t see Appleton being here long.
They are going to lose a lot of money. Rodwell may understand that. If the investors do too then fair enough and we may get there eventually, but it will be bumpy. Fingers crossed.
It’s all well and good dismissing all what they are planning, as Rowell stats he has happy to listen to opinions and ideas, would it not be more productive to put your thoughts forward to him and board or speak with CAST.?
I would have thought it would be more beneficial to the club and fans to make your proposals to the club how they could/should engage with fans. Would you be happy to do so ?
Whenever the club has asked me to help with something I have done so. That doesn’t change.
We have six senior players out injured at the moment, which is not unusual for us. (Taylor, Camara, Isted, Aneke, May, McGrandles).
In the 8+8 system, that would mean there's only 12 senior players available, so the bench would be full of youth players....... Which is exactly the situation we're in right now.
Genius!
16-6 = 10 players available plus Academy. If a couple of the 10 are out of form that gives you 8. Totally explains why we won't be getting promoted out of L1.
I honestly doubted the vision behind it all but thought they addressed all the questions well, so much talk of scripted questions but they clearly answered some difficult ones? They conceded that it's not gone amazingly well so far but are committed to improvement? Much better than the last 4 boards have presented imo
You're easily pleased.
Rather that than approach everything everyone says with cynicism. What out of interest did you think it was missing and wasn't addressed amongst general fan concerns?
Pretty much everything. Let me swing this round. What did they say with answers/solutions that addressed any of the fans concerns?
Sure,
1. They spoke on their approach to the valley ownership issues as something they are actively negotiating and working on
2. Gave rationale as to why Appleton's head isn't on the chopping block as of yet, essentially they want to see what he can do when players return from injury and spoke of having learnt lesson from everything Dean Holden
3.Addressed the number of late goals we are conceding at the moment and noted that a highly respected head of performance and fitness is joining us next Monday
4.Addressed concerns about being close to FFP and how that was very much not the case and the scrunity they faced from EFL when they finished the takeover
5.Had a realistic and prudent approach to funds being available for players but not wanting to overpay so we end up with less Kirk/Aneke situations
6.Addressed the concerns around CBT & Dobbos contracts directly, whilst it's not incredibly positive news there, what more can they do but make what they consider to be a good offer?
Just so you think I didn't perceive the entire thing as revolutionary, I was slightly concerned about their 5 year approach to being an established championship club, but given the general disorder and really thinking about the fact we've been in league one for as long as we have with a squad low on quality, it's probably prudent to take a measured approach to building us back up again, overall I thought there was a lot of positivity to be taken from their words but alas, we will see how it all unfolds in reality.
Contradicts what’s been communicated to Swisdom and Dubai a bit if loans are going to be the focus
Again that wasn’t said, he said permanent bids are in and it’s a bit of a waiting game but if they don’t get over the line then it might have to be some loans until the summer but it’s not for the want of trying.
It was said, clear as day. I'm assuming he misspoke because he also said things that directly contradicted it, but he absolutely said it.
My take on that was that he was saying the longer term focus was to be buying and developing our own players - that's the plan. But they acknowledge where we are and so we might be getting loans in to fill gaps in the short term. But only if those loan players are better than what we've already got.
Which I think is fair enough and sounds sensible in theory. It's not a question of "just permanent signings" or "just loan signings", but if we can't get bodies through the door permanently then loans would help us fill in.
Ultimately they could have said anything. People would have read as much or as little into it as their bias would let them. FWIW I think it was a good starting point, if they do more of these it’s a good sign. As a lot of people have said it’s actions not words!
I honestly doubted the vision behind it all but thought they addressed all the questions well, so much talk of scripted questions but they clearly answered some difficult ones? They conceded that it's not gone amazingly well so far but are committed to improvement? Much better than the last 4 boards have presented imo
You're easily pleased.
Rather that than approach everything everyone says with cynicism. What out of interest did you think it was missing and wasn't addressed amongst general fan concerns?
Substance, mostly. That was the kind of presentation that probably would work quite well if you pitched it at some American speculators looking to invest in that limey soccerball game but to a bunch of fans who've been sold a whole series of pigs in pokes recently it was fluff and soft-soap stuff at best.
Sign good players on a permanent basis, give them to a manager/coach with actual vision and charisma and then and only then will I be convinced that they are anything other than deluded at best, chancers at worst.
Again, did you want them to publically chastise staff members past and present and then publically reveal our list of transfer targets? Not even mouthy MacAntony is that naive. I feel like a lot of the frustration as more to do with Appleton than anything and they explained their rationale behind sticking with him, I'm not a huge fan of what we've seen from Mickey Apples but thought their reasoning was fair enough in that they want to see what he can do with a full squad available and try to bed in some consistency. There were people in the comments calling for us to go and appoint Steve Cooper and you have to wonder what fantasy land people are living in if you think we're an attractive option to him
Scott has been a success in the past two windows, do you think?
Probably not, but then again if you'd listen to the Q&A yourself as opposed to forming opinions based on text scraps in this thread then you might have heard their glowing reviews of Scott's work off the pitch, from the people that work with him day in day out, I thought his sole job was transfer responsibility but Rodwell in particular alluded to it being a far wider encompassing role than that and the 3 of them sung their praises for Scott, so willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and some more time given he came with a good rep from Forest and colleagues who work closely with him clearly like what he's doing as a wider piece. Do I think our transfers in the summer were good? Alfie and Lloyd aside, not really but then they also had rationale for that in that their takeover wasn't fully ratified by the EFL until quite late in the window when a lot of clubs were a lot further along with their business than us so held their hands up that it was a bit of a scramble and they got some things wrong
Yes his work colleagues, all on the same payroll being subsidised by the investors say he's doing a lot of good work at the training ground that will be with us for years.
Have only seen what's happening at the training ground on the pitch.
And it's been bloody awful.
Are you 100% positive about every single one of your work colleagues assuming that you don't own your business? If so you're just as bad as those who you seem to hate
Deliberately posting without reading as I wanted to share a few thoughts without being in any way influenced by others.
I took some notes during the meeting in order to look back on them at a later date ...Maybe to check that it wasn't just talk that we heard tonight but the precursor to the "walk" we so badly need...maybe call that the marathon ?
My overriding impression was how refreshing it was to finally hear some straight talking, especially from Jim Rodwell who really impressed me. At no point did I feel he was A Nother bullsht**er- a million miles away from Guitar Man who treated us on the whole as idiots during his tenure.
This was a man who commanded my respect from the start and there was nothing throughout the meeting to change that. An honest guy who knows we have previous for identifying those who've lied through their teeth time & time again. A Chairman/MD I felt I could trust from the start.
Bold statements indeed, Fanny and maybe I'm just a pushover ? Only time and actions will prove me right or sadly wrong. And this could come back to haunt me big time, of course , but as on the pitch, I say what I see ( and in this case, what I hear)
Jim's colleagues too were well worth listening to, albeit that he had the lion's share of the event.
Regarding the items on their agenda, I was pleasantly surprised how well thought out was their presentation of how the way forward will be in both their hands and those of the shareholders. Simplistic but informative and covering 80% of what we, the faithful, needed to know. Far more professional than their predecessors and as a result, far more compelling. Won't even mention a certain Belgian CEO....
SO many issues were flagged up, with pretty much each one having a defined pathway for improvement. And the slightly "iffy" issues that remained uncovered were readily & sensibly answered when posed by Heather, Lucy or fans calling in. Nearing the finish time of the meeting, I wondered whether MA's position would be queried plus questions regarding CBT & Dobbo's contracts, Charlton TV, the restrictions on parking, Duchatelet's ownership and whether the investors are in it for the long haul & prepared to spend to achieve our longer term goals.
But, have no fear, Chairman Jim is here & everything ended on a very satisfactory note as far as I am concerned.
Yes, the challenges are numerous. But a huge degree of work & thought has clearly been invested in identifying them together with constructive ways in which to turn them into positives.
Finally, before I don my tin hat, 4 words were uttered tonight as being benchmarks for taking our beloved club forwards : Sustainability, Success, Financial Security and Pride in out club.
Those words will hopefully come to the fore as Charlton Athletic enters yet another phase in its history.
Plus one word which is already used in 2 of the institutions allied with our club....
I honestly doubted the vision behind it all but thought they addressed all the questions well, so much talk of scripted questions but they clearly answered some difficult ones? They conceded that it's not gone amazingly well so far but are committed to improvement? Much better than the last 4 boards have presented imo
You're easily pleased.
Rather that than approach everything everyone says with cynicism. What out of interest did you think it was missing and wasn't addressed amongst general fan concerns?
Pretty much everything. Let me swing this round. What did they say with answers/solutions that addressed any of the fans concerns?
Sure,
1. They spoke on their approach to the valley ownership issues as something they are actively negotiating and working on
2. Gave rationale as to why Appleton's head isn't on the chopping block as of yet, essentially they want to see what he can do when players return from injury and spoke of having learnt lesson from everything Dean Holden
3.Addressed the number of late goals we are conceding at the moment and noted that a highly respected head of performance and fitness is joining us next Monday 4.Addressed concerns about being close to FFP and how that was very much not the case and the scrunity they faced from EFL when they finished the takeover
5.Had a realistic and prudent approach to funds being available for players but not wanting to overpay so we end up with less Kirk/Aneke situations
6.Addressed the concerns around CBT & Dobbos contracts directly, whilst it's not incredibly positive news there, what more can they do but make what they consider to be a good offer?
Just so you think I didn't perceive the entire thing as revolutionary, I was slightly concerned about their 5 year approach to being an established championship club, but given the general disorder and really thinking about the fact we've been in league one for as long as we have with a squad low on quality, it's probably prudent to take a measured approach to building us back up again, overall I thought there was a lot of positivity to be taken from their words but alas, we will see how it all unfolds in reality.
Methven is on record - on his own podcast - claiming that this limited the club’s signings and he had to write to the EFL to explain why they had exceeded the threshold. Am I misunderstanding?
Contradicts what’s been communicated to Swisdom and Dubai a bit if loans are going to be the focus
Again that wasn’t said, he said permanent bids are in and it’s a bit of a waiting game but if they don’t get over the line then it might have to be some loans until the summer but it’s not for the want of trying.
It was said, clear as day. I'm assuming he misspoke because he also said things that directly contradicted it, but he absolutely said it.
My take on that was that he was saying the longer term focus was to be buying and developing our own players - that's the plan. But they acknowledge where we are and so we might be getting loans in to fill gaps in the short term. But only if those loan players are better than what we've already got.
Which I think is fair enough and sounds sensible in theory. It's not a question of "just permanent signings" or "just loan signings", but if we can't get bodies through the door permanently then loans would help us fill in.
I honestly doubted the vision behind it all but thought they addressed all the questions well, so much talk of scripted questions but they clearly answered some difficult ones? They conceded that it's not gone amazingly well so far but are committed to improvement? Much better than the last 4 boards have presented imo
You're easily pleased.
Rather that than approach everything everyone says with cynicism. What out of interest did you think it was missing and wasn't addressed amongst general fan concerns?
Pretty much everything. Let me swing this round. What did they say with answers/solutions that addressed any of the fans concerns?
Sure,
1. They spoke on their approach to the valley ownership issues as something they are actively negotiating and working on
2. Gave rationale as to why Appleton's head isn't on the chopping block as of yet, essentially they want to see what he can do when players return from injury and spoke of having learnt lesson from everything Dean Holden
3.Addressed the number of late goals we are conceding at the moment and noted that a highly respected head of performance and fitness is joining us next Monday
4.Addressed concerns about being close to FFP and how that was very much not the case and the scrunity they faced from EFL when they finished the takeover
5.Had a realistic and prudent approach to funds being available for players but not wanting to overpay so we end up with less Kirk/Aneke situations
6.Addressed the concerns around CBT & Dobbos contracts directly, whilst it's not incredibly positive news there, what more can they do but make what they consider to be a good offer?
Just so you think I didn't perceive the entire thing as revolutionary, I was slightly concerned about their 5 year approach to being an established championship club, but given the general disorder and really thinking about the fact we've been in league one for as long as we have with a squad low on quality, it's probably prudent to take a measured approach to building us back up again, overall I thought there was a lot of positivity to be taken from their words but alas, we will see how it all unfolds in reality.
Charlie Methven said in August that we were very close to FFP
Who do we believe?
It's NOT good when one part of the SMT lies to us when we weren't signing permanent transfers in August.
I honestly doubted the vision behind it all but thought they addressed all the questions well, so much talk of scripted questions but they clearly answered some difficult ones? They conceded that it's not gone amazingly well so far but are committed to improvement? Much better than the last 4 boards have presented imo
You're easily pleased.
Rather that than approach everything everyone says with cynicism. What out of interest did you think it was missing and wasn't addressed amongst general fan concerns?
Substance, mostly. That was the kind of presentation that probably would work quite well if you pitched it at some American speculators looking to invest in that limey soccerball game but to a bunch of fans who've been sold a whole series of pigs in pokes recently it was fluff and soft-soap stuff at best.
Sign good players on a permanent basis, give them to a manager/coach with actual vision and charisma and then and only then will I be convinced that they are anything other than deluded at best, chancers at worst.
Again, did you want them to publically chastise staff members past and present and then publically reveal our list of transfer targets? Not even mouthy MacAntony is that naive. I feel like a lot of the frustration as more to do with Appleton than anything and they explained their rationale behind sticking with him, I'm not a huge fan of what we've seen from Mickey Apples but thought their reasoning was fair enough in that they want to see what he can do with a full squad available and try to bed in some consistency. There were people in the comments calling for us to go and appoint Steve Cooper and you have to wonder what fantasy land people are living in if you think we're an attractive option to him
Scott has been a success in the past two windows, do you think?
Probably not, but then again if you'd listen to the Q&A yourself as opposed to forming opinions based on text scraps in this thread then you might have heard their glowing reviews of Scott's work off the pitch, from the people that work with him day in day out, I thought his sole job was transfer responsibility but Rodwell in particular alluded to it being a far wider encompassing role than that and the 3 of them sung their praises for Scott, so willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and some more time given he came with a good rep from Forest and colleagues who work closely with him clearly like what he's doing as a wider piece. Do I think our transfers in the summer were good? Alfie and Lloyd aside, not really but then they also had rationale for that in that their takeover wasn't fully ratified by the EFL until quite late in the window when a lot of clubs were a lot further along with their business than us so held their hands up that it was a bit of a scramble and they got some things wrong
"Probably not" is good enough for me.
As for listening to bull**** for 90 minutes, no thanks.
I didn't see the discussion but will try to watch the catch-up.
I think I generally welcome the management trying to communicate with fans but, at the same time, they are on a bit of a hiding to nothing doing it at the moment. The state of the club and the mood in the fan base is such that only thing that is going to win anyone over or satisfy anyone is promotion to the Championship. Until that is achieved, whatever any ownership does, not matter how well thought out, funded, or intentioned will be met with scorn and cynicism if it fails to deliver promotion, whether due to incompetence or bad luck.
That may be unfair on this lot, or the next lot, if they are genuinely trying to do the right things but that is the reality of it. So, in my opinion, they may as well save their breath and just focus on running the club if they truly believe they can get us up sooner than later.
I honestly doubted the vision behind it all but thought they addressed all the questions well, so much talk of scripted questions but they clearly answered some difficult ones? They conceded that it's not gone amazingly well so far but are committed to improvement? Much better than the last 4 boards have presented imo
You're easily pleased.
Rather that than approach everything everyone says with cynicism. What out of interest did you think it was missing and wasn't addressed amongst general fan concerns?
Pretty much everything. Let me swing this round. What did they say with answers/solutions that addressed any of the fans concerns?
Sure,
1. They spoke on their approach to the valley ownership issues as something they are actively negotiating and working on
2. Gave rationale as to why Appleton's head isn't on the chopping block as of yet, essentially they want to see what he can do when players return from injury and spoke of having learnt lesson from everything Dean Holden
3.Addressed the number of late goals we are conceding at the moment and noted that a highly respected head of performance and fitness is joining us next Monday 4.Addressed concerns about being close to FFP and how that was very much not the case and the scrunity they faced from EFL when they finished the takeover
5.Had a realistic and prudent approach to funds being available for players but not wanting to overpay so we end up with less Kirk/Aneke situations
6.Addressed the concerns around CBT & Dobbos contracts directly, whilst it's not incredibly positive news there, what more can they do but make what they consider to be a good offer?
Just so you think I didn't perceive the entire thing as revolutionary, I was slightly concerned about their 5 year approach to being an established championship club, but given the general disorder and really thinking about the fact we've been in league one for as long as we have with a squad low on quality, it's probably prudent to take a measured approach to building us back up again, overall I thought there was a lot of positivity to be taken from their words but alas, we will see how it all unfolds in reality.
Methven is on record - on his own podcast - claiming that this limited the club’s signings and he had to write to the EFL to explain why they had exceeded the threshold. Am I misunderstanding?
I honestly doubted the vision behind it all but thought they addressed all the questions well, so much talk of scripted questions but they clearly answered some difficult ones? They conceded that it's not gone amazingly well so far but are committed to improvement? Much better than the last 4 boards have presented imo
You're easily pleased.
Rather that than approach everything everyone says with cynicism. What out of interest did you think it was missing and wasn't addressed amongst general fan concerns?
Substance, mostly. That was the kind of presentation that probably would work quite well if you pitched it at some American speculators looking to invest in that limey soccerball game but to a bunch of fans who've been sold a whole series of pigs in pokes recently it was fluff and soft-soap stuff at best.
Sign good players on a permanent basis, give them to a manager/coach with actual vision and charisma and then and only then will I be convinced that they are anything other than deluded at best, chancers at worst.
Again, did you want them to publically chastise staff members past and present and then publically reveal our list of transfer targets? Not even mouthy MacAntony is that naive. I feel like a lot of the frustration as more to do with Appleton than anything and they explained their rationale behind sticking with him, I'm not a huge fan of what we've seen from Mickey Apples but thought their reasoning was fair enough in that they want to see what he can do with a full squad available and try to bed in some consistency. There were people in the comments calling for us to go and appoint Steve Cooper and you have to wonder what fantasy land people are living in if you think we're an attractive option to him
Scott has been a success in the past two windows, do you think?
Probably not, but then again if you'd listen to the Q&A yourself as opposed to forming opinions based on text scraps in this thread then you might have heard their glowing reviews of Scott's work off the pitch, from the people that work with him day in day out, I thought his sole job was transfer responsibility but Rodwell in particular alluded to it being a far wider encompassing role than that and the 3 of them sung their praises for Scott, so willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and some more time given he came with a good rep from Forest and colleagues who work closely with him clearly like what he's doing as a wider piece. Do I think our transfers in the summer were good? Alfie and Lloyd aside, not really but then they also had rationale for that in that their takeover wasn't fully ratified by the EFL until quite late in the window when a lot of clubs were a lot further along with their business than us so held their hands up that it was a bit of a scramble and they got some things wrong
Yes his work colleagues, all on the same payroll being subsidised by the investors say he's doing a lot of good work at the training ground that will be with us for years.
Have only seen what's happening at the training ground on the pitch.
And it's been bloody awful.
Are you 100% positive about every single one of your work colleagues assuming that you don't own your business? If so you're just as bad as those who you seem to hate
I honestly doubted the vision behind it all but thought they addressed all the questions well, so much talk of scripted questions but they clearly answered some difficult ones? They conceded that it's not gone amazingly well so far but are committed to improvement? Much better than the last 4 boards have presented imo
You're easily pleased.
Rather that than approach everything everyone says with cynicism. What out of interest did you think it was missing and wasn't addressed amongst general fan concerns?
Substance, mostly. That was the kind of presentation that probably would work quite well if you pitched it at some American speculators looking to invest in that limey soccerball game but to a bunch of fans who've been sold a whole series of pigs in pokes recently it was fluff and soft-soap stuff at best.
Sign good players on a permanent basis, give them to a manager/coach with actual vision and charisma and then and only then will I be convinced that they are anything other than deluded at best, chancers at worst.
Again, did you want them to publically chastise staff members past and present and then publically reveal our list of transfer targets? Not even mouthy MacAntony is that naive. I feel like a lot of the frustration as more to do with Appleton than anything and they explained their rationale behind sticking with him, I'm not a huge fan of what we've seen from Mickey Apples but thought their reasoning was fair enough in that they want to see what he can do with a full squad available and try to bed in some consistency. There were people in the comments calling for us to go and appoint Steve Cooper and you have to wonder what fantasy land people are living in if you think we're an attractive option to him
Scott has been a success in the past two windows, do you think?
Probably not, but then again if you'd listen to the Q&A yourself as opposed to forming opinions based on text scraps in this thread then you might have heard their glowing reviews of Scott's work off the pitch, from the people that work with him day in day out, I thought his sole job was transfer responsibility but Rodwell in particular alluded to it being a far wider encompassing role than that and the 3 of them sung their praises for Scott, so willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and some more time given he came with a good rep from Forest and colleagues who work closely with him clearly like what he's doing as a wider piece. Do I think our transfers in the summer were good? Alfie and Lloyd aside, not really but then they also had rationale for that in that their takeover wasn't fully ratified by the EFL until quite late in the window when a lot of clubs were a lot further along with their business than us so held their hands up that it was a bit of a scramble and they got some things wrong
"Probably not" is good enough for me.
As for listening to bull**** for 90 minutes, no thanks.
Interesting you're calling something youve not engaged with bullshit, almost like you've already made your mind up before hearing anything from the horse's mouth
I honestly doubted the vision behind it all but thought they addressed all the questions well, so much talk of scripted questions but they clearly answered some difficult ones? They conceded that it's not gone amazingly well so far but are committed to improvement? Much better than the last 4 boards have presented imo
You're easily pleased.
Rather that than approach everything everyone says with cynicism. What out of interest did you think it was missing and wasn't addressed amongst general fan concerns?
Substance, mostly. That was the kind of presentation that probably would work quite well if you pitched it at some American speculators looking to invest in that limey soccerball game but to a bunch of fans who've been sold a whole series of pigs in pokes recently it was fluff and soft-soap stuff at best.
Sign good players on a permanent basis, give them to a manager/coach with actual vision and charisma and then and only then will I be convinced that they are anything other than deluded at best, chancers at worst.
Again, did you want them to publically chastise staff members past and present and then publically reveal our list of transfer targets? Not even mouthy MacAntony is that naive. I feel like a lot of the frustration as more to do with Appleton than anything and they explained their rationale behind sticking with him, I'm not a huge fan of what we've seen from Mickey Apples but thought their reasoning was fair enough in that they want to see what he can do with a full squad available and try to bed in some consistency. There were people in the comments calling for us to go and appoint Steve Cooper and you have to wonder what fantasy land people are living in if you think we're an attractive option to him
Scott has been a success in the past two windows, do you think?
Probably not, but then again if you'd listen to the Q&A yourself as opposed to forming opinions based on text scraps in this thread then you might have heard their glowing reviews of Scott's work off the pitch, from the people that work with him day in day out, I thought his sole job was transfer responsibility but Rodwell in particular alluded to it being a far wider encompassing role than that and the 3 of them sung their praises for Scott, so willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and some more time given he came with a good rep from Forest and colleagues who work closely with him clearly like what he's doing as a wider piece. Do I think our transfers in the summer were good? Alfie and Lloyd aside, not really but then they also had rationale for that in that their takeover wasn't fully ratified by the EFL until quite late in the window when a lot of clubs were a lot further along with their business than us so held their hands up that it was a bit of a scramble and they got some things wrong
"Probably not" is good enough for me.
As for listening to bull**** for 90 minutes, no thanks.
Interesting you're calling something youve not engaged with bullshit, almost like you've already made your mind up before hearing anything from the horse's mouth
A fan of Meire and Duchatelet were you?
Too much rubbish from this mob for the past twelve months Charles.
Have only watched the first 30 mins so far. My initial optimism was 'a million miles improvement on the last 3 (perhaps 4) ownerships' in terms of seemingly getting it with a genuinely credible vision and plan.
Having been shot down with cynicism from mates within seconds of sharing those thoughts and skimming the comments on here that somewhat tempered my momentary hiatus out of the prolonged doom and gloom default position of being a Charlton fan for the last decade.
I think there needs to been an element of pragmatism and reality amongst our fan base. After seeing chancers in ESI and excessively exuberant but out of depth guitar playing ego merchants following a dour, soulless (in the footballing sense) Belgian semi conductor aficionado this bunch may be the best we have had for years or are likely to get.
The game is riddled with con men and chancers and ego maniacs. I may be wrong but I don't think any of the 3 involved tonight fit those camps (caveat I initially thought Southall came across as a good bloke to lead us to better times) and perhaps the reality is we need to accept it and hope for the best/ get on board and try and get behind the 'plan(s)' for the next 18 months and see where it goes.
We are so ingrained with negativity and pessimism after the past decade of collective bollock- kicking we've endured on and off the pitch that every glimpse of positivity and optimism is (understandably and perhaps rightly) met with cynicism, scepticism and sheer disdain,
I'm absolutely fatigued with feeling pessimistic and disillusioned with the club I loved for over 35 years and will never stop loving.
Whilst it was PR/ management speak and saying the right things rather than a substantive and demonstrable plan (and of course the results on the pitch are the only thing that really counts) what are the other options? Continue to question everything and be pessimistic and cynical and through confirmation bias (or just sheer confirmation) stay wallowing in this pit of turmoil and despair in our outlook? I can't do it any more.
I love going every other Saturday and as much as it often leads to frustration, disappointment, anger and questioning the sanity of doing so....I'm not gonna stop. Therefore it makes sense to be optimistic, keep the faith and hope for the best and that somehow this latest set of stewards discover a winning formula.
An element of cognitive dissonance is required to switch off the scepticism and drink the Kool aid and hope for the best with a bit of faith in those in control.
I've come late to it but this week started watching the Wrexham documentary with Reynolds and McElhenney and felt sheer envy (albeit I'm really pleased for them and their fans) for what that club and fanbase are going through....watching parts of tonight's presentation made me wonder if they have seen the engagement that those owners had with their fans and realise the importance of such engagement and fan involvement as the supporters are the club regardless of which set of players wears that shirt or which individuals own the deeds and / or club registrations at a point in time.
It probably was a lot of bullshit bingo and ultimately success on the pitch defines pretty much everything. But if they can start righting some of the many wrongs of the last few years then hopefully that will follow too. They're not gonna get it right in 6 months and it is a difficult job to even buy success in modern football.
There are no Zabeels out there for us and I think this mob are the best we've had for years and potentially the best we're gonna get and so hopefully they can deliver on their good intentions and words.
It would be great to see fans back and filling the Valley more and it all organically improving and the potential being fulfilled or at least the decline, rot and eternal pessimism be interrupted.
Need to have a bit of faith and switch off the default pessimistic view and see what unfolds as the alternative is soul destroying.
But then again as my mate just reminded me I was convinced we'd beat Liverpool and Spurs to stay up in our last, distant premier league stint so there you go. ;-)
I honestly doubted the vision behind it all but thought they addressed all the questions well, so much talk of scripted questions but they clearly answered some difficult ones? They conceded that it's not gone amazingly well so far but are committed to improvement? Much better than the last 4 boards have presented imo
You're easily pleased.
Rather that than approach everything everyone says with cynicism. What out of interest did you think it was missing and wasn't addressed amongst general fan concerns?
Pretty much everything. Let me swing this round. What did they say with answers/solutions that addressed any of the fans concerns?
Sure,
1. They spoke on their approach to the valley ownership issues as something they are actively negotiating and working on
2. Gave rationale as to why Appleton's head isn't on the chopping block as of yet, essentially they want to see what he can do when players return from injury and spoke of having learnt lesson from everything Dean Holden
3.Addressed the number of late goals we are conceding at the moment and noted that a highly respected head of performance and fitness is joining us next Monday 4.Addressed concerns about being close to FFP and how that was very much not the case and the scrunity they faced from EFL when they finished the takeover
5.Had a realistic and prudent approach to funds being available for players but not wanting to overpay so we end up with less Kirk/Aneke situations
6.Addressed the concerns around CBT & Dobbos contracts directly, whilst it's not incredibly positive news there, what more can they do but make what they consider to be a good offer?
Just so you think I didn't perceive the entire thing as revolutionary, I was slightly concerned about their 5 year approach to being an established championship club, but given the general disorder and really thinking about the fact we've been in league one for as long as we have with a squad low on quality, it's probably prudent to take a measured approach to building us back up again, overall I thought there was a lot of positivity to be taken from their words but alas, we will see how it all unfolds in reality.
Methven is on record - on his own podcast - claiming that this limited the club’s signings and he had to write to the EFL to explain why they had exceeded the threshold. Am I misunderstanding?
From memory only listening once and live, I believe Rodwell said the scrutiny from their 2 year business plan they had to present to the EFL played some part in this but I may be crossing wires there. They seemed very relaxed about our ability to spend from what I gathered
Not as bad as a Prince Andrew interview but not good.
Rodwell - "Where could we sign a better player from than Karoy Anderson?"
Oh do fuck off, if you believe that you're of no use to us.
To be fair he was saying we couldn’t sign another young player on loan as good as Anderson, not just a better player.
Does anyone think that this is true? There is not one young player in the world, that we could sign on loan, who is as good as Karoy Anderson?
He didn't say that though, he specifically name dropped JRS and already name dropped had been Gallagher and another (maybe Cullen?).
His point was that for PL loanee kids, there are not that many of that quality around so we would be picky and would rather play our kids like Karoy Anderson than a second rate loanee.
Essentially he was saying why get a Smith, Razak, Nile John type loanee ahead of an Anderson already in our squad. I think everyone would agree with that.
Whether Scott can pick out the JRS, Gallagher and Cullens is yet to be proven.
16 senior pros plus 8 academy graduates is fine if the academy graduates are good enough and at least 20, rather than the raw 16/17 year olds we've been throwing in.
AND if we can get the number of injuries down. Which means not recruiting unfit or "sicknote" players, and hopefully the Brighton guy making a difference.
I think this is a good point. A lot can happen with a player between 16/17 and 20/21. I know goalkeepers are different, but AMB has had to travel from early years on loan in Scotland and Dulwich and wherever to get to that age of confidence and balance. I think there has been a degree of exploitation driven by need that has exposed too many of our still too young players too early. It saddens me that any of us can make an decent assessment of Karoy Anderson, or Nathan Asimwe, or Daniel Kanu or Tyreece Campbell or Richard Chin when they have all been rushed in too soon in my view. It was looking OK for Daniel Kanu out on a sensible loan to Southend United, then all of a sudden he is the main man up front for us on Saturday. That is not so much careful management of progress as desperate measures. Yes I know the reason why and all that, but maybe we should have more faith in our younger players and not rush to harsh judgements.
I honestly doubted the vision behind it all but thought they addressed all the questions well, so much talk of scripted questions but they clearly answered some difficult ones? They conceded that it's not gone amazingly well so far but are committed to improvement? Much better than the last 4 boards have presented imo
You're easily pleased.
Rather that than approach everything everyone says with cynicism. What out of interest did you think it was missing and wasn't addressed amongst general fan concerns?
Substance, mostly. That was the kind of presentation that probably would work quite well if you pitched it at some American speculators looking to invest in that limey soccerball game but to a bunch of fans who've been sold a whole series of pigs in pokes recently it was fluff and soft-soap stuff at best.
Sign good players on a permanent basis, give them to a manager/coach with actual vision and charisma and then and only then will I be convinced that they are anything other than deluded at best, chancers at worst.
Again, did you want them to publically chastise staff members past and present and then publically reveal our list of transfer targets? Not even mouthy MacAntony is that naive. I feel like a lot of the frustration as more to do with Appleton than anything and they explained their rationale behind sticking with him, I'm not a huge fan of what we've seen from Mickey Apples but thought their reasoning was fair enough in that they want to see what he can do with a full squad available and try to bed in some consistency. There were people in the comments calling for us to go and appoint Steve Cooper and you have to wonder what fantasy land people are living in if you think we're an attractive option to him
Scott has been a success in the past two windows, do you think?
Probably not, but then again if you'd listen to the Q&A yourself as opposed to forming opinions based on text scraps in this thread then you might have heard their glowing reviews of Scott's work off the pitch, from the people that work with him day in day out, I thought his sole job was transfer responsibility but Rodwell in particular alluded to it being a far wider encompassing role than that and the 3 of them sung their praises for Scott, so willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and some more time given he came with a good rep from Forest and colleagues who work closely with him clearly like what he's doing as a wider piece. Do I think our transfers in the summer were good? Alfie and Lloyd aside, not really but then they also had rationale for that in that their takeover wasn't fully ratified by the EFL until quite late in the window when a lot of clubs were a lot further along with their business than us so held their hands up that it was a bit of a scramble and they got some things wrong
"Probably not" is good enough for me.
As for listening to bull**** for 90 minutes, no thanks.
Interesting you're calling something youve not engaged with bullshit, almost like you've already made your mind up before hearing anything from the horse's mouth
A fan of Meire and Duchatelet were you?
Too much rubbish from this mob for the past twelve months Charles.
Where have you come to that conclusion from??? Don't start putting words in my mouth cause you're lazy, seeking confirmation bias and have an agenda against some people that have been in post for 6 months in official capacity, maybe stick it on in the background while you're doing some chores and make your own decisions. I went into the Q&A fairly ambivalent and came out feeling relatively encouraged (funnily enough the same as a few people who ACTUALLY watched the Q&A).
Total waste of time, carefully scripted questions asked by a carefully scripted interviewer and carefully scripted answers that have nothing of real substance.
You couldn't have been listening properly then.
I think the people that came on to ask questions did really well and I also think that Charlotte did a pretty good job too - and she asked some questions towards the end that definitely weren't scripted.
Do you honestly think they said anything different to all the other Q&A sessions we’ve had with various board/owners over the past few seasons?
Personally I don’t.
As so many people have been saying its actions not words, I haven’t seen a great deal of action, so far.
I honestly doubted the vision behind it all but thought they addressed all the questions well, so much talk of scripted questions but they clearly answered some difficult ones? They conceded that it's not gone amazingly well so far but are committed to improvement? Much better than the last 4 boards have presented imo
You're easily pleased.
Rather that than approach everything everyone says with cynicism. What out of interest did you think it was missing and wasn't addressed amongst general fan concerns?
Substance, mostly. That was the kind of presentation that probably would work quite well if you pitched it at some American speculators looking to invest in that limey soccerball game but to a bunch of fans who've been sold a whole series of pigs in pokes recently it was fluff and soft-soap stuff at best.
Sign good players on a permanent basis, give them to a manager/coach with actual vision and charisma and then and only then will I be convinced that they are anything other than deluded at best, chancers at worst.
Again, did you want them to publically chastise staff members past and present and then publically reveal our list of transfer targets? Not even mouthy MacAntony is that naive. I feel like a lot of the frustration as more to do with Appleton than anything and they explained their rationale behind sticking with him, I'm not a huge fan of what we've seen from Mickey Apples but thought their reasoning was fair enough in that they want to see what he can do with a full squad available and try to bed in some consistency. There were people in the comments calling for us to go and appoint Steve Cooper and you have to wonder what fantasy land people are living in if you think we're an attractive option to him
Scott has been a success in the past two windows, do you think?
Probably not, but then again if you'd listen to the Q&A yourself as opposed to forming opinions based on text scraps in this thread then you might have heard their glowing reviews of Scott's work off the pitch, from the people that work with him day in day out, I thought his sole job was transfer responsibility but Rodwell in particular alluded to it being a far wider encompassing role than that and the 3 of them sung their praises for Scott, so willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and some more time given he came with a good rep from Forest and colleagues who work closely with him clearly like what he's doing as a wider piece. Do I think our transfers in the summer were good? Alfie and Lloyd aside, not really but then they also had rationale for that in that their takeover wasn't fully ratified by the EFL until quite late in the window when a lot of clubs were a lot further along with their business than us so held their hands up that it was a bit of a scramble and they got some things wrong
"Probably not" is good enough for me.
As for listening to bull**** for 90 minutes, no thanks.
Interesting you're calling something youve not engaged with bullshit, almost like you've already made your mind up before hearing anything from the horse's mouth
A fan of Meire and Duchatelet were you?
Too much rubbish from this mob for the past twelve months Charles.
Where have you come to that conclusion from??? Don't start putting words in my mouth cause you're lazy, seeking confirmation bias and have an agenda against some people that have been in post for 6 months in official capacity, maybe stick it on in the background while you're doing some chores and make your own decisions. I went into the Q&A fairly ambivalent and came out feeling relatively encouraged (funnily enough the same as a few people who ACTUALLY watched the Q&A).
Something just doesn't sit right for me with Rodwell , get the feeling he's a bit of a slippery character.
Actually thought Gavin Carter came across the best of the 3 , at least he had a bit more of a fans perspective.
As with anything like this , it's all well and good having shiny PowerPoints for people but the proof will be if they put their words into actions.
The Dr Will Abbott hiring does sound like a real statement of intent to go and get someone from one of the more highly regarded PL setups does seem like a coup.
be good to hear Airmans take on all this but sounded a lot of old bollocks to me
I think the presentation was ill conceived given the audience but they wanted to convey that they had an understanding of the issues, so fair enough.
They didn’t persuade me that they really had a plan to address them and the failure to set or at least share clear objectives is a weakness.
i don’t buy the structure. it’s top heavy for L1. I was very sceptical about Paul Elliott’s involvement beforehand and he said nothing to persuade me I am wrong.
Took Carter at face value.
The club doesn’t need more consultants. All the expertise it needs to grow is in the fanbase but clearly it isn’t in the boardroom, which is a problem.
Thought the squad thing was nonsense and I don’t see Appleton being here long.
They are going to lose a lot of money. Rodwell may understand that. If the investors do too then fair enough and we may get there eventually, but it will be bumpy. Fingers crossed.
It’s all well and good dismissing all what they are planning, as Rowell stats he has happy to listen to opinions and ideas, would it not be more productive to put your thoughts forward to him and board or speak with CAST.?
I would have thought it would be more beneficial to the club and fans to make your proposals to the club how they could/should engage with fans. Would you be happy to do so ?
Whenever the club has asked me to help with something I have done so. That doesn’t change.
Have you offered any he current ownership ? Would you not agree it is more constructive to do so ? Rather than them coming to you why not anpproach them to offer your advice or ideas? They may not be aware of who you are or how to contact you
And to point out both me and my son were at the Bromley Meeting and neither of us said CBT and Dobbo should be sold, so no idea where Mr Rodwell came to the conclusion that the whole meeting said they should be sold
Maybe because I am a season ticket ticket holder I must be going to a premium website to buy match tickets as seemingly others have issues……Surprised that the potholes in the car park weren’t mentioned too.
I did miss out on Orient tickets but that was my own ineptitude.
I thought it was okayish. Rodwell seemed okay but I wouldn’t want him scouting youth players from other teams or taking head counts at Bromley Addicks. Elliot is Wibble.
Didn’t boost my confidence in the club’s progress albeit seems a little more professional that previous owners, that’s not hard though.
Comments
Have only seen what's happening at the training ground on the pitch.
And it's been bloody awful.
Yes, yes I did...
1. They spoke on their approach to the valley ownership issues as something they are actively negotiating and working on
2. Gave rationale as to why Appleton's head isn't on the chopping block as of yet, essentially they want to see what he can do when players return from injury and spoke of having learnt lesson from everything Dean Holden
3.Addressed the number of late goals we are conceding at the moment and noted that a highly respected head of performance and fitness is joining us next Monday
4.Addressed concerns about being close to FFP and how that was very much not the case and the scrunity they faced from EFL when they finished the takeover
5.Had a realistic and prudent approach to funds being available for players but not wanting to overpay so we end up with less Kirk/Aneke situations
6.Addressed the concerns around CBT & Dobbos contracts directly, whilst it's not incredibly positive news there, what more can they do but make what they consider to be a good offer?
Just so you think I didn't perceive the entire thing as revolutionary, I was slightly concerned about their 5 year approach to being an established championship club, but given the general disorder and really thinking about the fact we've been in league one for as long as we have with a squad low on quality, it's probably prudent to take a measured approach to building us back up again, overall I thought there was a lot of positivity to be taken from their words but alas, we will see how it all unfolds in reality.
Which I think is fair enough and sounds sensible in theory. It's not a question of "just permanent signings" or "just loan signings", but if we can't get bodies through the door permanently then loans would help us fill in.
Unfortunately it always works to an extent.
I took some notes during the meeting in order to look back on them at a later date ...Maybe to check that it wasn't just talk that we heard tonight but the precursor to the "walk" we so badly need...maybe call that the marathon ?
My overriding impression was how refreshing it was to finally hear some straight talking, especially from Jim Rodwell who really impressed me. At no point did I feel he was A Nother bullsht**er- a million miles away from Guitar Man who treated us on the whole as idiots during his tenure.
This was a man who commanded my respect from the start and there was nothing throughout the meeting to change that. An honest guy who knows we have previous for identifying those who've lied through their teeth time & time again. A Chairman/MD I felt I could trust from the start.
Bold statements indeed, Fanny and maybe I'm just a pushover ? Only time and actions will prove me right or sadly wrong. And this could come back to haunt me big time, of course , but as on the pitch, I say what I see ( and in this case, what I hear)
Jim's colleagues too were well worth listening to, albeit that he had the lion's share of the event.
Regarding the items on their agenda, I was pleasantly surprised how well thought out was their presentation of how the way forward will be in both their hands and those of the shareholders. Simplistic but informative and covering 80% of what we, the faithful, needed to know. Far more professional than their predecessors and as a result, far more compelling. Won't even mention a certain Belgian CEO....
SO many issues were flagged up, with pretty much each one having a defined pathway for improvement. And the slightly "iffy" issues that remained uncovered were readily & sensibly answered when posed by Heather, Lucy or fans calling in. Nearing the finish time of the meeting, I wondered whether MA's position would be queried plus questions regarding CBT & Dobbo's contracts, Charlton TV, the restrictions on parking, Duchatelet's ownership and whether the investors are in it for the long haul & prepared to spend to achieve our longer term goals.
But, have no fear, Chairman Jim is here & everything ended on a very satisfactory note as far as I am concerned.
Yes, the challenges are numerous. But a huge degree of work & thought has clearly been invested in identifying them together with constructive ways in which to turn them into positives.
Finally, before I don my tin hat, 4 words were uttered tonight as being benchmarks for taking our beloved club forwards : Sustainability, Success, Financial Security and Pride in out club.
Those words will hopefully come to the fore as Charlton Athletic enters yet another phase in its history.
Plus one word which is already used in 2 of the institutions allied with our club....
TRUST.
Who do we believe?
It's NOT good when one part of the SMT lies to us when we weren't signing permanent transfers in August.
Is nobody spotting the red flags?!!
As for listening to bull**** for 90 minutes, no thanks.
I think I generally welcome the management trying to communicate with fans but, at the same time, they are on a bit of a hiding to nothing doing it at the moment. The state of the club and the mood in the fan base is such that only thing that is going to win anyone over or satisfy anyone is promotion to the Championship. Until that is achieved, whatever any ownership does, not matter how well thought out, funded, or intentioned will be met with scorn and cynicism if it fails to deliver promotion, whether due to incompetence or bad luck.
That may be unfair on this lot, or the next lot, if they are genuinely trying to do the right things but that is the reality of it. So, in my opinion, they may as well save their breath and just focus on running the club if they truly believe they can get us up sooner than later.
Too much rubbish from this mob for the past twelve months Charles.
Having been shot down with cynicism from mates within seconds of sharing those thoughts and skimming the comments on here that somewhat tempered my momentary hiatus out of the prolonged doom and gloom default position of being a Charlton fan for the last decade.
I think there needs to been an element of pragmatism and reality amongst our fan base. After seeing chancers in ESI and excessively exuberant but out of depth guitar playing ego merchants following a dour, soulless (in the footballing sense) Belgian semi conductor aficionado this bunch may be the best we have had for years or are likely to get.
The game is riddled with con men and chancers and ego maniacs. I may be wrong but I don't think any of the 3 involved tonight fit those camps (caveat I initially thought Southall came across as a good bloke to lead us to better times) and perhaps the reality is we need to accept it and hope for the best/ get on board and try and get behind the 'plan(s)' for the next 18 months and see where it goes.
We are so ingrained with negativity and pessimism after the past decade of collective bollock- kicking we've endured on and off the pitch that every glimpse of positivity and optimism is (understandably and perhaps rightly) met with cynicism, scepticism and sheer disdain,
I'm absolutely fatigued with feeling pessimistic and disillusioned with the club I loved for over 35 years and will never stop loving.
Whilst it was PR/ management speak and saying the right things rather than a substantive and demonstrable plan (and of course the results on the pitch are the only thing that really counts) what are the other options? Continue to question everything and be pessimistic and cynical and through confirmation bias (or just sheer confirmation) stay wallowing in this pit of turmoil and despair in our outlook? I can't do it any more.
I love going every other Saturday and as much as it often leads to frustration, disappointment, anger and questioning the sanity of doing so....I'm not gonna stop. Therefore it makes sense to be optimistic, keep the faith and hope for the best and that somehow this latest set of stewards discover a winning formula.
An element of cognitive dissonance is required to switch off the scepticism and drink the Kool aid and hope for the best with a bit of faith in those in control.
I've come late to it but this week started watching the Wrexham documentary with Reynolds and McElhenney and felt sheer envy (albeit I'm really pleased for them and their fans) for what that club and fanbase are going through....watching parts of tonight's presentation made me wonder if they have seen the engagement that those owners had with their fans and realise the importance of such engagement and fan involvement as the supporters are the club regardless of which set of players wears that shirt or which individuals own the deeds and / or club registrations at a point in time.
It probably was a lot of bullshit bingo and ultimately success on the pitch defines pretty much everything. But if they can start righting some of the many wrongs of the last few years then hopefully that will follow too. They're not gonna get it right in 6 months and it is a difficult job to even buy success in modern football.
There are no Zabeels out there for us and I think this mob are the best we've had for years and potentially the best we're gonna get and so hopefully they can deliver on their good intentions and words.
It would be great to see fans back and filling the Valley more and it all organically improving and the potential being fulfilled or at least the decline, rot and eternal pessimism be interrupted.
Need to have a bit of faith and switch off the default pessimistic view and see what unfolds as the alternative is soul destroying.
But then again as my mate just reminded me I was convinced we'd beat Liverpool and Spurs to stay up in our last, distant premier league stint so there you go. ;-)
He didn't say that though, he specifically name dropped JRS and already name dropped had been Gallagher and another (maybe Cullen?).
His point was that for PL loanee kids, there are not that many of that quality around so we would be picky and would rather play our kids like Karoy Anderson than a second rate loanee.
Essentially he was saying why get a Smith, Razak, Nile John type loanee ahead of an Anderson already in our squad. I think everyone would agree with that.
Whether Scott can pick out the JRS, Gallagher and Cullens is yet to be proven.
I know goalkeepers are different, but AMB has had to travel from early years on loan in Scotland and Dulwich and wherever to get to that age of confidence and balance.
I think there has been a degree of exploitation driven by need that has exposed too many of our still too young players too early. It saddens me that any of us can make an decent assessment of Karoy Anderson, or Nathan Asimwe, or Daniel Kanu or Tyreece Campbell or Richard Chin when they have all been rushed in too soon in my view.
It was looking OK for Daniel Kanu out on a sensible loan to Southend United, then all of a sudden he is the main man up front for us on Saturday. That is not so much careful management of progress as desperate measures.
Yes I know the reason why and all that, but maybe we should have more faith in our younger players and not rush to harsh judgements.
Actually thought Gavin Carter came across the best of the 3 , at least he had a bit more of a fans perspective.
As with anything like this , it's all well and good having shiny PowerPoints for people but the proof will be if they put their words into actions.
The Dr Will Abbott hiring does sound like a real statement of intent to go and get someone from one of the more highly regarded PL setups does seem like a coup.
Would you not agree it is more constructive to do so ?
Rather than them coming to you why not anpproach them to offer your advice or ideas? They may not be aware of who you are or how to contact you
I did miss out on Orient tickets but that was my own ineptitude.
I thought it was okayish. Rodwell seemed okay but I wouldn’t want him scouting youth players from other teams or taking head counts at Bromley Addicks. Elliot is Wibble.
Didn’t boost my confidence in the club’s progress albeit seems a little more professional that previous owners, that’s not hard though.