What can Riga do to get the players in the right mindset?

He'll earn his money on the training pitch this week. Draw a line under the past 6 months and start again he'll be saying no doubt.

Failing that play the hardy battle song Red Red Robin on 11 to get them pumped and instil the do or die mentality that song evokes.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530103-700-first-human-head-transplant-could-happen-in-two-years/

This is a really hard one. They are clearly better players than 5-0 & 6-0 results suggest. No idea frankly. We have tried different formations, tried everyone from the oldest to 17-18 year olds and 3 managers. The players have bought into all these changes or at least tried to and just seen more and more defeats. I don't know what you can say to them that hasn't been said.

They know Jose has rescued us from relegation and yet his first game has been our worst defeat. Jose can build them up and build us into a competitive team, the problem is the timescale. We need to start winning now. One more defeat and results going against us will see us cut adrift.

If I was Riga I would sit them in front of the Back to The Valley DVD then get Rick Everitt or similar in to give them some history and try to get them to buy into the uniqueness of this club, the passion and cleverness of the fans.

I would then send Williams back to Boro, send Reza to train in the local park, tell RD I need two new CB's and a LB and spend a week trying to get them as fit as possible.

I did actually email KM with the suggestion or a history lesson for our players to get them to buy into CAFC a little more several months ago...but no acknowledgement.

Electro-shock therapy?

You're right, after all games are done, the league position rarely lies. We still have 19 games to play however.

Ask Uncle Roland for some serious cash to spend and overhaul this squad. That's our only chance. It won't happen and we'll be relegated by March.

This might sound a bit mad but I would give them a few days off and get them back into the training ground on Thursday to go through tactics.

IMHO, extra training would just add to the pressure

cafc999 said:

This might sound a bit mad but I would give them a few days off and get them back into the training ground on Thursday to go through tactics.

IMHO, extra training would just add to the pressure

Personally I'd have them in tomorrow. Maybe not for anything physical, but definitely to start picking apart the issues and thinking how they are going to start to turn things around. It might help them to debrief fully on a day off then come in for proper training with a clear head.

queensland_addick said:

I have confidence that he will identify the issues quickly. He mentioned fitness and that is a huge issue. Williams, Johnson and Vetokele are a long way off. You cannot have passengers in this league and Jacko over 90 mins is now that unfortunately and would be of far more value coming on as sub. We also need more energy, pace and creativity. He will evaluate what he has got within the squad and hopefully try to bring in what is missing. Once the squad get to know him better, I think he will be able to give them confidence in their own ability, just as he did with Sordell and Harriott previously.

We've had fitness issues for too long now. Even under Peeters some of the players looked like they were lacking fitness. I'm sure it's why we have suffered with so many injuries.

Addickted2U said:

ross1 said:

Charlton Athletic’s returning head coach Jose Riga has said that reality dictates that the Addicks must dip into the transfer market during January.
Speaking after his new charges were walloped 6-0 by Hull City at the KC Stadium, the Belgian, starting his second spell in charge in SE7, has already seen enough to know that new signings must be made if the side are to avoid relegation.

I'm hoping he can spot someone like the Polish fella at Wolves who's already scored a few. Let's hope Jose has been given responsibility for some signings and some money to work with. Oh, and get rid of the useless passengers like Vaz Te, Williams and Johnson (on an 18 month contract ffs - at least that will give him some time to get fit!!!).

Unfortunately, I do not suppose Riga will have any say in transfers, in or out, RD will not change his ways. RD will be advised by his friends, whoever they may be, which players he can bring in and will not cost him much, if anything.

Airman Brown said:

I can't see how they can sign the players required because there's no one there capable of handling a negotiation properly, even if we had an adequate scouting set-up and the megalomaniac suddenly agreed to pay the going rate.

This is the problem. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

In times like these I often think back to how Curbs used to deal with a thrashing.

He would always tell us that we should never let ourselves get carried away when things are going well and not to get too down when things aren't going well.

The other thing in particular with a thrashing is Curbs would tell us the players would go back to basics on the training pitch during the week.

So I think going back to basics also mixed in with some team bonding, even just getting a dartboard up at Sparrows Lane playing darts together for example would help the players have a laugh together, they could even put up the photo of RD/KM/RM/KF on the bullseye for a laugh. You could also set up a pool table, or set up a football games console anything to get them bonding and being competitive has to raise morale.

Patrick Bamford and Alex Pritchard for starters, Nightmiere should be on the phone to chelsea and spurs begging to loan these two.