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NEW ARTICLE: The obituary that never was.....

http://www.charltonlife.com/blog/?p=232

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  • Actually, until we can get that horrible new format changed, i'll copy it below so its more readable...


    In the first week of May, i was led to believe that’s PP’s days as Charlton manager were immenently to end. In preparation, the article below was drafted, and waited patiently for the SEND button. However, the order never came and PP very much remains at the helm. With the players returning for training tomorrow, it looks like the status quo will remain into the new season.

    Why exactly is PP still manager ? Well i’m afraid only a couple of people only know the real answer to that, but i suspect that like the decision to make him permanent manager, it is everything to do with finance, and nothing to do with football.

    So farewell Phil Parkinson. The caretaker made permanent without winning a game finally succumbs, as the dire set of results continued through the second half of the season. His reign ended with the dubious record of just four wins in twenty eight games.

    From an impartial, objective point of view, it would look on paper the easiest decision a chairman will ever have to make. From closer quarters, it was more difficult, where the dire statistics arguably do not give Phil Parkinson full credit. Parkinson took over a club where not only were the first team in freefall, its reserves were bottom and academy sides struggling. There was a complete losing mentality throughout the club; confidence and belief appeared shattered at all levels. The aftermath of the Zabeel failure provided further instability.

    Such a task ultimately proved too much to turn around, but he appeared to give it a good go. He spoke well, appeared to have the players on his side, wasn’t afraid to make big decisions, and his loan signings were more successful than those of his predecessor.

    But it was not enough.

    The two defeats at home to Doncaster and Watford were key events that not only determined our relegation, but ultimately his job. Failure to maintain safe leads in subsequent matches lent further evidence. Unlike his former boss however, he certainly goes with my best wishes. He is not as bad as his Charlton record suggests, and i’m sure he will go on to do a decent job elsewhere.

    Of course, in hindsight Parkinson should not have been the man tasked with turning it around. The decision to sack Alan Pardew was a completely sound one, backed by the majority of supporters. The decision to appoint Parkinson permanently wasn’t. At the time the club needed a complete shake-up, fresh faces with new ideas, vision and confidence that had not been negatively impacted by the previous regime. It needed a lift.

    It would prove no co-incidence that the three relegated Championship sides all made mid-season internal appointments, whilst those struggling sides who looked outside for fresh impetus, namely Notts Forest and Watford, got that injection we desperately craved.

    The past cannot be changed now however, but what the club have now identified is the importance of change and hope. The increasing season-ticket no-shows towards the end of the season, and slow renewal levels so far, have showed that hope and belief are slowly starting to evaporate from our fanbase, and are ingredients that will be vital to any turnaround. Stage One on the playing side is now underway, and whoever is selected to take on the challenge of restoring us to greater things needs to start Day One with the full backing of all supporters. It remains to be seen whether Stage Two off the pitch will fully materialise, but it is essentially as important. Without fresh investment we will continue to be swimming against the tide.

    This may prove to be Richard Murray’s last roll of the dice. Throughout the recent decline, the Chairman has remained largely immune to the discontent, certainly so if you look at the fans websites of other struggling clubs. He has largely retained the goodwill because we as a fanbase are appreciative of his approach, contribution over eighteen years, and his likeable character. He is a man you wish to trust, and one that you want to back. And unlike other senior board members, has always been bold enough up till now to put his head above the parapet.

    But the run of bad decisions must come to an end now otherwise that goodwill may finally evaporate on a wider level, and no true fan would want his legacy to end in such fashion. Our club once again appears at an important crossroads. Something tells me the journey over this summer is going to be an interesting one.

    *****

    That was seven weeks ago. It appears that our engine stalled at the crossroads at that point, and despite prolonged talks with several breakdown companies, no one as yet wants to fix our motor. For the concerned fan, so far it has been anything but an interesting summer.

    What was wrote then however was intended as an honest assessment of PP’s spell with the club, and clear reasons of why a change was needed. Reading back now makes uncomfortable reading knowing the change has not materialised, because the fundamentals of craving a new start remain the same. What we have also seen since then is that where some people’s stock rises through a break from the game, PP’s stock amongst supporters has clearly fallen in just seven weeks. It is going to take some convincing to get a portion of our support back onside.

    Straight away, the pressure appears on before a ball has even been kicked, and those looking to turn the screw are likely to do so at the earliest opportunity.
  • TELTEL
    edited June 2009
    Not wishing to turn anybodies screw, but I wholeheartedly agree with every word written here. More than once of late RM's credability in particular has been somewhat undermined by he himself and thats a terrible shame for someone whom I admire. You have to ask the question.....have the board become a split board? Is there some unforseen power struggle going on that we are unaware of, or having reviewed the club and paired down every position that we possibly can on the non footballing side, have we found that we still cannot afford to replace the manager?...even with what I personally consider, encouraging season ticket sales? Lots of unanswered questions, and personally I cannot wait to hear the answers on the 9th July.
  • [cite]Posted By: Telnotinoz[/cite]
    You have to ask the question.....have the board become a split board?

    Some would say that has been the case for 1-2 years now
  • edited June 2009
    I wish that letter could have been for real, i really do.
    Im with you telnotinoz, i too can't wait to see what answers they give.
  • [cite]Posted By: AFKABartram[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: Telnotinoz[/cite]
    You have to ask the question.....have the board become a split board?

    Some would say that has been the case for 1-2 years now

    Thats the last thing we need.
  • [cite]Posted By: Telnotinoz[/cite]having reviewed the club and paired down every position that we possibly can on the non footballing side, have we found that we still cannot afford to replace the manager?...even with what I personally consider, encouraging season ticket sales?
    I might be wrong, but I'd guess spare cash will go into either reducing directors' debt (that is debt to directors) or creating a pot to sweeten the pill for new owners.
  • we have been lead to believe there was a takeover on the offing,now there isn't one.
  • [cite]Posted By: northstandsteve[/cite]we have been lead to believe there was a takeover on the offing,now there isn't one.

    How do we know talks aren't still going on?
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