The home commentators are poor (although I warm to Peter Finch's obvious love for Charlton and resigned good humour when we fail). But the away commentators are usually good, give information about the opposing players (we don't need to be told about our own), and sometimes offer a different perspective on Charlton including a surprising amount of compliments.
OK after about a dozen refreshes finally managed to listen to it all... Murray & Katrien will be responsible for the day to day running of the club, due to RD's buisness commitments he won't attend many games... RD seems keen on bringing youth players through... Made a point of saying it was a big part of Liege's success... His main chat's with CP have been about contracts & players, but no specific info given, and no clues whether there would be any big transfers... Wants to make match day experience better...? RD thinks CP is a great person, a great personality, a good coach... Noticed he didn't say "great" coach... Murray made RD sound like a richer version of himself... Will sell our best players, but will be in a position to keep them longer..? Our Belgium friends already tipped us about this.. The charming Katrien will be going to matches home & away and will be RD's "eyes & ears... Will install weekly meetings, security issues at the club have been noted... Will start search for next seasons players after this window... As usual actions will speak louder than words so we'll have to wait & see, but my first thoughts remain... I think we'll see initial improvement, but I get the feeling disappointment will follow, as it did under Murray, just when we think we have something to be proud of...
I'd settle for that. Players should gravitate to their natural level. It is in everyone's interest. But we need to get top dollar when we sell so we can replace adequately and strengthen two other positions as well (or re-invest in the Academy). We can only do that if not under financial pressure to sell.
Saying all the right things I suppose. I did want to see millions injected into the club, but I suppose FFP has scuppered that for clubs like us. Still, it's easy to talk a good game, so I suppose we're more or less where we were, waiting to see what happens on the players front.
Boring and predictable. So to summarise Your not going to spend any money on the club. Your sending your girlfriend out to watch the games, your going to being on the yoof team and give them a chance. (Yet two days ago you sold a decent yoof player to Swindon?) Really unimpressed so far.
I finally watched it. In so far as there is one, the Grand Plan seems to be get us promoted to the riches of the Sky TV Premier League, and then sell. Nothing wrong with that, except they appear to plan to do it without buying new players but by relying on foreign loans from a club in a weak European league. Remind me how many clubs have been successful with such a plan in the past
Didn't actually say how we are going to avoid going into L1 this season? but hey........ the matchday experience will be better , it's just that we will be losing at home to Warsaw again!
It sounded as though there's real intent to get success through the Academy, which I'm all in favour of. Michael Smith wasn't an Academy product by the way. Richard Murray tried this once before, even appointing Mark Kinsella in what was then supposed to be a specific role of introducing young players to the First team squad. All very well in theory, but if the manager gets in loanees rather than play an Academy product it all falls down. If Paul Hart is given a new contract soon that will be a sign of genuine intent. So I'm going to break ranks and say I feel more optimistic about our future than I have for a while.
Michael Smith is not a youth player. He is too old for the u21s. Neither was he a Charlton Academy product. He cannot play in our reserve team because we don't have one, and he is too old to play in the u21s except as a "guest" when he would be denying a chance to one of Pigott, Sho-Silva or Azeez, who may all be better prospects. If we get known for signing young players and letting them moulder we will find it hard to attract more promising youngsters. This hopefully means that our new owner has set his sights on a team containing better players than Smith. I agree that Smith never had much of a chance to show what he could do, but my guess is he will never rise above Div One or lower Div Two level. He is just not fast or skilful enough. Once players are too old for u21 level they should either be challenging hard for a squad place or move on. I am all for streamlining our playing staff. It is way too large. But we do need to sign another big lump up front to cover Kermorgant. The weird thing is that CP justified the sale by referring to Michael Turner leaving. I should think anyone in management would keep quiet about that stupid decision. Michael Turner was tipped for the top all the way through the age-groups, went on trial to Inter Milan and was highly rated there. Then let go for peanuts and went on to have a long career in the top tier while we were signing has-beens and never-will-be's. Crazy decision. But Smith is no Turner.
I agree that will be the touchstone. Much more so than signing this or that player. And I would like to see us appoint a proper replacement for Nathan Jones. Let Euell continue his education with the younger age-groups. Maybe a highly qualified European coach if no-one is available in England? If we did those two things I could even accept relegation, because I would believe RD really does have a longer-term plan. I still think we will just scrape clear, but Solly's condition is a massive blow.
Typical in factual error shock, there was not even a decent bit of hyperbole. Tut tut Typical, you must try harder.
Oh dick! Your right. I used the local parlance of Yoof in the wrong context, silly me. Anyway the point remains. Why sell Smithy a young decent goal scorer? It don't make no sense to me. Eddie points to the words 'hope' 'guess' and 'May' hardly inspiring confidence in the sale. if I understood the position we have a franchise now of clubs, why not let smithy play in Belgium or wherever. This sale will come back and bite us on the arse, a bit like what you get up to dicky.
Sir Chris Powell said that Smith is at an age where he needs to be playing regularly, and he wasn't able to guarantee that, so it's a good move all round. I take this to be manager-speak for he's not good enough. Time will tell if his assessment is accurate; based on what I've seen of Smith I have my doubts.
Time will tell over Smith, how right your are FHB, trouble is it only took 90 minutes yesterday to tell once more, that Chris Powell is an idiot. Given that we are in the relegation places and look possibly to drop this season, surely Stevie Wonder let alone Chris Powell would see that if that happens, we need a kid that can score when Yann leaves or gets sold this season. Smithy can do it in the lower league and that is where we are heading. So FFS why not loan him out to another one of Roly's clubs, if your gonna run a franchise, at least use it. Everywhere that smithy has gone he has scored goals, except with us, maybe being given a chance would have put that right, but our Chris would rather save face and play **** Marvin or Piggy who general speaking are well....crap. Totally Insane decision and contrary to what we are told is the new clubs policy. Chris Powell is a dick.
Agree except that he hasn't been playing Pigott, whom I rate. For some reason Cook has overtaken him in the pecking order. Yet he says that he needs to get a striker in so that he can send Pigott out on loan.
T, What Chris actually said was that he had a word with Smithy on his return to the Club and Smithy said he wanted first team football, with Church & Kermit around Chris couldn't promise a starting place and on this basis both Smithy and his agent had made it clear he wasn't going to sign a new contract by the summer. The decision was taken to sell him now rather than lose him in the summer anyway.
So Chris has decided that should relegation happen, he is confident of keeping Kermo and Church then? I have never read any quotes from any agents of Smithy in this matter and for me at least, Smithy should have been given a proper chance rather before Piggy got found out and Church who all seem to me to be inferior and unproven at this level. **** Marvin should never have tied his laces at this club but Stevie Wonder signed him and came unstuck and did not have the balls to send him packing. Quite why a new deal was not offered is beyond me, and defied simple logic. If we get relegated I wonder who would be our main striker in Div 1? And would he be a better player than Smithy? It seems that we are going to get lumbered with all sorts of Belgium buns and not be able to send any that way? I am trying not to look at the table and think of next season but with a win against Oxford and now the mighty Huddlesfield is everyone losing sight with reality?
