Club statement says he is to leave Charlton. It thanks him for his dedication, but doesn't say why he's leaving. Cost-cutting? Who knows. Sorry to see you go, Paddy.
One of my all time favourite Charlton players... You could have halved Hales's goalscoring record if it weren't for Powell.. All the best Colin...
He was made redundant, along with another Charlton legend Paul Ellis. They couldn't even get his name right putting Chris Powell instead of Colin Powell. What a ****ty way to treat a Club legend. I was positive about RD but everything that is happening is stripping our Club of its identity. We have brought no new players in yet. We can't even afford a journeyman like Chris O bloody Grady. I know their is still time but I am getting pretty pissed off with RD and his crew. Without significant investment in the squad we are going to be relegated. Rant over.
Blimey dick...and you were such an evagelist for the Roly Regime Welcome to the warm comforting bosom of us "Roly sceptics". I too was briefly in your camp, until Roly **** all over Riga. As for Paddy Powell, I am quite sure that the statement which appeared on the O/S after the Doncaster game went like a dagger through his heart. Who can blame him for not wanting to be part of this rag bag outfit ? Paddy played in my first ever visit to the Valley in the 70s. A great player & a great servant. Will certainly be long remembered well after these Belgian rats have deserted the sinking ship.
I have tried to stay positive but the way things have gone this Summer makes me doubt Roland and what he is trying to do. He is turning us into a faceless, soulless Club with no identity. Everything at the moment stinks about our Club. From the lack of Communications department to the lack of transfer activity. It is all very well trying to cut the costs but we need to be able to compete in this division. If we can't get journeymen in like O Grady, what chance have we got?
It has been suggested that Paddy was made redundant, rather than being allowed to simply retire, so that he could get some sort of pay-off from the club. I've no idea if that's true or not. In any case, thank you Colin for your service to Charlton Athletic, both as a player and as groundsman. All the best.
If he has been made redundant we can't employ another grounds man else we could be in very hot water!
I don't think that's the situation at all. Not sure on the legal side of things, but I've seen redundant jobs have a title changed a bit and re-advertised or the role handed to someone else without change in title. Don't know what exactly the person made redundant can (or would want to) do. My thoughts are that redundancy sounds better than retirement if you are ready to finish up working life. Best of luck to him for the future. Duchatelet wouldn't have written the redundancy letter, doubt he was involved in the process at all. If we're depending on journeymen like O'Grady then we're doomed anyway, don't see the value in trying to bid more than clubs with money to burn.
Paddy was very ill last season and the groundsman from Sparrows was covering both the training ground and the Valley. I guess he will be covering both again next season.
I honestly don't believe we've had anyone with his crossing ability since. He set up so many goals for Killer n Flash, made it look easy, too.
I don't know this for sure and may have read this wrong, but this seems to me to be a bit of a golden handshake for Paddy and he must be delighted to go and probably picking up a massive packet from the club to boot (how long had he been groundsman 20 - 30 years? ) I know he had health problems for more than a few seasons and was in no way to blame for the Somme like pitch we had in the winter, (that was all down to Muzza) so it may have been a charitable way for paddy to pack it up rather than face the indignity of having to lose a job he loved through health reasons. A brilliant winger and club legend second only in my view to john Robinson only much fitter.
