I just don't see why Jacko doesn't play. Yes his legs are shot, but with the insanely boring and slow build up play Jacko's pace will not be a proble, at all and maybe he could do that killer play maker roll for us.
He doesn't play because he is British and popular. The reception he got on Sunday would have got right up Meire's nose. And Luzon's. The crowd were chanting his name 20 mins before he came on. I don't remember them doing that for any of the 30 plus Network gash players? Jackson is the last symbol of what used to be good about Charlton, and the management just hate it.
Is Luzon still picking the team, though? Remember Roland insisting that Coco was better than Hamer, and Nego was better than Solly, and SCP had to play them (he didn't)? If Roland tells Luzon that Kashi, Ba and Berdich are better than Jacko then our own Sir Alex is unlikely to argue. I think it was the fans who made the substitution. If Luzon really wanted Jacko on he wouldn't have made the like-for-like substitution of Berdich for Fox. It was obvious from Luzon's program notes that he is worried about the fans turning on him, so he gave in to their demands.
It is entirely plausible that Jackson hasn't been fit enough to play. Although Igor Vetokele sort of quashes that notion.
JJ has said several times that he's had "niggles". I think he's made the squad for the same reason as igor - our squad is so small that we don't have the numbers!
Fans would do well to re-read Powell's interview after he was sacked. Sir Chris had his faults, but honesty wasn't one of them. " players were turning up at Sparrows Lane with a suitcase, unannounced " Better still.. " we told the owner that the (new) players were not of the necessary standard. He told us to "give them a try" .
I wouldn't believe a word Powell says about that. He had his own agenda after his dismissal; remember he was sacked primarily because of poor results!
His version does appear to be backed up by the fact that the players genuinely weren't good enough. I don't see him and Dyer as being the type to tell bare-faced porkies, unlike some!
Just listening to Jacko's interview after the game. He said he knew he'd gone down the pecking order, but they had talked about it and he didn't have a problem with it. Shows what a great professional he is, but I wondered how the conversation went? Jacko: Any chance of getting on the pitch some time, boss? Luzon: Hang on, I'll ask the guv'nor. What do you think, Katrien? Katrien: Hang on, I'll just ask the guv'nor. (gets on the phone) Hi, Roland, this Jackson character is saying something about wanting to play. What do you say? Roland: Give Ba, Kashi and Berdich a few more games, and if Charlton keep losing I'll ship them off to Alcorcoran, then he can get a game, Huh? Jacko(rolls eyes): No problem.
