Football League Thread 2015-16

Sixth-highest goal total in the league and one of the worst goal differentials? Are they trying to resurrect the 1-1-8?

 

FT: Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Charlton Athletic


Charlton are relegated to League One.

 

I know you shouldn't mock the afflicted, but

 

Never been the same since the Curbishley years.

 

They were ticking along quite nicely under Chris Powell, though.

Sold a couple of players, built a whole squad in L1 with the funds, won the title with 100+ pts. Then finished just short of the Championship play-offs the next season. Then wasn't given the backing and the new ownership foisted players without adequate ability and experience on Powell and demanded he play them.

Then when it all broke down, they got through 4 managers (none with FL experience) in the next two seasons and continued the awful recruitment policy. Shambles.

All Powell's work undone within two seasons. Thank goodness for Katharina and Markus.

 

What I meant was that they never got to be a real PL club again. At one point, during Curbishley's time, they looked like they were going to be yet another well established London team. Agreed, Chris Powell did fine. Just goes to show that you've got to be able to judge people well and back them when they're doing as well as can be expected.

 

Amen to that.

 

Notts County are another club which has totally lost it, after big dreams. Mind you, they barely got any of them filled. Appointing SGE wasn't the smartest of moves.

 

If Duchatelet continues to use them as a dumping ground for players who aren't good enough for his eighth-division Estonian clubs or whatever else comprises his 'network', League One might not be the end of it. Their points total really undersells how appallingly bad that team has been...in a league that often produces gaudy goals totals for half-decent strikers, their leading scorer has claimed 5.

 

The whole thing is a shambles. I could go on for ages about it.

Just this week the commercial manager resigned after she got headhunted for her own job.

Last month, the head of comms (the first one they've had for two years - they genuinely just didn't have one!) resigned after 4 weeks after the owner started putting out statements without letting her write them, make or suggest alterations or try to manage the situation. The owner then antagonised the fans and effectively made the role of the comms chief redundant. Factor in to this, that all three members of the club media staff who were there when the takeover happened, have all walked away and vociferously denounced Duchatelet and Meire (CEO) and the way the club is run.

They still have no head of recruitment, no football head on the board and no permanent manager. Absolute shambles.

I fear for them, you're right to draw attention to this not even being the lowest possible ebb.

 

Wait, what!?

 

Yeah, genuinely...

CAFC appointed an agency to find them a new commercial manager. The agency then contacted the current incumbent to sound out whether she'd like to apply for the job.

Seriously, that actually happened.

 

They knew she was the incumbent, and kindly offered her the chance to grovel for her own job via a new hiring process, or he hired a headhunting agency so incompetent that they tried to hire the incumbent to replace herself?

 

The second one.

 

Well, you cannot say that she lacked the qualifications and experience for the job, I guess.

At least Italian clubs have the decency to hire a different manager for 3-4 weeks before trying to hire back the previously-fired individual.

 

Didn't have to wait long for the next episode in the Charlton Chronicles.

Official statement from the CEO - who is currently on holiday in Dubai...

 

...I and the club’s Senior Management Team will start the rebuilding work immediately... Well, when I come back from my holiday.

 

After seeing that Charlton Athletic are relegated, MK Dons are all but GD down as well. They have to win every remaining game and the teams above them must lose them all. Not likely, is it:

 

Final game of the season sees Brighton travel to Middlesbrough. Tay-stay!!

Meanwhile Burnley play Charlton.