let's put this one to bed shall we http://www.scotsman.com/sport/footb...d-s-first-black-footballer-revealed-1-2845754
Rocket Ronnie Rosenthal. One day a world-beater, the next a panel-beater. One match I remember was when he played for Spurs against Southampton in the FA Cup, and Spurs were wearing their yellow strip, the one with a bird **** splatter on the shoulder, and he was absolutely incredible in a 4-2 win.
Remember Forlan's low stooping header over the bar from about 4'? Great miss but not in the same class as Big Chris', which came at a crucial time in the match just after he had come on as sub, in preference to Kris Boyd, who the crowd were calling for. Boyd doesn't do much except score goals, but score goals he does, and this was the beginning of the end for George Burley.
Another change of topic- did anyone see that highlight on bbc breakfast of the club physio making two goal line clearances to save his team, before having to run for his life? Incredible
I haven't claimed anything, what i have said is fairly obvious. Powell crafted a League One winning side in his first full season in management. He then got that group of players to dig in toward the end of a difficult Championship campaign without any real improvements to the squad to finish a respectable 9th. Now we are struggling because we have a weaker team now than we did 2 years ago. Although none of the players we let go were anything amazing, the depth of the squad has been hugely hit. Powell as a manager has absolutely no say over how much money he has to spend, so again, i find it exceptionally odd how a single Charlton fan can point the finger at Powell when it is so obviously not anything he is responsible for. This squad of players has a few stand outs. Solly, Wiggins, Kermo and when fit JJ, take one or more of those players out through injury and the team disintegrates, we need improvements to compete at an acceptable level, and improvements cost money. The day Chris Powell has the say on our finances and we still struggle is the day this thread makes some form of sense
That is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I shall keep that on record for when the black dog climbs up onto my shoulder again. What a great jump over the advertising board, eh?
I agree with your support for SIR Chris Powell but I see little evidence to support your above statements. Firstly, it is too early to say we are "struggling". We have only played four league matches. A team is only as good or bad as its current form and in the last two of these we had a good second half against Barnsley and played well for most of the match against Leicester. I cannot see that we are a weaker team than two years ago if you make allowance for it being a tougher division. Hamer, Solly, Morrison, Wiggins, Evina, and Pritchard are all young players who have gained more experience (Pritchard "young" in league experience), we have added Wilson and Devite who are at least as good as Green, Wagstaff and Taylor. Church is shaping up as an improvement on BWP at this level. I agree Jackson is fading and Kermorgant may have peaked, but against that we have the Harriotts, Pigott and Cousins who are no longer just "promising" but can come in and do a good job. Where we have lost out is the decline of Hollands. We have lost a key player there but maybe Cousins and/or Poyet can more than fill that gap. Cort and Stephens seem much the same as ever (for what that is worth) and we have added Gower, Wood, Alnwick, Sordell and Stewart as squad fillers. I see no point in employing loads of players like Green and Wagstaff, who did little or nothing when they were given a chance. They are just taking up spaces our promising youngsters can occupy. And our "reserves" did well in the League Cup against Oxford and a strong Huddersfield team. No suggestion there that our squad is any weaker than two years ago, let alone "hugely" weaker. Unlike you I think we have a large enough squad. My reservations are about the quality, not quantity, of the additions (Stewart? Gower? Sordell?) but they still have plenty of time to prove me wrong. All three have adequate "class" for this level.
'Bout time we got back on thread. If the recent thrust is that CP is a manager like any other and needs to maintain a certain level of football in the club, then I agree. I love the guy to bits, but no one can be bigger than the club, and I would'nt give anyone the sort of ten-year contract Pards managed to get at Newcastle. On the other hand, chopping and changing manager rarely solves internal problems (look at our last season in the Prem, or Sheff Utd now) and to answer a simple question of how long I'd give CP, with a simple answer, the answer is 'a long time'. There are always better or more experienced managers out there, but given our situation, it's not a given that they would want to come, or that they could do any better when they came, or that they would show the sort of loyalty in a tough situation that CP has shown (what a difference the Leicester game has made eh!). Stick with it CP, and lets hope the team kicks in a bit sooner this season, and lets aim for the play offs!!!
My huge gripe with this thread is Powell getting blamed for things he has zero control over. We all agree the squad lacks quality, and had he been given the funds Powell would have strengthened, he has already shown he can do good business in the transfer market. As for the squads size, i agree i do not want a huge squad. I feel the situation with the youngsters is a bit 50/50 though. On one hand i am happy that we have given some homegrown talent a chance finally, yet on the other i feel like it has only been done because we had no money to bring in actual first team players and they have been brought in to bulk up the numbers when the staff do not actually think they are quite there yet quality wise. I say we are struggling, although we are not far in enough to be really worried about how well the team will do come the end of the season, the club as a whole is struggling. Negativity, rumours, takeovers and unhappy fans is what i mean by struggling. The problem the club has at the moment is far bigger than just results based, everything has that sense of uncertainty about it and it has made me feel uneasy
@ Jimmy With the possible exceptions of Ferguson and Wenger, no manager has "control" over his budget, and nor should he. You could argue that after years of careful housekeeping, we gave Dowie and then Pardew control of the budget, and just look what happened. It is also reasonable to say that when Powell has been given the resources, his record has been distinctly patchy. Over £600,000 invested last season on Button and Wilson, a free transfer of Jordan Cook, and now the truly bizarre loan signing of Marvin Sordell , who is said to be on £20,000 a week at Bolton.
Was Sordell a ''truly bizarre'' loan signing? I thought it made perfect sense at the time. Still think he deserves more time too myself.
You're being so selective there Vol. What about all the players he signed in the Summer of 2011? And indeed BWP in January, although that move may already have been in the pipeline before Powell arrived as manager (does anyone know?). Hamer, Wiggins, Morrison, Taylor, Cort, Evina, Hollands, Hughes and Stephens, plus the masterstroke of signing Kermorgant when no other manager would have gone near him. Then last season we added Dervite and Fuller. Wilson hasn't exactly been bad, has he? Not brilliant, but not a bad signing IMO. Church looks a decent acquisition (though he could prove to be a flash in the pan) and I still think it's too early to judge Sordell, even if the signs are that Powell doesn't rate him too highly. Wood slotted in well to the team at Watford, one of the trickiest away games of the season, and at the very least provides decent cover. I think 'patchy' is far too harsh a term to describe Powell's record in the transfer market.
I think Powell's record in the permanent transfer market is among the best in the two divisions we have been in. His record on borrowing players may be among the worst, but the former is the much more important category.
From memory, CP's only real dud was Nouble and he held his hands up and acknowledged Dyer advising not to sign him.
Maybe we should include Eggert Jonsson in the dud category. Razzak and Frimpong as well potentially. On the other hand, N'Guessan scored 4 vital goals in our promotion run-in, and Hulse lead the line well during Kermogant's absence last season (even if he did miss some real sitters)
