Right, we have all had long enough to whinge at each other for this and that, some liked Powell some did not. I think many people have got the wrong end of the stick from each other due to posts with a lot of emotion and to be fair, it is hardly surprising with the season we have had.
After a long season so far, and my annoyance at Powells sacking, i have realised something. Whilst i still believe Powell is a good manager and was not to blame for the mess, the bigger picture is that not one single person can be blamed for any of it. Not Powell, not RD, not Slater or Jimenez. Several things have been not quite right, and when you add those up, you get a very sketchy situation. When you take it all in, things were destined to go hairy somewhere, and unfortunately for us so much went wrong at the same time. Player sales, lack of investment in the squad, unrest amongst fans, confusion in the dressing room and a new board that replaced one that was in a right state to begin with.
The players needed reassurance of what was going on to focus on the task at hand, and sadly, Powell could not offer that because he simply didn't know himself. It now seems RD got off to a very wobbly start and did not quite realise what he was getting into, and the timing of it all couldn't have been worse. When things became clearer, it was too late in his eyes to stick with Powell because something HAD to change. Again due to the timing, the only change he could make was who manages the team. I will always respect Powell, both as a player and a manager, because he has never been anything other than fully committed to this club. I wish him well and would not be surprised to see him work for the club again one day. But for now, Powell is gone. The club and he are both moving on so it is about time we all do as well.
Riga is showing he is not a bad manager himself, and has most importantly been able to give the players a lift because he knows what is going on now, and it is starting to feel like everyone is now on the same page. First and foremost, we are Charlton fans, so whilst we may have disagreements i think it is about time the name calling and odd grouping of fans who fit certain criteria stops. We stay up, we rebuild, we go again. Give it 12 months and this could all be looked back on as an unfortunate step of our recent history, and sometimes you have to step backwards or to the side to get around obstacles and progress.
Lets hope we carry on picking up points, sign up Hamer and Poyet to new deals, stay up and really give it a go in the summer. Would be nice if we were all happy for a change