if powell goes he will be replaced by someone hardly any of us have heard of
Is that abad thing don't see Saints fans moaning now.
I think if we lose Powell Steve then yes it would be a bad thing, to lose him then replace him with a coach or mgr I have never heard of , no I don't think it would be a bad thing as its a clean slate no preconceptions
I suspect that the previous owners were clever in giving us a manager that we all loved as a player, and as a person. It might be a case that someone with managerial experience would have been a better choice. However, Roland has plenty of experience in owning Clubs, and we are in his hands.
On goal difference only. And with the current (so-called) strikers we have, that could disappear over a week or two if the defence slip up. CP is a bit too happy to rest on a single goal for my liking, though perhaps it is merely a different sensibility instead of a question of right or wrong.
Same strikers we've had all season. Still not in the bottom three.
General consensus (that most of us agree on I think) -
* The football played over the last few years under Powell hasn't been great but it's been effective and led us to the League One title and over achieving last season.
* Powell's tactics are cautious and he is very much a "son of Curbs". There were only a couple of seasons where Curbishley played expansive, attacking football however they were some years into his tenure (and even then he was still cautious)
* RD has bought the club and despite any strengths or shortcomings is giving Powell a (short?) time to prove himself - and it seems we all agree that after splashing £20m that's his right if he chooses
* Until that time comes he isn't apparently going to be spending money and is instead loaning players from "the network"
* Without a stronger squad or a better pitch it's hard to know how Powell would ideally set us up at home
* Players of all abilities and at all levels are subject to personal mistakes which can't be caught in training. With a stronger squad maybe players would be more switched on and aware of others breathing down their necks but that's conjecture.
Depending on the viewpoint held, it seems that the above neutral (I hope) observations can be positioned either for or against Powell with degrees of severity. My take on the above is that while I would love to see us playing flowing, attacking football with the ball on the ground and two men up front, really going for it home and away, I would also rather have someone I trust in Chris Powell (and Dyer, and Matthews, and Peacock) steering the ship in the mould of the Curbishley era and taking things as cautiously as they feel they need to. That might frustrate me at times but at no point have I thought "they don't know what they're doing". For me I am a definite 100% SCP man (typical Lifer, I'm a socialist too).
However I appreciate that others might think that with a less cautious approach we may have achieved the same or even more, and played better football at the same time. That's an argument that none of us can prove or disprove but it's a valid point of view, even though I can't think of many teams with our resources (or pitch) who could do that at our level. Peterborough last season is a good example of a team full of flair and attacking intentions who ultimately got relegated. Would it be more exciting playing like that this year - undoubtedly. Would we be lower in the table - well we can't get that much lower. However I would argue that the way we play suggests we have the foundation to start moving up the table whereas the Darren Ferguson approach would just see us staying down the bottom until we revisit League One. To argue that a different manager would play better football is a totally valid opinion though.
So hopefully the above is a reasonable description of what I feel and why I do understand the opposing viewpoint when it's put across sensibly (even if I strongly disagree - there are many things I would change before the manager)
What I do find almost beyond parody is when some start blaming underhit passes, or foul throws, or simple offside mistakes from corners, as symptomatic of bad coaching, or slagging off the training at Sparrows Lane without knowing what goes on there.
Anyway, I fear that unless we smash Oxford tomorrow night we may well be finding out how another manager takes this team on by the weekend. I hope I'm wrong...
How many managers,at any level, could completely renovate a side from top to bottom and then go on to win their particular league competition with a record points haul? You can say he had plenty of money to do it ,but it wasn't an extortionate amount. And to get them all singing from the same song sheet so quickly was a remarkable achievement. I believe we have got someone special here who should at least be given the opportunity to mould a new side with players HE believes will make us better.
You can find good defenders, goal keepers on free transfers and okay midfielders on free. But no one ever let's good strikers who are natural at taking chances go on a free. (Unless your Poyet Letting Murray go).
That's the one position we need and with no money, we haven't got anyone in. That's not Powell fault and if we had that player, we wouldn't be in a relegation battle.
Powell's a good manager and still has my support. The players still back him 100% and so do I.
Many years ago, I bumped in to Malcolm Musgrove on a train back from London Bridge: he was holding the file of X-rays from one of our player's broken leg. We were in the top division, at Sell-Out Park, and hadn't won for months - and I asked him what could be done. "It's very tough in this division," he said with a warm smile: "We haven't got the guile, in and around the box".
... Malcolm Musgrove was a part time games master at my school in the early/mid 60s .. I recall him from a game which Orient won @ the valley in the very early sixties, he was a left winger and carried the ball some seventy yards along the touchline before delivering a pinpoint cross onto the head of Dave Dunmore to head home and win the game in the last few minutes .. I was gutted at that .. not for the first nor last time watching the Valiants .. ((:>)
Many years ago, I bumped in to Malcolm Musgrove on a train back from London Bridge: he was holding the file of X-rays from one of our player's broken leg - We were in the top division, at Sell-Out Park, and hadn't won for months - and I asked him what could be done. "It's very tough in this division," he said with a warm smile: "We haven't got the guile, in and around the box".
Malcolm Musgrove was a coach at Charlton between 65 and 67, not during the Selhurst Park era.
I'm glad you correct my failing memory, Shirty. I think the X-rays were for Alan Dugdale - barrel-chested cove who came from Coventry, broken leg and in Greenwich hospital sharpish. As you say, not Charlie Vaughan - what was his name?
Dugdale was not at the club when Musgrove was coach though.
Beautiful, Lincs!
Later than Musgrove: circa 1980. Hey, Shirty, just because you ask those tough quiz questions, doesn't mean you can't answer them!
Long face, sombre, quietly spoken and courteous. Lennie Lawrence era. Not, not Colin Clarke. The man I am talking about was the physio.
Speaking of Colin Clarke, I watched him give Scottie Minto one-to-one coaching during our pre-season friendly at Edgware Town, White Lion ground, now demolished. Clarke walked up and down the touchline: "Stay wide - don't go in" - and, at a corner and pertinent to the trap discussed earlier: "Don't give it back to him - he'll be offside!" Walking up and down, prowling, personal coaching: Scottie was drifting inside: "Here, hold the touchline."
Lennie was hunkered down in the dug-out bunker. We won, 3-1. Love it, love it, love it.
Was at that game, a Saturday afternoon. On the night before CAFC had a 1st team pre-season friendly (away at Colchester ?) and the Saturday game was the reserves/youngsters. Pretty certain Minto, Leaburn, Watson, & Bacon played. Remember Lennie sitting behind us in the stand after halftime. Think its far to say he'd had acouple the night before. ;-)
PS. Pretty sure Scott McGleish's father was on the management staff at Edgware, and did abit of scouting for Lennie at the time.
Many years ago, I bumped in to Malcolm Musgrove on a train back from London Bridge: he was holding the file of X-rays from one of our player's broken leg. We were in the top division, at Sell-Out Park, and hadn't won for months - and I asked him what could be done. "It's very tough in this division," he said with a warm smile: "We haven't got the guile, in and around the box".
... Malcolm Musgrove was a part time games master at my school in the early/mid 60s .. I recall him from a game which Orient won @ the valley in the very early sixties, he was a left winger and carried the ball some seventy yards along the touchline before delivering a pinpoint cross onto the head of Dave Dunmore to head home and win the game in the last few minutes .. I was gutted at that .. not for the first nor last time watching the Valiants .. ((:>)
Many years ago, I bumped in to Malcolm Musgrove on a train back from London Bridge: he was holding the file of X-rays from one of our player's broken leg - We were in the top division, at Sell-Out Park, and hadn't won for months - and I asked him what could be done. "It's very tough in this division," he said with a warm smile: "We haven't got the guile, in and around the box".
Malcolm Musgrove was a coach at Charlton between 65 and 67, not during the Selhurst Park era.
I'm glad you correct my failing memory, Shirty. I think the X-rays were for Alan Dugdale - barrel-chested cove who came from Coventry, broken leg and in Greenwich hospital sharpish. As you say, not Charlie Vaughan - what was his name?
Dugdale was not at the club when Musgrove was coach though.
Beautiful, Lincs!
Later than Musgrove: circa 1980. Hey, Shirty, just because you ask those tough quiz questions, doesn't mean you can't answer them!
Long face, sombre, quietly spoken and courteous. Lennie Lawrence era. Not, not Colin Clarke. The man I am talking about was the physio.
Speaking of Colin Clarke, I watched him give Scottie Minto one-to-one coaching during our pre-season friendly at Edgware Town, White Lion ground, now demolished. Clarke walked up and down the touchline: "Stay wide - don't go in" - and, at a corner and pertinent to the trap discussed earlier: "Don't give it back to him - he'll be offside!" Walking up and down, prowling, personal coaching: Scottie was drifting inside: "Here, hold the touchline."
Lennie was hunkered down in the dug-out bunker. We won, 3-1. Love it, love it, love it.
So after all that, you mean Jimmy Hendry i presume with the x rays from one of the two broken legs that Colin Walsh sufferred during the club's time at Selhurst Park.
No, Shirty: before Jimmy Hendry. It was also nicely peculiar because a bit later I visited my Ma in Greenwich hospital - varicose veins -and her medical notes were in a folder that was previously for Dugdale and his broken leg.
You remember him, don't you? Barrel-chested defender from Coventry.
Now you've really got me going with the physio. Hang on - I'm going to dig out the old programmes...
No can't find him. It's one of those sonorous, grand names - possibly Scottish...
So you bumped into Charlie Hall on a train back from London Bridge holding the x rays of Alan Dugdale's broken leg? We were in the 2nd division at the time, playing at the valley, with the likes of Hales, Flanagan and M Robinson scoring goals. Are you getting 2 stories muddled up here?
Many years ago, I bumped in to Malcolm Musgrove on a train back from London Bridge: he was holding the file of X-rays from one of our player's broken leg. We were in the top division, at Sell-Out Park, and hadn't won for months - and I asked him what could be done. "It's very tough in this division," he said with a warm smile: "We haven't got the guile, in and around the box".
... Malcolm Musgrove was a part time games master at my school in the early/mid 60s .. I recall him from a game which Orient won @ the valley in the very early sixties, he was a left winger and carried the ball some seventy yards along the touchline before delivering a pinpoint cross onto the head of Dave Dunmore to head home and win the game in the last few minutes .. I was gutted at that .. not for the first nor last time watching the Valiants .. ((:>)
Many years ago, I bumped in to Malcolm Musgrove on a train back from London Bridge: he was holding the file of X-rays from one of our player's broken leg - We were in the top division, at Sell-Out Park, and hadn't won for months - and I asked him what could be done. "It's very tough in this division," he said with a warm smile: "We haven't got the guile, in and around the box".
Malcolm Musgrove was a coach at Charlton between 65 and 67, not during the Selhurst Park era.
I'm glad you correct my failing memory, Shirty. I think the X-rays were for Alan Dugdale - barrel-chested cove who came from Coventry, broken leg and in Greenwich hospital sharpish. As you say, not Charlie Vaughan - what was his name?
Dugdale was not at the club when Musgrove was coach though.
Beautiful, Lincs!
Later than Musgrove: circa 1980. Hey, Shirty, just because you ask those tough quiz questions, doesn't mean you can't answer them!
Long face, sombre, quietly spoken and courteous. Lennie Lawrence era. Not, not Colin Clarke. The man I am talking about was the physio.
Speaking of Colin Clarke, I watched him give Scottie Minto one-to-one coaching during our pre-season friendly at Edgware Town, White Lion ground, now demolished. Clarke walked up and down the touchline: "Stay wide - don't go in" - and, at a corner and pertinent to the trap discussed earlier: "Don't give it back to him - he'll be offside!" Walking up and down, prowling, personal coaching: Scottie was drifting inside: "Here, hold the touchline."
Lennie was hunkered down in the dug-out bunker. We won, 3-1. Love it, love it, love it.
So after all that, you mean Jimmy Hendry i presume with the x rays from one of the two broken legs that Colin Walsh sufferred during the club's time at Selhurst Park.
No, Shirty: before Jimmy Hendry. It was also nicely peculiar because a bit later I visited my Ma in Greenwich hospital - varicose veins -and her medical notes were in a folder that was previously for Dugdale and his broken leg.
You remember him, don't you? Barrel-chested defender from Coventry.
Now you've really got me going with the physio. Hang on - I'm going to dig out the old programmes...
No can't find him. It's one of those sonorous, grand names - possibly Scottish...
So you bumped into Charlie Hall on a train back from London Bridge holding the x rays of Alan Dugdale's broken leg? We were in the 2nd division at the time, playing at the valley, with the likes of Hales, Flanagan and M Robinson scoring goals. Are you getting 2 stories muddled up here?
Yes, you are right, Shirty: I managed the conflate the two events. The physio on the train with the X-rays was Bill Gallagher - as a dutiful Charlton trainspotter I recall the small compartment on a 4-EPB unit! We were new to the top flight and were struggling, circa 1988 - it was he who said we lacked guile in and around the box. Alan Dugdale was of course far earlier, late 1978. My Ma was in Greenwich district hospital (now demolished) to have a varicose vein done, and her medical notes were in a folder previously used for Dugdale's broken leg.
I got there in the end! May we have another of your fiendish quizzes?
Many years ago, I bumped in to Malcolm Musgrove on a train back from London Bridge: he was holding the file of X-rays from one of our player's broken leg. We were in the top division, at Sell-Out Park, and hadn't won for months - and I asked him what could be done. "It's very tough in this division," he said with a warm smile: "We haven't got the guile, in and around the box".
... Malcolm Musgrove was a part time games master at my school in the early/mid 60s .. I recall him from a game which Orient won @ the valley in the very early sixties, he was a left winger and carried the ball some seventy yards along the touchline before delivering a pinpoint cross onto the head of Dave Dunmore to head home and win the game in the last few minutes .. I was gutted at that .. not for the first nor last time watching the Valiants .. ((:>)
Many years ago, I bumped in to Malcolm Musgrove on a train back from London Bridge: he was holding the file of X-rays from one of our player's broken leg - We were in the top division, at Sell-Out Park, and hadn't won for months - and I asked him what could be done. "It's very tough in this division," he said with a warm smile: "We haven't got the guile, in and around the box".
Malcolm Musgrove was a coach at Charlton between 65 and 67, not during the Selhurst Park era.
I'm glad you correct my failing memory, Shirty. I think the X-rays were for Alan Dugdale - barrel-chested cove who came from Coventry, broken leg and in Greenwich hospital sharpish. As you say, not Charlie Vaughan - what was his name?
Dugdale was not at the club when Musgrove was coach though.
Beautiful, Lincs!
Later than Musgrove: circa 1980. Hey, Shirty, just because you ask those tough quiz questions, doesn't mean you can't answer them!
Long face, sombre, quietly spoken and courteous. Lennie Lawrence era. Not, not Colin Clarke. The man I am talking about was the physio.
Speaking of Colin Clarke, I watched him give Scottie Minto one-to-one coaching during our pre-season friendly at Edgware Town, White Lion ground, now demolished. Clarke walked up and down the touchline: "Stay wide - don't go in" - and, at a corner and pertinent to the trap discussed earlier: "Don't give it back to him - he'll be offside!" Walking up and down, prowling, personal coaching: Scottie was drifting inside: "Here, hold the touchline."
Lennie was hunkered down in the dug-out bunker. We won, 3-1. Love it, love it, love it.
Was at that game, a Saturday afternoon. On the night before CAFC had a 1st team pre-season friendly (away at Colchester ?) and the Saturday game was the reserves/youngsters. Pretty certain Minto, Leaburn, Watson, & Bacon played. Remember Lennie sitting behind us in the stand after halftime. Think its far to say he'd had acouple the night before. ;-)
PS. Pretty sure Scott McGleish's father was on the management staff at Edgware, and did abit of scouting for Lennie at the time.
Nice one, MOG - I've still got the programme. Yeah, I can imagine Lennie enjoying a sherbet. I know he managed us through some extremely bleak periods in the top flight, and some fans are ambivalent, but I liked him. One of my favourite quotes of his was during a winless run that had gone on for months, and he said to the press: "I've told the players I can't do anything more for them. I won't listen to any more ifs, buts, or hard-luck stories - they've just got to win." And the following Saturday, we did. Hallelujah!
General consensus (that most of us agree on I think) -
* The football played over the last few years under Powell hasn't been great but it's been effective and led us to the League One title and over achieving last season.
* Powell's tactics are cautious and he is very much a "son of Curbs". There were only a couple of seasons where Curbishley played expansive, attacking football however they were some years into his tenure (and even then he was still cautious)
* RD has bought the club and despite any strengths or shortcomings is giving Powell a (short?) time to prove himself - and it seems we all agree that after splashing £20m that's his right if he chooses
* Until that time comes he isn't apparently going to be spending money and is instead loaning players from "the network"
* Without a stronger squad or a better pitch it's hard to know how Powell would ideally set us up at home
* Players of all abilities and at all levels are subject to personal mistakes which can't be caught in training. With a stronger squad maybe players would be more switched on and aware of others breathing down their necks but that's conjecture.
Depending on the viewpoint held, it seems that the above neutral (I hope) observations can be positioned either for or against Powell with degrees of severity. My take on the above is that while I would love to see us playing flowing, attacking football with the ball on the ground and two men up front, really going for it home and away, I would also rather have someone I trust in Chris Powell (and Dyer, and Matthews, and Peacock) steering the ship in the mould of the Curbishley era and taking things as cautiously as they feel they need to. That might frustrate me at times but at no point have I thought "they don't know what they're doing". For me I am a definite 100% SCP man (typical Lifer, I'm a socialist too).
However I appreciate that others might think that with a less cautious approach we may have achieved the same or even more, and played better football at the same time. That's an argument that none of us can prove or disprove but it's a valid point of view, even though I can't think of many teams with our resources (or pitch) who could do that at our level. Peterborough last season is a good example of a team full of flair and attacking intentions who ultimately got relegated. Would it be more exciting playing like that this year - undoubtedly. Would we be lower in the table - well we can't get that much lower. However I would argue that the way we play suggests we have the foundation to start moving up the table whereas the Darren Ferguson approach would just see us staying down the bottom until we revisit League One. To argue that a different manager would play better football is a totally valid opinion though.
So hopefully the above is a reasonable description of what I feel and why I do understand the opposing viewpoint when it's put across sensibly (even if I strongly disagree - there are many things I would change before the manager)
What I do find almost beyond parody is when some start blaming underhit passes, or foul throws, or simple offside mistakes from corners, as symptomatic of bad coaching, or slagging off the training at Sparrows Lane without knowing what goes on there.
Anyway, I fear that unless we smash Oxford tomorrow night we may well be finding out how another manager takes this team on by the weekend. I hope I'm wrong...
An excellent post. I think you do have to play to the strengths of the conditions and the players you have. If they can't string 6 passess together without making a dodgy one, you don't pass too much. Might not be pretty, but makes sense. I think there is a middle ground though - I don't often disagree with teh way Powell sets up - but if we go a goal behind - it is then a question on how we retrieve the situation. You have to take risks, but it is the extent of the risks and when you start taking them, that has been my biggest gripe with Chrissy. If you are at home and your opponents are a goal up and are determined to shut up shop - take a centre half off and put a another forward on and give it time to work. It may not and you may go further behind and lose by more goals but that is the risk I think Powell takes too long to take.
It sounds like I am against Powell, but I certainly am not. That is a big weakness for me, but he has done a terrific job building a decent squad with little resources. We mustn't forget that most of our current players were purchased for league one with the money we received for Jenkinson from Arsenal. We have two areas that are crying out for improvement and Powell will know what they are as well as anybody - but he isn't being backed to resolve them.
If you don't score, generally you don't win. If we had a good pacy goalscoring striker - well draws would become wins and wins become draws and this is very relevant considering that most of our games are close. At this stage it would be very dangerous to lose Powell, as he binds the squad together - If a new man was to come in - he would have to work with Chrissy's players and they clearly won't be happy players - given the esteem the gaffer is clearly held in.
I don't think Powell has won RD over yet, and to be fair - that is not RD's fault. Nor is it Powell's, but it is always the Charlton way to find a way of making a situation worse. We really needed a few good things to happen after the sale of the club, but with the pitch and results things have gone on a downward spiral. It isn't too late, but Chrissy - and the players - need to dust themselves down and start that upward path now. They have a good opportunity tomorrow - against a side that we should beat comfortably and with another cup match providing a rest from the league on Saturday. However, if we turn the tide with some positives in the cup - we do need to address our striking problems - as strikers and a team who find it too hard to score, tend to struggle and a dip will only be around the corner.
When we got relegated last time, it was almost impossible to work out how to strengthen - as the team was so hoplessly imbalenced. But it is very different now - and many of us can see a way that the whole team can be transformed with very little additions- the problem is, the players who would make a difference will be relatively expensive - but not nearly as much as relegation. RD needs to back Chrissy, we need to get behind him and the team (as I'm sure we will) and we need to set ourselves up for a real go next season - write this season off as a lost opportunity. But we need to survive it to do that. We would all galdy take a lost oppotunity as opposed to a disaster right now!
On goal difference only. And with the current (so-called) strikers we have, that could disappear over a week or two if the defence slip up. CP is a bit too happy to rest on a single goal for my liking, though perhaps it is merely a different sensibility instead of a question of right or wrong.
Same strikers we've had all season. Still not in the bottom three.
Yep, but I for one am getting a little nervous about our defence. Conceding two goals against a League Two side, our best two defenders injured (Solly) or suspended for 3 games (Wiggins), Morrison is not his usual beastly self and Wood has made a couple of (admittedly uncharacteristic) errors recently. Unless Dervite suddenly becomes Maldini we are potentially deep in the shit, or so I can't help feeling.
Without actually going to watch a training session and seeing the input certain staff have, I'm not sure people can really make a judgement.
Sometimes I'm not happy with the football played or the way we set up but its not as easy as just saying 'well why don't they work on that in training' or digging out the coaches.
Ultimately its down to the players, and the fact we sometimes see them do the right things, makes me believe that we have a decent standard squad that are just far too inconsistent.
I never said they were "shit" - now please answer my question...
I didn't say you did, did I? My original comment was aimed at those that do. It was you that picked up on what I said about people thinking they know more than qualified coaches.
And the answer to your question....read my response to 'nam11' a couple of posts up.
I never said they were "shit" - now please answer my question...
I didn't say you did, did I? My original comment was aimed at those that do. It was you that picked up on what I said about people thinking they know more than qualified coaches.
And the answer to your question....read my response to 'nam11' a couple of posts up.
Why Stephens on the right wing again when it clearly did not work? Evina playing at the wrong position at left wing and should be left back. What has Harriott done so wrong not to get in the side?
I am slowly turning into the Powell out brigade if this crap carries on!
Can't really do much more with what he's got. There is no-one else who could play right midfield (Green has had loads of chances starting). Left-Midfield we lost Stewart and Harriott gives the ball away too needlessly. Up Front we have basically nothing of note.
Only gripe is the choice to leave Wood out. Drop him on saturday if he could only play in one game.
Comments
I think if we lose Powell Steve then yes it would be a bad thing, to lose him then replace him with a coach or mgr I have never heard of , no I don't think it would be a bad thing as its a clean slate no preconceptions
General consensus (that most of us agree on I think) -
* The football played over the last few years under Powell hasn't been great but it's been effective and led us to the League One title and over achieving last season.
* Powell's tactics are cautious and he is very much a "son of Curbs". There were only a couple of seasons where Curbishley played expansive, attacking football however they were some years into his tenure (and even then he was still cautious)
* RD has bought the club and despite any strengths or shortcomings is giving Powell a (short?) time to prove himself - and it seems we all agree that after splashing £20m that's his right if he chooses
* Until that time comes he isn't apparently going to be spending money and is instead loaning players from "the network"
* Without a stronger squad or a better pitch it's hard to know how Powell would ideally set us up at home
* Players of all abilities and at all levels are subject to personal mistakes which can't be caught in training. With a stronger squad maybe players would be more switched on and aware of others breathing down their necks but that's conjecture.
Depending on the viewpoint held, it seems that the above neutral (I hope) observations can be positioned either for or against Powell with degrees of severity. My take on the above is that while I would love to see us playing flowing, attacking football with the ball on the ground and two men up front, really going for it home and away, I would also rather have someone I trust in Chris Powell (and Dyer, and Matthews, and Peacock) steering the ship in the mould of the Curbishley era and taking things as cautiously as they feel they need to. That might frustrate me at times but at no point have I thought "they don't know what they're doing". For me I am a definite 100% SCP man (typical Lifer, I'm a socialist too).
However I appreciate that others might think that with a less cautious approach we may have achieved the same or even more, and played better football at the same time. That's an argument that none of us can prove or disprove but it's a valid point of view, even though I can't think of many teams with our resources (or pitch) who could do that at our level. Peterborough last season is a good example of a team full of flair and attacking intentions who ultimately got relegated. Would it be more exciting playing like that this year - undoubtedly. Would we be lower in the table - well we can't get that much lower. However I would argue that the way we play suggests we have the foundation to start moving up the table whereas the Darren Ferguson approach would just see us staying down the bottom until we revisit League One. To argue that a different manager would play better football is a totally valid opinion though.
So hopefully the above is a reasonable description of what I feel and why I do understand the opposing viewpoint when it's put across sensibly (even if I strongly disagree - there are many things I would change before the manager)
What I do find almost beyond parody is when some start blaming underhit passes, or foul throws, or simple offside mistakes from corners, as symptomatic of bad coaching, or slagging off the training at Sparrows Lane without knowing what goes on there.
Anyway, I fear that unless we smash Oxford tomorrow night we may well be finding out how another manager takes this team on by the weekend. I hope I'm wrong...
You can say he had plenty of money to do it ,but it wasn't an extortionate amount. And to get them all singing from the same song sheet so quickly was a remarkable achievement.
I believe we have got someone special here who should at least be given the opportunity to mould a new side with players HE believes will make us better.
That's the one position we need and with no money, we haven't got anyone in. That's not Powell fault and if we had that player, we wouldn't be in a relegation battle.
Powell's a good manager and still has my support. The players still back him 100% and so do I.
;-)
PS. Pretty sure Scott McGleish's father was on the management staff at Edgware, and did abit of scouting for Lennie at the time.
I got there in the end! May we have another of your fiendish quizzes?
It sounds like I am against Powell, but I certainly am not. That is a big weakness for me, but he has done a terrific job building a decent squad with little resources. We mustn't forget that most of our current players were purchased for league one with the money we received for Jenkinson from Arsenal. We have two areas that are crying out for improvement and Powell will know what they are as well as anybody - but he isn't being backed to resolve them.
If you don't score, generally you don't win. If we had a good pacy goalscoring striker - well draws would become wins and wins become draws and this is very relevant considering that most of our games are close. At this stage it would be very dangerous to lose Powell, as he binds the squad together - If a new man was to come in - he would have to work with Chrissy's players and they clearly won't be happy players - given the esteem the gaffer is clearly held in.
I don't think Powell has won RD over yet, and to be fair - that is not RD's fault. Nor is it Powell's, but it is always the Charlton way to find a way of making a situation worse. We really needed a few good things to happen after the sale of the club, but with the pitch and results things have gone on a downward spiral. It isn't too late, but Chrissy - and the players - need to dust themselves down and start that upward path now. They have a good opportunity tomorrow - against a side that we should beat comfortably and with another cup match providing a rest from the league on Saturday. However, if we turn the tide with some positives in the cup - we do need to address our striking problems - as strikers and a team who find it too hard to score, tend to struggle and a dip will only be around the corner.
When we got relegated last time, it was almost impossible to work out how to strengthen - as the team was so hoplessly imbalenced. But it is very different now - and many of us can see a way that the whole team can be transformed with very little additions- the problem is, the players who would make a difference will be relatively expensive - but not nearly as much as relegation. RD needs to back Chrissy, we need to get behind him and the team (as I'm sure we will) and we need to set ourselves up for a real go next season - write this season off as a lost opportunity. But we need to survive it to do that. We would all galdy take a lost oppotunity as opposed to a disaster right now!
Wasn't long ago that alex dyer was getting stick.
Sometimes I'm not happy with the football played or the way we set up but its not as easy as just saying 'well why don't they work on that in training' or digging out the coaches.
Ultimately its down to the players, and the fact we sometimes see them do the right things, makes me believe that we have a decent standard squad that are just far too inconsistent.
And the answer to your question....read my response to 'nam11' a couple of posts up.
Why Stephens on the right wing again when it clearly did not work? Evina playing at the wrong position at left wing and should be left back. What has Harriott done so wrong not to get in the side?
I am slowly turning into the Powell out brigade if this crap carries on!
Left-Midfield we lost Stewart and Harriott gives the ball away too needlessly.
Up Front we have basically nothing of note.
Only gripe is the choice to leave Wood out. Drop him on saturday if he could only play in one game.