My initial reaction was huge disappointment, and some anger towards Duchatalet. On the face of it, Riga appears to have been treated in a shabby and disrespectful way. My gut feeling is that Riga would have taken us to the play-offs next season, given some backing (which may or may not have been forthcoming). Was Riga let go because of his reluctance to play the dross from the network? Possibly.
But the other half of me thinks that Duchatalet is no fool, and for him to have let Riga go, he must be absolutely confident that his chosen candidate will do even better. He must have a definite path in mind for Charlton, one which is not completely obvious to us yet. One thing is clear - he wants to develop young talent and add value to the club that way. But he must also surely know that young talent playing at a higher level has much greater value, as we've seen recently in the case of Luke Shaw. Likewise, promising youngsters are much more likely to want to join the academy of a successful or improving club rather than one which is on the wane. So it makes sense for him, in terms of what we believe to be his long-term ambitions for Charlton, for the club to attain a decent level in the Championship, or better still achieve promotion to the Premiership, sooner rather than later. It doesn't make sense for us to have a great academy nurturing young talent, only for that talent to leave before signing a professional contract because the parent club is such a shambles.
We don't know the full story about Riga's departure yet, and perhaps we never will. I hate the way that this is playing out, but ultimately I think we have to be confident that our hopes and ambitions for Charlton are also Duchatalet's. We might always be a selling club, but hopefully one that plays good football at a respectable level, and produces future England (and other) internationals.
The problem with the often repeated claim that Duchatelet “is not a fool” so he must know what he’s doing is that while he is clearly not stupid in the conventional sense he comes across as a bit of an obsessive and controlling ‘man with a plan’ when it comes to football.
There’s a big difference between creating a successful electronics company and putting into practice a scheme to ‘make football pay’ (or at least break even) – however desirable such a development might be in theory. And at the moment we may be the lab rats…..
"As soon as he took over, Duchatelet made it perfectly clear that he wasn't going to spend big money on transfer fees or players' wages. That was the first damning proof of his lack of ambition for this club."
BeNeFoot @BeNeFoot 3m According to Het Nieuwsblad, Bob Peeters should be on the Eurostar from Brussels to London today. Destination The Valley. #cafc
I can feel a Bournemouth Echo style stalking coming on:
- is he in first class? - what filling has he ordered in his sandwich? - has he logged onto the wi-fi? - is he in a suit? - does he have a list of player targets on his person? - is he catching up with old mates in New Cross while he's here?
I keep telling myself that RD wants us to get to the prem just as much as the fans do. I'm sure he has got a plan and he does have confidence in whoever the next manager is that they can improve us. I really do NOT want to turn into a business, rather than a football club, but I understand the financial gain for RD if we get up is huge and so he would be a fool if he didn't try and achieve that.
However it is just so hard to comprehend his decision making. He's only been here a few months and already taken several massive risks; granted they have all come off, but I'm not sure how many times he can keep getting away with it.
After the understandable emotion of yesterday we are getting to the more salient points of the "media storm".
We do have to get past this issue of because people are nice blokes they are worth the job. In no walk of life do people get paid on such a basis. I share the disappointment M. Riga will apparently no longer be with us but like everyone on this board (and apparently M. Riga himself) I have only a limited knowledge of the basis upon which the club is making its decisions.
I recognise there may be broader issues in play - I have seen more than my fair share of corporate megalomania.
Riga & Duchatelet were at St. Liege for the 2011/12 season (14W: 9D: 7L) securing a play-off spot which did not go well (2W: 3D: 5D). RD let JR walk from his contract to pursue other options yet called on him to steer us to Championship safety. On the face of it, it is a paradox. We can all (and this site will no doubt continue to do so wildly) speculate on the situation.
I doubt Riga was part of Plan A. Only when Duchatelet felt an impasse with Powell was impacting the progress of the club did he seek his help. I expect he was content with the outcome. He no doubt appreciates the Riga skillset but as with Powell, Duchatelet has/ had a judgement call to make. Is Riga the best/ right candidate to take us forward? Sadly it seems not. That is not the issue for me.
The management of the situation is beyond unprofessional. I could sit here now and write a press release to cover the situation that arose yesterday. I spent a unreasonable part of my senior management career running around "sweeping up the nonsenses" of various directors. It does not matter whether you are even involved in a process I would not need any instructions from anyone to write anything, as an executive you have a responsibility to manage reputational damage. How about a release on the basis
"The club notes the increasing media speculation concerning the appointment of a Head Coach for the 2014/2015 season. We are in the final stages of discussions with a number of people concerning the way forward but you will appreciate such matters must remain confidential until all of the relevant parties have been appropriately informed of our ultimate decision.
We are keen to make an early appointment but can assure all parties we are mindful of the due processes involved in completing this undertaking. We hope to be in a position to provide further news in the coming days."
This responsibility does not sit at the door of M.Duchatelet. It sits with people in SE7.
After the understandable emotion of yesterday we are getting to the more salient points of the "media storm".
We do have to get past this issue of because people are nice blokes they are worth the job. In no walk of life do people get paid on such a basis. I share the disappointment M. Riga will apparently no longer be with us but like everyone on this board (and apparently M. Riga himself) I have only a limited knowledge of the basis upon which the club is making its decisions.
I recognise there may be broader issues in play - I have seen more than my fair share of corporate megalomania.
Riga & Duchatelet were at St. Liege for the 2011/12 season (14W: 9D: 7L) securing a play-off spot which did not go well (2W: 3D: 5D). RD let JR walk from his contract to pursue other options yet called on him to steer us to Championship safety. On the face of it, it is a paradox. We can all (and this site will no doubt continue to do so wildly) speculate on the situation.
I doubt Riga was part of Plan A. Only when Duchatelet felt an impasse with Powell was impacting the progress of the club did he seek his help. I expect he was content with the outcome. He no doubt appreciates the Riga skillset but as with Powell, Duchatelet has/ had a judgement call to make. Is Riga the best/ right candidate to take us forward? Sadly it seems not. That is not the issue for me.
The management of the situation is beyond unprofessional. I could sit here now and write a press release to cover the situation that arose yesterday. I spent a unreasonable part of my senior management career running around "sweeping up the nonsenses" of various directors. It does not matter whether you are even involved in a process I would not need any instructions from anyone to write anything, as an executive you have a responsibility to manage reputational damage. How about a release on the basis
"The club notes the increasing media speculation concerning the appointment of a Head Coach for the 2014/2015 season. We are in the final stages of discussions with a number of people concerning the way forward but you will appreciate such matters must remain confidential until all of the relevant parties have been appropriately informed of our ultimate decision.
We are keen to make an early appointment but can assure all parties we are mindful of the due processes involved in completing this undertaking. We hope to be in a position to provide further news in the coming days."
This responsibility does not sit at the door of M.Duchatelet. It sits with people in SE7.
With respect, you are not addressing the key issue that bothers me and quite a few others. If Riga is not the right person "going forward", why not tell him, the week after the season ended, and give him a nice fat bonus for a job well done. I don't know about your area of business but in mine that is just "best practice".
Ive just seen Bob Peeters on a bench in Greenwich Park with a can of Stella in one hand and a pie in the other. The club are sending a chauffeur (Riga) to pick him up. On arrivial, he will be shown to the boardroom by the clubs new official tour guide (Powell), but not before handing his coat and bag of stella cans to the clubs new cloakroom attendant (Dyer).
Grapevine49 post is great, about the handling of the mail, and the style of press release that could be issued. There is a big vacuum around Charlton communications which partially accounts for the masses of speculation. The media handling is very poor but surely the buck stops with the owner / or head of communications who hired them in the first place ?
The languid approach of communication around Riga's non hiring and the additional media mess does not provide evidence of any general competency. That is not encouraging for future strategy at the club.
After the understandable emotion of yesterday we are getting to the more salient points of the "media storm".
We do have to get past this issue of because people are nice blokes they are worth the job. In no walk of life do people get paid on such a basis. I share the disappointment M. Riga will apparently no longer be with us but like everyone on this board (and apparently M. Riga himself) I have only a limited knowledge of the basis upon which the club is making its decisions.
I recognise there may be broader issues in play - I have seen more than my fair share of corporate megalomania.
Riga & Duchatelet were at St. Liege for the 2011/12 season (14W: 9D: 7L) securing a play-off spot which did not go well (2W: 3D: 5D). RD let JR walk from his contract to pursue other options yet called on him to steer us to Championship safety. On the face of it, it is a paradox. We can all (and this site will no doubt continue to do so wildly) speculate on the situation.
I doubt Riga was part of Plan A. Only when Duchatelet felt an impasse with Powell was impacting the progress of the club did he seek his help. I expect he was content with the outcome. He no doubt appreciates the Riga skillset but as with Powell, Duchatelet has/ had a judgement call to make. Is Riga the best/ right candidate to take us forward? Sadly it seems not. That is not the issue for me.
The management of the situation is beyond unprofessional. I could sit here now and write a press release to cover the situation that arose yesterday. I spent a unreasonable part of my senior management career running around "sweeping up the nonsenses" of various directors. It does not matter whether you are even involved in a process I would not need any instructions from anyone to write anything, as an executive you have a responsibility to manage reputational damage. How about a release on the basis
"The club notes the increasing media speculation concerning the appointment of a Head Coach for the 2014/2015 season. We are in the final stages of discussions with a number of people concerning the way forward but you will appreciate such matters must remain confidential until all of the relevant parties have been appropriately informed of our ultimate decision.
We are keen to make an early appointment but can assure all parties we are mindful of the due processes involved in completing this undertaking. We hope to be in a position to provide further news in the coming days."
This responsibility does not sit at the door of M.Duchatelet. It sits with people in SE7.
With respect, you are not addressing the key issue that bothers me and quite a few others. If Riga is not the right person "going forward", why not tell him, the week after the season ended, and give him a nice fat bonus for a job well done. I don't know about your area of business but in mine that is just "best practice".
I think it's perfectly possible that RD was hoping to keep all discussion with all parties under wraps until he had decided if there was a better candidate than Jose. Talk to them and if not what he was looking for he could open discussion with Riga. It's backfired because as already stated keeping things under wraps in football is not the same as doing that in electronics. A miscalculation on RD's part ? He will soon learn.
PA - I was not seeking to address your issue. However based on the reported comments of JR I suggest he has less of an issue than most of the people on here. I try not to speculate on these issues. If I must then IF M Duchatelet is in discussions with sundry parties concerning the appointment of a Head Coach for 2014/ 2015 season then palpably it would seem he had/ has not yet made a final decision.
Several people do tend to have formal interviews in these situations, sometimes more than one. If Duchatelet had made a final decision then I agree ALL other relevant parties should be/ have been informed, with the requisite comments if appropriate etc.,.
Neither you or I or anyone else (including M.Riga apparently) KNOWS whether a final decision has been made. I will keep my further thoughts on the matter until a formal announcement is made.
The issue at this point is the whole process for whatever reason is in the public domain. It needed to be managed - it was not.
Not easy to understand how this stuff gets into the media before its done and dusted, everyone impacted has been informed (which might include Riga) and an announcement has been prepared. Guess its the world we're in today, but I'd be absolutely furious if I were Duchatelet.
I don't find it surprising at all. There is an intense media focus on football and an army of people involved in any deal. This isn't the electronics business and none of the people reporting it will be remotely interested in whether RD is furious or not.
I'm not referring to who is reporting it. Whoever leaks this kind of information must be very well aware that they are being mischievous at best and vindictive at worst. There won't be an army of people involved in a discussion between Duchatelet and two or three Managers he's interviewing.
By contrast, in the commercial environment it appears possible to keep things under wraps until its appropriate to make the information public. That's not because the information isn't of interest, it's because the immediate reaction of the many people involved isn't to think "I've got an interesting titbit, this will make somebody look bad or embarrass them, I'll, ring a friendly Journo". I guess it says something about the integrity of the people involved.
To me it does matter whether Duchatelet is furious of Peeters or Riga embarrassed for example, but then again I've never leaked information.
If RD is furious (and we don't know that he is or even cares) then it makes his failure to manage communications even more bizarre.
He has been in football long enough now to have realised that, as Airman says, it isn't electronics, there are numous parties involved (agents, family, other clubs' staff) not just the coach himself so it is not surprising that the media run the stories.
People are interested in what is happening at Charlton as the traffic on this site proves. Of course the SLP and the rest of the media will run stories that will get them hits or sell papers, it's their primary function.
If RD doesn't like it then rather than trying to plug the leaks he should take a pro-active stance and run the stories himself. Didn't he just appoint a new media director?
We had the news on Paul Hart. Where is the story on Dyer leaving or Matthew, Bloom and Roberts staying.
Where is the news on the players coming and going already annouced by those players on twitter?
Where is the "Thanks Jose" story?
It's up to RD. He might not care but the speed in which he recorded a second video interview after the first was misinterpreted as suggesting that we were Standard's feeder club, tells me that he does.
Surly it's up to the people below rd to release those stories ?
Not easy to understand how this stuff gets into the media before its done and dusted, everyone impacted has been informed (which might include Riga) and an announcement has been prepared. Guess its the world we're in today, but I'd be absolutely furious if I were Duchatelet.
I don't find it surprising at all. There is an intense media focus on football and an army of people involved in any deal. This isn't the electronics business and none of the people reporting it will be remotely interested in whether RD is furious or not.
I'm not referring to who is reporting it. Whoever leaks this kind of information must be very well aware that they are being mischievous at best and vindictive at worst. There won't be an army of people involved in a discussion between Duchatelet and two or three Managers he's interviewing.
By contrast, in the commercial environment it appears possible to keep things under wraps until its appropriate to make the information public. That's not because the information isn't of interest, it's because the immediate reaction of the many people involved isn't to think "I've got an interesting titbit, this will make somebody look bad or embarrass them, I'll, ring a friendly Journo". I guess it says something about the integrity of the people involved.
To me it does matter whether Duchatelet is furious of Peeters or Riga embarrassed for example, but then again I've never leaked information.
If RD is furious (and we don't know that he is or even cares) then it makes his failure to manage communications even more bizarre.
He has been in football long enough now to have realised that, as Airman says, it isn't electronics, there are numous parties involved (agents, family, other clubs' staff) not just the coach himself so it is not surprising that the media run the stories.
People are interested in what is happening at Charlton as the traffic on this site proves. Of course the SLP and the rest of the media will run stories that will get them hits or sell papers, it's their primary function.
If RD doesn't like it then rather than trying to plug the leaks he should take a pro-active stance and run the stories himself. Didn't he just appoint a new media director?
We had the news on Paul Hart. Where is the story on Dyer leaving or Matthew, Bloom and Roberts staying.
Where is the news on the players coming and going already annouced by those players on twitter?
Where is the "Thanks Jose" story?
It's up to RD. He might not care but the speed in which he recorded a second video interview after the first was misinterpreted as suggesting that we were Standard's feeder club, tells me that he does.
Surly it's up to the people below rd to release those stories ?
Once they are told to by their line managers
Spooky. Has anyone seen Henry Irving and Shirty5 in the same place at the same time?
Comments
According to Het Nieuwsblad, Bob Peeters should be on the Eurostar from Brussels to London today. Destination The Valley. #cafc
There’s a big difference between creating a successful electronics company and putting into practice a scheme to ‘make football pay’ (or at least break even) – however desirable such a development might be in theory. And at the moment we may be the lab rats…..
Surely this is a positive ?
"As soon as he took over, Duchatelet made it perfectly clear that he wasn't going to spend big money on transfer fees or players' wages. That was the first damning proof of his lack of ambition for this club."
Modern football fans, eh?
Not forgetting 'side show Bob' from the Simpsons
Rhyming slang Bobby Brown ...... Clown.
Two Bit Bob
(or gets job - Bob a job - with respect to DoctorKish
http://www.cafcpicks.com/cgi-bin/drkish/display.pl?month=201405&date=20140522&time=0842
There is also the classic Not the Nine 'O' Clock News sketch about Bobs
Lets hope he doesn't act like one.
- is he in first class?
- what filling has he ordered in his sandwich?
- has he logged onto the wi-fi?
- is he in a suit?
- does he have a list of player targets on his person?
- is he catching up with old mates in New Cross while he's here?
However it is just so hard to comprehend his decision making. He's only been here a few months and already taken several massive risks; granted they have all come off, but I'm not sure how many times he can keep getting away with it.
Must just be the press bit at the valley
http://www.belgo-restaurants.co.uk/menus/belgo-bromley/main-menu
We do have to get past this issue of because people are nice blokes they are worth the job. In no walk of life do people get paid on such a basis. I share the disappointment M. Riga will apparently no longer be with us but like everyone on this board (and apparently M. Riga himself) I have only a limited knowledge of the basis upon which the club is making its decisions.
I recognise there may be broader issues in play - I have seen more than my fair share of corporate megalomania.
Riga & Duchatelet were at St. Liege for the 2011/12 season (14W: 9D: 7L) securing a play-off spot which did not go well (2W: 3D: 5D). RD let JR walk from his contract to pursue other options yet called on him to steer us to Championship safety. On the face of it, it is a paradox. We can all (and this site will no doubt continue to do so wildly) speculate on the situation.
I doubt Riga was part of Plan A. Only when Duchatelet felt an impasse with Powell was impacting the progress of the club did he seek his help. I expect he was content with the outcome. He no doubt appreciates the Riga skillset but as with Powell, Duchatelet has/ had a judgement call to make. Is Riga the best/ right candidate to take us forward? Sadly it seems not. That is not the issue for me.
The management of the situation is beyond unprofessional. I could sit here now and write a press release to cover the situation that arose yesterday. I spent a unreasonable part of my senior management career running around "sweeping up the nonsenses" of various directors. It does not matter whether you are even involved in a process I would not need any instructions from anyone to write anything, as an executive you have a responsibility to manage reputational damage. How about a release on the basis
"The club notes the increasing media speculation concerning the appointment of a Head Coach for the 2014/2015 season. We are in the final stages of discussions with a number of people concerning the way forward but you will appreciate such matters must remain confidential until all of the relevant parties have been appropriately informed of our ultimate decision.
We are keen to make an early appointment but can assure all parties we are mindful of the due processes involved in completing this undertaking. We hope to be in a position to provide further news in the coming days."
This responsibility does not sit at the door of M.Duchatelet. It sits with people in SE7.
With respect, you are not addressing the key issue that bothers me and quite a few others. If Riga is not the right person "going forward", why not tell him, the week after the season ended, and give him a nice fat bonus for a job well done. I don't know about your area of business but in mine that is just "best practice".
The languid approach of communication around Riga's non hiring and the additional media mess does not provide evidence of any general competency. That is not encouraging for future strategy at the club.
Several people do tend to have formal interviews in these situations, sometimes more than one. If Duchatelet had made a final decision then I agree ALL other relevant parties should be/ have been informed, with the requisite comments if appropriate etc.,.
Neither you or I or anyone else (including M.Riga apparently) KNOWS whether a final decision has been made. I will keep my further thoughts on the matter until a formal announcement is made.
The issue at this point is the whole process for whatever reason is in the public domain. It needed to be managed - it was not.