My only hope is that to agree to come back, Riga insisted on some more money to strengthen the squad.
I suspect one reason he is coming back is that he won't make many demands. Not sure RD is the kind of man to agree to anything. And Riga also needed the work. So far, his managerial career is hardly one of success after success. That in comparison to Karel Fraeye he has the CV of Alex Ferguson says it all about Meire's previous hiring.
One thought if Riga does come back. Is he better than all those many applicants that Meire so skillfully interviewed on previous occasions, let alone others who might be interested? Really?
My only hope is that to agree to come back, Riga insisted on some more money to strengthen the squad.
I suspect one reason he is coming back is that he won't make many demands. Not sure RD is the kind of man to agree to anything. And Riga also needed the work. So far, his managerial career is hardly one of success after success. That in comparison to Karel Fraeye he has the CV of Alex Ferguson says it all about Meire's previous hiring.
I thought we did the 'Alex Ferguson' bit with Luzon, how about 'Pep' or Mourinho.........perhaps not
The problem, as I see it, is the significant difference in world views between us, the fans, customers, clients, whatever, and RD, the owner, the industrial genius, the amazing visionary of a new way of football, or whatever.
Because we are there watching the team week by week, feeling attachment, long history of support, etc. we want success. Success in football is very simple. Be entertaining, win enough to not get relegated and occasionally do something to add excitement to the season. Be in a fight for the play offs, or winning the league, or a cup run. And if we find ourselves in a relegation fight, to see a team which is fighting and trying to avoid the drop. To do this you need a team of players who can play at the right level and a management team who engage with the fans, look like they are trying and understand the league in which the club is playing. Fund it in a way that gives hope of success, but not to the extent that it will break the club. This is the model followed by virtually every side in the country. The ones that have tried a different model are more often than not, the ones that have failed.
RD's world view is that he is an industrial visionary that can bring about a new way of doing things. He apparently wrote a book in the 90's which, ironically, was about getting greater transparency in the world of economics and politics. This led to him forming his own political party to try to bring about his vision i a political sphere. He has decided that he can break the current football economics model. Invest in infrastructure to train young players to bring them up to standard, put them in the first team and then sell them at a profit. Alongside this, make the fans into 'customers' by giving them a wider match day (and possibly mid week) experience so the customers come for that experience as much as for the football. It wouldn't surprise me if he had plans of building shops, cinemas and restaurants alongside the ground to make football just a small part of what might happen at the Valley, thus reducing the risk.
We are also only a small part of his empire. His main business is in electronics and will, no doubt, take up most of his time. We are just a subsidiary that he has invested in for him to try out his ideas about football. He has put in place his team to run it. I would imagine that in his mind, they are doing a reasonable job, reducing the losses, adding in new experiences for the customer, and so on. He isn't that bothered how the current fans think because they don't fit into his new world of football. He only comes to the Valley for 2 or 3 hours mid week, every few weeks, for business meetings. He isn't interested particularly with the football or our history and what happens on match days. That is for KM and team to manage and provide him with results.
So the changing of the head coach (who is probably just a junior divisional manager in RD's mind) is being delivered in the same way you get in large companies. Divisional managers are moved from area to area to meet certain targets, but coming from an internal group who are known to the senior management team. Bringing people from outside is risky at that level, so go with what you know.
That is what we are getting. Junior managers, known to RD, delivering against short term goals and whilst RD owns the club I can't see any change to this. KM is delivering against the targets he has set her and probably seen as a success by RD. It wouldn't bother him that we see her as out of her depth, as our view of what a football club isn't his and isn't important. RM is there to keep the 'customers' happy.
We can all see how flawed the RD model is in the long term. It makes no economic sense and leads to a reducing of value year on year because success in footballing terms will be almost impossible, and football success is what drives increasing value in football clubs in the UK. But with RD we will never have a side which is capable of winning anything. Fans, as we know them, will drift away. Against that there is no culture in the UK of football clubs being anything other than places to see football matches. Having lots of other 'experiences' are just not part of the way we do things. So the idea of having 'customers' to enjoy a wider match day experience is mad.
But I suspect none of that matters to RD. He wants to prove he is right and he can afford to lose £40m. If it goes really badly he still has high value real estate to do something with. He is playing with us in a way that is foreign to our way of thinking because we see the club as a part of the community and there for the fans. He sees us as a vehicle to change the way football runs. And it is unlikely that he will attempt to understand us because our world view does not fit with what he is trying to do.
Personally, I don't think it matters who our manager is, because the end result will be the same, the gradual erosion of the club. My hope is that RD will get bored with this project and want out. The danger then, of course, is how he disposes of us. Will he sell a going concern or asset strip?
He only said this in December. Don't be fooled, he's just another puppet.
Maybe because he was supporting his mate?
If you recall, Reza and Astrit were the only 2 players he consistently played. He used Thuram a couple of times. I'd say he went for the same kind of teams Powell would have used.
If, as that woman claimed, Fraeye was an interim, the very word suggests he filled a gap while they searched for a permanent replacement. So since late October they have, by her own definition, been hunting for the right man to lead us to glory. And they come up with Jose Riga. Wow, what an extensive search.
Aside from being a display of utter contempt for the fans, if this appointment is confirmed once more shows that Katrien Meire is a liar who thinks Charlton fans are idiots.
If it's a straight choice between Riga and Fraeye, then it's Riga six million % for me. I can get behind Riga and the team, whereas Fraeye makes everything everything toxic. I'd still prefer someone like Steve Clarke, but realistically I doubt he or others of his calibre would be interested.
So if Riga is in, should the protests continue? You bet they should!
I seem to recall that Richard Murray's first move post-Curbs was to appoint Andrew Mills as some type of director of football / head of recruitment, a player was signed (can't remember who... Possibly Corey Gibbs?) and then the rumours surfaced that Billy Davies reacted badly to Andrew Mills being the final voice in transfers.
Mills was in situ with Curbs and Curbs says he had no problem with that. He had a silly title - general manager - but was essentially a gofer. He did not make the decisions.
That is a separate issue from the imposition of a coaching set-up on Dowie, which was to keep out his brother, but was IMO not a reasonable constraint in that any incoming manager should have appointed their own team. With Davies I understand the situation was less clear cut.
Curbs was such a god at the club that it probably didn't matter who else was there, I imagine for a new person it would have been a lot harder to completely dominate transfer thinking?
The logic of that would be that Mills was responsible for Dowie's signings to some degree. He wasn't.
If it's a straight choice between Riga and Fraeye, then it's Riga six million % for me. I can get behind Riga and the team, whereas Fraeye makes everything everything toxic. I'd still prefer someone like Steve Clarke, but realistically I doubt he or others of his calibre would be interested.
So if Riga is in, should the protests continue? You bet they should!
But it shouldn't be a choice between those two. Amazing as it may seem to Meire, there are managers outside those she has heard of.
The protests should be increased. Not against the team or, at this stage, Riga. But certainly against Meire, Murray and RD. They hope a change will shut us up. It might. But not this one.
I heard from a source close to the Coaching set up (now no longer with Charlton) that both Riga and Prefers became persona non grata because they would not show deference to Fraeye who has been 'involved' throughout the tenure of this regime so far. If Riga is appointed, which as I have said smacks of desperation by the ignorant, then watch Fraeye carefully regarding what he moves on to.
This regime ought to talk to Varney because they are an embarrassment not only to us but to themselves.
Because we are there watching the team week by week, feeling attachment, long history of support, etc. we want success. Success in football is very simple. Be entertaining, win enough to not get relegated and occasionally do something to add excitement to the season. Be in a fight for the play offs, or winning the league, or a cup run.
The simple fact of this is that it won't happen at the moment primarily because we don't have the money to compete.
If it's a straight choice between Riga and Fraeye, then it's Riga six million % for me. I can get behind Riga and the team, whereas Fraeye makes everything everything toxic. I'd still prefer someone like Steve Clarke, but realistically I doubt he or others of his calibre would be interested.
So if Riga is in, should the protests continue? You bet they should!
But it shouldn't be a choice between those two. Amazing as it may seem to Meire, there are managers outside those she has heard of.
The protests should be increased. Not against the team or, at this stage, Riga. But certainly against Meire, Murray and RD. They hope a change will shut us up. It might. But not this one.
It shouldn't but realistically that's all we're going to get right now. Agree totally with your second paragraph.
I heard from a source close to the Coaching set up (now no longer with Charlton) that both Riga and Prefers became persona non grata because they would not show deference to Fraeye who has been 'involved' throughout the tenure of this regime so far. If Riga is appointed, which as I have said smacks of desperation by the ignorant, then watch Fraeye carefully regarding what he moves on to.
This regime ought to talk to Varney because they are an embarrassment not only to us but to themselves.
Fraeye might go, but he will stay.
The last few weeks have certainly tarnished Fraeye's reputation, I can't believe RD will trust him as much, even if he does stay within the network
okay - so say JR is appointed this week. What happens to KF? I doubt very much RD & KM would 'sack' him. I would imagine he will be appointed as assistant head coach - just like before. For me this would be just as bad as having him as manager. He is just utter cr@p. We shouldn't be used by him or RD/KM to just further his career.
I'll admit, JR is better than KF, but at the end of the day, we all know JR is not the right man either. He had a good spell with us, whilst managing a much better squad than we have now.
What happens if we get relegated, which I think we will? Do we sack him/not renew his contract AGAIN and appoint yet another manager? RD/KM are not only clueless when it comes to running a football club, but they are not learning either. Merry-go-round of unsuitable managers and influx of foreign network players and loanees is not the way to stay in this league let alone get promoted.
Like others, I like JR. But he is just another RD 'yes man'. No self respecting manager would continue to have a relationship with an owner who brings him in every now and again to manage a team when they are in trouble then sacks him/doesn't offer him a contract. And if a manager is happy with that set up, he is not the right man for Charlton i'm afraid.
I heard from a source close to the Coaching set up (now no longer with Charlton) that both Riga and Prefers became persona non grata because they would not show deference to Fraeye who has been 'involved' throughout the tenure of this regime so far. If Riga is appointed, which as I have said smacks of desperation by the ignorant, then watch Fraeye carefully regarding what he moves on to.
This regime ought to talk to Varney because they are an embarrassment not only to us but to themselves.
Fraeye might go, but he will stay.
The last few weeks have certainly tarnished Fraeye's reputation, I can't believe RD will trust him as much, even if he does stay within the network
Is there a network though ? Forget Upjest and Jena both too small to have any impact on Charlton. St. Truiden not owned (yeah I know) by Duchatelet and Alcorcon where he has stepped down as President.
In any case. Have we had any direct involvement with those last two apart from Polish Pete being originally offloaded there.
Whilst I'd welcome Jose back, and hope he performs the same as last time, enough is enough with this regime. I back the team and not the regime. I will include Jose in "the team" if he does perform. If not, he's as bad as the whole structure.
This can't stop the protests! If anything it strengthens our cause.
Even if Jose performs well, and secures our Championship status it changes nothing. Roland et al must go, and never come back.
Headline is wrong - Daily Mail are obviously not watching us week in - week out - that was not a shock defeat.
I took a carload of 4 to Colchester - 3 out of 4 predicted a CAFC loss - that's how bad it has got (My Dad said a draw!).
That said the optimism was still there (it is the hope that kills you), but only lasted about 5 minutes into the game at which point my Son turned and said to me "another nailed on loss here". Surprised it took 5 minutes!
If Riga comes back then he is an actual moron. He knows that he will have no input in signings and has been screwed over by Duchatelet twice already.
Managers/coaches have an average 12 month in charge.
So you're not secure anywhere, so why not ? He liked it at Charlton and wanted to stay on.
True, sacked by the same owner three times though? Twice by Standard Liege and basically sacked once by us. I can't think of anyone who would come back three times, he's either a mate or very desperate.
The thing that really annoys me is that I can imagine Miere and Murray getting together and deciding how to appease us, the brain dead peasant customers. If Cawley is correct then I think this is their answer.
He hasn't been sacked 3 times though.
The first time at Standard Liege he resigned for a job in Qatar I think (presumably more money).
Charlton didn't sack him either. He had a 6 month(ish) contract, that wasn't extended. (I grant you that he wanted it extended).
The recent spell at Liege, Riga announced he wouldn't be extending the short contract.
So I don't believe RD has ever sacked him. I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong.
You are correct. Last time Riga was at SL, RD wanted out and didn't want to invest a lot in the club since that would have effected the selling price. Riga was displeased with the lack of good players so he resigned. I imagine if RD gave Riga a call offering the job now at Charlton, Riga said "yes, but .... gimme some money and players". Bob Peeters had an enormous problem with KM, so you won't see him back.
An ex Spanner (it's the derogatory term we use for Millwall Luke) not getting on with our all knowledgeable, on footballing matters, CEO? I would have thought that was a match made in heaven .
Comments
Still Roland, Katrien and Murray can all sod off if they don't support the manager rather than treating him like a puppet.
He only said this in December. Don't be fooled, he's just another puppet.
If you recall, Reza and Astrit were the only 2 players he consistently played. He used Thuram a couple of times. I'd say he went for the same kind of teams Powell would have used.
Aside from being a display of utter contempt for the fans, if this appointment is confirmed once more shows that Katrien Meire is a liar who thinks Charlton fans are idiots.
So if Riga is in, should the protests continue? You bet they should!
Harriott 'He scored about 3 goals under Riga. So, in a word, no.'
5 in last 2 games (Watford home 2, Blackpool away 3)
Take it your not a fan of his?
The protests should be increased. Not against the team or, at this stage, Riga. But certainly against Meire, Murray and RD. They hope a change will shut us up. It might. But not this one.
If Riga is appointed, which as I have said smacks of desperation by the ignorant, then watch Fraeye carefully regarding what he moves on to.
This regime ought to talk to Varney because they are an embarrassment not only to us but to themselves.
Fraeye might go, but he will stay.
I'll admit, JR is better than KF, but at the end of the day, we all know JR is not the right man either. He had a good spell with us, whilst managing a much better squad than we have now.
What happens if we get relegated, which I think we will? Do we sack him/not renew his contract AGAIN and appoint yet another manager? RD/KM are not only clueless when it comes to running a football club, but they are not learning either. Merry-go-round of unsuitable managers and influx of foreign network players and loanees is not the way to stay in this league let alone get promoted.
Like others, I like JR. But he is just another RD 'yes man'. No self respecting manager would continue to have a relationship with an owner who brings him in every now and again to manage a team when they are in trouble then sacks him/doesn't offer him a contract. And if a manager is happy with that set up, he is not the right man for Charlton i'm afraid.
Desperate decisions again and again.
In any case. Have we had any direct involvement with those last two apart from Polish Pete being originally offloaded there.
When Standard went so did the "network" ?
This can't stop the protests! If anything it strengthens our cause.
Even if Jose performs well, and secures our Championship status it changes nothing. Roland et al must go, and never come back.
I took a carload of 4 to Colchester - 3 out of 4 predicted a CAFC loss - that's how bad it has got (My Dad said a draw!).
That said the optimism was still there (it is the hope that kills you), but only lasted about 5 minutes into the game at which point my Son turned and said to me "another nailed on loss here". Surprised it took 5 minutes!