POTY DINNER
Comments
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There lies the problem when you join a cult and are obsessed with the leader. No matter of what they say or do, it's just one click on the finger cymbals and you then agree with everything they say, regardless of how crazy it is.DA9 said:
She has made her deal with the devil, she has to deal with it, but my point stands if she had not shown up.Missed It said:
If any normal person had to be accompanied to their works Christmas party by 3 bodyguards surely at some point they would ask themselves "What the hell am I doing to myself?"DA9 said:In fairness, she can't really win, she's being slagged off on here for having the nerve to attend, she would be equally criticised on here if she hadn't attended.
Murrays absence speaks more to me about his current feelings then her attendance.
It would seem dear Katrien isn't blessed with any degree of self-awareness or self-respect.1 -
Bodyguards !! I reckon she thinks of herself as some sort of superstar #deluded0
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Katrienye.2
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As a Jew, I will say it's something we're world class at, and why I enjoy the UK so much. Who doesn't love a good whinge????1StevieG said:
Bloody Tal Ben Haim still moaning.Fanny Fanackapan said:These facts are purely to illustrate to those who question the cost/venue/ quality of meal etc what we have to work with. And, TBH, I thought last night's dinner was a definite improvement on last year's.
Seriously, FF the evening sounds lovely. I'm about to go for a run for the first time in my new home and I've been saving the Charlton Live podcast to mark just such an occassion. All of the news and reviews on here have made me want to go, and next year I will probably try to schedule a trip with this event in mind.
Lastly, it's nice to hear from you FF that Jose Riga is what he seems, a man who is one of us, and who gets Charlton. There's talk on the other thread about whether he's a good coach, a network man, all that, but I'm glad to hear that above all he genuinely cares about Charlton.5 -
On Riga, that was what I took from the evening as well.
I would expect him to want to do well as a coach or manager wherever he is.
He seemed quite broken up that he might not get to do this at Charlton but he was not prepared to stay if he was not given the autonomy he felt he needed.
We are in a world of conspiracy theories but for me, I agree he wants to stay and he wants to build a successful Charlton team to get promoted next year. I think he can do it and I think so does he but only if he is given the freedom he needs. And I think he feels it's not going to happen which for me is a shame.10 -
Good for him, on both fronts. I appreciate and respect his love for the club, but he shouldn't stand by it if it means he can't do his job. If he walks away I'll still think of him as a Charlton man who was prepared to take a stand on principle.Alwaysneil said:On Riga, that was what I took from the evening as well.
I would expect him to want to do well as a coach or manager wherever he is.
He seemed quite broken up that he might not get to do this at Charlton but he was not prepared to stay if he was not given the autonomy he felt he needed.2 -
She is damned if she does and damned if she don't, and part of being a lawyer is disconnecting your empathy and doing tough things for an outcome, depending in which aspect you operate in.
However she did make the decision to work for this guy, and on SOME level she must absolutely KNOW that she is actually destroying something very important to alot of people's lives, she must also see around the country that probably on 2% of clubs are protesting.
Her only option is to hold on so tight it slips through her fingers or to be respectful, honourable, and truthful and resign... then JOIN the protests and start attacking RD directly, release the sex videos to further shame him, become a life long Addick .... etc...
I better get on with some work.0 -
Personally hoping he goes - the sooner the better. Cannot wait to rid this whole Belgian curse from our club - Riga being here next season means his mate Roland will still be here as well. I want them all out - no compromise.Alwaysneil said:On Riga, that was what I took from the evening as well.
I would expect him to want to do well as a coach or manager wherever he is.
He seemed quite broken up that he might not get to do this at Charlton but he was not prepared to stay if he was not given the autonomy he felt he needed.
We are in a world of conspiracy theories but for me, I agree he wants to stay and he wants to build a successful Charlton team to get promoted next year. I think he can do it and I think so does he but only if he is given the freedom he needs. And I think he feels it's not going to happen which for me is a shame.
Riga sure talks a good game but show me where he has openly criticised his long term boss in plain language.10 -
It's one thing to take over a team where the pieces are already in place as Riga did the first time around, and quite another to build from scratch, which is likely to be what's needed next season. Riga is an outsider, he just doesn't have the knowledge of the leagues, or the contacts needed to "get there first", when it comes to signing players, and as yet certainly doesn't have a scouting network to do the legwork for him. Much as many of us don't care for Warnock, a manager more like him than Riga is unfortunately what we need.9
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I attended the Kit Sponsors' and the PoTY functions. I met JR at each event, so I am in the perhaps fortunate position of being able to comment first-hand, based on these all-too-brief encounters.
The KS evening took place only two days after relegation became a fact at Bolton. JR is either a sublime actor or he was genuinely close to tears. Afterwards others there said the same. He was somewhat more composed at PoTY, but his speech was moving and clearly spoken from the heart. In our personal conversations he was, as always, respectful, sincere and unquestionably devastated at the club's present predicament.
Some present took his speech to be a coded farewell, but others - including me - thought otherwise. He wants to stay and to restore the club's fortunes but to do so he must keep onside with both a whimsical boss and a latter-day Pontius Pilate - welease Wiga !!. Even for one so diplomatic and thoughtful in his words this is no easy feat for JR and is certainly harder even than his footballing challenges. It is criminally unfair to condemn him for trying when he is motivated above all by an abiding love of our club. He is not the only stalwart who must render unto Caesar ....
Two years ago he saved us, aided by SCP's intact infrastructure. This time he failed, not least because the club has meanwhile been eviscerated by its incumbent management and in many respects is now just a shell. JR, like us, deserves so much better.
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Unlike us Riga can leave and go elsewhere to ply his trade
We have no realistic alternative as fans3 -
im in 2 minds with Riga. I mostly think he's just a puppet...but one that has recently rebelled.
The fact that RD isn't even sure if he should stay is so stupid. Why would you sack him at this point? Rd is a bitter old wanker that can't make his mind up unless the head coach is literally willing to go along with every aspect of horseshit that the regime offers.
The club needs stability. The head coach needs to be respected and needs freedom to perform to how he believes is the right choice within reason.
If Riga is given a genuine chance and not taken the piss out of with a terrible squad at his disposal, we could be a top half team next season. We could, dare I say it, win a few matches.0 -
On a principle he should have not come back to us.SDAddick said:
Good for him, on both fronts. I appreciate and respect his love for the club, but he shouldn't stand by it if it means he can't do his job. If he walks away I'll still think of him as a Charlton man who was prepared to take a stand on principle.Alwaysneil said:On Riga, that was what I took from the evening as well.
I would expect him to want to do well as a coach or manager wherever he is.
He seemed quite broken up that he might not get to do this at Charlton but he was not prepared to stay if he was not given the autonomy he felt he needed.0 -
It was quite obvious to me when Riga joined us the first time that he wasn't just another RD puppet, because he refused to play most of the imports other than Astrit. It then transpired that until arriving at the Valley he had never even met that well known RD puppet K Fraeye. I recall Riga saying that he had either never met RD or had done so just once.
How many people working for a company or a firm or corporation, have actually met, or know personally, the owner? We may know or meet a representative of the owner, in our case Katrien, but rarely get to meet the actual owner, especially one as rich and reclusive as RD.
I would go as far as to say that we have an excellent manager on our hands, but unfortunately may never get to see what he is capable of achieving. I base that on the impact he has had on players' performances. Cousins being the latest to publicly say just how much his personal performances improved since the arrival of Riga. Pope, Harriot, Lookman, Fox, Cousins, even Fanni who improved greatly after a dodgy start, have all improved under Riga. It's not too difficult to improve ones form in a team that is flying high, but to do that in a team struggling against relegation is far more difficult. That is a testament to the management skills of Riga. He has also not been afraid to take tough decisions like freezing out Sarr and Rodger, shipping out Vas Te, dropping the out of form Poyet.
Of course he has made mistakes in retrospect, perhaps the MK Dons game and Bristol City, but which human hasn't made mistakes ? and we need to take into account the fact that he is trying to work in extremely difficult circumstances and under great pressure.
Sadly, if he leaves I can see many more players throwing in the towel and wanting to get out. I'm sure there are some who may be persuaded to stay, but only if Riga remains.15 -
Riga is 59 now. He better hurry up if he's going to do well as a coach or manager. I don't dislike the bloke at all, but he stinks of the Belgian network. He's been the "best" of a bad bunch. Nothing more nothing less.Alwaysneil said:On Riga, that was what I took from the evening as well.
I would expect him to want to do well as a coach or manager wherever he is.
He seemed quite broken up that he might not get to do this at Charlton but he was not prepared to stay if he was not given the autonomy he felt he needed.
We are in a world of conspiracy theories but for me, I agree he wants to stay and he wants to build a successful Charlton team to get promoted next year. I think he can do it and I think so does he but only if he is given the freedom he needs. And I think he feels it's not going to happen which for me is a shame.
Thought he did well first time around, but lost a lot of respect by coming back after basically being told he wasn't good enough the first time.11 -
I have met Riga three times now, two years ago at Kit sponsors and again this year and at POTY. Each time he has chatted, and can see he clearly loves the club and the fans. I would think the reason he came back was not out of lack of self respect but because he genuinely wanted to try to help the club and importantly its fans avoid relegation. OK, he failed this time but that should not make him a failure. He has done his best with the restrictions placed upon him. Its funny how the ones who post he is a "puppet" are the ones who have mostly never met the man but all know exactly what he thinks despite never having spoken one to one to get a real impression. He has got the best out of players this season, and got more out Powell's squad than Powell managed two years ago. Those who say he did it with Powell's team forget that the same team were heading for League 1 then under Powell. Am not having a go at Powell who has been a great asset to our club but please don't believe that only men who have known the club for years care for it. From chatting to players both years it seems many "get" our club and love it very quickly.15
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That's a bit unfair. How many of us would openly criticise our bosses? We'd be sacked!!!Alwaysneil said:
Riga sure talks a good game but show me where he has openly criticised his long term boss in plain language.13 -
What about the bloke who is getting a West Ham season ticket next year?oohaahmortimer said:Unlike us Riga can leave and go elsewhere to ply his trade
We have no realistic alternative as fans5 -
All this stuff about Riga "loving" the club, really?
I'm pleased if he feels anything for us and also that he shows enough professional pride to be upset and disappointed now that he has presided over our relegation - not that it was all of his doing.
But come on, he "loves" us does he? Just like Semedo and the rest "loved" us?
I don't think so. You can try to dress it up all you like, but although relegation will almost certainly have "hurt" him, and the players, it's not going to be anything like how most of us with a genuine attachment and love for the club are feeling right now.
And as oohahh says, we have nowhere else to go.23 -
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I fell in Love with Charlton and The Valley within a year of my dad taking me. I'd say supporting Charlton is usually forced (in nicest possible way) by parents, I was different as I think my dad saw saturdays as a day off from the kids and a chance to get pissed with his mates. Okay yes, I was about 10 but I'm sure even if I was an adult( without an attachment to another team) I could easily do the same when hearing about the history of this club and what the fans done to keep the club alive and playing at their home. Not to mention if those same fans supported me from day one despite me replacing a club legend in bad circumstances.Off_it said:All this stuff about Riga "loving" the club, really?
I'm pleased if he feels anything for us and also that he shows enough professional pride to be upset and disappointed now that he has presided over our relegation - not that it was all of his doing.
But come on, he "loves" us does he? Just like Semedo and the rest "loved" us?
I don't think so. You can try to dress it up all you like, but although relegation will almost certainly have "hurt" him, and the players, it's not going to be anything like how most of us with a genuine attachment and love for the club are feeling right now.
And as oohahh says, we have nowhere else to go.4 -
Well he was definitely choked up and holding back the tears, Chris Powell stylee.Off_it said:All this stuff about Riga "loving" the club, really?
I'm pleased if he feels anything for us and also that he shows enough professional pride to be upset and disappointed now that he has presided over our relegation - not that it was all of his doing.
But come on, he "loves" us does he? Just like Semedo and the rest "loved" us?
I don't think so. You can try to dress it up all you like, but although relegation will almost certainly have "hurt" him, and the players, it's not going to be anything like how most of us with a genuine attachment and love for the club are feeling right now.
And as oohahh says, we have nowhere else to go.4 -
Mick Hucknall style?3
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I would not dispute that Riga is reasonably capable, nor dispute that he is a lovely man, although conflicted.
However I am less convinced that he is able to fully grasp what a season in league one means.
Riga knows football, he can structure a team to play a certain way by trying to best use the individual qualities players have. However League One is about almost robotic relentlessness. It is about grim awaydays, it is about hardened pros sprinkled with others who have class and threat. It is about other managers who will be cynically motivated to get a result.
When we had people such as Parkinson, Powell, Matthew, Jones, Dyer, Chappel we had some local knowledge and experience. What has Riga got? Jacko? With all the risk of that? Or obscure continental coaches, and scouts on football manager?
If we wish to have yet another campaign, where every match is more or less like a pre season friendly. A cerebral exercise where if you win it's nice, if you lose no biggie then Riga is probably suited.
However we are moving from the cerebral to the decidedly visceral. Cold showers, shaven heads, army training, and some wall punching will be the arena. Does Jose have the resources to cope?6 -
Sounds like Reza's cup of cha.1
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personally I hope Riga goes and is replaced by someone with a proper knowledge of L1
I think he got lucky first time around3 -
No such thing as luck, you make things happen or avoid things happening based purely on your actions and the actions of others.3
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Pinocchio isn't "damned if she does and damned if she doesn't".
She can resign and leave our club and the "damning" will stop immediately. Simple solution.
All the time she remains we're "damned" to a future with no hope or expectations so why should she have it any different?4 -
Giz a tenner out of your lotto jackpot win then Daz...Dazzler21 said:No such thing as luck, you make things happen or avoid things happening based purely on your actions and the actions of others.
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We will always have shit managers under our current owner and CEO as neither understand the English game, Charlton or indeed football in general.
For a start phrases like you pay peanuts you get monkeys and buy cheap you buy twice (or in our case several times) come to mind, but above all what decent manager would want to work for such an insane organisation.4
