I'm fairly sure that the sale of Pope to a Premier League side was not expected by anyone on here or at the club even just a few months back.
That's partly the point. They don't know what they're doing. Literally, the job of the SMT is to expect these kinds of things. To plot a course, and make contingency plans. Look how long it took to appoint Slade, once their first few choices knocked then back. They had no contingency. They don't know how the game works so they're not able to factor in potential outcomes. They just react. Badly.
Worst of all, there is absolutely nothing to suggest that they'll be able to make the right decisions once the player leaves. The hole gets deeper.
They have shown themselves incapable of learning and that's why, what must be the most forgiving and slow to anger supporter base in English football, have organised an effective campaign to get shot of them.
Sounds like I'm defending the regime but how do we know that we havnt already identified goalkeepers ?
We assume that because of previous experience but we don't know.
the sale of Dimitrov shows they havent got any strategic plan. If they had, they would have foreseen that Pope, a young English keeper, might attract bids. They would have held Dimitrov while waiting to see. After all, the owner of Dimitrov's new club could not have pressurised us, could he?
If Henderson and Pope leave too then it's a complete shambles. The only 'reason' behind it must be trimming the wage bill, and, quite possibly, RD limiting his further financial exposure to Charlton, particularly after the Brexit vote and the overall economic uncertainties.
The other clubs in 'the network' don't come anywhere near this level of instability - yes they buy, sell and loan some players each season, but compared to them we've been in continuous turmoil since he took over.
His actions at Charlton are unique and out of keeping with how he deals with the other clubs.
I'm fairly sure that the sale of Pope to a Premier League side was not expected by anyone on here or at the club even just a few months back.
That's partly the point. They don't know what they're doing. Literally, the job of the SMT is to expect these kinds of things. To plot a course, and make contingency plans. Look how long it took to appoint Slade, once their first few choices knocked then back. They had no contingency. They don't know how the game works so they're not able to factor in potential outcomes. They just react. Badly.
Worst of all, there is absolutely nothing to suggest that they'll be able to make the right decisions once the player leaves. The hole gets deeper.
They have shown themselves incapable of learning and that's why, what must be the most forgiving and slow to anger supporter base in English football, have organised an effective campaign to get shot of them.
Sounds like I'm defending the regime but how do we know that we havnt already identified goalkeepers ?
We assume that because of previous experience but we don't know.
the sale of Dimitrov shows they havent got any strategic plan. If they had, they would have foreseen that Pope, a young English keeper, might attract bids. They would have held Dimitrov while waiting to see. After all, the owner of Dimitrov's new club could not have pressurised us, could he?
Or our coaches rated both Phillips and Mitov above him and not expecting Pope to move ?
If it is true that Slade is choosing his players (I don't believe Meire's spin re this) then he is presumably happy and in agreement with the departures of Cousins, Pope and any others that disappear before the season starts.
Why ?
If Slade can choose who he wants to bring in within the agreed budget, why would that mean he is happy with the departure of certain players ? These are 2 different issues, although interlinked.
If a player is under contract (which both Pope and Cousins were) then surely the manager has some input as to whether or not those players leave if he truly has the autonomy claimed over player matters?
That is why I suggest, somewhat facetiously as I don't believe a word Meire says, that Slade must be happy.
If Henderson and Pope leave too then it's a complete shambles. The only 'reason' behind it must be trimming the wage bill, and, quite possibly, RD limiting his further financial exposure to Charlton, particularly after the Brexit vote and the overall economic uncertainties.
The other clubs in 'the network' don't come anywhere near this level of instability - yes they buy, sell and loan some players each season, but compared to them we've been in continuous turmoil since he took over.
His actions at Charlton are unique and out of keeping with how he deals with the other clubs.
If it is true that Slade is choosing his players (I don't believe Meire's spin re this) then he is presumably happy and in agreement with the departures of Cousins, Pope and any others that disappear before the season starts.
Why ?
If Slade can choose who he wants to bring in within the agreed budget, why would that mean he is happy with the departure of certain players ? These are 2 different issues, although interlinked.
If a player is under contract (which both Pope and Cousins were) then surely the manager has some input as to whether or not those players leave if he truly has the autonomy claimed over player matters?
That is why I suggest, somewhat facetiously as I don't believe a word Meire says, that Slade must be happy.
I thought Slade's autonomy was being able to bring in his own players within an agreed budget, as opposed to the laptop Belgians recruiting.
This doesn't mean he can stop players being sold. I'm not sure there are many managers who can do that part from say Alex Ferguson when at Man U.
I'm fairly sure that the sale of Pope to a Premier League side was not expected by anyone on here or at the club even just a few months back.
That's partly the point. They don't know what they're doing. Literally, the job of the SMT is to expect these kinds of things. To plot a course, and make contingency plans. Look how long it took to appoint Slade, once their first few choices knocked then back. They had no contingency. They don't know how the game works so they're not able to factor in potential outcomes. They just react. Badly.
Worst of all, there is absolutely nothing to suggest that they'll be able to make the right decisions once the player leaves. The hole gets deeper.
They have shown themselves incapable of learning and that's why, what must be the most forgiving and slow to anger supporter base in English football, have organised an effective campaign to get shot of them.
Sounds like I'm defending the regime but how do we know that we havnt already identified goalkeepers ?
We assume that because of previous experience but we don't know.
the sale of Dimitrov shows they havent got any strategic plan. If they had, they would have foreseen that Pope, a young English keeper, might attract bids. They would have held Dimitrov while waiting to see. After all, the owner of Dimitrov's new club could not have pressurised us, could he?
Or our coaches rated both Phillips and Mitov above him and not expecting Pope to move ?
Well, they may have rated those two higher. The Serbian National set up rates Dimitrov, and frankly at this time, I know which of the two I trust more.
The general reaction seems a bit OTT in my opinion. If we go back to mid season (Jan time) people would have bitten Burnley's hand off for £1m.
I am sure Slade, an experienced manager at this level, has more than a few replacements in mind. I just hope he's given full control over who comes in. Will reserve judgement until then.
The general reaction seems a bit OTT in my opinion. If we go back to mid season (Jan time) people would have bitten Burnley's hand off for £1m.
I am sure Slade, an experienced manager at this level, has more than a few replacements in mind. I just hope he's given full control over who comes in. Will reserve judgement until then. </blockquote
But for me it's not the 'offloading' of Pope - it's the general clear out of goalkeepers 3 weeks before the start of the season
The general reaction seems a bit OTT in my opinion. If we go back to mid season (Jan time) people would have bitten Burnley's hand off for £1m.
I am sure Slade, an experienced manager at this level, has more than a few replacements in mind. I just hope he's given full control over who comes in. Will reserve judgement until then.
The fact we'd have taken £1m for him in January is irrelevant, is it not? He's essentially played a blinder for the last 6 months of the season and proved that he's better than what was thought of him in January. I do see what you're saying that Pope isn't irreplaceable, but I think that for <£1m we will get someone worse.
If we don't start replacing the players that are heading out we could play Pope and Hendo together and it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference I suppose.
We always knew that a lot of players would leave this summer, as unlike MKD where their team in general is full of honest players who struggle at Championship level, we've clearly got players up to Championship level or higher. Our relegation was down to gross mismanagement and bad signings last summer
Losing both Pope and Henderson reminds me of us losing Randolph because he wasn't playing, then Elliott to Newcastle. I think keepers are easier to replace, when you look at the roll call of keepers we've had in the last few years. Ben Alnwick and David Button were both brought in as reserves for us who've had good careers elsewhere
Had this been under another regime I don't think we would be getting the same reaction from fans about this sale, and I don't think people would be all of a sudden overrating Pope's ability.
I know we don't like selling players in and around the first team, but Nick Pope really isn't that good. I don't enjoy saying it, but he was a liability more often than not. Let's not let hatred cloud judgement here. Replacing him with another keeper won't be difficult, and Stephen Henderson (when fit) is a better keeper by far.
Pope was on loan to league 2 and killed it. He has spent a season in the championship where at times he looked pretty shaky but by the end of the season was looking really good. At Pope's stage of development, being the regular first team goalie for a league one side at Charlton would have been perfect. I am sure, he would have done really well.
It regularly happens that when a good player leaves, that some supporters talk a player down, oh well, there weren't that good anyway. I know it is a coping mechanism, like being dumped by a partner, but it doesn't actually mean that the player is now terrible, just because people are trying to make themselves feel better.
Pope may not be perfect at times, but he is a young developing goalkeeper. There is a lot of potential and is being sold off far too early. In 2 or 3 seasons, Pope will be many times worth what Charlton have sold him for, If Duchatelet / Meire was serious about a long term strategy for success, building a team on good young players such as Pope would be the thing to do. The failure to convince any of the decent young players at the club to want to stay and that Charlton is a club where their higher ambitions can be met is truly damning.
On top of everything else if we now need to get a replacement in it will either be somebody out of contract (no doubt with good reason) or otherwise any selling club will realize our situation- no other keepers and just received £1mill plus and will up the price) we should at the very least have told Burnley "no deal" until we have sorted a replacement.
The general reaction seems a bit OTT in my opinion. If we go back to mid season (Jan time) people would have bitten Burnley's hand off for £1m.
I am sure Slade, an experienced manager at this level, has more than a few replacements in mind. I just hope he's given full control over who comes in. Will reserve judgement until then.
I suspect that where he can Slade will want to build his own team, not fix somebody else's. I doubt he's losing sleep about losing any of last years squad if they are not 100% committed to the cause and if they are willing to talk to other teams then they are not 100% committed to the cause.
Pope will get the experience of a decent team and footballing set up and access to proper coaching at Burnley. It is a shame as probably being a First team goalkeeper would have likely be the best thing to help his development and a Charlton rise back up the league. I don't blame Pope for accepting an escape route from Duchatelet & Meire's ambitionless mad strategy of failure.
I wish Pope well and am sorry that his ambitions could not be currently met at Charlton.
Unfortunately as a Charlton supporter, I can't transfer my loyalty to a new club. I support Charlton and that's my team. I won't be able to support another. Duchatelet & Meire leave me with a choice of opposing them or walking away from football altogether. I know that is something that Meire finds a very weird way of thinking, but this is the case.
I want a decent owner & CEO. I want to regain confidence that the club has ambition and trying to be the best they can be. Under Duchatelet and Meire there is about as much chance of that as the hair on Alan Shearer & Danny Murphy's head returning.
Had this been under another regime I don't think we would be getting the same reaction from fans about this sale, and I don't think people would be all of a sudden overrating Pope's ability.
I know we don't like selling players in and around the first team, but Nick Pope really isn't that good. I don't enjoy saying it, but he was a liability more often than not. Let's not let hatred cloud judgement here. Replacing him with another keeper won't be difficult, and Stephen Henderson (when fit) is a better keeper by far.
If this was under another regime we wouldn't be selling three goalkeepers at once leaving only youth players during pre-season. We'll need to get in another two decent keepers now which is a ridiculous situation to be in when the rest of the squad is so thin
We've spent 5 years developing Pope, he has time on his contract and a season as first choice in Leagud One would be ideal for him considering he's only just looked comfortable in our first team.
Yet we let him go for little over £1m (and perhaps a few clauses).
where is Jonathan Acworth when you need him? When we were in the Prem he was always coming up with names of lower league players whom he felt would prosper at the higher level.
Worst case scenario is that RD will revert to type and send over a reserve Keeper from the Belgian League and tell Slade to get on with it - after all that's what he did to Chris Powell.
Comments
If Henderson and Pope leave too then it's a complete shambles. The only 'reason' behind it must be trimming the wage bill, and, quite possibly, RD limiting his further financial exposure to Charlton, particularly after the Brexit vote and the overall economic uncertainties.
The other clubs in 'the network' don't come anywhere near this level of instability - yes they buy, sell and loan some players each season, but compared to them we've been in continuous turmoil since he took over.
His actions at Charlton are unique and out of keeping with how he deals with the other clubs.
That is why I suggest, somewhat facetiously as I don't believe a word Meire says, that Slade must be happy.
This doesn't mean he can stop players being sold. I'm not sure there are many managers who can do that part from say Alex Ferguson when at Man U.
I am sure Slade, an experienced manager at this level, has more than a few replacements in mind. I just hope he's given full control over who comes in. Will reserve judgement until then.
If we don't start replacing the players that are heading out we could play Pope and Hendo together and it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference I suppose.
Losing both Pope and Henderson reminds me of us losing Randolph because he wasn't playing, then Elliott to Newcastle. I think keepers are easier to replace, when you look at the roll call of keepers we've had in the last few years. Ben Alnwick and David Button were both brought in as reserves for us who've had good careers elsewhere
I know we don't like selling players in and around the first team, but Nick Pope really isn't that good. I don't enjoy saying it, but he was a liability more often than not. Let's not let hatred cloud judgement here. Replacing him with another keeper won't be difficult, and Stephen Henderson (when fit) is a better keeper by far.
It regularly happens that when a good player leaves, that some supporters talk a player down, oh well, there weren't that good anyway. I know it is a coping mechanism, like being dumped by a partner, but it doesn't actually mean that the player is now terrible, just because people are trying to make themselves feel better.
Pope may not be perfect at times, but he is a young developing goalkeeper. There is a lot of potential and is being sold off far too early. In 2 or 3 seasons, Pope will be many times worth what Charlton have sold him for, If Duchatelet / Meire was serious about a long term strategy for success, building a team on good young players such as Pope would be the thing to do. The failure to convince any of the decent young players at the club to want to stay and that Charlton is a club where their higher ambitions can be met is truly damning.
I wish Pope well and am sorry that his ambitions could not be currently met at Charlton.
Unfortunately as a Charlton supporter, I can't transfer my loyalty to a new club. I support Charlton and that's my team. I won't be able to support another. Duchatelet & Meire leave me with a choice of opposing them or walking away from football altogether. I know that is something that Meire finds a very weird way of thinking, but this is the case.
I want a decent owner & CEO. I want to regain confidence that the club has ambition and trying to be the best they can be. Under Duchatelet and Meire there is about as much chance of that as the hair on Alan Shearer & Danny Murphy's head returning.
Yet we let him go for little over £1m (and perhaps a few clauses).
Ridiculous but same old from RD and KM.
When we were in the Prem he was always coming up with names of lower league players whom he felt would prosper at the higher level.
Worst case scenario is that RD will revert to type and send over a reserve Keeper from the Belgian League and tell Slade to get on with it - after all that's what he did to Chris Powell.