Would not surprise me that from Chairman down, the message to CAFC staff is that the fans are a problem. Slade appears to have bought into this in a way that Jose Riga never did.
Should he leave? I don't think so. I don't trust the CEO to find anyone better, and I think a lot of Charlton fans would agree.
We need to reach a point where the SMT realise that they can't succeed. Until then, the nightmeire goes on.
I'm not a fan of Slade, but I definitely do no want to hear lots of Slade Out chants. Those who criticise his tactical nous, his substitutions and his lack of empathy for travelling fans are probably all correct, but several very pertinent facts overshadow all that:
1. As has already be stated so well by Prague, the main blame for the unbalanced squad lies not with Slade. It lies fairly and squarely on the shoulders of Duchatelet and Meire. Duchatelet for undermining the foundations of the club by employing and incompetent CEO and undermining every coach and scout that we've had through the pursuit of mad ideas and the over-promoting wannabe freaks like the little YouTube boy that does the recruitment. Also of course for not planning for this division when everyone could see that that was exactly where we were heading. Meire is at fault for being such a horrible, incompetent, self-centred liar that no-one in their right mind would want to work for her. She is also culpable for blowing large chunks of the playing budget on completely inappropriate players who then end up on loan or kicking around Sparrows Lane draining the club of precious resources.
2. There is no way that this regime will recruit a better manager than Slade. Look at what happened last season when the Luzon dynasty crumbled, we got months on end of 'interim' clown Karel Fraye. Don't be be under any illusions that we'd say goodbye Slade and hello Chris Powell, Alan Curbishley or Eddie Howe. No-one with and skill or professional integrity will work for these jokers. If we say Gudbuy t' Slade, well be saying hello to the likes of Nobby Vinegar. Perhaps even worse. In fact, with Mare's vindictive streak we could even see Mowgli at the helm.
3. One of the simplest demonstrations that we can give to people of how rotten this regime is, is to point out how many managerial changes there have been since they took over. People with absolutely no clue about football hear that we've had six managers in 2½ years and they instantly know that it's ridiculous. I don't want that argument diluted by giving Meire the opportunity to say that they only made changes because that's what the fans wanted.
Calling for Slade's head is a complete distraction. We need to focus our vitriol on the real culprits and make sure that everyone knows who the real villains are in this story. Duchatelet Out! Meire Out!
I would love to see this - it would be the physical embodiment of the last throw of the dice. Plus, it'd be great to see Mowgli face up to some of those he's been messing around for the last two years.
Knew when we only went in 1-0 at HT we'd missed our chance for 3 points. Wasn't the only one to comment on the match thread when the substitutions were made (before the goal) that they were ridiculous. In a way he's right - it's not his fault the club is in such a mess - but, jesus, with the players he has and from winning positions he sure knows how to make the worst of a bad situation... Get him out, get some other clown in for a month, replace them with a Belgian school child at Christmas, team of acrobatic dogs whatever, more chaos, more protests please.
I'm not a fan of Slade, but I definitely do no want to hear lots of Slade Out chants. Those who criticise his tactical nous, his substitutions and his lack of empathy for travelling fans are probably all correct, but several very pertinent facts overshadow all that:
1. As has already be stated so well by Prague, the main blame for the unbalanced squad lies not with Slade. It lies fairly and squarely on the shoulders of Duchatelet and Meire. Duchatelet for undermining the foundations of the club by employing and incompetent CEO and undermining every coach and scout that we've had through the pursuit of mad ideas and the over-promoting wannabe freaks like the little YouTube boy that does the recruitment. Also of course for not planning for this division when everyone could see that that was exactly where we were heading. Meire is at fault for being such a horrible, incompetent, self-centred liar that no-one in their right mind would want to work for her. She is also culpable for blowing large chunks of the playing budget on completely inappropriate players who then end up on loan or kicking around Sparrows Lane draining the club of precious resources.
2. There is no way that this regime will recruit a better manager than Slade. Look at what happened last season when the Luzon dynasty crumbled, we got months on end of 'interim' clown Karel Fraye. Don't be be under any illusions that we'd say goodbye Slade and hello Chris Powell, Alan Curbishley or Eddie Howe. No-one with and skill or professional integrity will work for these jokers. If we say Gudbuy t' Slade, well be saying hello to the likes of Nobby Vinegar. Perhaps even worse. In fact, with Mare's vindictive streak we could even see Mowgli at the helm.
3. One of the simplest demonstrations that we can give to people of how rotten this regime is, is to point out how many managerial changes there have been since they took over. People with absolutely no clue about football hear that we've had six managers in 2½ years and they instantly know that it's ridiculous. I don't want that argument diluted by giving Meire the opportunity to say that they only made changes because that's what the fans wanted.
Calling for Slade's head is a complete distraction. We need to focus our vitriol on the real culprits and make sure that everyone knows who the real villains are in this story. Duchatelet Out! Meire Out!
I would love to see this - it would be the physical embodiment of the last throw of the dice. Plus, it'd be great to see Mowgli face up to some of those he's been messing around for the last two years.
Mowgli meeting the players he recommended for the first time:
"You look nothing like the computer generated photos on Football Manager."
I'm not a fan of Slade, but I definitely do no want to hear lots of Slade Out chants. Those who criticise his tactical nous, his substitutions and his lack of empathy for travelling fans are probably all correct, but several very pertinent facts overshadow all that:
1. As has already be stated so well by Prague, the main blame for the unbalanced squad lies not with Slade. It lies fairly and squarely on the shoulders of Duchatelet and Meire. Duchatelet for undermining the foundations of the club by employing and incompetent CEO and undermining every coach and scout that we've had through the pursuit of mad ideas and the over-promoting wannabe freaks like the little YouTube boy that does the recruitment. Also of course for not planning for this division when everyone could see that that was exactly where we were heading. Meire is at fault for being such a horrible, incompetent, self-centred liar that no-one in their right mind would want to work for her. She is also culpable for blowing large chunks of the playing budget on completely inappropriate players who then end up on loan or kicking around Sparrows Lane draining the club of precious resources.
2. There is no way that this regime will recruit a better manager than Slade. Look at what happened last season when the Luzon dynasty crumbled, we got months on end of 'interim' clown Karel Fraye. Don't be be under any illusions that we'd say goodbye Slade and hello Chris Powell, Alan Curbishley or Eddie Howe. No-one with and skill or professional integrity will work for these jokers. If we say Gudbuy t' Slade, well be saying hello to the likes of Nobby Vinegar. Perhaps even worse. In fact, with Mare's vindictive streak we could even see Mowgli at the helm.
3. One of the simplest demonstrations that we can give to people of how rotten this regime is, is to point out how many managerial changes there have been since they took over. People with absolutely no clue about football hear that we've had six managers in 2½ years and they instantly know that it's ridiculous. I don't want that argument diluted by giving Meire the opportunity to say that they only made changes because that's what the fans wanted.
Calling for Slade's head is a complete distraction. We need to focus our vitriol on the real culprits and make sure that everyone knows who the real villains are in this story. Duchatelet Out! Meire Out!
I would love to see this - it would be the physical embodiment of the last throw of the dice. Plus, it'd be great to see Mowgli face up to some of those he's been messing around for the last two years.
Mowgli meeting the players he recommended for the first time:
"You look nothing like the computer generated photos on Football Manager."
And on the touchline:
"Wow, you really can hear what individuals are saying. Just sounds like a buzzing noise on TV!"
Rudd (playing in premier league last season) Solly (player of season last time in this division) Bauer (better than league 1) Pearce (40 games for title winning team last year) Lookman (highly rated - wanted by many clubs) Magennis (international, works hard - not a goalscorer but good with someone with him) Ulvestad (better than league 1) Ajose (25 goals, 2nd top scorer in division last year) Holmes (Great player at this level)
Botaka, Hanlan can also make decent contributions if they get opportunities.
With these players at the core of the team we should be much higher in the table if they were given the freedom to play and weren't so negative.
Rudd, Solly, Bauer & Pearce have only actually played together for 265 minutes in total (or the equivalent of about 3 games) during which time we have let in just the one goal. If they had been in our back five all season then we would have conceded less. But then one cannot legislate for injuries and in Bauer's case the associated time it takes to get fit again.
Whatever happened to the old adage. The buck stops here ?
The buck does not even slow down until it gets to Belgium.
Where it resides with some anonymous people who gave good advice in the past but then got some things wrong so that it wasn't actually anybody at the club's fault.
I just don't think Slade is a good manager. But he's probably the best we're going to get until the Duchatelet circus ups sticks and moves on. Part of me wants him to stick around for that reason. Another part of me thinks that, if he goes, it's more pressure on the regime - maybe even enough to topple Meire if not Duchatelet.
They are all wobbling now, aren't they?
Meire - shaken and close to tears after the Bromley Addicks grilling, then the realisation that the protests were back with a big bang.
Keohane - exposed as the bully boy pie man behind the "stewards" assault and aggressive club security tactics and said to be "fuming" about being in the spotlight
Slade - throwing a wobbly about a few chants after another abysmal managerial performance.
I bet even Duchatelet's full time carer nurse has to slip him an extra tranquilliser every time he turns his attention to that pesky little 1.5% business interest in London. He must be regretting the day he bought our club. Easy answer Roland - just sell up and go, and your London troubles will all be over.
Good Post Davo- I totally agree with your point about them all rocking now - I didn't know about Katrien close to tears at Bromley (maybe I should read the thread !) - but for Keohane to get so wound up to instruct the goons shows he's under pressure, and for Slade to say what he said last night also shows that he is under pressure. There is probably quite a lot of tension with everyone related to CAFC at the moment. Need to keep the pressure up, and start to hit them a wee bit harder. We will win, eventually - and I personally don't think its far away now.
11 good players don't make a great team. Our league 1 winning team was, as a team, greater than the individual parts. Much like many of our premiership 11's.
Slade has managed to make the sum of our 1st 11 less than the constituent parts. If they are all 9/10 individually (as an example) then as a team we are about 70 not 99. Whereas our last league 1 side were 110 as a team probably 85/90 individually.
Ajose & Novak being the examples as to how Big Russ is poorly running a team, Ajose won't work in the set up he plays. This highlights his weakness. He thinks 11 good players on the pitch in their own right is what and all he needs.
That's the difference a manager makes whether you are/were SCP in league 1 or Ferguson at Man U.
Sadly Big Russ is simply a reasonably safe pair of hands.
Digging out those who made the trip to support the team is the work of a scumbag. Try listening to what we've said. Try working out why we might have said it. Any more of that sort of gutless grizzling and he'll lose any remaining respect from the faithful. After all his years in the game I'd have thought his skin would be a little thicker. Snivelling wretch.
I was utterly underwhelmed at his appointment due to the absence of a promotion to his name in 20+ attempts when it was so critical to our club to bounce straight back.
But I also appreciated that with the very unfunny sitcom going on that is Charlton Athletic at the moment we would struggle to attract anyone with any sort of respectable pedigree. And, as with all the other appointments including the Belgian puppets, I was prepared to give him a fair go at convincing me I was wrong to be underwhelmed.
Four months in and I've seen nor heard anything to persuade me he has it in him to get this club back to where it needs to be. Allied to that he seems a particularly charmless, humourless sack of chuff off the pitch who has made little or no attempt to build a relationship with the fans.
Frankly, as I don't think we are going anywhere under Slade anyway, it wouldn't bother me in the slightest if he never darkened our dugout again.
Digging out those who made the trip to support the team is the work of a scumbag. Try listening to what we've said. Try working out why we might have said it. Any more of that sort of gutless grizzling and he'll lose any remaining respect from the faithful. After all his years in the game I'd have thought his skin would be a little thicker. Snivelling wretch.
A lot of managers have a lack of respect for how much fans know. True, we would be a disaster as managers, but we do have a perspective on games and tactics that has some validity. Slade is very dismissive in his attitude to what fans know. If he had a bit of humility he might question if he is a bit too negative in his approach. To be honest, that is my biggest gripe with him. I knew it was a fault of his before he joined us and I know it all the more now. If he identified Magennis he can't be a total wally, but he has to learn to see the obvious.
I was utterly underwhelmed at his appointment due to the absence of a promotion to his name in 20+ attempts when it was so critical to our club to bounce straight back.
But I also appreciated that with the very unfunny sitcom going on that is Charlton Athletic at the moment we would struggle to attract anyone with any sort of respectable pedigree. And, as with all the other appointments including the Belgian puppets, I was prepared to give him a fair go at convincing me I was wrong to be underwhelmed.
Four months in and I've seen nor heard anything to persuade me he has it in him to get this club back to where it needs to be. Allied to that he seems a particularly charmless, humourless sack of chuff off the pitch who has made little or no attempt to build a relationship with the fans.
Frankly, as I don't think we are going anywhere under Slade anyway, it wouldn't bother me in the slightest if he never darkened our dugout again.
He darkens most of the ground when he's standing on the side line.
I'm not a fan of Slade, but I definitely do no want to hear lots of Slade Out chants. Those who criticise his tactical nous, his substitutions and his lack of empathy for travelling fans are probably all correct, but several very pertinent facts overshadow all that:
1. As has already be stated so well by Prague, the main blame for the unbalanced squad lies not with Slade. It lies fairly and squarely on the shoulders of Duchatelet and Meire. Duchatelet for undermining the foundations of the club by employing and incompetent CEO and undermining every coach and scout that we've had through the pursuit of mad ideas and the over-promoting wannabe freaks like the little YouTube boy that does the recruitment. Also of course for not planning for this division when everyone could see that that was exactly where we were heading. Meire is at fault for being such a horrible, incompetent, self-centred liar that no-one in their right mind would want to work for her. She is also culpable for blowing large chunks of the playing budget on completely inappropriate players who then end up on loan or kicking around Sparrows Lane draining the club of precious resources.
2. There is no way that this regime will recruit a better manager than Slade. Look at what happened last season when the Luzon dynasty crumbled, we got months on end of 'interim' clown Karel Fraye. Don't be be under any illusions that we'd say goodbye Slade and hello Chris Powell, Alan Curbishley or Eddie Howe. No-one with and skill or professional integrity will work for these jokers. If we say Gudbuy t' Slade, well be saying hello to the likes of Nobby Vinegar. Perhaps even worse. In fact, with Mare's vindictive streak we could even see Mowgli at the helm.
3. One of the simplest demonstrations that we can give to people of how rotten this regime is, is to point out how many managerial changes there have been since they took over. People with absolutely no clue about football hear that we've had six managers in 2½ years and they instantly know that it's ridiculous. I don't want that argument diluted by giving Meire the opportunity to say that they only made changes because that's what the fans wanted.
Calling for Slade's head is a complete distraction. We need to focus our vitriol on the real culprits and make sure that everyone knows who the real villains are in this story. Duchatelet Out! Meire Out!
I'd like to get this written on the wall outside the covered end. Purely and simply sums up our club.
I'd love to have seen Riga manage this squad. I think they'd be playing with freedom, confidence and would be handing out some hidings. He'd also have the crowd behind him. He knew how to get the best out of players and someone like Ajose would be banging them in rather than sitting on the bench.
He's definitely a bit of drama queen isn't he, our Slade? No particular need for it with the fans at this point, although I personally have no real problem with us having a manager who will 'give a bit back' if he feels it is warranted. In some ways, it is what we need at the club right now, but for all the thinly veiled disdain some people have given him with the Brussels nickname, he is obviously not a yes man and will fight his corner if he needs to.
Whether you are in his corner or not is another matter, and of course there are ways to speak your mind while remaining diplomatic (an especially useful skill when you've been drawing or losing too many games, even if you feel its not entirely your fault), but one thing we desperately need our managers to do at the moment is stand up up to Roland and his cronies. Maybe he just likes to play billy-big-bollocks with the customers but if his post match interviews are anything to go by, he will not be shy in telling KM what he thinks, even if he doesn't always get his way.
I'm not a fan of Slade, but I definitely do no want to hear lots of Slade Out chants. Those who criticise his tactical nous, his substitutions and his lack of empathy for travelling fans are probably all correct, but several very pertinent facts overshadow all that:
1. As has already be stated so well by Prague, the main blame for the unbalanced squad lies not with Slade. It lies fairly and squarely on the shoulders of Duchatelet and Meire. Duchatelet for undermining the foundations of the club by employing and incompetent CEO and undermining every coach and scout that we've had through the pursuit of mad ideas and the over-promoting wannabe freaks like the little YouTube boy that does the recruitment. Also of course for not planning for this division when everyone could see that that was exactly where we were heading. Meire is at fault for being such a horrible, incompetent, self-centred liar that no-one in their right mind would want to work for her. She is also culpable for blowing large chunks of the playing budget on completely inappropriate players who then end up on loan or kicking around Sparrows Lane draining the club of precious resources.
2. There is no way that this regime will recruit a better manager than Slade. Look at what happened last season when the Luzon dynasty crumbled, we got months on end of 'interim' clown Karel Fraye. Don't be be under any illusions that we'd say goodbye Slade and hello Chris Powell, Alan Curbishley or Eddie Howe. No-one with and skill or professional integrity will work for these jokers. If we say Gudbuy t' Slade, well be saying hello to the likes of Nobby Vinegar. Perhaps even worse. In fact, with Mare's vindictive streak we could even see Mowgli at the helm.
3. One of the simplest demonstrations that we can give to people of how rotten this regime is, is to point out how many managerial changes there have been since they took over. People with absolutely no clue about football hear that we've had six managers in 2½ years and they instantly know that it's ridiculous. I don't want that argument diluted by giving Meire the opportunity to say that they only made changes because that's what the fans wanted.
Calling for Slade's head is a complete distraction. We need to focus our vitriol on the real culprits and make sure that everyone knows who the real villains are in this story. Duchatelet Out! Meire Out!
I'm not Slade's biggest fan, in fact I criticised the appointment from the beginning, but we can't keep chopping and changing every five minutes. We need to stick with him, if nothing else so that the regime can't use the fans ire as an excuse to sack him in a bid to absolve themselves of the responsibility. He isn't the best manager in the world. But he is one of the best managers this regime has appointed. Whilst that is no great achievement considering some of the dross we've had, we could actually do a hell of a lot worse.
Slade does need to start thinking before he speaks though. Nothing will turn the crowd faster than a man who is continually digging out the fans. From the sounds of it, we played quite well for large spells, but as has often been the case this season, we have not taken our chances. Whilst he might have got some stick for saying we were unlucky, or we should've taken our chances (or any of the usual old cliches), people would have largely forgotten the interview by Saturday and the focus would be on our next opponents. Instead he chose to make this snarky comments, and unfortunately for him, it's turned into an interview that the fans may not easily forget.
That is two post-match interviews running where Slade has gone off track.
After Coventry he wilfully misinterpreted the focus of the flying pigs protest by speaking of it as a protest about team performance and position in the table rather than a protest about the regime (although how he could have failed to hear the Roland/SISU out chants is beyond me).
His hearing appears magically to have returned at Port Vale as he over-reacted wildly in the post-match interview to the chanting which accompanied his decisions towards the end of the game.
In both instances I wanted to hear what the football manager of this club has to say about the performances and his reasons for decisions made.
However, in both instances Slade has not acted in a way befitting a manager and, in particular, the Port Vale comments betray a lack of self-confidence and an apparent eagerness to start lying blame elsewhere which is fatal for a manager even if it may be partly true.
3 league games running actually! He also managed to misinterpret the boos (against Rochdale) when Holmes was taken off and we were desperately chasing the game, as the fans booing Botaka.
Comments
Should he leave? I don't think so. I don't trust the CEO to find anyone better, and I think a lot of Charlton fans would agree.
We need to reach a point where the SMT realise that they can't succeed. Until then, the nightmeire goes on.
Knew when we only went in 1-0 at HT we'd missed our chance for 3 points. Wasn't the only one to comment on the match thread when the substitutions were made (before the goal) that they were ridiculous. In a way he's right - it's not his fault the club is in such a mess - but, jesus, with the players he has and from winning positions he sure knows how to make the worst of a bad situation... Get him out, get some other clown in for a month, replace them with a Belgian school child at Christmas, team of acrobatic dogs whatever, more chaos, more protests please.
"You look nothing like the computer generated photos on Football Manager."
"Wow, you really can hear what individuals are saying. Just sounds like a buzzing noise on TV!"
A mediocre manager at best.
He sounds like David Brent. Looks like a potato and has the managerial aptitude of Les Reed's and Glenn Roeder's love child.
Fuck off now Slade and take your flemish fuckwits with you.
Need to keep the pressure up, and start to hit them a wee bit harder.
We will win, eventually - and I personally don't think its far away now.
Slade has managed to make the sum of our 1st 11 less than the constituent parts. If they are all 9/10 individually (as an example) then as a team we are about 70 not 99. Whereas our last league 1 side were 110 as a team probably 85/90 individually.
Ajose & Novak being the examples as to how Big Russ is poorly running a team, Ajose won't work in the set up he plays. This highlights his weakness. He thinks 11 good players on the pitch in their own right is what and all he needs.
That's the difference a manager makes whether you are/were SCP in league 1 or Ferguson at Man U.
Sadly Big Russ is simply a reasonably safe pair of hands.
But I also appreciated that with the very unfunny sitcom going on that is Charlton Athletic at the moment we would struggle to attract anyone with any sort of respectable pedigree. And, as with all the other appointments including the Belgian puppets, I was prepared to give him a fair go at convincing me I was wrong to be underwhelmed.
Four months in and I've seen nor heard anything to persuade me he has it in him to get this club back to where it needs to be. Allied to that he seems a particularly charmless, humourless sack of chuff off the pitch who has made little or no attempt to build a relationship with the fans.
Frankly, as I don't think we are going anywhere under Slade anyway, it wouldn't bother me in the slightest if he never darkened our dugout again.
Whether you are in his corner or not is another matter, and of course there are ways to speak your mind while remaining diplomatic (an especially useful skill when you've been drawing or losing too many games, even if you feel its not entirely your fault), but one thing we desperately need our managers to do at the moment is stand up up to Roland and his cronies. Maybe he just likes to play billy-big-bollocks with the customers but if his post match interviews are anything to go by, he will not be shy in telling KM what he thinks, even if he doesn't always get his way.
It has been done to death that anybody worth their salt will not touch us with a barge pole. The alternative I would imagine to be another import.
He needs to be given time, we need STABILITY.
I can feel a massive protest on Saturday coming on.
I'm not Slade's biggest fan, in fact I criticised the appointment from the beginning, but we can't keep chopping and changing every five minutes. We need to stick with him, if nothing else so that the regime can't use the fans ire as an excuse to sack him in a bid to absolve themselves of the responsibility. He isn't the best manager in the world. But he is one of the best managers this regime has appointed. Whilst that is no great achievement considering some of the dross we've had, we could actually do a hell of a lot worse.
Slade does need to start thinking before he speaks though. Nothing will turn the crowd faster than a man who is continually digging out the fans. From the sounds of it, we played quite well for large spells, but as has often been the case this season, we have not taken our chances. Whilst he might have got some stick for saying we were unlucky, or we should've taken our chances (or any of the usual old cliches), people would have largely forgotten the interview by Saturday and the focus would be on our next opponents. Instead he chose to make this snarky comments, and unfortunately for him, it's turned into an interview that the fans may not easily forget.
Wanker.
That simply sums it up for me.
Is he paranoid or just a bit thick?