Luzon isn't the problem, anyone with a brain should realise that.
A new manager won't get any better performances out of these players, especially with the injury crisis we're in.
but would a new manager get worse performances .... are they playing anywhere to near the maximum of their ability regularly enough
Would you rather RD pays £1m to pay off Luzon and get a new manager in, or £1m on new players in jan? He's clearly set a budget and the squad must be the priority.
Depends what shit we bring in as manager or players
Luzon isn't the problem, anyone with a brain should realise that.
A new manager won't get any better performances out of these players, especially with the injury crisis we're in.
but would a new manager get worse performances .... are they playing anywhere to near the maximum of their ability regularly enough
Would you rather RD pays £1m to pay off Luzon and get a new manager in, or £1m on new players in jan? He's clearly set a budget and the squad must be the priority.
Would Luzon get that sort of payoff? He owes RD for giving him a couple of vaguely credible jobs
Luzon will likely, only be in danger, when the fans turn on him, as they did at Liege.
RD sacked Luzon at Liege, because of the fans demonstrations, not because HE personally wanted to sack him.
Can't believe RD would do something because of fans demonstrating?
I presume you didn't see the videos of them breaking into his office and confronting him & also coming off the terraces and running along the touchline ?
They've all been on here some time ago.
Yes I did see them but don't believe he makes his decisions based on what fans want however hard they may try to persuade him
Well he gave an interview saying that he sold Liege, because the fans wanted him out. I read it.
Luzon isn't the problem, anyone with a brain should realise that.
A new manager won't get any better performances out of these players, especially with the injury crisis we're in.
but would a new manager get worse performances .... are they playing anywhere to near the maximum of their ability regularly enough
Would you rather RD pays £1m to pay off Luzon and get a new manager in, or £1m on new players in jan? He's clearly set a budget and the squad must be the priority.
I would imagine the most Duchatelet would have pay is his contract to the end of the season and I doubt if he's on £200k a year. However sacking Luzon is no answer to the fundamental problem, which is Duchatelet himself.
Luzon will likely, only be in danger, when the fans turn on him, as they did at Liege.
RD sacked Luzon at Liege, because of the fans demonstrations, not because HE personally wanted to sack him.
Can't believe RD would do something because of fans demonstrating?
I presume you didn't see the videos of them breaking into his office and confronting him & also coming off the terraces and running along the touchline ?
They've all been on here some time ago.
Yes I did see them but don't believe he makes his decisions based on what fans want however hard they may try to persuade him
Well he gave an interview saying that he sold Liege, because the fans wanted him out. I read it.
Indeed, but look at what lengths they went to in order to force him out. Even when kept a prisoner in his own office by a group of fans who stormed his offices, he stayed put. When he did sell the club it was during one of the quieter periods. In my view, Roland will sell when HE wants to, not when he is being forced to.
I can think of a young, hungry English manager in the Football League who's in prime position to replace Luzon. His side are in the promotion places and have only lost once all season. He's showing he has the knack for making the most out of limited resources. I think he's just what we need.
Luzon isn't the problem, anyone with a brain should realise that.
A new manager won't get any better performances out of these players, especially with the injury crisis we're in.
but would a new manager get worse performances .... are they playing anywhere to near the maximum of their ability regularly enough
Would you rather RD pays £1m to pay off Luzon and get a new manager in, or £1m on new players in jan? He's clearly set a budget and the squad must be the priority.
I would imagine the most Duchatelet would have pay is his contract to the end of the season and I doubt if he's on £200k a year. However sacking Luzon is no answer to the fundamental problem, which is Duchatelet himself.
Agreed that sacking Luzon is not the answer, unless we were going to bring in a quality replacement, but who is going to come in working under this regime.
Another 12 months we will still be in the same position off the field{and down a division on it}.
I completely agree that the squad he has is not big or strong enough for him to be shouldering the blame. It reminds me of the stick Parky got, "I know he has literally no budget, but..." - there was no but, in my opinion.
This time, I do wonder if his tactical nous is...lacking. The Liege warning seems to be on the money; he's all motivation and no tactics. I don't know for sure if that's true, he won me over a while back and I want to support him. But I've just got a feeling Peeters and Luzon were both in too deep in this league. If that is the case, his departure is inevitable. If he is tactically astute and just understaffed, I hope he makes it to January and we strengthen again.
My heart says, this time next week we will have a new manager.
Roland has got to man up, and admit ( if even not to the fans) that he is out of his depth.Short term fixes all the time is not the answer, yes he might be wealthy and successful, but in world terms the clubs he owns are tinpot and a distraction.
If the academy investment goes ahead, that is a really good thing long term, but there are only so many corners you can cut to run a business, without cracks appearing to show, people are going to lose interest in coming to Charlton if he's not careful, blind loyalty from supporters can easily change to people thinking well if he can't be bothered to do things properly, whŷ should I put up with this?
There's probably lots and lots of unhappy fans of various clubs up and down the country who think there clubs should be doing better, for me it feels like the life and soul is being drained out of the club.
The most depressing thing is, sacking the manager won't solve the obvious problem we now face, well, perhaps we've been having the same problem for almost two years (how time flies). Bringing in a new manager may work, it may not. One thing is for sure though, the honeymoon, if there will be one, won't last long. Fans are not idiots. After three managerial appointments, two of which have been proved as failures, I won't get excited for any new managers coming in. Not saying I want Luzon to stay though.
Before last nights game I was in the "it's not Luzon's fault, the resources he has to work with aren't good enough, injuries etc".
But I have to say, regardless of anything else, that was an absolute disgrace. If he genuinely thought that line up was going to achieve anything he's incompetent and should leave this club immediately. Jackson & Mak should have started, probably Moussa too. If they aren't fit enough then take them off later in the game, no point making changes when the game was lost long ago.
It might ultimately be Roland's fault - but that doesn't give Luzon a free pass.
What did the fans achieve tonight That was the youngest Charlton side I have seen start a match ... what else can Luzon do the injury list is horrendous add to it Gudmunnson and Watt now
What could he do, for a start he could organise them and send them out inspired and set up not to concede.
Instead we looked absolutely disorganised and beaten before the first whistle blew, no pride, no fight,no guts and hopefully no Luzon.
Dont think it was in his master plan to give away a free kick and so concede a goal in the first minute with a wall deciding not to jump, when that happened, the fans instantly started booing so heads dropped straight away
Appreciate Luzon does not have a full squad to pick from but that's football. Rarely can a manager enjoy the luxury of no players being absent. However limited his abilities are, he is reaping the 'rewards' of an owner with little clue, no willingness to invest, and an inbred arrogance that he knows best. Luzon will not last much longer - few would have made this far in current form - but his successor will inherit the same mess and be expected to perform miracles. And will, in the medium to long-term, fail.
Maybe Luzon is a short term impact manager, if he hadn't have been given the gig this season after keeping us up people would have been moaning like mad.
If Riga had been given a full season with us after keeping us up, would he have also run into the same brick wall Guy has now?
Luzon is a not the cause of the issues but his tactical naivety is an issue. He has no experience of this league and needs to go. Playing Bergdich as a right winger is ludicrous, finishing the game with Holmes-Dennis another left back on the right wing on his debut was plain stupidity!
Luzon is a not the cause of the issues but his tactical naivety is an issue. He has no experience of this league and needs to go. Playing Bergdich as a right winger is ludicrous, finishing the game with Holmes-Dennis another left back on the right wing on his debut was plain stupidity!
Only Oscar Garcia had experience of this league for Watford last season... Alex Neil had no experience in England for Norwich?
Before last nights game I was in the "it's not Luzon's fault, the resources he has to work with aren't good enough, injuries etc".
But I have to say, regardless of anything else, that was an absolute disgrace. If he genuinely thought that line up was going to achieve anything he's incompetent and should leave this club immediately. Jackson & Mak should have started, probably Moussa too. If they aren't fit enough then take them off later in the game, no point making changes when the game was lost long ago.
It might ultimately be Roland's fault - but that doesn't give Luzon a free pass.
Totally agree. I think Guy must be getting bad advice from our medical team. Those players you have mentioned would have all wanted to start last night. Also, play Hendo on Saturday for ffs, Pope sends a nervousness throughout everyone at the moment I'm afraid !
Luzon will likely, only be in danger, when the fans turn on him, as they did at Liege.
RD sacked Luzon at Liege, because of the fans demonstrations, not because HE personally wanted to sack him.
Can't believe RD would do something because of fans demonstrating?
I presume you didn't see the videos of them breaking into his office and confronting him & also coming off the terraces and running along the touchline ?
They've all been on here some time ago.
Yes I did see them but don't believe he makes his decisions based on what fans want however hard they may try to persuade him
Well he gave an interview saying that he sold Liege, because the fans wanted him out. I read it.
Clearly I didn't read it! Does that mean there's hope?
What did the fans achieve tonight That was the youngest Charlton side I have seen start a match ... what else can Luzon do the injury list is horrendous add to it Gudmunnson and Watt now
Not pick three f**king left backs might be a start.
Luzon is rapidly making himself part of the problem. Unless Charlton comfortably beat Brentford on Saturday, he'll be gone by Monday. If Charlton buck recent form and get at least 4 points from boro and mkfranchise he'll maybe get a stay of execution. But I fully expect a change of face in the dugout by the SheffWeds game next month. I'm not advocating a change but we know all too well how the douchebag operates and GL's current ineffectiveness is playing right into the belgian's hands. The North stand's ringing endorsement last night won't have helped either.
Many can talk about Luzon being sacked, or even resigning....but in all honesty where will that get us? Be real - who on earth would want to be manager at Charlton at the moment? I doubt any half decent manager would willingly leave their club and come to us. I doubt the Charlton Manager(s) are paid a lot. They have very little say or control over signings. The squad is thin, and contains at least half a doesn't players that are just too cr@p for the championship. The fans are walking away in droves, turning their backs on the club they've supported for years. As usual, there will be minimal investment come January..........I mean come on, who in their right mind would want to manage us? The only person willing to be manager of our club at the moment is someone who wants to pick up a salary each month and is happy to be told what to do in the hope they pull a few good results out of the bag and get offered the role long term, or get offered a job elsewhere off the back of it. Either of those options aren't going to be good for us.
I'm afraid, that whilst I think Luzon is a total plonker and I would like to see him gone, it's not going to make a blind bit of difference. We still have an owner who hasn't got a clue about English football. A director who hasn't got a clue about English football. A medical team that seem in no rush to get any player back on the pitch, and half team full of players who couldn't give a toss about playing for us, it's just a job and they just want their wages at the end of the month.
One positive worth mentioning.....living near to Southend, over recent weeks, I've started taking my sons there instead of Charlton on a Saturday. Pigott (on loan from Charlton) is a good player! Passionate, hard working, talented and scores goals......so when we get relegated this season, he may get a game for us.
Luzon is a not the cause of the issues but his tactical naivety is an issue. He has no experience of this league and needs to go. Playing Bergdich as a right winger is ludicrous, finishing the game with Holmes-Dennis another left back on the right wing on his debut was plain stupidity!
Only Oscar Garcia had experience of this league for Watford last season... Alex Neil had no experience in England for Norwich?
I look at managers in a similar way to how I look at players. How good are they when things are going well and of equal importance, how good are they when things are not going well. With players you can remove them from the team in most circumstances provided you have adequate alternatives but that could mean a significant rotation of players, match to match.
For a manager it's crucial that they 'perform' when the going gets tough, especially when the situation is not necessarily of their direct making. Curbs was a master it limiting bad runs. I see Luzon as a similar type of manager to Pardew. They are momentum managers rather than pure coaches. They get the team moving forward and are able to maintain that momentum with impressive results but inevitably, events will occur that stop that momentum and they struggle as there is no base level of coaching to fall back on. Of course, at Charlton, Pardew never go the momentum going as he has done at other clubs.
I think the current run of bad results tells you more about Luzon than the early season success. There is nothing to change it around and the players know it. And I don't think injured players returning will make a huge difference now that the team's performance level has nose-dived. As a comparison, watching Norwich run rings round Newcastle showed a team with spirit and attacking aspirations and although they were 'thrashed' 6-2 there is something to build on whilst at The Valley there is a void.
Many over the tenure of this administration have commented on the employment of 4 head coaches.
On what basis, when assessing our experience since Jan 3, 2014, do people think a 5th will make any meaningful difference?
I do not suggest Mr Luzon is an unfulfilled genius but who really thinks throwing another "driver" under the bus, at this stage, will provide more than a temporary respite as we travel our currently quasi surreal football journey.
I respect, because of Tuesdays' opposition, many may have travelled to the Valley with some aspiration but was surprised there was any expectation for the game last weekend. I applaud the fortitude and appreciate the optimism but for a 2nd season we are going into games with, among other shortfalls, the glaring omission of an experienced "championship" forward line able to present a focal point for our attack and a physical challenge to opposing defences. It appears we simply cannot afford one.
We started the season with 3 senior forwards (Reza arrived by default). In reality none had more than a passing acquaintance with the Championship. Makienoks' injury has had an undue impact as there was no viable back up option. His absence immediately necessitated a change of playing style.
You can operate without such a focus but it is notably harder with an ever changing team, inexperienced not only in years but in the championship. 12 of the current extended 1st team squad had barely set foot in a championship match before this season.
It appears many still have to learn to compete in the Championship they must earn the right to play each & every game It is physically & mentally demanding on a sustained basis, is sometimes nasty and will unrelentingly test your physical, technical & natural ability to perform.
If the club is not prepared to invest in a viable squad structure it will adversely impact the skills of any Head Coach invariably leading to increasingly irrational and on occasion positively "bonkers" team selections.
The manner in which the squads have been constructed over the past 2 seasons has displayed an almost deliberate naivety.
Did we learn nothing from the protracted absence of Henderson last season? At times the lack of experience shines through like a proverbial beacon. As a CEO steadfastly inured to balancing the books it is ironic her administration appears blind to the same principle in constructing the football side of the business. A key principle of any professional team sport is the balance of the playing assets at your disposal.
Last seasons "plan" brought the Peeters dalliance to a shuddering halt and turned the potential major asset of Vetokele into a passenger. This seasons' "plan" seems to have placed undue pressure on SM to return before ready and produces the sort of approach seen at Reading and the Tuesday night shambles.
At Reading we could all live in hope an 18yr old highly promising novice (where inconsistency will prevail) and a midfielder who had spent over a season recovering from injury were going to provide effective attacking outlets but we can hardly be surprised a) when it does not happen b) the head coach makes adjustments to settle for a less ambitious Plan B.
Plan C on Tuesday came under quite a different category - it followed the "pin the tail on the donkey team selection, shut your eyes, cross your fingers and stick them in ears methodology. I am told it can work.
It is a real concern the executive maintains a positive expectation of what is a palpably flawed "football plan" (no matter how praiseworthy the business concept). The "current bump in the road" truly resembles a DVD of Season 2014/15 on a loop. If the "grand design for a glittering future" is built around such a process then so be it, but the essence of good management and progress is to learn from your mistakes.
Anyone with even a modest exposure to the game recognises managing injuries is part and parcel of team sport. You, of course, have to have first managed your budget to allow for such contingencies.
Tuesdays' "brain fart" apart, this head coach, just as his predecessors did and his successors will, needs support.
I have made much of other clubs "rolling the dice" by spending exorbitant sums in a desperate race for promotion. However the "churning" of the head coach and playing staff in search of the right combination to prove your particular business model was "right all along" displays its own arrogance while pursuing an equally perverse "game of chance".
That we are again scouring the unattached market for "trialists" like Ameobi and Doyley, means as with Chappell & Murray, as with Slater & Jiminez someone again has their numbers wrong. The "sustainability" project is under capitalised. Duchatelet has 3 choices. He can maintain the "status quo" and increasingly risk stagnation /deterioration. He can revisit the funding requirements to stabilize the position. He can effectively walk away. None of which I suggest offers us any real light at the end of what appears to be a long and increasingly dark tunnel.
If this executive wishes to deliver a completely different business model then for heavens sake define what it is, what it will look like and how long it will take to deliver. If unable to determine any of those elements then against what benchmarks are they working?.
Are we awaiting the current crop of under 15's or Under 14s to take us to glory? If so, then say so and be done with it.
Perhaps then we can all either realign our expectations or our leisure time.
As a postscript I offer the following for consideration (feel free to correct the detail).
If Doyley signs he will be the 92nd player contracted to the club under RD. 92 players churned in 93 weeks. Less a football club more a football factory. Is it any wonder those who have supported Charlton over many decades now struggle to relate to it?
Cast your eyes across the following and you can make your own determination as to whether the club under this regime in football terms is now better positioned to deliver progress going forward.
For me, with the monies already spent, were I the investor assessing if our playing staff was fit for purpose, while I can acknowledge the potential, it is at present an uncomfortable read.
Many over the tenure of this administration have commented on the employment of 4 head coaches.
On what basis, when assessing our experience since Jan 3, 2014, do people think a 5th will make any meaningful difference?
I do not suggest Mr Luzon is an unfulfilled genius but who really thinks throwing another "driver" under the bus, at this stage, will provide more than a temporary respite as we travel our currently quasi surreal football journey.
I respect, because of Tuesdays' opposition, many may have travelled to the Valley with some aspiration but was surprised there was any expectation for the game last weekend. I applaud the fortitude and appreciate the optimism but for a 2nd season we are going into games with, among other shortfalls, the glaring omission of an experienced "championship" forward line able to present a focal point for our attack and a physical challenge to opposing defences. It appears we simply cannot afford one.
We started the season with 3 senior forwards (Reza arrived by default). In reality none had more than a passing acquaintance with the Championship. Makienoks' injury has had an undue impact as there was no viable back up option. His absence immediately necessitated a change of playing style.
You can operate without such a focus but it is notably harder with an ever changing team, inexperienced not only in years but in the championship. 12 of the current extended 1st team squad had barely set foot in a championship match before this season.
It appears many still have to learn to compete in the Championship they must earn the right to play each & every game It is physically & mentally demanding on a sustained basis, is sometimes nasty and will unrelentingly test your physical, technical & natural ability to perform.
If the club is not prepared to invest in a viable squad structure it will adversely impact the skills of any Head Coach invariably leading to increasingly irrational and on occasion positively "bonkers" team selections.
The manner in which the squads have been constructed over the past 2 seasons has displayed an almost deliberate naivety.
Did we learn nothing from the protracted absence of Henderson last season? At times the lack of experience shines through like a proverbial beacon. As a CEO steadfastly inured to balancing the books it is ironic her administration appears blind to the same principle in constructing the football side of the business. A key principle of any professional team sport is the balance of the playing assets at your disposal.
Last seasons "plan" brought the Peeters dalliance to a shuddering halt and turned the potential major asset of Vetokele into a passenger. This seasons' "plan" seems to have placed undue pressure on SM to return before ready and produces the sort of approach seen at Reading and the Tuesday night shambles.
At Reading we could all live in hope an 18yr old highly promising novice (where inconsistency will prevail) and a midfielder who had spent over a season recovering from injury were going to provide effective attacking outlets but we can hardly be surprised a) when it does not happen b) the head coach makes adjustments to settle for a less ambitious Plan B.
Plan C on Tuesday came under quite a different category - it followed the "pin the tail on the donkey team selection, shut your eyes, cross your fingers and stick them in ears methodology. I am told it can work.
It is a real concern the executive maintains a positive expectation of what is a palpably flawed "football plan" (no matter how praiseworthy the business concept). The "current bump in the road" truly resembles a DVD of Season 2014/15 on a loop. If the "grand design for a glittering future" is built around such a process then so be it, but the essence of good management and progress is to learn from your mistakes.
Anyone with even a modest exposure to the game recognises managing injuries is part and parcel of team sport. You, of course, have to have first managed your budget to allow for such contingencies. I have made much of other clubs "rolling the dice" by spending exorbitant sums in a desperate race for promotion. However the "churning" of the head coach and playing staff in search of the right combination to prove your particular business model was "right all along" displays its own arrogance while pursuing an equally perverse "game of chance".
That we are again scouring the unattached market for "trialists" like Ameobi and Doyley, means as with Chappell & Murray, as with Slater & Jiminez someone again has their numbers wrong. The "sustainability" project is under capitalised. Duchatelet has 3 choices. He can maintain the "status quo" and increasingly risk stagnation /deterioration. He can revisit the funding requirements to stabilize the position. He can effectively walk away. None of which I suggest offers us any real light at the end of what appears to be a long and increasingly dark tunnel.
If this executive wishes to deliver a completely different business model then for heavens sake define what it is, what it will look like and how long it will take to deliver. If unable to determine any of those elements then against what benchmarks are they working?.
Are we awaiting the current crop of under 15's or Under 14s to take us to glory? If so, then say so and be done with it.
Perhaps then we can all either realign our expectations or our leisure time.
As a postscript I offer the following for consideration (feel free to correct the detail).
If Doyley signs he will be the 92nd player contracted to the club under RD. 92 players churned in 93 weeks. Less a football club more a football factory. Is it any wonder those who have supported Charlton over many decades now struggle to relate to it?
Cast your eyes across the following and you can make your own determination as to whether the club under this regime in football terms is now better positioned to deliver progress going forward.
For me, with the monies already spent, were I the investor assessing if our playing staff was fit for purpose, while I can acknowledge the potential, it is at present an uncomfortable read.
After the dreaded "Vote of Confidence" in tuesday's SLP to Luzon, it now transpires that the addicks hierarchy are believed to have held talks regarding Luzon's future following tuesday's defeat. Source: SLP
After the dreaded "Vote of Confidence" in tuesday's SLP to Luzon, it now transpires that the addicks hierarchy are believed to have held talks regarding Luzon's future following tuesday's defeat. Source: SLP
Whenever I doubt my thoughts, he always sums up my feelings, in the most superb manner.
As I said at the outset. RD has us down as a football swap shop & Grapevine has set this out quite brilliantly.
As you say, are we to wait 5 years, in the vein hope that some 14 year old kids will become our saviours ? Even if we do produce them, they'll be sold before playing for a full season.
So what do we have? Nothing ?
Like you say I'm no fan of Luzon, but it's not his fault, anymore than it was Powell's and possibly Peeters'.
Comments
Another 12 months we will still be in the same position off the field{and down a division on it}.
Things will not improve until they go back home.
This time, I do wonder if his tactical nous is...lacking. The Liege warning seems to be on the money; he's all motivation and no tactics. I don't know for sure if that's true, he won me over a while back and I want to support him. But I've just got a feeling Peeters and Luzon were both in too deep in this league. If that is the case, his departure is inevitable. If he is tactically astute and just understaffed, I hope he makes it to January and we strengthen again.
My heart says, this time next week we will have a new manager.
If the academy investment goes ahead, that is a really good thing long term, but there are only so many corners you can cut to run a business, without cracks appearing to show, people are going to lose interest in coming to Charlton if he's not careful, blind loyalty from supporters can easily change to people thinking well if he can't be bothered to do things properly, whŷ should I put up with this?
There's probably lots and lots of unhappy fans of various clubs up and down the country who think there clubs should be doing better, for me it feels like the life and soul is being drained out of the club.
But I have to say, regardless of anything else, that was an absolute disgrace. If he genuinely thought that line up was going to achieve anything he's incompetent and should leave this club immediately. Jackson & Mak should have started, probably Moussa too. If they aren't fit enough then take them off later in the game, no point making changes when the game was lost long ago.
It might ultimately be Roland's fault - but that doesn't give Luzon a free pass.
If Riga had been given a full season with us after keeping us up, would he have also run into the same brick wall Guy has now?
Totally agree. I think Guy must be getting bad advice from our medical team. Those players you have mentioned would have all wanted to start last night. Also, play Hendo on Saturday for ffs, Pope sends a nervousness throughout everyone at the moment I'm afraid !
I'm afraid, that whilst I think Luzon is a total plonker and I would like to see him gone, it's not going to make a blind bit of difference. We still have an owner who hasn't got a clue about English football. A director who hasn't got a clue about English football. A medical team that seem in no rush to get any player back on the pitch, and half team full of players who couldn't give a toss about playing for us, it's just a job and they just want their wages at the end of the month.
One positive worth mentioning.....living near to Southend, over recent weeks, I've started taking my sons there instead of Charlton on a Saturday. Pigott (on loan from Charlton) is a good player! Passionate, hard working, talented and scores goals......so when we get relegated this season, he may get a game for us.
For a manager it's crucial that they 'perform' when the going gets tough, especially when the situation is not necessarily of their direct making. Curbs was a master it limiting bad runs. I see Luzon as a similar type of manager to Pardew. They are momentum managers rather than pure coaches. They get the team moving forward and are able to maintain that momentum with impressive results but inevitably, events will occur that stop that momentum and they struggle as there is no base level of coaching to fall back on. Of course, at Charlton, Pardew never go the momentum going as he has done at other clubs.
I think the current run of bad results tells you more about Luzon than the early season success. There is nothing to change it around and the players know it. And I don't think injured players returning will make a huge difference now that the team's performance level has nose-dived. As a comparison, watching Norwich run rings round Newcastle showed a team with spirit and attacking aspirations and although they were 'thrashed' 6-2 there is something to build on whilst at The Valley there is a void.
On what basis, when assessing our experience since Jan 3, 2014, do people think a 5th will make any meaningful difference?
I do not suggest Mr Luzon is an unfulfilled genius but who really thinks throwing another "driver" under the bus, at this stage, will provide more than a temporary respite as we travel our currently quasi surreal football journey.
I respect, because of Tuesdays' opposition, many may have travelled to the Valley with some aspiration but was surprised there was any expectation for the game last weekend. I applaud the fortitude and appreciate the optimism but for a 2nd season we are going into games with, among other shortfalls, the glaring omission of an experienced "championship" forward line able to present a focal point for our attack and a physical challenge to opposing defences. It appears we simply cannot afford one.
We started the season with 3 senior forwards (Reza arrived by default). In reality none had more than a passing acquaintance with the Championship. Makienoks' injury has had an undue impact as there was no viable back up option. His absence immediately necessitated a change of playing style.
You can operate without such a focus but it is notably harder with an ever changing team, inexperienced not only in years but in the championship. 12 of the current extended 1st team squad had barely set foot in a championship match before this season.
It appears many still have to learn to compete in the Championship they must earn the right to play each & every game It is physically & mentally demanding on a sustained basis, is sometimes nasty and will unrelentingly test your physical, technical & natural ability to perform.
If the club is not prepared to invest in a viable squad structure it will adversely impact the skills of any Head Coach invariably leading to increasingly irrational and on occasion positively "bonkers" team selections.
The manner in which the squads have been constructed over the past 2 seasons has displayed an almost deliberate naivety.
Did we learn nothing from the protracted absence of Henderson last season? At times the lack of experience shines through like a proverbial beacon. As a CEO steadfastly inured to balancing the books it is ironic her administration appears blind to the same principle in constructing the football side of the business. A key principle of any professional team sport is the balance of the playing assets at your disposal.
Last seasons "plan" brought the Peeters dalliance to a shuddering halt and turned the potential major asset of Vetokele into a passenger. This seasons' "plan" seems to have placed undue pressure on SM to return before ready and produces the sort of approach seen at Reading and the Tuesday night shambles.
At Reading we could all live in hope an 18yr old highly promising novice (where inconsistency will prevail) and a midfielder who had spent over a season recovering from injury were going to provide effective attacking outlets but we can hardly be surprised a) when it does not happen b) the head coach makes adjustments to settle for a less ambitious Plan B.
Plan C on Tuesday came under quite a different category - it followed the "pin the tail on the donkey team selection, shut your eyes, cross your fingers and stick them in ears methodology. I am told it can work.
It is a real concern the executive maintains a positive expectation of what is a palpably flawed "football plan" (no matter how praiseworthy the business concept). The "current bump in the road" truly resembles a DVD of Season 2014/15 on a loop. If the "grand design for a glittering future" is built around such a process then so be it, but the essence of good management and progress is to learn from your mistakes.
Anyone with even a modest exposure to the game recognises managing injuries is part and parcel of team sport. You, of course, have to have first managed your budget to allow for such contingencies.
Tuesdays' "brain fart" apart, this head coach, just as his predecessors did and his successors will, needs support.
I have made much of other clubs "rolling the dice" by spending exorbitant sums in a desperate race for promotion. However the "churning" of the head coach and playing staff in search of the right combination to prove your particular business model was "right all along" displays its own arrogance while pursuing an equally perverse "game of chance".
That we are again scouring the unattached market for "trialists" like Ameobi and Doyley, means as with Chappell & Murray, as with Slater & Jiminez someone again has their numbers wrong. The "sustainability" project is under capitalised. Duchatelet has 3 choices. He can maintain the "status quo" and increasingly risk stagnation /deterioration. He can revisit the funding requirements to stabilize the position. He can effectively walk away. None of which I suggest offers us any real light at the end of what appears to be a long and increasingly dark tunnel.
If this executive wishes to deliver a completely different business model then for heavens sake define what it is, what it will look like and how long it will take to deliver. If unable to determine any of those elements then against what benchmarks are they working?.
Are we awaiting the current crop of under 15's or Under 14s to take us to glory? If so, then say so and be done with it.
Perhaps then we can all either realign our expectations or our leisure time.
As a postscript I offer the following for consideration (feel free to correct the detail).
If Doyley signs he will be the 92nd player contracted to the club under RD. 92 players churned in 93 weeks. Less a football club more a football factory. Is it any wonder those who have supported Charlton over many decades now struggle to relate to it?
Cast your eyes across the following and you can make your own determination as to whether the club under this regime in football terms is now better positioned to deliver progress going forward.
For me, with the monies already spent, were I the investor assessing if our playing staff was fit for purpose, while I can acknowledge the potential, it is at present an uncomfortable read.
1. Ahearne-Grant 2. Ajdarevic 3. Alnwick 4. Ansah 5. Aribo 6. Azeez 7. Ba 8. Barnes 9. Bauer 10. Ben-Haim 11. Bergdich 12. Berg Gudmundsson 13. Bikey Amougou 14. Browne 15. Bulot 16. Buyens. 17. Cebellos 18. Charles - Cook 19. Church 20. J Cook 21. Coquelin 22. Cort 23. Cousins 24. Cumberbatch 25. Daniel 26. Dervite 27. Diarra 28. Dmitrovic 29. Eagles 30. Edwards 31. Etheridge 32. Evina 33. Fox 34. Gerard 35. Ghoochannejhad 36. Gomez 37. Hamer 38. Hanlon 39. Harriott 40. Henderson 41. Holmes-Dennis 42. Hughes 43. Jackson 44. Johnson 45. Kashi 46. Kelly 47. Kennedy 48. Kermorgant 49. Koc 50. Lapsie 51. Lennon 52. Lepoint 53. McAleny 54. Makienok 55. Mitov 56. Monlouis 57. Morrison 58. Moussa 59. Muldoon 60. Munns 61. Nego 62. Obika 63. Obileye 64. Onyewu 65. Osbourne 66. Parzysek 67. Petrucci 68. Phillips 69. Piggot 70. Pope 71. Poyet 72. Pritchard 73. Pyke 74. Sarr 75. Sho Silva 76. Smith 77. Solly 78. Sordell 79. Staunton 80. Stephens 81. Thomas 82. Thuram 83. Tucudean 84. Tudgay 85. Umerah 86. Veljkovic 87. Vetokele 88. Watt 89. Wiggins 90. Wilson 91. Wood
92. Doyley ?
Feely, Gower, Green & Hollands whose Charlton careers were effectively at an end by Jan 2014 are excluded.
Amazing effort! I had to delete a chunk from my quote as it was so long.
Whenever I doubt my thoughts, he always sums up my feelings, in the most superb manner.
As I said at the outset. RD has us down as a football swap shop & Grapevine has set this out quite brilliantly.
As you say, are we to wait 5 years, in the vein hope that some 14 year old kids will become our saviours ?
Even if we do produce them, they'll be sold before playing for a full season.
So what do we have? Nothing ?
Like you say I'm no fan of Luzon, but it's not his fault, anymore than it was Powell's and possibly Peeters'.
Brilliant post Grapevine. You have helped make total sense of what have been, so far, just random negative thoughts about the team I love. Thank you.