Chris Solly - joining our academy coaching staff says Cawley (p34)

jonseventyfive said:

I still think I'll wait until i know all the facts before criticize. 

Solly has had 3 months to explain what happened . If there was a good reason for his departure, surely it would have emerged by now

MuttleyCAFC said:

bolloxbolder said:

Ive said it before, he just fell out with Bowyer. End off. He let himself and the club down 

If he fell out with Bowyer, we need to know what it was about before we judge him. Unlike Taylor, he hasn't got another club and he has been a great servant. I recall saying I preferred Francis to him, and fear that might be where the CL height test originated as height was the reason. I think there were a good few seasons where he proved me wrong, even though Francis became a Premier League player. 

From what I remember the height test came about that summer, but it was after we signed Michael Morrison and Matt Taylor as our two new CBs. I always thought it was harveys gardener who believed they were 1 or 2 inches too short for a promotion winning side.

If he was suffering from a medical condition Bowyer wouldn’t have been so harsh when telling us Solly has said he wasn’t  gonna play for us . 

cafc_se7 said:

cafcdave123 said:

Fuck him, He refused to fulfil his contract but it’s done now and I personally don’t give a shit if he ends up elsewhere or calls it day

Very harsh words, you don’t know his situation! The fact he isn’t training with anyone speaks volumes doesn’t it? There is obviously something wrong outside of the football world! 

Or he isn’t good enough? I’m not saying I’m right, it’s a theory. He reportedly fell out with bowyer, went on strike expecting a contract offer elsewhere and then covid took over. 

Todds_right_hook said:

cafc_se7 said:

cafcdave123 said:

Fuck him, He refused to fulfil his contract but it’s done now and I personally don’t give a shit if he ends up elsewhere or calls it day

Very harsh words, you don’t know his situation! The fact he isn’t training with anyone speaks volumes doesn’t it? There is obviously something wrong outside of the football world! 

Or he isn’t good enough? I’m not saying I’m right, it’s a theory. He reportedly fell out with bowyer, went on strike expecting a contract offer elsewhere and then covid took over. 

He will be silent, it’s his personality! I can’t remember a single Chris solly social media post ever being discussed in 10 years on this site. We might never know what happened, He isn’t Lyle Taylor and his reason shouldn’t be compared to lyles. 

I hope he does open up one day as I want to like him again

The truth is, if anyone other than Solly had put in the performances he has done in the last 2 and a half seasons he would have got pelters.  Yeah there were glimpses Leeds a year ago today springs to mind.

His last on the pitch action as a Charlton player should have been taking this penalty against Donny.  His last off the pitch one should have been lifting the trophy with Pearce at Wembley. 

Scoham said:

MuttleyCAFC said:

bolloxbolder said:

Ive said it before, he just fell out with Bowyer. End off. He let himself and the club down 

If he fell out with Bowyer, we need to know what it was about before we judge him. Unlike Taylor, he hasn't got another club and he has been a great servant. I recall saying I preferred Francis to him, and fear that might be where the CL height test originated as height was the reason. I think there were a good few seasons where he proved me wrong, even though Francis became a Premier League player. 

From what I remember the height test came about that summer, but it was after we signed Michael Morrison and Matt Taylor as our two new CBs. I always thought it was harveys gardener who believed they were 1 or 2 inches too short for a promotion winning side.

That's a relief. 

Chris Solly embodied the spirit of CAFC for many years.

That's what I will remember him for.

Taylor was a journeyman striker who had a good season with us then got paid for a year for f*** all and moaned alot on twitter.

That's what I will remember him for.

se9addick said:

Wheresmeticket? said:

Chris Solly embodied the spirit of CAFC for many years.

That's what I will remember him for.

Taylor was a journeyman striker who had a good season with us then got paid for a year for f*** all and moaned alot on twitter.

That's what I will remember him for.

Unfortunately I remember them both for their final actions which was to let us down. When Solly let us down he was club captain and had just had his testimonial year. Taylor, as you say, was just a journeyman striker. Taylor’s actions hurt us more, Solly’s were worse morally though. 

I get that.  You can have your version, I'll have mine!

I really do feel it's time for the fans to be told the reasons behind Chris deciding to not play the rest of the season

Carter said:

Chris Solly is not a bad bloke, players fall out with managers and I can accept him not playing a lot more than Taylor. Granted he had hardly played and isn't a centre forward and I'd be lying if that didn't lessen my distaste for him not fulfilling his contract but he isnt a bad person and I guarantee if you ask 100 people in the game what they think of him you will get a lot more nice answers than you would if you did the same for Taylor 

Difference is the no doubt on occasions Solly put the club before his personal well being. He played when it crippled him so much that he wasn't even able to train in the following days. Let's also not forget he played in the most turbulent time in our history and put up with far more than a professional should have too from its employer.

I think have some sympathy for Solly. 

If he had already been told that he wasn't in any plans for the future, and that he wouldn't feature in the side again this year ("Chris, go and get yourself another club"), and then, in the light of Covid-19, he is asked to be a part of the squad again, then I think I'd understand Chris saying "thanks but no thanks". None of us want to be treated as mugs irrespective of our contractual situation. Sometimes principle takes precedent over potential financial impact. 

Taylor on the other hand would have been clear that he was a key part (if not THE key part) of the resumption of matches. He had no principle other than his own material gain at others expense.

It's a tough one to get my head around, but I want to have more sympathy for Solly.

Of course, my assumptions above may all be bollocks.

MuttleyCAFC said:

We know what happened with Taylor pretty much but know far less about Solly. I think that should mean we reserve judgement until we do, if we ever do. 

Why?

How is it logical that if he stays silent for the next 20 years, we should just ignore what he did, while calling Taylor a snake and a ****?

If a player CHOOSES to break their contract, the Club Captain in particular, surely it's up to them to justify their actions or at least say something? I know Solly is quiet, but a press statement from his agent or a short interview with someone sympathetic (Cawley or Mendez) isn't too much to ask IF he has a genuine reason.

Why? Because he may have a good reason. We know that he didn't have another club lined up. We know he was told we were letting him go. He may have felt he wasn't right and felt less inclined to take risks given that we were letting him go and his long standing serious injury issue. I think that is understandable and forgivable.

Surely, if people are claiming that Taylor might have scored the goal in the Cardiff game that would have kept us up, we should take into account how Solly might have improved us had he played in those last three games when under contract?

And the answer is that Solly wouldn't have improved us. We didn't let a goal in during those three games and as he only has scored 3 goals from 313 appearances the chances are that he would not have netted that vital goal. In reality, there would have been far more chance that we would have conceded given how LB had written him off as not good enough to play a single minute in the league since December and the fact that he hasn't secured a contract anywhere since. And had we conceded just one goal in those three games because he was off the pace would have cost us between one and two points.

When Taylor made that decision to down tools he knew that he would play elsewhere. Solly didn't and the risk of him getting injured (again) playing for a club that had, effectively, shown him the door and hardly used him (13 starts in all comps) would have been at the forefront of his mind. As I've said, we didn't need him anyway and we didn't go down because of Solly's absence.   

I would go so far as to say that what he did was the equivalent of taking "gardening leave" when people resign albeit that this is granted by the employer rather than taken by the employee - still under contract and getting paid but, for various reasons, not needed. And Solly wasn't needed and the chances are that LB would have played the same people instead of Solly at right back as he did in those three games and that decision would have been vindicated by the results.

Taylor, on the other hand, was needed. Which is why we are still so wound up. But Solly's career may well have ended now. Even if it isn't, seriously, should we begrudge him one last move to an Exeter or Plymouth or even a Dartford or Welling? Solly played for us for 11 years. I struggle to name the last person to do that.

I dunno maybe irrational, but i’ll remember Solly as a very solid player for 10+ years for us. He was an excellent player in his peak, particularly in our title winning season and for several years after in the Championship. Even in the play off semi final against Donny, he stepped up first no fuss and buried his penalty. Which makes him not playing in the last few games very strange and strikes me more than just he couldn’t be bothered. He’s not with a club still and i fear he may have played his last game of professional football, which is both sad and completely different to the snake Taylor.
Oh and he’s the only player whose named i’ve had on the back of my shirt (and last player i think). I’ll choose to remember him as staying loyal and being better than John Terry personally.