Bowyer wants JJ as his assistant at Birmingham

Magnificent servant for Charlton and if he goes then I wish him nothing but success and happiness. 

O-Randy-Hunt said:

Sir Chrissy said:

Heard this evening Jacko and Marshall not keen on moving family etc to Birmingham. 

Pardew hasn’t aged well.

I'm possibly having yet another "senior moment" but am I alone in wondering whether Jacko & Bow were as close a team as they would have us believe ? 

I have no doubt that they were inextricably linked for the majority of the time they worked together with the one goal of promotion & despite the issues away from the pitch, they succeeded. All for one & one for all with regards to the squad of players and their close knit management team. Onwards & upwards together !

The euphoria lasted into the first months of the Championship season until injuries halted our progress, followed by the onset of the pandemic and the ramifications it brought whilst the ongoing ownership shenanigans continued to cast a dark cloud over our club & the embargo thwarted any chances of really strengthening the squad in an effort to save the season. 

I cannot begin to understand what day to day life for JJ & Bow must have been like during that period and I would assume that facing the overwhelming issues as a team would have brought them closer together. Relegation at the very last knockings dealt everyone a devastating blow but those closest to it must have been shattered. With the ownership problems still unresolved, what did the future hold for our main men , and in effect, our club? 

The arrival of our very own saviour was certain to have thrown everything into confusion - a welcome confusion but nevertheless one which must have posed so many questions as to how the new regime would affect all concerned. But, once the initial period of readjustment was over, a team emerged to begin the new season in a very positive manner. Expectations of bouncing back increased until the international break punctuated a successful run of matches and together with more long term injuries, things began to unravel somewhat.

From that point, we, the faithful, began to question the gaffer's decisions as, match after match, he tinkered with the starting line ups, made what appeared to be weird substitutions during games and in general his demeanour appeared to change. He began to point the finger at certain players in his post match interviews - something not seen previously. And he appeared to be feeling the strain of everything he'd had to deal with over the past year or more which is totally understandable. It is at this point that I query whether his close relationship with his close ally may have started to show cracks. 

We all have our views on what may have happened at SL & in the dressing room but I stand by my feeling that it wasn't a happy place and that Bow was the one most likely to be responsible for the atmosphere there. I see Jacko as a more genial guy who'd  likely  be trying to balance things...good cop, bad cop ? I believe that players would confide in him and he would have found it challenging to be " piggy in the middle" twixt them & Bow. Not a great place to be IMO. He may have harboured feelings he couldn't share with the manager that festered and caused him more grief than he should have expected in his role. He possibly disagreed with decisions that Bow made especially those which I felt were overly harsh on certain players such as the re substitution of Jonny Williams. Who knows, but I wonder whether those last 4 months or so were responsible for damaging their relationship. I may be totally off my nut but it's just a gut feeling....

So, get to the point Fanny! Whatever words are used in a live interview, such as Jacko's post match with Scotty & Curbs on Tuesday evening, they might be viewed with some scepticism. For sure, I'm not accusing our caretaker manager of telling porkies but maybe he answered the questions posed in a manner which did not tell the complete story. Of course, he would confirm that he & Bow are very close - nothing to query there- but whether he is keen to go to the midlands as assistant again to Lee is possibly not as clear cut as some imagine. 

Apologies for my ramble but I am concerned as to the legend that is Jacko's immediate future & deep down hope that he doesn't follow in his pal's footsteps to Birmingham. Whether or not he IS offered the top job here, where he is loved & much respected both on & off the pitch, I feel  this is where he really wants to stay for the immediate future. And that his career might be more successful if he distances himself from his "mentor" at this moment in time. 

Just want the very best for this very special young man and fervently hope it's here at our beloved football club.