A long weekend spent with friends at a large house in Banff on the Moray Firth has finally put last season well and truly behind me. Amidst the fun and games (shooting, digger driving, Highland Games and a long walk on a fantastic beach) we watched the Massives fall at the last hurdle against Hull and as we made our way home yesterday afternoon, Millwall were beaten with ease by t'Barnsley. On the back of Palace's heart-breaking loss to Man U, it felt like a little bit of pay-back for a year of footballing catastrophe.
Home then last night to news that Johnnie Jackson has shortened to odds-on in the Riga-replacement stakes. Rumours too that the offer on the table for Keith Hill wasn't attractive enough for him to consider leaving Rochdale. If there's any truth in that at all, you have to wonder about the motivation of appointing Jackson. He's a natural leader, he knows the squad and would represent least disruption, but I am not sure those plusses outweigh the negatives.
Jacko has no managerial experience, I think he's still doing his badges and given the anticipated volume of player change, he may find the balance of the squad unknown entities come August. He would be a safe appointment for Duchatelet and Meire given his popularity and presumably, he would be a least-cost replacement as he is already on the wage bill. Personally speaking, I would rather see an experienced manager who has won promotion from the lower leagues before appointed. No problem if Jacko was given assistant-Manager status so he could continue to learn without direct responsibility for results. Meire and Duchatlet have used Jackson previously as a cushion against supporters unhappiness with the club's direction and I am left wondering whether they might also see him a more malleable appointment.
I remain firmly in the camp that the leopard doesn't change it's spots and that without a change of strategy, Charlton Athletic will struggle to achieve promotion from League One. It needs an all-out effort in terms of player recruitment, management and club morale. A continuation of a plan to break-even will see better players sold on, cheaper replacements and a weakening squad. With Meire still at the helm, I can't see any change in supporter relations and the distrust that exists will continue to affect operations at the club where our inability to retain experienced or self-thinking employees is very concerning and an indictment of The Regime.
Home then last night to news that Johnnie Jackson has shortened to odds-on in the Riga-replacement stakes. Rumours too that the offer on the table for Keith Hill wasn't attractive enough for him to consider leaving Rochdale. If there's any truth in that at all, you have to wonder about the motivation of appointing Jackson. He's a natural leader, he knows the squad and would represent least disruption, but I am not sure those plusses outweigh the negatives.
Jacko has no managerial experience, I think he's still doing his badges and given the anticipated volume of player change, he may find the balance of the squad unknown entities come August. He would be a safe appointment for Duchatelet and Meire given his popularity and presumably, he would be a least-cost replacement as he is already on the wage bill. Personally speaking, I would rather see an experienced manager who has won promotion from the lower leagues before appointed. No problem if Jacko was given assistant-Manager status so he could continue to learn without direct responsibility for results. Meire and Duchatlet have used Jackson previously as a cushion against supporters unhappiness with the club's direction and I am left wondering whether they might also see him a more malleable appointment.
I remain firmly in the camp that the leopard doesn't change it's spots and that without a change of strategy, Charlton Athletic will struggle to achieve promotion from League One. It needs an all-out effort in terms of player recruitment, management and club morale. A continuation of a plan to break-even will see better players sold on, cheaper replacements and a weakening squad. With Meire still at the helm, I can't see any change in supporter relations and the distrust that exists will continue to affect operations at the club where our inability to retain experienced or self-thinking employees is very concerning and an indictment of The Regime.
Not surprisingly I agree with all of that Dave about Jacko.
ReplyDeleteBanff. I found out all about the Scottish Banff when I wrote my Travelogue following a trip to the 'other Banff' a couple of years ago.
https://chicagoaddick.wordpress.com/2015/05/10/travelogue-calgary-and-banff-canada/
Enjoy your bank holiday mate.
CA - I did suggest bear trekking ir a hot sprung but we got the shot, the hammer and the caber instead.
ReplyDelete