Pardew questions Board's leadership

Alan Pardew has been quick to talk to the Newsshopper today following the announcement of the Zabeel takeover collapse and has questioned the leadership of the club.  He wants to understand the plan for the next "two or three years" in terms of the funding of the squad, and I guess, his chances of turning things around during the remainder of his contract.

An immediate consequence looks to be any hope of a loan signing as suggested after Tuesday's defeat. That's "out of the equation" now and Pardew is once again talking about having to work with the youngsters in the absence of any January transfer kitty. Indeed he goes as far as to suggest there will likely be "a bit more trimming" come the New Year.

Questions now need to be answered by the Board. Are they still committed to selling their interest in the club? If not, was it simply that the Zabeel offer was too good for all concerned to pass-up? If they are committed to selling, we need to understand the latest financial situation as well as any prospects and timeline for any buyers. The Summer sale was supposed to have raised the "£20m" we needed to balance the effects of relegation and yet we have been hearing a "£20m debt" being bandied about in the last couple of weeks which is either mis-leading or very  worrying.

Richard Murray was quite clear during the Summer when he spoke to the Bloggers that he has only ever seen himself as a custodian of the club and that pretty much goes for the rest of the Board. He expected the club to pass on at some time in the future to new owners and that it was the Boards' job to ensure that was done as well as possible when it happens so that the future of the club was secured.  He didn't see a queue of suitable candidates and whilst AEG (Dome owners) would be a suitable candidate, they have never been interested. I was left with the distintc impression that we were unlikey to see any significant change for the forseeable future and that the Board would carry on running the club as well as they could with the funds available to them. 

Now, more than ever, the supporters need better communication from the club than we have been getting of late. The statement on the Official Site (OS) this morning was curt and business-like and has given way to a preview of the Burnley game. We need a detailed statement from the club about what's gone on with Zabeel as well as some wider answers about the shape and direction of Charlton Athletic Football Club under the current Board.