Chris Powell's triumphant return to the Valley is stirring enormous interest and debate, like nothing we have seen for quite some time. Impressive considering our recent history. The vast majority of it is overwhelmingly positive and supportive although there are dissenting voices even if they want the best and are trying to be positive.
Henry Irving, Charlton Life stalwart and one-time Fan-on-The-Board, has written a very considered piece that I think perfectly captures the dilemma some fans have with the appointment of a man many consider a "legend" yet who looks like a much bigger gamble than our club can afford right now. There is a saying that you should never mix business and pleasure, and yet Chris Powell's appointment feels to me like we may be doing just that.
The calculating and yet equally considered, New York Addick, is sticking his neck out a good bit further than Henry Irving and bravely making the case that the appointment of Sir Chris is a huge mistake. That doesn't make him any less of a fan of Chris Powell the former Charlton player or Powell, the all-round good guy but he is railing against the mass failure to look objectively at Powell's appointment.
I have empathy with both of these viewpoints but I am going to be more positive about Powell because I believe he can make a success of his appointment if he given full support for the next 18 months and some decent funding. Automatic promotion is looking unlikely as far as I am concerned and I suspect we might have left ourselves too much to do by the time Powell begins to get to grips with things and has made at least a couple of changes he needs to begin to shape his team.
I do, however, have a nagging doubt about Jimenez and Slater. They are beginning to look like they might just be in this because they believe they have mercurial business skills that can make this club a success without the sort of funding that assures it. Prove me wrong please by giving Powelly the money he needs to re-ignite our promotion push.
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I agree with all the sentiments to an extent, but I just think Curbishley had no experience, Lennie Lawrence had no experience, the new Mourinho (on Monday anyway) Eddie Howe had no experience. You have to start somewhere, and at the end of the day we are league one club now. As for Jimenez and Slater, again I agree, they aren't Charlton Supporters so obviously they expect a return on their investment, but if they didn't think Sir Chris was the right man to get us promoted, surely in a purely business sense, the would have appointed someone else?
ReplyDeleteChristopher George Robin Powell is a talented footballer. He is also a nice guy.
ReplyDeleteHowever , he isn't so gifted he was marked for stardom in his teens. Sure, he was OK, he could have taken that, championship salaries aren't mega money but how many of us turn our nose up at 200k pa?
You could argue it was luck that meant that, at 28 he was signed by a premiership team, that at 31 he became the oldest new England cap for over 40 years.
But it wasn't. Far too much attention is paid to the vocal, the loud, the melodramatic. Chris Powell is not like that. He only celebrates AFTER The job is done.He knows it isn't easy - he played 200 games for Southend., and that you need to work for results. In short, he is the antithesis of the average modern footballer.
Chris Powell- nice -yes. Soft - maybe? Professional - always.
Charlton - absolutely.