News that Wendy Perfect has resigned her job with Charlton after umpteen years is the latest sad step in the demise of the running of our club and reflects poorly on the previous sackings of the most experienced and emotionally involved individuals. Whatever your view on the rights and wrongs of what Tony Jiminez is driving here, there can be little doubt that the club is being taken in a direction that is not supported by the Charlton-fans involved in running the club.
So, the obvious question is "who's next?" It also throws up a great gaming opportunity we can all play. You don't need to know the individuals or have any great knowledge of the club and it's workings. All you need is yesterday's programme. Pages four and five layout the names of all the candidates, the remaining Directors and Officials down the left and the shrinking Operational Management Team on the right.
To give it a bit more spice, let's start with some odds for the key players:
Directors/Officials
Michael Slater - 3/1 - Recently knocked sparko in Spain when confronting Spanish police whilst watching his beloved Man City. Reputed to be The Mysterons front man and whose interest will depart shortly once a replacement bank-roller can be found.
Tony Jiminez - 4-1 - "Spanish Tone" looks to be caught in a difficult position with the loss of The Mysterons cash. He needs to broker the re-sale of the club, something he is apparently good at, in order to get himself off the hook. In order to do this, he needs to ensure the club remains a going concern and that we look as attractive as possible to would-be investors. Struggling in the league, losing our manager or any changing room upheaval would be disastrous. As for Administration.....
Richard Murray - 6-1 - Poor Richard is now a minority shareholder and is, presumably, suffering what's currently happening. Perhaps he will sell-out when the time comes and no-one can really blame him if he gets to bow out and enjoy the rest of his retirement.
Martin Prothero - 4-1 - Anonymous new "supremo" supposedly responsible for the management of the club on a part-time basis. We've seen or heard so little from this bloke it's hard to know what he's really doing. Linked with the Nike sponsorship and increasingly closely with the sackings and resignations, you have to believe he won't survive new ownership.
Chris Powell - 7-1 - The Manager and his staff don't usually get involved too much in club affairs. They have enough to contend with in getting results and as long as they are all being paid and have sufficient financial backing, they will be happy enough, although Powell has sufficient history with the club not to have a personal view of some of the recent decisions. Can't see the Board shooting themselves in the head by sacking him, so the only risk would be him leaving for another club if he is disillusioned but I think he knows he still has a job to do here once we are under new ownership.
Keith Peacock - 6-1 - Peewee is "Football Advisor" which is probably more of an honorary position and I am guessing he gets very little for doing little more. I hope I am not wrong in that opinion as his Charlton credentials are beyond question. He knows he will outlive the current regime but Keith could just decide to make a point if he feels the club is not being run in it's best long term interests.
Chris Parkes - 5-1 - Chris' Charlton Story could be a very good read. He has been working for the club forever and has seen it all before. His role is very specific and I am guessing relative non-contentious. He doesn't strike me as someone who would argue long or hard against his bosses but maybe there is far less room for conflict with his role. However, a like Keith Peacock, he could decide he's had enough if disillusioned with the direction being taken.
Operational Management
Dave Archer - 5-1 - I grew up with Dave Archer as a kid in the flats in Greenwich. He has done a visibly good job over a long period of time at the Valley in a number of roles and is now responsible for Commercial Sales. He is another fan but his sacking would be of a more immediate impact than say Rick's. He would be more likely to resign.
Matt Wright - 3-1 - Head of ClubPropaganda Communications. An unenvious position of having to spin everything negative about the club and, I assume, often against some of his own views. Goes with the territory but he would have instructed the air-brushing of Rick Everitt from yesterday's programme which failed miserably to recognise the work he lead on in the day's successful Football for a Fiver promotion. Very unlikely to resign but a fall-guy candidate. Unlikley to survive regime change.
Mick Everett - 4-1 - Long time Operations Manager and someone like Dave Archer who would be hard to replace effectively at short notice given his intimate knowledge of getting games on. However, he is another fan who may feel disillusioned?
All entries welcome.
Final note of personal thanks to Wendy. She picked the phone up to me after I was critical of Valley Gold ticket allocation once and was word-perfect, encouraging me to renew my membership which I had cancelled in a fit of pique. She is a face that has been known to me for what must be 25 years and I know she will still be there at matches supporting her team.
So, the obvious question is "who's next?" It also throws up a great gaming opportunity we can all play. You don't need to know the individuals or have any great knowledge of the club and it's workings. All you need is yesterday's programme. Pages four and five layout the names of all the candidates, the remaining Directors and Officials down the left and the shrinking Operational Management Team on the right.
To give it a bit more spice, let's start with some odds for the key players:
Directors/Officials
Michael Slater - 3/1 - Recently knocked sparko in Spain when confronting Spanish police whilst watching his beloved Man City. Reputed to be The Mysterons front man and whose interest will depart shortly once a replacement bank-roller can be found.
Tony Jiminez - 4-1 - "Spanish Tone" looks to be caught in a difficult position with the loss of The Mysterons cash. He needs to broker the re-sale of the club, something he is apparently good at, in order to get himself off the hook. In order to do this, he needs to ensure the club remains a going concern and that we look as attractive as possible to would-be investors. Struggling in the league, losing our manager or any changing room upheaval would be disastrous. As for Administration.....
Richard Murray - 6-1 - Poor Richard is now a minority shareholder and is, presumably, suffering what's currently happening. Perhaps he will sell-out when the time comes and no-one can really blame him if he gets to bow out and enjoy the rest of his retirement.
Martin Prothero - 4-1 - Anonymous new "supremo" supposedly responsible for the management of the club on a part-time basis. We've seen or heard so little from this bloke it's hard to know what he's really doing. Linked with the Nike sponsorship and increasingly closely with the sackings and resignations, you have to believe he won't survive new ownership.
Chris Powell - 7-1 - The Manager and his staff don't usually get involved too much in club affairs. They have enough to contend with in getting results and as long as they are all being paid and have sufficient financial backing, they will be happy enough, although Powell has sufficient history with the club not to have a personal view of some of the recent decisions. Can't see the Board shooting themselves in the head by sacking him, so the only risk would be him leaving for another club if he is disillusioned but I think he knows he still has a job to do here once we are under new ownership.
Keith Peacock - 6-1 - Peewee is "Football Advisor" which is probably more of an honorary position and I am guessing he gets very little for doing little more. I hope I am not wrong in that opinion as his Charlton credentials are beyond question. He knows he will outlive the current regime but Keith could just decide to make a point if he feels the club is not being run in it's best long term interests.
Chris Parkes - 5-1 - Chris' Charlton Story could be a very good read. He has been working for the club forever and has seen it all before. His role is very specific and I am guessing relative non-contentious. He doesn't strike me as someone who would argue long or hard against his bosses but maybe there is far less room for conflict with his role. However, a like Keith Peacock, he could decide he's had enough if disillusioned with the direction being taken.
Operational Management
Dave Archer - 5-1 - I grew up with Dave Archer as a kid in the flats in Greenwich. He has done a visibly good job over a long period of time at the Valley in a number of roles and is now responsible for Commercial Sales. He is another fan but his sacking would be of a more immediate impact than say Rick's. He would be more likely to resign.
Matt Wright - 3-1 - Head of Club
Mick Everett - 4-1 - Long time Operations Manager and someone like Dave Archer who would be hard to replace effectively at short notice given his intimate knowledge of getting games on. However, he is another fan who may feel disillusioned?
All entries welcome.
Final note of personal thanks to Wendy. She picked the phone up to me after I was critical of Valley Gold ticket allocation once and was word-perfect, encouraging me to renew my membership which I had cancelled in a fit of pique. She is a face that has been known to me for what must be 25 years and I know she will still be there at matches supporting her team.
Disturbing developments - when people like Wendy start leaving then there's something wrong with the soul of the club.
ReplyDeleteGood folks like Wendy are the very people who keep companies afloat because they give so much more than 'corporate clock watching souless nine to five' hired hands. The value of caring makes them irreplaceable. They don't the job for a salary. They do it for love, and you can't replace that - no matter what salaries you pay and whatever management bible you think you know inside out.
Something's going on - a business model that maybe has more to do with corporate outlook than community football club reasons.
They seem to miss the point - take the heart, the community, and the people who care out of Charlton and there'll be nothing left to sell if that's their motive.
I think you only have to look at the mess that Tony Jimenez and the Cockney Mafia left at Newcastle, to see that we could be travelling through very uncertain times.
10th November - Odds on Dave Archer, Matt Wright and Mick Everett cut to 2-1 following advertisement of Commercial Manager position and well-rumoured view of several other "operational" posts. Seems like all those with a personal allegiance to the club are being removed. I expect a slew of wrongful dismissal claims.
ReplyDelete