The Rumour Mill is in overdrive today. A thinly veiled club statement today tells us that the decision was sudden and came on the back of Saturday's disappointing result. I say thinly veiled because Katrein Meir is looking a trifle foolish following Saturday's programme notes in which she was supportive of Big Bob. All that would suggest she isn't quite as close to the Organ Grinder as you might expect. What she has said today is that the search for a new Head Coach will begin. So, what does Roly do next?
Guy Luzon is the obvious choice given his close relations with M. Duchatelet. He is currently out of meaningful employment and could be appointed quickly. However, given the furore over Peeters' sacking and the fact that Roland will want to steady the ship and avoid another short-lived appointment that would anger Charlton fans even more, he may be prepared to wait a decent amount of time before appointing Luzon, if indeed, he still has enough faith in him. Personally, I would be concerned if Luzon is the man. His record is lightweight and he failed spectacularly in the biggest job he has had at Standard Liege where the fans were so incensed they rioted to try and get at him.
Karel Fraye, Jose Riga's assistant for a few months a year ago is another name being touted. He knows where the training ground is and can probably remember most of the player's names. The trouble is, Riga wasn't deemed good enough to be given the job in the Summer having kept us up and, well, Fraye was his number two. He also doesn't have a track record to suggest he could walk into the job. Having seen how Riga was treated he might also not be too keen.
Jose Riga would get a sympathetic ear from the fans and has been out-of-work since his sacking by the Son-of-a-Rapist at Blackpool. I get the impression Jose is a big enough man to return and take his chances for a second time but he was definitely sore about the way he was treated after keeping us up and it might be a step too far for him, even if Roland is prepared to acknowledge a previous mistake in firing him.
The appointment of a British manager would allow Roland to divert some of the inevitable criticism he will get if we get another Network Manager. However, it would likely mean a couple of weeks at least to interview properly and complete a selection process. Time is of the essence, especially if any money is to be spent in the window strengthening the thread-bare squad. None of the current crop of recently unemployed managers would excite me and many might want assurances about budgets and working relationships which the Master of Chateau Duchatelet might not be prepared to grant.
Alan Curbishley is probably the unique choice and could be a masterstroke if Roland is prepared to take someone who barely speaks English, let alone any European languages. Curbs has said on Sky today that he was prepared for a "a chat" if asked and my guess is he would be gagging to take the position if offered as his stock has probably fallen as far as ours now. He would be instantly popular with the majority (I'm not his greatest fan but there are plenty worse including Luzon), he knows the club and the league. It would raise our profile with the press for a time to come irrespective of performances and results. The trouble with Curbs, of course, is he is a millionaire and very much his own man. He would definitely want some assurances from the clubs owner.
As I said a week ago on Sunday, it promises to be another very interesting seven days in SE7.
Guy Luzon is the obvious choice given his close relations with M. Duchatelet. He is currently out of meaningful employment and could be appointed quickly. However, given the furore over Peeters' sacking and the fact that Roland will want to steady the ship and avoid another short-lived appointment that would anger Charlton fans even more, he may be prepared to wait a decent amount of time before appointing Luzon, if indeed, he still has enough faith in him. Personally, I would be concerned if Luzon is the man. His record is lightweight and he failed spectacularly in the biggest job he has had at Standard Liege where the fans were so incensed they rioted to try and get at him.
Karel Fraye, Jose Riga's assistant for a few months a year ago is another name being touted. He knows where the training ground is and can probably remember most of the player's names. The trouble is, Riga wasn't deemed good enough to be given the job in the Summer having kept us up and, well, Fraye was his number two. He also doesn't have a track record to suggest he could walk into the job. Having seen how Riga was treated he might also not be too keen.
Jose Riga would get a sympathetic ear from the fans and has been out-of-work since his sacking by the Son-of-a-Rapist at Blackpool. I get the impression Jose is a big enough man to return and take his chances for a second time but he was definitely sore about the way he was treated after keeping us up and it might be a step too far for him, even if Roland is prepared to acknowledge a previous mistake in firing him.
The appointment of a British manager would allow Roland to divert some of the inevitable criticism he will get if we get another Network Manager. However, it would likely mean a couple of weeks at least to interview properly and complete a selection process. Time is of the essence, especially if any money is to be spent in the window strengthening the thread-bare squad. None of the current crop of recently unemployed managers would excite me and many might want assurances about budgets and working relationships which the Master of Chateau Duchatelet might not be prepared to grant.
Alan Curbishley is probably the unique choice and could be a masterstroke if Roland is prepared to take someone who barely speaks English, let alone any European languages. Curbs has said on Sky today that he was prepared for a "a chat" if asked and my guess is he would be gagging to take the position if offered as his stock has probably fallen as far as ours now. He would be instantly popular with the majority (I'm not his greatest fan but there are plenty worse including Luzon), he knows the club and the league. It would raise our profile with the press for a time to come irrespective of performances and results. The trouble with Curbs, of course, is he is a millionaire and very much his own man. He would definitely want some assurances from the clubs owner.
As I said a week ago on Sunday, it promises to be another very interesting seven days in SE7.
Curbs' anglosaxon was always in evidence as I recall.
ReplyDeleteThey'd need to re-mortgage to get Curbs judging by his negotiations with Fulham. Gabon can't be an easy gig for Jorge Costa, so he might not be averse to a return to a scene of great popularity. Any arguments, particularly by stroppy central defenders, would probably be settled in a "traditional" manner, but then he'd also be ready to tell KM and the Master of the Chateau (nice one, Dave)to "shut it", and that would mean a short-term appointment!
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