Homecoming
There are certain people that will forever be associated with Charlton Athletic – Jimmy Seed, Sam Bartram, Keith Peacock, Derek Hales, Alan Curbishley for example. Chris Powell can be added to that list, whatever and wherever his career now takes him.
Chris played for the club on three separate occasions, wore the colours of England whilst a Charlton player, and then managed the club, dragging it out of a seemingly endless downward spiral and being one of only four men in 110 years of history to win a league title. Above all of that Chris Powell is a genuine, warm and upstanding individual.
I have mentioned this before, but with no apologies will mention it again. 14 years ago my ex, my son and I spent a 2-week holiday in Italy in the company of Chris and his wife and oldest daughter. I bumped into him literally on the 2nd night at the hotel buffet, and we got talking, the wives got on and we then spent pretty much the rest of our holidays together. He had not long made his England debut and the experience was both surreal and very, very enjoyable and I won’t ever forget it.
I’ll be honest. I loved Chris Powell being the manager of the Charlton, I loved that he was one of us, and watching him and his huge smile hold aloft the League One trophy on the pitch on that incredible day in May three years ago still sends shivers down my spine.
When Roland Duchâtelet sacked Powell I wrote that “a part of Charlton Athletic died that morning”. In the year since Powell’s dismissal that ingredient of what it means to be a Charlton fan has not been revived and Duchâtelet’s long term strategy remains a figment of his imagination.
Chris Powell has moved on, Charlton have moved on, but that special bond will never be broken.
I’m a little bit torn tomorrow, Chris Powell deserves our full recognition of his achievements, our thanks and the connection that remains between us, but not at the expense of supporting the team. I am a Charlton fan first and foremost and whoever is manager, or head coach, then it is they I will be supporting.
I won’t be there but I am sure it will be an emotional day, and I hope by the end of it Charlton Athletic will have taken another baby step in the right direction on the road to stability on the pitch and getting our Charlton back off it.
Unlike yesterday, which I personally thought was tacky and unnecessary, the club has done a fantastic job with the ‘football for a fiver’ promotion and the Huddersfield game is now a sell out. A full house watching two men on the touchlines. The past and the future, a legend and an interloper, but only one man with the famous sword on his tracksuit.
Chicago Addick 
Nice article Chicago Addick- I could not agree more- we need to give Chris the recognition he deserves, but when the whistle goes at 3pm we are Charlton and he no longer is, we are there for only one reason and that is to support ‘The Team’.
He may have a history of say 350 games as a player and Manager, but like a lot of others I have racked up well over 2,000 games providing sheer elation to disbelief.
WE are Charlton and always will be. The believers and dreamers of our Football Club.
COYR.
Quite right Mick.
Chrissy will get my full support, along with Alex Dyer, all the way along the touchline to the away dugout. I am sure that almost everyone will clap and cheer him during that long walk, only broken by handshakes from those on the Charlton bench (and BDL I expect!). It will be emotional for us, and for them too I imagine. It may also be quite embarassing for those now sat in the directors box! But as you say, once the whistle goes, I want Charlton to win as well as they did when Curbs returned with West Ham. COYA!
Agreed,
The man is a decent human being, I am almost loathe to promote the interview with the man himself, in the next issue of the trust news see:http://www.castrust.org/2015/02/exclusive-chris-powell-interview-in-this-saturdays-trust-news/
If you read one interview about CAFC read this…… I design the trust news, so I am biased, and with Chris who is not only a decent human being,but honest, and someone who’s opinion I value. As the editor of this site will tell you, who are you going to trust…… I know who I do,
The trust will, and has got some adverse comments about this interview ‘ although they have not read it yet’……. people are claiming that this does not help in the engagement process.
My view is that sometimes the truth hurts, and when it comes from one of own, you had better take note’…… You do not have to take my words as the truth…… take Chris Powell’s.
Interesting move by the Trust, but hardly propaganda when it is the truth.
If fans want to bury their head in the sand that is up to them. Personally it didn’t reveal anything I didn’t already believe in my heart. I will never, ever forgive this regime for the way they treated him – and some of our fans too who, I hope when they read the interview, will realise what he was up against not only with this regime, but the previous one too. I hope he goes on to be one of the most successful managers with whatever club it is. As for today – my t-shirt is on and I will sing his name to the rafters, cry a little, and then get on with supporting the team. At the start of the season I wouldn’t have been bothered about the result today – and wouldn’t have cared much had we lost – but its my club and this Belgian waffle is not going to take that away from me.