Phil Chapple to leave

Phil Chapple, once known as Bambi on Ice, but more recently known as the Charlton’s Chief Scout, is leaving the club after 9 years. In that time Chapple had held various scouting positions but for some years has headed Charlton’s player recruitment strategy, which under Roland Duchatelet would have taken some adjustment.

Chapple has been headhunted by Fulham, and one would think that job would currently be a more attractive proposition, and I say this with my irrational hatred of Fulham hat on.

It is hard to judge a chief scout’s success and influence without knowing which players Chapple has referred or recommended in the past 9 years. Katrien Meire would often throw Chapple’s name into interviews as someone that monitored and studied players before they were proposed to the owner. That Fulham have moved for him and that he wants to leave tells it’s own story perhaps. Chapple also turned down an interview with the Trust’s fanzine to discuss summer recruitment recently which would indicate that he’s rather not talk publicly about his position.

There are many hidden but valuable roles within the fabric of a football club that are essential in the team’s success, both short or long term and that would include a robust and clever player scouting strategy. Chapple would have been part of a large net of European scouts but his departure is another block of ‘that Charlton’ foundation eroding. I just hope Steve Avory’s doesn’t get unsettled.

No doubt the owner or the CEO will pay little acknowledgment to Phil Chapple’s work and I wait for the exclusive ‘Why I left Charlton’ interview with SLP scribe and Fulham fan Rich Cawley in the future.