Chris Powell | Chicago Addick

Feb 23

Solution or more of the same?

Unless Jose Riga can pull a rabbit out of a hat at Preston tonight I would expect him to start to come under increased scrutiny amongst Addicks. Tonight is Jose’s 7th game in charge and I am starting to wonder if he is not the solution but part of the continuation of the problem.

Riga has been appointed and left/sacked/walked *delete as applicable four times under Duchatelet. He may claim to be his own man, but the facts betray a different image.

Riga was only accepted because he was a known quantity, a decent man, and the best of a horrible bunch of sycophantic no-marks. And frankly Nebojša Vignjević walking into The Valley would have been the end for just about everyone.
Please click for more

Jan 2

7 Comments

Proud

A momentous day. Some incredible video and photographs out there of large protests before and after the game, the post game one attended by many thousands of Addicks making their feelings clear in a passionate but orderly manner. It was a day to remember and sat here tonight I am so proud to be an Addick.

Also, there has been much media attention. Talksport, Channel 5 and the BBC both covered it as did many media outlets and commentators. Rick Everitt was interviewed on Talksport, who talked extensively about the protests today and C5 had Chirs Powell on, bringing a tear to my eye if I’m honest. The protest made the Belgium press and there was a lot of support from other club’s supporters, including Forest fans. Even James Corden mentioned it on Twitter, calling the demise a tragedy. And he has 5.9 million followers.
Please click for more

Dec 21

31 Comments

The circus of Karel Fraeye

The timing of Guy Luzon’s sacking was a surprise to a lot of people but not to Karel Fraeye. He was waiting patiently in the wings confident and ready for the job that he had long been earmarked for. The Interim tag was to appease us, Duchalelet and Meire hopeful that his articulate and open manner would grow on Charlton fans. More engaging with the players especially Johnnie Jackson, all he had to do was turn around the disastrous form of Guy Luzon before being given the job of his dreams full time.

I wrote after Fraeye took over as Interim Head Coach that his ability or lack thereof would stand on its own two feet. His appointment was another piss take, but there would be no hiding place. Time would judge him in front of us all.

After his 9th game which has yielded two wins in Fraeye said “To be fair, we’ve had an away game at Middlesbrough, an away game at Birmingham, an away game at Burnley and a home game against Ipswich.” Yes Karel my old son this is The Championship. It does not suffer fools gladly.
Please click for more

Nov 4

2 Comments

Chris Powell sacked by Huddersfield

Huddersfield became the 5th Championship club this season to rid themselves of their manager this morning when they showed Chris Powell and Alex Dyer the door, this after a respectful 2-2 draw away at Reading last night.

Powell was appointed last September and I think has done well to operate within very tight budgetary restraints. He had, unlike us, used the loan market well and Town currently have 5 more points than Charlton with little investment and the Terriers best players sold from underneath him. Sounds familiar.
Please click for more

Sep 15

1 Comment

Charlton Athletic 1 Huddersfield Town 2

Tonight’s result and performance makes last season’s 3-0 win all the more remarkable.

The worrying thing about tonight is that, Diarra rested aside, it was probably our best team with the players available, alongside a very impressive bench. Cousins however, should never play left side of midfield again. Never.

The question, and I am sounding like a broken record, but the question is how does Luzon change it? Who does he have, where are the options?
Please click for more

May 12

15 players released

Part one of Luzon/Duchatelet/Meire’s summer transfer strategy was executed today with the announcement of 15 players released.

They are: Tal Ben Haim; Simon Church; Chris Eagles; Roger Johnson; Lawrie Wilson; Oguchi Onyewu; Neil Etheridge; Jack Munns; Harry Osborne; Harry Gerard; Kadell Daniel; Kurtis Cumberbatch; Kieran Monlouis; Rhys Browne; Levander Pyke.

A mixture of the unfortunate attrition of young pros who were unable to step up plus 7 first teamers. My only disappointment is seeing Ben Haim go, although it was apparently his own decision. Not so much disappointed but sad to see Lawrie Wilson and Simon Church move on.

The Welshman scored just 10 goals in Charlton colours, but his work rate could never be questioned, but I expect his career will have to continue down a division.

Lawrie Wilson’s form dipped this season after an excellent 2014/15 season, when I personally thought he was player of the year. He was very friendly with Hamer, Morrison, Hughes and Jackson and an integral part of Chris Powell’s squad but he was sidelined under both Peeters and Luzon and the writing was on the wall. However I am pleased that he was able to come back to the club where he began his career to show us what a great pro he is. Best of luck Lawrie.
Please click for more

May 6

8 Comments

The season in one post

9 months ago 1,600 Addicks welcomed Bob Peeters’ new look team with 7 new signings at Griffin Park, and most left with a positive feeling. It was a gritty Charlton performance that Charlton fans could relate to. Yet the biggest reservations pre-season were over the unknown head coach and the lack of obvious goals in the side. Roland Duchatelet had added some much needed quality, but on the face of it, Peeters’ squad was thin and lacking in Championship experience.

Nonetheless by the time pre-season promotion favourites Derby came to The Valley we were three games unbeaten and Peeters had warmed the Addicks’ fans with his over enthusiastic tête-à-tête with then Wigan boss Uwe Rosler the game before.

The Derby game was a little surreal if we are honest. Peeters’ passing game, still a work in progress, was some of the best I had seen for a long time, but the Valley crowd came across as unsure to what they were witnessing. However it was a great 3 points won at a spruced up Valley and with two away draws following we sat happily in 6th place at the end of the opening month. Please click for more

Feb 28

4 Comments

Charlton Athletic 3 Huddersfield Town 0

“It was beyond what any supporters would do to the opposition manager. But I am not surprised with how they were. It was very touching and emotional for me but I am quite embarrassed as well. They have moved on and we have moved on, but it was a great moment for me in my long career and it’s something that I won’t forget.”

If football was played out to a script then today’s game would be it. Academy award winning even.

Chris Powell received a fantastic welcome before kick off and then again at 3 minutes past 3. After that the packed Valley lapped up a superb performance cheering the team to the rafters and at £1.66 a goal I hope some of those thousands that took advantage of ‘football for a fiver’ return to see Luzon’s team again.
Please click for more

Feb 27

6 Comments

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.
Please click for more

Jan 22

4 Comments

New head coach bounce

“He’s met the players, he’s had some chats and they are well aware of how he wants to play as well, so we tried that in the first-half.” – Damian Matthew

So Guy Luzon has his work permit, and the Israeli officially becomes the Addicks 24th manager in it’s colourful history.

At the end of the day he will get my support, because wanting the team to be successful is the only way I know. Life and in particular being a Charlton fan is complicated and draining enough without wishing ill of something that has been part of me for 40 years.

When football fans set off for games it is not to support the owner, or the CEO, it is to support a collection of footballers wearing a shirt, representing a club in a community that they have an emotional connection with, and that will be no different on Saturday.
Please click for more

Jan 19

10 Comments

Bob speaks

Here in his native tongue.

You can spin it through Google Translator, but if you allow me to paraphrase it for you, Peeters says he was “idolised” by fans, and he thought he had a good relationship with Katrien Meire, but they ended up in conflict. The supporters could see we needed better players, but the owner thought he was exaggerating.
Please click for more

Jan 12

5 Comments

Who is to blame?

Football is all about the blame game, whether we like it or not. Personally my only blame laid at the door of Bob Peeters was his tactical naivety, and as time went on I questioned whether he was able to get his points across to the players.

However Peeters was responsible for introducing a momentous change in the way Charlton played the game. Some of our play was truly inspiring and I thank him for giving that to me, albeit for a only a tiny amount of time, but it is something I will remember.

Peeters’ trouble, our trouble, is the squad is made of straw and has more perforations in it than a Belgium waffle.
Please click for more

Sep 15

1 Comment

Possession’s 9/10th’s of the law

38% – 62% Watford
36% – 64% Brighton
63% – 37% Huddersfield
37% – 63% Derby
45% – 55% Wigan
39% – 61% Brentford

Our possession stats for the League games played so far.

Probably not a surprise that we only kept our first clean sheet of the season Saturday. Lies, damned lies and statistics and all that, but we have clearly been under the cosh for long periods of games in the six we have played so far.
Please click for more

Sep 6

2 Comments

Riga’s Blackpool journey to end?

Days after Chris Powell got himself back in the game, José Riga looks set to leave Blackpool by the end of this weekend as his peppery relationship with chairman Karl Oyston looks to have irretrievably broken down.

Riga has overseen just 6 games, all lost, but despite this is popular with fans. Matters came to a head with Oyston after he refused to sanction any of Riga’s proposed transfer deadline signings.
Please click for more

Sep 3

Chris Powell gets Huddersfield job

Huddersfield Town appear a good fit for Chris Powell and I warmly wish him every success. He is a good man, a football man and I personally think he will continue to be around the game for a long time and will add to the managerial successes he had at The Valley.
Please click for more