An Interesting Week

Not sure we'll see or indeed want another seven days like that ! A cup win overshadowed by two league defeats and transfer activity that is something of a curate's egg. Add to that the growing uncertainty over the boss's future.

Views vary on who is responsible for or to blame for the last two league defeats. I think it's fair to say it can be shared around. 

The awful defeat at Donny is a tough one to take. The team selection was a strange one however big a fan you are of Chris. The excellent central defensive pairing of Wood and Morrison  wasn't reunited and neither was the equally good central midfield pairing of Cousins and Stephens. In addition, Jackson was again brought in for reasons that elude me as he was asked to play his third game in a week and neither Evina nor Fox started at left back.

More curious was the decision to play Cousins on the right. I can't fathom that at all. The result was that at full time we had been comprehensively beaten. Add to that the unwanted stat of one shot on target from 180 minutes of football.

I appreciate that we went down to ten men in the first half but with the way we set up I don't think we'd have come away with anything with the full eleven.

Surely time in the days before the trip to Wigan to take stock, settle the immediate futures of the club's more important players and get in some players to boost the team.

Some odd decisions and it's hard to believe that the majority of them were fully endorsed by Chris. The failure to meet Yann's not unreasonable contract needs is a mistake. it would have cost little in the overall all scheme of things to do so. 

Dale's departure was not so surprising but the leaving of Alnwick most certainly was. Easily the best of the three keepers we have it seems clear that Roland decided one of them had to go and it wasn't going to be Thuram. 

At least Wiggins was tied down until 2018, thank goodness for that.

Prior to the takeover and I'm guessing that Chris hadn't identified Standard Liege as central to his plan to rescue our season. In fact, I dare say he wasn't looking outside English league football. Clearly players are being foisted on him although it's fair to say that they're not all duds.

I'd still love to know who decided that we didn't need to keep Smith. He clearly deserved a chance with us but sadly didn't get it. A big mistake made there.

Despite my concerns over Chris this season I have to say he did extremely well to get us close to win yesterday given the background to the game. Whether better selection or use of subs would have secured us a win is arguable, however, it was a valiant effort.

What the future holds for Chris is uncertain. Roland doesn't say much and what he does say you have to pay to hear and I'm not doing that. In any case, when a chairman / owner comes out and backs the manager at times like these it means nothing.

There is a view that if Chris goes that Roland would opt for a foreign manager. I'm not sure if that's purely because he is foreign himself or he's prone to appointing them. The best replacement for Chris would be someone with a depth of knowledge and experience in the Championship. That person would most certainly be a British manager. 

I'd love to say I had confidence in Chris's ability to steer us away from trouble, however I can't. To be honest I'm not sure I could even if he'd been allowed a greater say in transfer targets. Now, with what appears to be interference from above I really can't see it. 

All Charlton fans love the man and his status in the club and his place in our hearts and affections won't ever change or diminish. If he is to go I just want him to have a dignified departure.

No matter what happens, no matter who owns the club or manages the team, like most fans I shall continue to get behind whatever eleven men take to the field in the glorious red and white. We've been in worse positions than this and at the end of the day we don't really have a choice do we ? Charlton is for life not just the good times, however few and far between they may be.