Charlton Sign Yoda

" Obika told me good Charlton are "

This is what Milos is quoted as saying according to the Charlton facebook page announcing his arrival. Clearly we got a good reference from Jonathan Obi Wan Kenobi !

Finally, the powers that be have decided to replace Francis Coquelin at last. Not before time and whilst Coquelin's return to Arsenal has been great for him it's been awful for us. I don't think one can understate how much we've missed him.

Hopefully our latest North London recruit will prove as successful whilst staying somewhat longer. I'm informed by a Spurs supporting work colleague that he is either a ball playing centre half or a defensive midfielder.

Surely he'll come straight into Saturday's side for the trip to Molineux. After the Watford fiasco it sounds like only two or three players deserve a place, sadly our threadbare squad means there's little threat to most players' places.

Recent events have been well covered by many blogs and in better than fashion that I could manage. One would have thought that Roly would have at the least been sufficiently embarrassed by them to at the very least make some sort of statement. Quite how this man has made any money is beyond me. Then again, running a football club is not like any other business.

There have been so many shameful aspects of recent events. Katrien has well and truly been hung out to dry by our Belgian owner. She has been found wanting but it's not entirely of her own making. I found her comment in explanation of Roly's absence from the recent press interview very telling....." he wouldn't want to waste his time ". 

Katrien quickly tried to retract that but it was too late and the cat was out of the bag. That view must have come from somewhere and one suspects especially in the light of events of the last few days that Roly does feel it's a waste of time to be present at the announcement of a new manager.

Whether Roly attends games or not really doesn't bother me and I don't expect him to be over here on a regular basis. However, when things have gone as bad as they have you would have thought a statement was the very least you would expect.

I say this because given the battering our CEO has taken lately you'd expect any decent person would step in to defend her or explain his view and take some responsibility. 

I accept that he treats us with contempt and now it appears that this extends to his direct reports. Whilst some of what Katrien has suffered has been brought on by herself and she has shown herself to be a little naive and unprepared I do feel some sympathy for her. 

Clearly she is a capable and intelligent woman and surely she doesn't have to rely on working for the Belgian. I do wonder if she has had serious thoughts of walking away. I'm sure she didn't sign up for being Roly's mouthpiece for the rest of her career.

As far as I'm aware Luzon still doesn't have a work permit. Most folk would see that as a perfect facesaver by way of appointing someone else to the job whilst saying you felt it was important for the new man to start asap.

Mike Phelan is also now available. There's another candidate to add the list that as we know is at least 20 names long !

It has been about the most embarrassing period in my time of supporting the Addicks. A few weeks ago and we were laughing at Millwall losing games heavily whilst conceding 5 goals. Now we're doing the same.

The sad thing is that I can easily envisage us swapping places with them. If Millwall carry on their truly awful run then Holloway will go. The Lions will then do the sensible thing that we've failed to do and appoint a manager ( probably British ) with a good knowledge and experience of league football. He will then comfortably guide them to safety as they wave us on our merry way to League One. 

To be sailing on the wind of better days seems a long way off !