Sunday 16 January 2011

Charlton Corner - The dawning of a new era

The Chris Powell era truly begins tomorrow with Chris taking charge of his first training session. We haven't been told who will be joining the coaching staff, however, I expect Keith and Damian to have prominent roles at least until the end of the season.

I have been disappointed with some of the pessimism that has greeted Chris' appointment although to some degree it is understandable. Yes, he does lack experience as a manager but he has all the intangibles to be a success.

1. He clearly has coaching ability, 3 managers would not have retained him at Leicester and he would not have been approached by Newcastle for their assistant manager position if this was not the case.

2. He has the respect of his peers and leadership qualities as demonstrated by his 5 years as PFA chairman. He was also chosen as one of the ambassadors for the 2018 world cup bid.

3. He isn't fazed by the media spotlight, in fact he seems to thrive in it. Approachable, honest and straight talking the daily pressures of being a manager should not take too much of a toll.

He has no record in the transfer market but then again neither did Alan Curbishley or Steve Gritt when they took over and I doubt any Charlton fan would want to forget where their appointment took us. Comparing Chris to Curbs is unfair, that is a big reputation to live up to, but it is in those situations that Chris has found a way to exceed all expectations.

Perhaps it would be better for us to compare Chris to Eddie Howe who we all, myself included, were happy to be linked with. I personally think we have the better man now. Eddie's word seems about as good as milk left out on the side, you might as well chuck it in the bin after 2 daya, whereas I feel you can trust Chris to keep to his word. Right now Eddie has more experience, but, only this season has he managed above league 2. Both of them are now taking a big leap into the unknown and I will be interested to see who comes closer to achieving their goals at the end of the season.

Finally, Chris has the endorsement of colleagues from each of his past employers. They were not required to make public statements praising him, and yet that has been the case. Sven may be disliked in England because of his record with our national team, but his record at club level is hard to argue with. He did not have one bad word to say about Chris, he was not required to say anything at all, he could have said nothing and no one would have thought less of him, but he came out and gave a glowing reference. I have no doubt that Chris is the right man for us, and given time he will make us great again.

We should all be there supporting him come Saturday if for no other reason than he is a Charlton legend who has come back to help us. He may not have been the hero some of us wanted, but he is the hero we need. He can be our Dark Knight, and he can save us from these dark times.

COME ON YOU REDS!!!!!!!
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