3 months ago
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NATHAN JONES takes over today at Charlton – but what the hell is going on with that club right now?
They enjoy one of the most fiercely-loyal fan-bases in the country, have a stadium fit for the Premier League and a club that is respected throughout the game for its history as well as family and community values.
PABut the Addicks being involved in a RELEGATION scrap to avoid dropping into League Two is a complete disgrace for a club that size.
Their 1-0 loss to Derby at The Valley on Sunday means they have now gone 14 games without a win and, alarmingly, are just three points above the drop zone.
Welshman Jones is worthy of a Championship job after the superb work he did twice with Luton.
But the lure of managing a club the size of the South Londoners proved too good to turn down.
Yet on the pitch they have been sleepwalking and if they are not careful during the next few months could crash into the bottom tier of the EFL.
And if that happened it would be a complete travesty. They shouldn’t even be as low as League One, never mind League Two.
This is their SEVENTEENTH season outside the Premier League.
Fans were so happy when controversial Belgian owner Roland Duchatelet sold the club just over four years ago but they have only stagnated. They have had so many false dawns.
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There was the reign under ex-owner Tahnoon Nimer and former chairman Matt Southall that turned into a civil war between the pair – with the latter renting an expensive River Thames apartment and driving fancy Range Rovers, all at the club’s expense.
Then there was Thomas Sandgaard, the US-based Danish businessman and part-time rock ’n roll guitarist, who came in promising to take the club back into the Premier League.
He passionately meant what he said – but soon found out that owning an English football club is not as easy as you think.
Sandgaard is a good man and without his takeover the club would have certainly gone into administration.
I spent a fair amount of time with him. There was no doubt he was sincere and believed he could fire up Charlton.
Yet he had the misfortune to lose boss and club legend Lee Bowyer to Birmingham early into his stint.
But Nigel Adkins’ appointment seemed sensible. After all, this was a man who had taken Southampton from League One to the Premier League. He had the CV.
However, the game doesn’t always work out the way you want it. Adkins struggled to get the team motoring, the fans didn’t like his style of football and Sandgaard wielded the axe.
However, his decision to not stick with club legend and Bowyer’s former assistant Johnnie Jackson was a mistake. He had scrambled the team that were teetering on the brink of League Two safely clear of trouble and deserved a chance.
Jackson knew the club inside out and what it took to get back into the Championship, having been Bowyer’s No2.
But Ben Garner’s appointment was naïve. I couldn’t understand how a big club like Charlton were bringing in a coach who couldn’t even get former Premier League side Swindon promoted out of League Two. So what made anyone think he could get Charlton up from League One?
I’m not saying Garner won’t go on to become a half-decent manager – but he lacked a CV suitable for a club of Addicks’ size and standing. It was a job that came too early for him.
His final appointment was Dean Holden, who ended up getting sacked by the new owners SE7 Partners.
Michael Appleton came and went and Charlton are back to square one.
A manager I know who would have been a perfect fit for Charlton was telling me he turned the job down when Appleton got it because the whole ownership structure was complicated. He felt there were too many voices above and that put him off.
But right now there are a lot of despair coming from the Valley terraces and it’s time for people to start delivering for Charlton Athletic to get the club back on the up.
Step forward Nathan Jones. No pressure.
Racism at Hawthorns
IT’S sickening to see that racism reared its ugly head this weekend in the EFL.
Birmingham’s Juninho Bacuna claims he was subject to abuse at West Brom – the second time he has reported such an incident.
While AFC Wimbledon’s Omar Bugiel says he also received racist abuse at Bradford.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino wants teams who fans are guilty of racist abuse to forfeit the match in a bid to deter such behaviour.
My only concern is that when you’re dealing with racist morons like this, do they actually care? If they are vile enough to spout such disgusting things, are they capable of comprehending the consequences of their actions on the majority of well-behaved fans?
They are scum and a big blotch on our game.
ReutersCooking up a storm
DAVID WAGNER’S Norwich press conference was interrupted by some rowdy people at the back of the room at Carrow Road.
When his media officer appealed for them to quieten down they were left red faced when it emerged that the two individuals were none other than Delia Smith and her husband Michael Wynn-Jones.
The co-owners apologised before heading off to enjoy the rest of their evening.
Reds Wine
NEWPORT boss Graham Coughlan finally got his hands on the booze he loves – rather than the expensive bottle of red Erik Ten Hag presented him last week.
The Manchester United boss kindly handed over some plonk picked out by Sir Alex Ferguson after the FA Cup tie at Rodney Parade.
But there was one problem: Coughlan hates red wine.
And after revealing he only drinks Budweiser, the American beer giants spotted a great PR opportunity and delivered a load of the amber stuff to the Irishman.
But the Bud execs didn’t stop there… they sent out their trucks onto the streets of Newport to dish out beers at half price to fans ahead of their League Two clash with Swindon.
So there were plenty of sore heads in the Welsh city yesterday morning.
GettyOn the box
ROLL on next season when the new EFL broadcasting deal with Sky Sports kicks in … because right now League One and Two fans are being short changed.
Sky have been the league’s preferred broadcasting partner for many years and have just signed a lucrative new five-season deal.
The income generated from this is vital to all 72 clubs… but what has been missing is more exposure of League One and Two spread across the season.
This month and next, there is not a single game being televised from the bottom two rungs of the EFL.
Look at some of the clubs that play in the third tier – there are EIGHT former Premier League clubs in that division alone.
You’ve got the likes of Portsmouth, Bolton, Derby and Charlton just for starters.
They have even snubbed what is a League One blockbuster when the top two, Pompey and Peterborough, clash on March 26.
And on the same day, promotion chasers Bolton and Derby also go toe-to-toe. Those two games are no-brainers to be televised.
From next season, though, Sky Sports will be broadcasting a minimum of 248 League One and 248 League Two games across the next five years – and the Championship will have 328 games televised.
And for EFL fans the start of that deal cannot come soon enough.
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