{"id":26,"date":"2015-02-01T11:39:28","date_gmt":"2015-02-01T11:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heathermckinlay.com\/?p=26"},"modified":"2020-06-09T12:25:47","modified_gmt":"2020-06-09T11:25:47","slug":"the-gaffer-returns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heathermckinlay.com\/the-gaffer-returns\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gaffer Returns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I had recently joined the board of Charlton Athletic Supporters\u2019 Trust and we were discussing potential interview subjects for the forthcoming issue of Trust News. I suggested we try approaching Chris Powell, former manager about to return to The Valley with his new club. Powell agreed so I headed to the Huddersfield training ground to meet him. Little did I realise, he was in the mood to spill the beans.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First published in CASTrust News 9<\/a> in February 2015.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kids everywhere; little boys in blue and white home shirts or yellow away shirts animatedly waving 2012 play-off final flags, little girls in pretty dresses, smart for the occasion or perhaps on their way to another party. A hubbub of half-term excitement. This was the scene that greeted me as I entered reception at the Huddersfield training ground.  And there in the midst was the pied piper \u2013 scribbling autographs, crouching for photographs, shouting at passing players to join in, laughing and joking, turning this way and that: Chris Powell, resplendent in a bright blue training top, and very much at ease in his new-found Northern home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d requested this interview to mark the occasion of the first fixture between his new team and his old team, expecting to spend an hour or so reminiscing with Powell about his playing days, the famous tunnel jump, his managerial exploits and how he was getting on in his new job. I started by asking how he felt about returning to the Valley on 28th February.  \u201cIt\u2019s the first game I looked out for to be honest.  It\u2019s my wife\u2019s birthday which is a bit bizarre \u2013 there\u2019s something about birthdays and me!\u201d It was, of course, his mother\u2019s birthday on the day Charlton secured promotion at Carlisle in 2012, prompting a very emotional post-match interview.  \u201cBoth teams are in and around one another and needing the points, but it\u2019s still going to be a great occasion. The crowd will be boosted by Football for a Fiver, and we travel well.  It\u2019s a special day for me, of course \u2013 it\u2019s never good the way you leave a football club \u2013 very rare that you leave in great circumstances. I know it came as a shock to people, especially on the back of the Sheffield United game, but I had known for a couple of months \u2013 since the takeover.\u201d And before I know it, I am hearing Chris Powell\u2019s first full on the record explanation of the goings on at Charlton last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

I will return to the Quarter Final later.  But let\u2019s start at the beginning, with Chris taking over as manager.  \u201cCharlton had lost in the playoffs the season before I came in.  Then obviously I took over from Phil \u2013 there was a lot to sort out. I said to Tony Jimenez we need to get the fans back onside, because they\u2019ve been burnt over the last 6\/7 years, and I can do that \u2013 I have a relationship with them \u2013 in the main \u2013 not every supporter is going to like the manager, that\u2019s how football is \u2013 but I\u2019ve got some credit with them, because I\u2019ve earnt that. So let me get on with it.\u201d  He confirms that selling Jenkinson was a stroke of luck in providing the opportunity to re-build, and explains in detail how this was done, player by player, many on free transfers, but with investment in Wiggins and Stephens because there was potential for their value to increase and for them to be sold on at a profit in future.  He describes Yann as \u201cthe jewel in the crown\u201d and Bradley Pritchard as \u201cthe kid who did the stats, a dream come true.\u201d It\u2019s an impressive account of how he built that record-breaking squad.  His fondness for the players, whom he hand-picked to deliver, is palpable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo we built a squad to compete and actually we did more than compete. We got into the Championship, had momentum and we carried it on.\u201d He admits that 2012\/13 was an up and down season, with  low points like losing 1-4 at home to Middlesbrough, but then the amazing comeback v Cardiff a few days\u2019 later: \u201cWe only had 13k there, but if you ask Charlton fans, we had 50k there that night!\u201d Then he becomes more reflective, referring to his time between managerial jobs, \u201cI thought a lot about what we could have done, what we did do, when were the moments for us to actually build.  We finished ninth, three points from the play-offs. That was it \u2013 the time Charlton could have got back after all the down years.\u201d  By now his voice is faltering with emotion, just like it did in the end of season speech he made on the pitch in front of the Covered End. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of building on those well-laid foundations, the opposite happened going into last season. \u201cI kind of knew pre-season \u2013 I said to some fans at the Open Day, we are going to struggle this year.  And they must have thought why are you saying that before a ball is even kicked? I was told to lose some players because we were going to spend big. I lost Danny Haynes, Ricardo Fuller, Jon Obika. Then all I had was Yann at the start of the season.  There was a lot the fans didn\u2019t know.  There were four or five occasions when the players weren\u2019t going to get paid. Going into games and I am trying to put out fires and put out a team.  To be fair, the players never let me down in that respect, but we didn\u2019t always get the results.  It\u2019s quite difficult for me to bring it up, but the fans need to know \u2013 that was the beginning of it. All those players, who had got us out of League One and were keeping us in the Championship, should have been rewarded with new contracts and then the fans would have seen we were building the team, building the squad to make a go of it and it just sadly never happened. It was just putting out fires from pre-season and it never stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The former gaffer openly admits that the takeover was desperately needed, that Jiminez and Slater needed to move on, \u201cWhat we couldn\u2019t do was fashion a squad to be competitive at that time.\u201d  He also acknowledges that he had concerns for his job security, since he had been appointed as the result of the previous change of ownership. But Chris Powell is a man who still has Charlton very much in his heart, so he was not only thinking of himself, \u201cMy worry, which has come to fruition now, is that whoever it was they needed to understand the football club, they needed to understand the psyche of the fans. If you don\u2019t do that \u2013 and especially at Charlton \u2013 and I know it\u2019s just saying it, but actually if you look at the history of Charlton, what they\u2019ve done and what they\u2019ve been through, it is different – fans forming a political party to get their football club up and running \u2013 unheard of!  So whoever it was, don\u2019t see it as a vehicle to use it as a feeder club or as a means for whatever \u2013 don\u2019t do it. And if you\u2019re going to do it, be honest with the football club, be honest with the supporters, let them know exactly what\u2019s going on.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He confesses to already having felt a bit worn-down by having to carry full responsibility for communications under the previous r\u00e9gime: \u201cThat was the downfall of Tony \u2013 fans didn\u2019t know what was going on \u2013 it was always me, I had to explain to the fans, and actually at times I had to not say anything, which I didn\u2019t want to do. Charlton fans know more often than not I\u2019ll tell them the truth because that\u2019s what they deserve to hear, because they pay their money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powell then reveals that he and Roland Duch\u00e2telet were at odds with each other from the very start, \u201cWithin a week, after my first meeting at the Valley, I knew I wouldn\u2019t be there too long and I knew exactly what was going to happen in regards to people like Yann, Dale and a few others and what he was going to do. It wasn\u2019t just what he was telling me.  I had a press conference where he said I was a good coach. Well, I was arguing with him just an hour before \u2013 about Charlton \u2013 I was saying to him, you can\u2019t do that, you cannot do what you are planning to do with this club. It\u2019s not right, it\u2019s not fair, let\u2019s not string people along.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powell describes his first meeting with Duch\u00e2telet, at which Tony Jiminez was also present. The omens were not good \u2013 Powell was ill the night before, and had to pull over on his way to The Valley to be physically sick. The Belgian businessman arrived with strong ideas about the playing squad, while Jiminez, keen to ensure the deal was quickly done and dusted, sided with the new man\u2019s opinions rather than supporting his manager.  \u201cWe had the nonsense with the goalkeepers. Ben Alnwick had come in and was outstanding with Ben Hamer being out. He (Roland) said Ben Hamer is not good, Ben Alnwick is not good.  I\u2019ve got a goalkeeper who\u2019s better than both. I said, who is it, I need to know. Then it was always, oh he\u2019s better, he\u2019s this, he\u2019s that. I said I need to choose who\u2019s right, for this division and this league.\u201d Clearly there was intransigence on both sides of the table, but Powell is not at all bitter in what he is describing, just deeply disappointed at the gulf in football philosophy.  He is a manager who takes full responsibility for putting together his own squad, yet he was faced with the complete opposite, \u201cI\u2019d be in my office and there\u2019s a player turning up downstairs with his suitcase, saying he\u2019s come to play. Who is it? It\u2019s Loic Nego, it\u2019s Anil Ko\u00e7. I don\u2019t even know who they are. \u2018We\u2019ve been told you need a winger\u2019 \u2013 yeah, but I need a winger who\u2019s used to the Championship, and you\u2019ve got a young boy who\u2019s played three games for Standard off the bench. I mean, that\u2019s not for Charlton. Charlton deserve a player who\u2019s going to improve them.\u201d He was clearly very frustrated at the lack of understanding of the strengths of the existing squad, \u201cHe\u2019d say you need a right back, I\u2019d say we\u2019ve got Chris Solly. If he\u2019s better than Chris Solly, going to be some player! Nego came in, played against Wigan, clearly not suited. (Roland) said, well he can play left back. I said, well I\u2019ve got Rhoys Wiggins, and Ceddy Evina who can fill in, fine you\u2019re not going to have two top drawer \u2013 we\u2019re not Chelsea or Man City, but you need players who are able to play at the level.  I just knew that whenever there was a time that I didn\u2019t play them, I was going to be in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powell explains how he tried hard to make the relationship work, \u201cI was very open with them at the start \u2013 I said to Roland, I will come over and I will meet you, and you can tell me exactly what your plans are. I held my hand out, extended friendship to say welcome to South East London. I will tell you exactly what the Club\u2019s about, what\u2019s gone great, what hasn\u2019t.\u201d But Duch\u00e2telet did not want Powell to go to Belgium. \u201cI said to him re-sign Yann, it\u2019s a no-brainer, he said \u2018NO \u2013 I don\u2019t think he\u2019s good enough, we\u2019ve got better strikers\u2019 \u2013 and now, I know Charlton are looking for a physical striker. We had one \u2013 he didn\u2019t want to leave. It was the same with Dale. I know this league – of course, I\u2019m not going to get everything right, will get a few things wrong, which I did at Charlton, which I will here.  But I know what it takes in this league. I think anyone in any walk of life if they\u2019re doing a job and someone tells them they are doing it all wrong, when they have no experience of it, that\u2019s pretty hard to take.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He describes his belief that stability and harmony within the squad, and club as a whole, is vital for clubs like Charlton and Huddersfield, and the only realistic chance they have of competing with the big-spenders, so it was hard for him to see this quickly fall apart, \u201cCharlton – and any team \u2013 like I\u2019m doing here at Huddersfield – is built on team spirit, character through adversity a lot of the time and skill, but the harmony wasn\u2019t there because every time a new player turned up, the players who were already there felt they were going to be marginalised. The new players when they came in, if they weren\u2019t playing, they\u2019d be up in arms, speaking to the owner, saying you brought me here to play and the manager\u2019s not playing me.  So you can imagine the discontent in the camp.\u201d    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ask if things came to a head around the Sheffield United cup match.  \u201cIt came to a head over plenty of games, not only that one… I was quizzed constantly \u2013 it was quite disrespectful really, looking back. I was getting emails, I was getting messages on what I should be doing in training, how we should play. It was done by two chaps in Belgium who were on laptops looking at our games.  They were saying things they thought I didn\u2019t do with Charlton which I\u2019d always done \u2013 preparations, tactics, analysis…They thought maybe it was their way of helping.\u201d  Talking specifically about the build-up to the Cup game, Powell recalls how Charlton unexpectedly found themselves bottom of the table due to the three teams below all winning on the Saturday, and the squad heard the news as they were travelling to Sheffield. \u201cI\u2019ll be truthful, we were never in the right frame of mind approaching that quarter final. It was the first time the club had been in the quarter final since I was a player – at Middlesbrough. Really, we should have been at Wembley.  I can\u2019t say I knew before the game, but we weren\u2019t in the right frame of mind \u2013 or the club wasn\u2019t \u2013 and we let down the six or seven thousand fans we had there.  It was the build up of what had happened since the takeover.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powell never played at Wembley, as his England appearances and play-off final with West Ham took place while the famous stadium was being rebuilt.  To lift the mood a little, I ask if he would have stepped up to take a penalty in the Charlton v Sunderland match, had he been on our books then. \u201cOh God, just wish it wouldn\u2019t have got to me \u2013 bit like Richard Rufus, who pushed Shaun out, because they didn\u2019t think it was going to get to theirs. Shaun went, and he actually mis-hits it \u2013 it looks a great pen, but he mis-hits it! Mark Bowen took one, but he took them throughout his career.  I would have taken one, yeah, I wouldn\u2019t have felt great, but I would have taken one!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powell returns to last season\u2019s FA Cup run, which he had seen as the bright spot in an otherwise tough season. \u201cIt\u2019s a big regret that I wasn\u2019t able to get the team to Wembley. I just had it in my mind all the way through the run, when we beat Oxford, Huddersfield, Sheffield Wednesday. Just seeing 35-40k red and white Charlton fans at one end, I swear I would have cried. But life goes on \u2013 it never happened.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is calmly philosophical about Jose Riga taking over as Charlton manager, and expresses genuine delight that the Addicks survived under his stewardship, appreciating that the new boss was able to get things back on track, \u201cBut I moved on and Jose came in and was able to get the stability I craved and the team got some good results \u2013 I was desperate for them not to go down.\u201d He does feel vindicated that this was mainly achieved with the squad he had built, so perhaps some lessons were quickly learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without prompting, Powell expresses empathy with Charlton\u2019s new CEO, \u201cThere was so much involvement from different people who felt they needed to justify Roland taking over and their roles.  Amongst all that, (was) Katrien, put into a position. I actually got on really well with her \u2013 she could see how difficult it was \u2013 she was told one thing and then when it happened, it got changed \u2013 and I believe that\u2019s still happening now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I ask whether he thinks Roland has a real interest in football, Chris Powell thinks carefully about this for a moment, \u201cHe does. He\u2019s very fond of Sint Truiden. He\u2019s very proud of them, I think that\u2019s his team. He\u2019s obviously been very successful in his business, no problem…he\u2019s earnt his money and that\u2019s right in his field. But when you go into football, obviously you have an idea of what you want to do. I think you\u2019ve got to appreciate the football club that you\u2019re buying into or joining, quickly recognise what they\u2019re about and what makes that particular football club tick. Listen to people who have been there a while. Use your own judgment of course, because you are entitled to.  But I think you\u2019ve got to be very careful.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does he think Roland\u2019s strategy for Charlton is? \u201cOnly he can tell you his strategy, but I suppose you\u2019ve got to look at the other clubs and what\u2019s happened there. Standard obviously is their flagship club, and one or two players have been sold from there, so I think they felt that will happen at Charlton too. The Championship is now a step away from the most profitable league in the world, especially with the new TV deal, so I would think any owner that comes into the Championship has one eye on that, because all you need is one season and you\u2019re made. But you do have to have stability… So the strategy may be trying to put the players from abroad onto a bigger stage, and then maybe they get sold on \u2013 maybe. It\u2019s just me guessing, I\u2019ve never been told that \u2013 me looking now from the outside in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about aiming for breakeven? \u201c(Roland) did mention that to me very early on. He said we need to breakeven \u2013 some of the money that is spent on players, we need to cut down.  That\u2019s his prerogative, no problem, but I did say you\u2019ve got to be careful \u2013 there are certain areas that you do have to spend money, normally on strikers, they cost money because they are at a premium…So it\u2019s very noble that he\u2019s trying to cut it down, and if he can, of course he should, you don\u2019t want to waste money, but it\u2019s very hard, especially in this league which is just not a level playing field at all. If you don\u2019t have the money, you\u2019ve got to get it from having the team together, getting them fighting for a cause. It can be quite straightforward and if the players buy into it, it gets you points and wins. That\u2019s something you need to understand at a Club, especially in the Championship, especially at a club like Charlton.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ask Chris for his thoughts on whether or not a network approach in principle could be successful. \u201cI know at Watford to an extent it has (been), but they\u2019ve done it differently, with the Udinese players and the Granada players, they have settled down, have a set way of playing, and whenever a player comes in it is to play in a certain role and they know he will be suited for the Championship, for the level.\u201d  So what about Charlton? \u201cHas it worked so far? Might it in the future? At this time with four managers in a year, that doesn\u2019t scream of stability, that doesn\u2019t scream of an actual plan for the football club. And that\u2019s what you need, any football club needs stability. Clubs that have stability, more often than not, somewhere along the line get exactly what they are after.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris is aware that Charlton fans had recently held a public meeting, so I wonder if he has any advice on how the fans might engage the owner.  At Huddersfield the chairman demands that Powell is as open as possible with supporters, telling them about the plans for the Academy, for players, for the training ground, for spending or not and being realistic about their ambitions. \u201cIt does work. Because the fans then feel that they are important, not just someone who is going to shell out \u00a3300, \u00a3400 on a season ticket and that\u2019s it, but actually involved in the process, and I think you can\u2019t ask for anything more.\u201d He believes that Charlton fans are realistic, craving stability above all, keen to see young players coming through, but also accepting that sometimes players will be sold for profit, \u201cLike Darren Bent \u2013 we paid \u00a32M for him and we could see he was too good and we\u2019d end up selling him – \u00a316M \u2013 that\u2019s the Charlton way.\u201d  The owner puts the money in, and that needs to be respected, \u201cBut (the fans) are there for 50\/60 years some of them, even beyond that. I don\u2019t think you get an owner at any club who\u2019s there for that long…I think you\u2019ve got to look at it from both sides. But if the supporters are not getting anything back \u2013 all you get is you turn up, you pay your money and that\u2019s it, it\u2019s not right.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll leave the last word to Chris on his football philosophy: \u201cIf you have the harmony, the spirit and don\u2019t spend beyond your means and don\u2019t think beyond your means, you can do great things. Charlton have done it before and they can do it again, and hopefully we can do the same here at Huddersfield.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had recently joined the board of Charlton Athletic Supporters\u2019 Trust and we were discussing potential interview subjects for the forthcoming issue of Trust News. I suggested we try approaching Chris Powell, former manager about to return to The Valley with his new club. 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