Who is to blame?
In the Premiership years, Charlton Athletic were seen as the model for any clubs gaining promotion to join the elite. So what went so wrong at The Valley that saw the Addicks fall to the depths of the wrong end of the Championship. As they stare League One football in the face, Charlton’s recent history leaves behind a sad tale of a football club that was just too ambitious at the wrong time.
Charlton under Alan Curbishley in the Premier League were perhaps the steadiest of all ships in the division. Some teams attempted to spend, spend and spend some more upon elevation from the Championship but Curbs kept a keen eye on not going over the top in his ambitions and new found wealth, instead relying on good, hard working and honest professionals to keep the club in the top flight.
Athletic rejoined the Premier League in 2000 following a one season fling in the mid 90’s as they secured the Division One title under Curbishley. By 2003-04, he’d led his side to the brink of European football with a seventh placed finish after years of wise spending and balancing the books. But it was after he left after fifteen years in the job that the club got too ambitious and the wheels began to fall off.
Iain Dowie lasted just twelve games in charge after taking over with a promise of taking the club to the next level. Les Reed took the reigns but was replaced on Christmas Eve 2006 by Alan Pardew, who steadied the rocking ship but couldn’t keep the club afloat and Charlton were relegated.
Early promise the following season saw Athletic in the automatic promotion places by mid-October but they disappointed after Christmas and ended 11th in the Championship. This season was a shocker from the word go and the ambitions of the Addicks’ fans was bringing more and more pressure on the struggling Pardew. He ultimately paid the price for a terrible start and left the club last November.
Phil Parkinson took control but even he couldn’t lift the club out of the doldrums and the once proud Premier League team now find themselves deep in the mire with fans now accepting the fate of League One football next season.
So what’s to blame? Was it greed, a club pushing to try and get beyond it’s means and failing? Was it a simple case of Curbishley’s departure sparking unrest in the camp?
I tend to think it’s a mix of both…the brave new era after Curbs left was seen by the people at the top as a chance to push things and spend more on wages. Ultimately that cost them, with huge pay packets being relegated with the club and they’ve never really recovered.
It’s all in all another sorry tale of money being the root of all evil and who knows what difference there may be at the Valley today had Curbishley’s values stayed with the club and not died the moment he walked out the door.
