Why Roeder must go today

We have become something of a laughing stock. (Charlton's first win in 14 weeks against a team almost incapable of mustering an effort on goal) Many people warned me /us that this would happen in Roeder's second season as it has at various other clubs.

I am not defending the Board but there are MANY other clubs up and down the country who had similar financial problems to ourselves back in the summer.

Their managers went out looking for players, deals, bargains etc in the lower or even non leagues. They then got their squads together and fired them up as best they could for the challenge that lay ahead.

Roeder constantly said there was nobody out there good enough to sign until he tapped into his marvellous book of contacts to bring us expensive and largely disappointing loanees. He sacked our talisman and sent two of our better youngsters (flawed in one case, yes) out on loan before then packing off the Championship's top scorer from just two years ago to a rival club.

All fine if he had then moulded together what he was left with into a busy, balanced, fighting unit.

Instead he has clearly failed to mould them at all. He has created a team which is disparate, spiritless, and completely unbalanced. Would it have looked better with Martin and Cureton up front last night? Certainly.

On top of all this - and the playing record this season is disgraceful - he has insulted the fans, refuses ever to acknowledge any shortcomings, blames every other possible target for his failure and NOW, almost worst of all, seems to see an arrogant outspoken 'I will not walk away. I'm a fighter' approach as somehow admirable.

As I have said before I actually think he is a little mentally unbalanced.

It could get very ugly unless he is removed. For his own good as well, obviously, as for that of the club HE MUST GO TODAY.

We then need to get in a young, keen replacement who has some knowledge of the lower divisions. That is where our future must come from - not from expensive Premier League reserve teams. If it's too late to save us from relegation then so be it but let's give a new manager a chance to build a proper team that belongs to us, made up, if necessary of young rising talents. A team we can believe in and call our own.

Posted By: BillySteele, Jan 14, 08:54:38