Guess who’s back?
I’ve been watching football for long enough that I understand a lot of it. Business, though? Not a clue.
That’s why I leave running the club to the people who do understand the business bit. But it seems like they might not quite have understood the football side of things.
And if you want to run a successful football business, well, you need to know both.
But look here. Maybe our American owners have learned a bit about the football side of things from this whole affair. That there’s more to managing a football team than just an allegedly pretty face and a seductive accent. And while the strict facts and figures approach might work for a biggest clubs, we aren’t them. And when you need to grind out results, week in, week out, then you need grit, passion and someone who understands the club.
Chris Wilder is absolutely that.
Fan, ball-boy, player, manager (manager, manager).
Is he the right man for the job long-term? I’m not 100% sure. But already – thanks to his usurper/predecessor – this season is just about establishing ourselves again, steadying the ship, and not getting relegated. Making up that lost ground on the teams at the top of the league will certainly be the aim, but that might already be too big a job.
Sure, it’s a marathon, not a sprint, but who starts a marathon 13 points and 19 goals behind the leaders?
That’s not even how marathons work.
And so I think this two season deal is just perfect. Consolidate and build this time around, and mount another charge for Premier League glory next time around. It seems absolutely ridiculous that we’ve basically lost a whole season thanks to this weird, unwanted, wholly unsuccessful 3 month intrusion, but here we are.
So. Onward and upward. And pity help Charlton Athletic this weekend*.
* T&Cs always, always apply.
