Enough is Enough

Battle rages throughout South-east London and Kent. In sitting rooms, pubs, clubs, trains, offices, on internet message boards, especially netaddicks, there is little talk other than that of the future of Alan Curbishley. Nothing else matters. Christmas ?? There won't be much cheer in the households of many Charlton fans this festive season.

The capitulation at the JJB on Saturday against Wigan Athletic really had to be seen to be believed. If you thought Blackburn Rovers or Manchester City was bad then this was ten times worse. You may have heard second hand accounts of events last Saturday but only those there can appreciate how excruciatingly poor this really was. In truth, we were lucky to get 'nil' whilst Wigan should conceivably have scored six. Curbs can blame the pitch and three defensive howlers all he likes but this defeat, as those before it, goes far deeper than just poor defending. The previous weeks victory over Sunderland just papered over the cracks and those at The Valley that day know that against a better team we would have lost and, through negative substitutions and tactics, nearly contrived to anyway.

Curbs has said that the players are telling him that they don't want to be out there playing. Playing for him, as manager. They are not literally telling him that but that is what their performances are saying. This is very worrying and not something that can be sorted overnight, if at all. Once players stop performing for a manager then you are on a slippery slope - to nowhere. Every single player in the squad has been brought into the club by Curbs. They are all his players. If they don't perform then it is his fault. No one else's. The buck stops with him. We can blame the players or the coaches all we like but at the end of the day they are his coaches and his players and it's his responsibility.

Unfortunately, Curbs isn't God. Yes, he has done a fantastic job for this football Club and without him I sincerely believe we wouldn't be where we are now. Back at The Valley in a fantastic stadium with near sell-out's crowds playing the sort of standard of football I couldn't have dreamed about even ten years ago. Curbs is probably the greatest manager this football Club has ever had. However, that doesn't mean that we should accept what is happening now. It doesn't mean that Curbs should be immune from criticism. It doesn't mean that Curbs is immune from the sack either. In the last couple of season's we don't seem to have progressed on the pitch. In fact, we are currently going backwards. Watching Charlton isn't much fun at the moment. This summer around 2,000 fans failed to renew their season tickets. With just four home wins this calendar year, 2005, then that number will rise drastically next summer. Income will drop considerably as will investment in the team. The Valley expansion plans will go on hold, indefinitely. Unless. Unless something is done about it now.

Either those players who are under performing go, or Curbs does. I don't really mind which. All I know is that enough is enough and I can't accept another performance like that at Wigan. And neither should any of you.