Reed gets chairman’s vote of confidence (uh-oh!)

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21st, December 2006

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Lesreed
Charlton chairman Richard Murray has given his backing to woeful manager Les Reed and said that the Addicks’ board will provide funds for new signings in January.

Reed’s team have won one league game in six since Reed took over from Iain Dowie and the new gaffer has been subjected to huge amounts of criticism from supporters.
Murray said: "It’s unfair on Les at the moment. His current record is similar to Iain’s but are both at fault? We will spend in January but we will have to wheel and deal."
Charlton are currently second from bottom in the Premiership and their miserable form continued on Tuesday when they were knocked out of the League Cup by Wycombe Wanderers. Are Reed’s days numbered?

Murray said the signings made by Reed’s predecessor may have something to do with the club’s current predicament.
"Les is getting hammered at the moment and it is a tough spell for the club. Very tough," he added.
"We have to see some changes on the pitch. We were awful against Wycombe. But those who watch Charlton regularly will say maybe it was the same under Iain Dowie. Maybe we haven’t got a good enough squad. We spent a lot of money in the summer – £11m we didn’t have to spend. We backed Iain, they were his signings, but I had never heard of Souleymane Diawara, apparently the best centre-half you’ve never heard of. For a club like ours to spend £3.7m on one player like that is a fortune. Some people must not look at Les but at what went on before."

Now, it’s unusual for a chairman to speak as candidly as this, and his blame seems to be directed straight toward the plays who left the Carling Cup to the jeers of "you’re not fit to wear that shirt" from Charlton fans. All fans are aware that it takes time for a manager to settle into a job and to get the best out of players, but with a ‘vote of confidence’ coming so soon, you can’t help but feel that Reed is going to get the sack. After all, the board hardly gave Iain Dowie much of a chance did they? If the team’s form doesn’t pick up soon, they could find theirselves in dire trouble by the time the transfer window comes around, which will leave Reed a mountainous task. Is he the man for the job? Of course, a football club revolves around the players, but it is the manager you look to when they need pulling out of a mess. Whether Les Reed is capable of that remains to be seen. These are worrying times for a great little club who have out-punched their weight for years… is the dream about to end? [Mof Gimmers]

Posted in Transfers & Rumours

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  1. If Pardew keeps them up, the new West Ham owner should be shot.