da betcris： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
da dobrowin： When somebody takes over a football club, there are often lofty promises made, with a time frame being put on when they will get promotion or Champions League football.
There was none of that with Roland Duchatelet at Charlton Athletic in 2014, though, as he was quoted by The Evening Standard at the time as saying: “Lasting success is built on good foundations, it is important for clubs to break even and I am a big supporter of financial fair play.
“Most clubs in the Championship make losses and the same is true in many European countries, but the challenge is to combine good results with financial equilibrium.
“All the things I do, I am working in the long run. Throwing money at players and so forth, that is definitely not the strategy here.”
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The Belgian wasn’t kidding when he said he wouldn’t be throwing money at players, as there have only been three players signed for over £1m during his tenure at the Valley.
Looking at the summer transfer window of 2019, Macauley Bonne was the only player brought in for a fee – even that was around £200,000.
Yet Lee Bowyer has the team sitting 11th in the Championship, just six points off the play-off places.
The former Charlton player is the 10th full-time manager under Duchatelet, and the Belgian has finally found someone who can meet his challenge of balancing good results with financial equilibrium.
The club were relegated to League One in 2016 and failed to get out of the division until Bowyer arrived and transformed their fortunes.
Charlton have used the loan market well, while there have been numerous players coming in for little or no money, and Bowyer has been getting the best out of them.
One of those loanees, Josh Cullen, has given an indication into just how influential the manager is, as quoted by London News Online: “Bows was one of the main reasons I joined Charlton in the first place. It’s easy to learn from a manager like that and, from when I joined last season up to now, I’ve loved playing under him.
“Every day in training, learning from him and getting little chats here and there, he’s given me pointers which I’ve thought is helping me improve so I’m loving my time at Charlton.”
Considering the boundaries set by the club’s finances, Bowyer has done a superb job of meeting Duchatelet’s challenge of achieving good results while balancing the finances.