There were rumours circulating ahead of the cup-tie at Bramall Lane, that the game would be Chris Powell’s last as manager.
The stories suggested that Powell thought he would be axed for refusing to pick Yohann Thuram-Ulien for the match.
By the time Huddersfield pitched up at The Valley three days later, Powell had been fired and Jose Riga installed as his replacement.
Riga made no more use of the network players than Powell had, fuelling speculation that this was the reason for him not being offered a new deal.
In his interview with the South London Press, Alex Dyer mentioned that Powell was ‘pestered’ to play certain players. Whether that amounted to an enquiry as to why they were not playing, as opposed to a direct instruction to include them in the team, is a matter for conjecture.
Dyer was obviously given the information by Powell and it would be interesting to hear the other side of the argument.
If true, it pre-supposes that Bob Peeters will play the team, or at least pick certain players, that Duchatelet wants to be included in the team. Yet the information emanating from Belgium flies in the face of this theory, Bob Peeters is said to be very much his own man and will not tolerate interference in team matters.
Part of Duchaelet’s ethos is not to pay agents’ fees. Utilising players currently at other clubs within his group is an obvious way of doing this.
Charlton will have to recruit a reasonable number of players during the summer to replace the senior players who are leaving. Where these players come from will give a good indication of whether there is any credibility to the Duchatelet picks the team claims.
The Addicks are reported to have had a £500,000 plus bid accepted for 28-year-old Barnsley striker, Chris O’Grady.
If personal terms can be agreed and O’Grady passes a medical, he will be Charlton’s first signing of the summer.
The fee paid for his services influences a player’s salary expectations. The fee for O’Grady, a journeyman striker, will seem on the high side to many.
Is it likely that a man who is alleged to have got rid of Powell and Riga for not picking network players, would sanction such a deal?