https://www.charltonafc.com/news/club-statement-michael-appleton Appleton sacked. I think they'll make a move for Duff. Be a good appointment for Charlton.
I’d argue that move was a lack of ambition on his part. He clearly didn’t back himself to be able to make another promotion push with us - in my view ‘ambition’ would be backing yourself to make BFC an established championship club, after which point you would be in a far stronger position to take a better championship job, or potentially even a lower prem job. Leaving a job after less than a year, to a club in decline, does not seem ambitious to me, it seems like opportunism with a lot of risk attached. I said that at the time and it turned out to be correct (although it was pretty obvious it was a strong possibility it could happen). He’s now at the stage where if he takes the Shrewsbury job and fails, he’s more than likely on the managerial scrap heap. The whole time he could have been getting another promotion challenge under his belt here, enhancing his reputation and setting more solid foundations for a longer managerial career.
It’s funny how even seemingly intelligent football people make so many bad decisions. Duff is just the latest in a long line of people who have left us and flopped. I wonder how good a manager Allan Clarke would have become had he stayed with us at least one or two more years? Far too keen to jump ship when he should have served his time with us before moving up.
I have no idea how Appleton keeps getting decent jobs. He's an awful, arrogant manager. Duff to Charlton would be brilliant for them, imo. He's got enough time this season to gel his squad together, play his way and then next season have a real go at it. Unless they do the miraculous and get in PO's this season...
In football it seems generally everyone is in a rush to get somewhere, I’m guessing that starts with the owners impatience and filters down. I agree if Duff had stayed one more season got us promoted and then left for the ‘next level’ his legacy (and reputation) would have been set.
I don't think you can argue that staying with us was the ambitious move, particularly if he felt that the board wouldn't match what ambition he had. Even if he had another good couple of seasons it probably wouldn't materially improve the calibre of job he would get as a next step, he would almost certainly still have been looking at a Championship job.
The game has changed completely now. This word 'ambition' has almost completely supplanted loyalty. We gain from that, and we lose from that. Totally unrealistic now, to expect long-term loyalty from players or managers. I've come to terms with that completely. I no longer rant at players or managers for deciding to move on. My part of the deal though, is that I'm also not expected to unconditionally support players or managers that are failing. If they do well, I expect them to move on and I wish them well. If they don't, I expect them to be moved out and I wish them well.
I still think Duff looked at our plans for if we didn't go up, and the idea of Andersen and Thomas leaving, with Loparta and MDG coming in, and figured that the move would be the best thing for him. Also, if he'd stayed, we'd probably have Isted in goal rather than Roberts, which could easily have led to more dropped points.