Charlton Athletic Online

If he was successful (which means saving the club from relegation), then he could be given an appropriate bonus, and asked to stay on. If he is not successful, then it will have been worth the chance, and not much will have been lost over and above the current expectation; Paulo would be free to go his own way. Of course, there are a few reasons why he might not be the best choice too, but I do feel that the pro’s outweigh the cons in this area.

Plusses

He is vibrant
He would be a breathe of fresh air
Crowds would increase
The crowd would have the manager’s name to sing
Players could look up to him as someone who has done it all before
He would gain respect through his actions
His appointment would be exciting
He is available
He would probably be willing to work with the coaches already at the club
He would shake things up(!)
He would not suffer fools

Minusses

He is Italian
He is a Fascist
He doesn’t have as many coaching badges as other candidates
He might upset the players, coaches, directors, and fans with some of his ideas/actions
If a success, he may be poached before season end
He might jump ship if a better offer comes along before season end

If Paulo did come to The Valley, and saved the club from relegation, there would be no guarantee that he would want to stay. And even if he did, then after that he may jump at the first real offer of a better job (and there are plenty of those around looking at the league tables tonight…). A dream scenario earlier this year was when West Ham appointed Gianfranco Zola as their manager; West Ham fans knew that if he was a raging success, the likelihood is that in a couple of years, Chelsea may come knocking and that draw would be too much for Zola to refuse. Similarly with Paulo, if he gave Charlton two years great service, and then West Ham came knocking, nobody would really begrudge him the chance to move on.

If we remember back to the time when Di Canio signed for Charlton, the club was taking a real chance on the player; he had fallen out of favour at Upton Park, and was desperate to show that he could still cut it, even at the age of 35. Alan Curbishley threw Paulo that lifeline and after a slow start, the relationship grew better and better. Even after the usual end of season slump, a final day win meant the Addicks had finished seventh, their highest ever Premiership finishing position. Paulo had only signed a one-year contract, and there was plenty of discussion about whether to offer him another one-year or two-year deal, or (crazily!) even any deal at all. Paulo did eventually sign that new contract, but only weeks later, he had an approach from his first love – Lazio, and that draw proved too much, even though his salary was slashed by a third to just £10,000 per week. Charlton did Paulo a favour and did not stand in his way when he said he wanted to return to Italy, even though he was under contract, and he was a player not easily replaced. Lazio could not afford any transfer fee, so he was given a free-transfer by Charlton and the newly signed contract was cancelled by mutual agreement.

An eventful year in Serie A followed, with Paulo playing a key role in a successful year for Lazio, but he did have a falling out with his team-mate when it came to who should take penalties in the Rome derby. Paulo insisted, scored, and then gave the one-arm salute that led to more trouble. Some say politics should be kept out of sport, but Paulo’s salute was of fascist intent, and he got into more trouble because he admitted it.

Getting older, he played less and less for Lazio, and was released in 2006. After two seasons in the Italian second division, he retired from playing, and has been taking his coaching badges this season.

Paulo owes Charlton a favour in return for the club releasing him from his contract, and he may prove to be a cheaper option than getting in a new manager that has his own coaching team and ideas on who he wants to play for the club.

Pedro45 suggests that the Board give Paulo a ring, and see if he is willing to repay that favour. The dialling code for Italy is +39…