Phil Parkinson talks about Charlton in an interview in The Football League Paper today. He recalls, 'I was quite philosophical after my exit from Charlton. They were going through a tough time financially and [had] a lot of problems.'
'When the club was sold I didn't expect to be there long. I was proud to keep their heads above water and we nearly got promoted. I have a lot of friends there and I wish Chris Powell all the best. It's a great club behind the scenes and I'm glad to see them doing well.'
'When I left Charlton there was a chance to go to some Legue One clubs, but the challenge of Bradfod appealed to me.'
Challenge is the operative word. The Bantams are currently third from bottom in League 2 having drawn at home to fellow strugglers Plymouth yesterday. However, Parky is not worried about them slipping down to the Conference. He's targeting a return to the Championship which he sees as the natural level for the one time Premiership club.
My favourite memory of a game against Bradford City was when we were both in Division 1 and targeting promotion. It was a televised game (I still have the video) and the Bantams thought they could do a number on us and settled for all out attack. We won 4-2: Morts was brilliant that day.
Parkinson was and still is much maligned by many charlton fans,but having met him, understood the constraints he worked under and hearing he paid for a loan player out of his own pocket I think he was a class act and his interview proves he continues to be a real gent
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