Many Miles ...

What are the chances of promotion?

2011-12-01T14:09:00.001Z

So many great Charlton blogs around that I keep forgetting I have one of my own ... which means that once again it has been sorely neglected.

But looking at Division One tables from the last few years prompted me to post again. Even with our great start, what are the real chances of promotion based on the last seven years records?

The answers are not only very revealing ... they are also quite intriguing. Yes, it can still all go wrong ... hard for us to wipe out the memories of the last few years ... but statistically it's looking extremely positive.

First of all, looking at the number of points that have been required over the last seven years in order to achieve promotion in 2nd spot ... and just to make things interesting, how many games the 2nd place team could afford to lose.

Season	Points for automatic promotion (2nd place)	2nd place - number of defeats
2010-2011	92	10
2009-2010	86	10
2008-2009	89	9
2007-2008	82	8
2006-2007	85	11
2005-2006	79	11
2004-2005	86	12

So using this table as the base, it means that an average of 86 points has been required to achieve promotion in 2nd place, whilst experiencing an average of 10 defeats throughout the season.

Average points required for 2nd place	86
Average defeats for 2nd place	10

Looking at Charlton as of today, after 19 games and one defeat, we would appear to be in an incredibly strong position:

Current CAFC points after 19 games	46
Current CAFC defeats after 19 games	1
Target points for remaining 27 games to achieve 2nd place	40
Number of remaining games we can afford to lose	9

So ... apparently 40 points to be obtained ... obviously many different permutations for this to be achieved ....

13 wins	11 wins	9 wins
1 draw	7 draws	13 draws
13 defeats	9 defeats	5 defeats

.... but applying the seven season statistic that a team can lose 10 games, then the below is probably the closest we can get to foretelling how the season should pan out in order for us to go up:

12 wins

5 draws

10 defeats

Based on our existing form, this should be eminently achievable ... but of course all sorts of things could happen between now and May ... injuries, suspensions, other teams having incredible runs of form, etc.

However, what is very apparent is that this is now completely in our own hands ... 12 wins from the remaining 27 games, when we have already won 14 times in 19 games ... I don't need to expand any further to be honest.

Is this our year? Well, I rarely bet but before this season started I laid out a reasonable amount at the bookies backing Charlton for automatic promotion and it's certainly looking like the team had the same confidence that I had by taking this division by storm.

Whatever happens, I can safely say that we finally have our Charlton back after so many seasons of misery ... this team is committed to the cause, more than capable, and backed by one of the most promising managers in the league ... not forgetting of course the Mysterons in the background supporting us financially.

Onwards and upwards as they say ... COYR.

A Promising Start

2011-08-08T11:58:00.001+01:00

Very promising indeed. Despite the optimism that had been generated over the close season, the bottom line is that none of us actually knew if we had just a squad of players, or a team that could play together. In fact a trawl of the Bournemouth message boards and forums on Friday revealed that they believed they were playing us at exactly the right time, i.e. before our squad had time to gel.

Oh how wrong we all were. Astonishing to reflect that this was the first real competitive match for this team together ... although in retrospect I now believe that the Millwall game was a good idea due to the competitive nature in which it was played ... certainly helped 'blood' the team.

Bournemouth played some very attractive football at times, and knew how to pass ... but in the end it was to no avail. The statistics state that Bournemouth had 61% of possession ... not sure that I accept this, but it's of no consequence anyway. It's what you do with the ball when you have it that matters. It has been said elsewhere ... in particular by the Bournemouth manager ... that the score flattered us. To be honest, having watched the highlights, we could have had more. BWP would definitely have scored on another day, and the shot by Wiggins was a scorcher ... pity he didn't score as the abuse he received from the Bournemouth fans was a joke ... nice to hear the Charlton faithful cheer every time this happened.

Another pleasing aspect was the size of the crowd ... third year in division 3, a lot of people still on holiday, and we broke 16,000 ... most of the teams in our division ... and a few in the division above ... will be happy to do that just once this season. And with season ticket numbers virtually matching last season, it's fair to say that our core crowd base has increased significantly over the years.

And with performances like this, it can only go up. Fair enough, it's just one game, but you can only beat the opposition in front of you. Furthermore this will send warning signals throughout our division... everyone knew we had spent well ... now they know we can also play. Chris Powell's attempt last season to play an attractive passing, attacking game, was never going to succeed with the squad we had ... with this one, the signs are positive.

There is a hunger in the team that we have not witnessed for some time ... passion and the will to get the ball ... incidentally perfectly exemplified by Dale Stephens, my man of the match.

The players all know that no-one's place is guaranteed ... we have some very good players who didn't feature in the squad, let alone appear on the bench. Plus most are young and feel they have something to prove. You only have to read the interview with Dale Stephens in the programme, or listen to the Charlton Live interview with Danny Green to know how much this team wants to succeed ... and just as importantly, how highly they rate each other. Already we can see the camaraderie and the evidence that they are a team and not a set of individuals.

I'm not going to get carried away with the result ... with 45 games to go that would make no sense. But my initial pre-season optimism has received a boost and it's only fair to assume that this team should get better the more they play together. The defence looks tight, and has the ability to close down attacking runs, despite a few wobbles Robbie looked fairly assured in goal ... and I was as surprised as anybody that he started ... the forwards are already developing a good partnership, and the midfield looks like it has goals galore in it.

Tomorrow night will be very interesting ... how will we fare against a decent Championship side? I'm not at all bothered about a cup run ... the league comes first and promotion is the only prize I want ... but it can have the significant advantage of boosting confidence especially if you manage to beat a team from a higher division.

Saturday will be the more important game ... Notts County achieved a three nil away win which has to be applauded ... so it will be a good chance to see how we measure up against such a team.

Rating individual players from Saturday seems a little unfair ... although I'm still going to do it ... because it really was a team performance which, bearing in mnd it was their first league game together, deserves an overall 8/10. In normal circumstances I'd have given 7/10, but the occasion raises the rating.

So on to the players themselves:

Elliot - had a good game. Not called upon too much in the first half, but covered well when needed to in the 2nd half. There were a couple of times when I was nervous, but you can't complain about a clean sheet. 7/10
Solly - seemed a little nervy in the first half, and I was a little uncomfortable about his play. But came into his own in the 2nd half, in particular interacting very well with Wagstaff ... these two look very good together down the right wing. 7/10
Morrison - like the look of him ... strong and intimidating. Not afraid to get stuck in and a powerful tackler. 7/10
Taylor - combined well with Morrison, and I can see these two being a good combination. Good skill and not afraid to bring the ball forward. 7/10
Wiggins - showed a little nervous reation to the Bournemouth abuse at the beginning, but rose to the occasion with a stunning long distance effort that the keeper had to work to save. The best is yet to come, and he is a good counter-balance to Morrison and Taylor. 6.5/10
Wagstaff - apparently he only played because Green was suspended ... don't know how true that is, but if so, then Scott took advantage, topped up by what may be a contender for goal of the season. Superbly controlled volley. Deserves to keep his place and has already given Powell a slight selection headache. 7.5/10
Stephens - seemed to be everywhere ... totally committed, skilful, energetic ... my man of the match. Annoyingly, I mentioned to my son before the match that Stephens would score the first goal ... aaargh 14 to 1 and I didn't back up my words with money. 8/10
Hollands - looks good ... definitely strengthened the midfield ... Racon / Semedo - who they ? ... very comfortable on the ball and worked well with the other midfielders. 7.5/10
Jackson - good start for our captain. I feel very confident with him in the team, and he took his penalty well. 7.5/10
BWP - very lively and involved himself in the game far more than last season. He is becoming more than just a goal-scorer and had a hand in two of the goals. Could easily have scored himself, and rather unfortunate not to do so. 7.5/10
Hayes - wasn't sure about him at the Welling game, but I have a different view now. Strong, attacking, self-assured, and enthusiastic. He will definitely get a few goals this season. 7/10
Subs:
Benson - not on for long, but still made an impression. Very happy he stayed with us. 6/10
Pritchard - OK, you can't say much based on a few minutes but we may have unearthed a diamond here ... looking forward to seeing much more of him. 6.5/10
Doherty - surprised he is still with us, but totally unfair to judge him on a couple of minutes. n/a

As for Chris Powell ... hiding away in the tunnel ;-) ... he chose the team and sorted out the tactics. It worked ... and he did a great interview afterwards. 8.5/10

The crowd were in fairly good voice and I do enjoy watching 'bouncy-bouncy' in the Covered End.

A final word for the officials ... can they please return again as I thought they were way better than most of the dross we get at this level.

COYR

2011 / 2012

2011-08-02T11:05:00.000+01:00

A new season ... so probably not a bad time to start blogging again ... didn't realised how long it had been!

It has certainly been a very eventful time at the Valley since last season finished in May with a dismal mid-table final position. Did we expect anything else? Well, probably. Now we are at our 3rd year in Division Three, it's very clear that the club ... and the bulk of the supporters ... made the mistake of believing we were far too good for this level and would get promotion if not the first time, then definitely at the 2nd attempt. Many clubs, of an equal size to us ... and bigger ... have made that mistake over the last few years.

This is not an easy division from which to escape if you have the mentality that all you have to do is turn up and the other teams will automatically acknowledge that Charlton rightfully belong in a higher division and will allow us to return back there. It's always simple in retrospect, but there is no doubt that as well as having a reasonable squad and manager, you also need the right mind-set. If you want promotion, then get out there and work for it ... be a team not a set of individuals ... and fight to be competitive. Again, retrospect is easy, but it's obvious now that we had too much 'dead wood' ... as long as they were paid, nothing much else mattered.

So ... what's changed? Almost everything to be honest. We have a manager who will be starting his first full season, new board members also about to experience their first full season, and a very new squad on the playing field.

According to the latest on Charlton Life, we now have 31 players on professional contract, 15 of which are new, with 15 having been sold or released, a pretty hefty turn-around.

Most of the new players are on the young side and have been given 2-3 year contracts ... definitely a positive sign that we are looking to move ahead with a solid base and squad.

As for the new owners ... everything we hear is good and appears to suggest that we have an exciting future. OK, it may all be illusory and if we don't achieve promotion within 2 years, we may be unceremoniously dumped. But at least they've given us the possibility of another couple of years ... which may not have been the case otherwise.

There is concern about the ownership ... naturally when 'the truth' is hidden, it is a valid reason for concern. But I'm going to ride with it for the moment. If they get us back to the top as we all want, stay one further season then take the money and run ... well, who can blame them? And you never know, they may decide they like it and stay longer. We still have a club and a team to follow ... my son can still attend games with me ... and in a few years, hopefully my grandson will also join us. That's good enough for me at the moment.

So how will we do this season? As always, I am optimistic ... but perhaps this time, I have good reason to be so. With the current infrastructure, 'hungry' players in the squad, healthy season ticket sales (wonderful to see), and the sun currently shining ... it's easy to predict a top-six finish.

But I've decided to invest some money with Paddy Power and expect us to be automatically promoted.

COYR

Playoffs Part 1 of (hopefully) 3

2010-05-15T09:55:00.000+01:00

Would have preferred a draw but will take 2-1. Defensively we were rather shaky but still went into half-time goalless. Was difficult to get a real atmosphere going without a roof and many songs were being sung in tandem although my wife told me that Charlton could be heard on tv.

Swindon played some good football and eventually the goals came for them but the turning point was Deon's excellently well taken goal ... suddenly Swindon stopped playing footbll and started to hoof the ball everywhere. This is obviously the other side of Swindon and the reason whey they only finished 5th ... good team but when the pressure gets to them they play a completely different, more ineffective, style of football. We were very unlucky with Nicky's attempt and the game could have been so different if that had gone in. Swindon did finally revert to a good playing style and were unlucky not to score near the end ... I couldn't see the incident properly but my wife tells me it went off the post.

The big plus for me is that listening to the Swindon fans outside the ground after the game, they feel that they have done it ... very confident and sure they will get to Wembley. Good, let them feel that way and hopefully the complacency will spread through the club. Danny Wilson has played the 'underdog' game very well and kept their feet on the ground ... maybe this will undo them.

I beleve we have enough to turn this around at the Valley ... but am so bloody nervous that the next 60 hours are not going to be much fun.

COYR ... BELIEVE

No bottle

2010-03-13T19:47:00.002Z

First half, fairly evenly matched although we didn't really have a clear cut chance, but possibly more possession ... then conceded a very poor goal.

Second half ... nothing ... virtually every time the fans come out in force for Charlton, they let us down ... badly.

So depressing.

Oh bolox!

We won

2010-03-07T09:44:00.013Z

We won ... but apart from the first 10 minutes there was not much else to say. After the 2nd goal went in I turned and said to my son, perhaps we can at last put some pressure on the teams around us and really go for it in this game and show them how up for it we are. He just smiled and replied that I should remember who I am watching ... unfortunately he was proved right.

Why can't we kill off other teams? There were even times during the 2nd half when we could have paid heavily for not scoring a third goal ... admittedly we should have had a penalty in the first half, but it's astonishing how we fail to take advantage of our possession. Wayward kicks towards the goal ... which are far from being on target ... make a mockery of the fact that these guys are professional footballers. Mooney, Bailey, Burton, Sam, Sodje et al were guilty of some awful shots.

We won ... so I am happy ... but definitely frustrated. We will need to step up a gear next week at the New Den. Stockport are one of the weakest ... if not the weakest ... teams I have seen all season and that will not be the case next week. Millwall have players that fight for results, and our players will need to be the same. I have no doubt that we can, as has been evident in some games this season, and must admit that I am thoroughly looking forward to the game.

Results definitely went our way in general yesterday with Huddersfield and Swindon losing. Brentford taking a point at Leeds was massive and it was just a pity that they could not hold on to their lead ... but we are catching Leeds and the home game against them may yet prove to be pivotal.

Elliott - one very nervous moment when he dropped the ball, and he and Llera were definitely at odds both blaming each other for the incident.
Richardson - competent, but sometimes played the ball too far and lost it.
Jackson - good game and linked up well with Reid ... hope the injury is not too bad and he is ok for Millwall.
Llera - strong in defence, but a few errors.
Dailly -excellent game, getting back to being Mr. Consistent.
Sam - not his best game and rightfully taken off, drifted in far too much.
Racon - at times he was great, and others he was woeful. Will the real Therry Racon please stand up.
Bailey - fairly good game, cut off a few attacks, but not at his best.
Reid - man of the match, he is so strong and effective, breaking up attacks from opposition and then leading our own.
Mooney - Still proving to be lightweight, but there are instances when you know he can produce something.
Sodje - scored for the 3rd consecutive game so I should be positive ... but I still feel his overall game should improve ... but what the heck, if he scores again next week, who cares ;-)
Solly - ok, nothing special, but he is being played out of position so I should be generous.
Wagstaff - was hoping for something special when he came on but he can't do it every time.
Burton - worried Stockport at times.

Mark Kinsella had it right in his press interview: "We got lucky with the first and got a good second goal, but it was all about winning the game. We started brightly and got the goals but they upped their game. It would have been nice to get a couple more but it wasn't to be. There will be ups and downs between now and the end of the season, we've got to make sure there are more ups than downs. Winning when you're not at your best is the sign of a good team.”

And Millwall is now sold out, 2,500 tickets. Well done Charlton ... cannot wait to be at the New Den on Saturday.

Red Dread

2010-02-21T10:16:00.025Z

Due to a number of overseas business trips in Asia and Europe plus a 2 week holiday, I have not managed to get to the Valley for a few weeks ... and during that time we drew four times, lost once, and dropped out of automatic promotion for the first time ... a fact that filled a lot of Charlton fans with dread ... which prompted me to include a picture that I took of the wonderful Red Dread catamaran whilst on holiday.

But never fear... I returned yesterday and we won ;-)

Having read a number of web reports on recent games and seeing the Bristol game on TV, it would appear that this was a big improvement on our latest form.

It certainly wasn't perfect ... and at two nil up when we should have been full of confidence and cruising to a win ... the team was still nervy, which definitely got through to the supporters.

Showing the latest results on the scoreboard near to the end of the game was a masterstroke on this occasion as ... for once ... the results were all more or less going our way and the Covered End responded appropriately.

And whilst I remember, the Covered End produced one of the funniest chants I have heard for a long time after one of the Yeovil players went down poleaxed by the ball and didn't get up for ages prior to looking down his shorts to see if everything was still there ... 'One ball, you've only got one ball ...'. OK, perhaps you had to be there and it certainly wasn't funny for the Yeovil player but it made me laugh.

I haven't seen the match stats but have to assume that we had the higher percentage of possession ... in fact there were times when we managed to revert to the tight passing game that was so evident earlier in the season and caused so many teams problems.

I said to my son before the game that Reid would be playing and I was convinced he would score ... pity I didn't extend that to having a bet ... what a great goal and I hope it encourages more Charlton players to have a go from outside the area ... it can be a sign of confidence when players are willing to shoot from long distance (although some of Nicky's attempts would have been more appropriate on a rugby pitch) so more of the same please.

Reid looks like he will be a good player for us, strong, pacy, and not short of some skill. Ditto for debutant Johnnie Jackson ... you would have thought that he had played for this team a number of times so easily did he slot in. A good loan deal by Parky.

Racon has concerned me for a while, and has not put in the performances we saw at the start of the season ... but yesterday was a return to form, highlighted by a masterly quick turn from a throw-in that led directly to Mooney's goal. Perhaps Therry's first goal on Monday did him even more good than we realised.

And before going on to individual comments I must specifically mention Robbie ... at least three great saves in the first half and more good effort in the 2nd half ... if an early goal had gone in this could have been a very different game, so well done Robbie.

Elliot - very important saves and seems to be very confident these days.

Richardson - can be a threatening force when supporting runs up the wing.

Jackson - impressive debut, and could be very important to the team until Kelly returns.

Llera - always gives everything, and had a good game.

Dailly - not back to the form he displayed before injury when he was Mr. Consistent, but I'd rather be with him than without.

Sam - I felt that the commentators at the Bristol game were over-the-top about his display on Monday, but today better warranted the praise. Not scared to get stuck in but he does seem to tire late in the game.

Bailey - he would be the first to admit this was not one of his best displays, but still did enough to worry Yeovil.

Racon - a welcome return to form, and could have been my man of the match.

Reid - my first live sighting of Reid and I am impressed ... so sorry Therry, on reflection Kyel Reid wins man of the match.

Mooney - impressed that he was back after a nasty knock on Monday, did excellently with the goal and worked very hard, but I still have a small concern that he is too lightweight at times when it matters.

Burton - a better performance and wins a lot in the air. Have to assume that his hernia means he is not 100% but we cannot afford to let him have the op until season end.

Subs:

Wagstaff - lively as always, but not the immediate impact he has had in the past.
Semedo - made a good impression in only a short time on the pitch.

Parky made all the right noises after the game stating that it was a good day for us, and that the intention was to get our performance levels back, forget about everyone else and concentrate on what we needed to do. He admitted that in the last few weeks, we've been giving the ball away cheaply and been constantly under pressure.

So on to Tuesday ... good to know we have another game so soon. The Brighton team has been quite an enigma since Poyet took over ... some wonderful results countered by a lot of poor games. They may still be at the bottom part of the table but as yesterday showed, do not relax around this team ... they have the capability to spring surprises.

And then Southend on Friday ... I can't go but my son will be there with the other 2k+ Charlton fans. I have good memories of Friday nights at Southend in the past so hope we can continue to pick up points. The table could look very different next weekend if all goes the way we would like.

Then with what we would hope would be a relatively comfortable 3 points against Stockport at home the following week (ok, it's never comfortable for us but you know what I mean), it's on to the game I have been looking forward to all season, Millwall at the New Den. I got my tickets as soon as they came out, and it will be my son's first visit to Millwall ... we should have a reasonable presence at the game and I hope Charlton fans remember this is our only true derby and attend in numbers.

C'mon you Reds!

Just noticed on the official site ... apparently when we play Gillingham at home next month, it will be the first time in 30 years! How times have changed ... when I was younger we played them far more frequently!

Top class defending

2009-12-27T10:18:00.019Z

Well, I didn't expect the score-board to again be filled up like lights on a Christmas tree this week, but that's exactly what we got. Two points from two home games in the last week is not what we wanted ... but in the circumstances I am more than happy.

I have never seen the Valley erupt so loudly to a goal that only guaranteed us a point at home, especially to such meagre opposition ... but we were all convinced that despite such a valiant rearguard action, we had finally lost our unbeaten home record.

But it was not to be ... this team does not give in and there were some heroic performances on the pitch not least by Nicky Bailey and Jose Semedo.

And arguably all of our best back four were off the pitch and they still did not collapse under the expected onslaught of the 2nd half. I was extremely concerned when it was apparent that Dailly was injured, but we would not have done any better even with him on the pitch.

This was a second half performance that will be remembered for a long time. Determination, passion, and a desire that the two players that were stupidly sent off were not going to provoke our first defeat since March at the Valley.

And both Parky ... with a decision to move to an attacking formation despite only having 9 men ... and the crowd ... who were at times louder than we have been since the Premiership ... fully played their part.

The draw last week felt like a defeat ... this week it felt like a win ... and it was good to shut up the gloating Swindon fans who seemed to believe they had a world-beating team just because they were winning against nine men.

Jose Semedo was superb after being forced to move back into defence ... as good a display, and at times better, than many of our normal defenders have given this season.

And Nicky Bailey was enormous ... determined and passionate, he was never going to give in, leading the team with a true captain's display.

Shelvey and Llera also deserve a special mention, not just for the goals, but for their overall display.

As for the sending-offs, they were both stupid and self-induced. Sodje's second red card in a few weeks was insane ... you just can't make that type of tackle and expect to stay on the pitch ... and it's a four match ban!

Deon should have known better than to argue with this referee (see below) for his first yellow, and a streak of madness must have overtaken him when he handled the ball to be sent off.

For the first 20 minutes, even when Sodje was off the pitch being patched up, we were all over Swindon, and I had the feeling that once we got going, it could be a big win.

But it was not to be due to the circumstances outlined above ... and I cannot let this posting end without mentioning the absolutely abysmal display by the referee. We have seen some poor displays by referees this season, but this has to be amongst the worse. He made so many mistakes, I lost count ... and relied continuously on the linesman by the West Stand to pick up decisions he had missed. And how Swindon only got their first booking in the last few minutes, and that only for dissent, I have no idea.

Elliot - some wonderful saves, did everything we could have asked of him.
Omozusi - a capable display, but I expected more after his display last week.
Basey - brave and committed, another good performance following on from last week.
S Sodje - stupid tackle, out now for 4 games, whatever his excuse it's not good enough.
Llera - excellent display rounded off by a very coolly taken goal.
Spring - could have scored, some great passing movements
Semedo - superb in defence, we definitely missed him in midfield, but one of the main reasons we did not lose.
Shelvey - you could see he was happy to be back and determined to show why he should be back in the team. I told my son he would score, and happily he did.
Bailey - what a game, my man of the match. He does not give in, a true captain.
A Sodje - ran out of steam in the end, and not always as effectual as I would like, but a constant thorn in the side of Swindon.
Burton - Deon, Deon, Deon why did you do that? I am not going to criticise him, he's had a great season - just don't do it again!
Wagstaff - nothing outstanding, but he didn't let us down.
McKenzie - still not fully fit in my mind, his best ... I hope .. is yet to come.
Dickson - personally I'm not happy he was on the field, but circumstances demand.

A real derby

2009-12-20T08:33:00.019Z

Well ... what can you say about that?!? It was my son's first Charlton Millwall game and it had everything except the final result ... red card, a plethora of yellow cards, an over-officious referee who loved talking, two penalties, a packed away end ... ohhh, and 8 goals.

The threat by Millwall to bring a 'tsunami' of fans and overwhelm Charlton did not, as most of us expected, materialise. There were pockets of Millwall fans in the home areas, but to be honest not that many, and probably less than we had at Gillingham ... so well done to Charlton for sorting this out.

The pitch has taken quite a battering in recent weeks but all credit to Paddy Powell and his team, it stood up well.

Both the Mizzen and Knox families received a well deserved reception before the game and it is appreciated that both clubs, and sponsors, supported the initiative.

The match itself was fairly dramatic and certainly took an early turn for the worse when the Spanners went two ahead. For most of the 1st half, our defence and midfield did not look like they were functioning very effectively. Perhaps the occasion got to them?

Then ... a penalty to Charlton! And I am not convinced it was a penalty ... in any event, I doubt Mooney would have scored.

And then ... another penalty!! This time it was cast-iron, and Millwall had a player red-carded.

Deon put away both away extremely effectively to get us level again.

Half-time at 2 apiece was probably fair ... we never really got going.

Second half and almost immediately after the re-start, a wonder goal from Nicky Bailey sending the Valley (ok, not the Jimmy Seed Stand) into raptures.

Second half Charlton looked a lot better but Millwall never looked like they only had 10 men, proving to be very resilient and leading to their 3rd goal.

Incredibly, Charlton then went on to score a 4th, albeit an own goal by the Spanners. When 5 minutes injury time was announced to no great surprise, I must admit that I still thought we would win the game ... but it was not to be.

Farcical defending and goal-keeping meant that the Spanners came away with a point, although the way their fans celebrated you would have thought they had been promoted ... and you don't care about us? Of course, you don't ;-)

And a word about the Mooney substitution ... I've been one of those supporting Mooney but as far as I am concerned, he can now clear off back to where he came from. Leaving the pitch after substitution, he threw his shirt on the floor, walking away to the tunnel, and then completely ignored the applause of the Covered End ... don't bother coming back Mooney.

Elliot - did not command his area as much as I would have liked, and committed some misjudgements, but he was definitely up for this game.
Omozusi - contributed a lot to the game and never stopped running, a few errors but did well in such an atmosphere.
Basey - excellent game, did not want to let anyone get past him.
S Sodje - not at his best, but strong at times. Too many mistakes.
Dailly - one of his weaker games, possibly his first. But still did enough to frustrate Millwall at times.
Sam - was very concerned after first half that he would be sent off, he was a target for both Millwall and the ref, but did enough for a good display. His booking means he will miss the Swindon game.
Spring - not on long enough to contribute.
Semedo - no way near as strong as usual ... did the atmosphere affect him?
Bailey - strong, committed, and just the sort of player you want in a derby game ... brilliant goal.
Wagstaff - had a good game, never scared to get involved and worried Millwall a few times.
McKenzie - not on long enough to tell, but had a few good runs.
Mooney - see above ... very lightweight today.
A Sodje - not as effective as he can be when coming on as sub but was involved.
Burton - excellent game and my man of the match.

And the fans ... well, Millwall took advantage of the better acoustics in the Jimmy Seed Stand first half, but there were times during the game when they were more like kittens. The Covered End came into it's best during the second half and contributed to a great atmosphere.

I love real derby games!

Incidentally, I fully agree with Parky's comments about the ref:

"I thought the ref was the person who got carried away with the derby frenzy more than anybody,” said Parkinson. "For both teams, there were too many stoppages. Every challenge seemed to result in a free-kick. There were so many decisions which were called wrong. For their third goal, Jose Semedo won the ball cleanly in midfield and he gave them a free-kick. I was disappointed with the ref.”

Winning in the snow

2009-12-18T10:07:00.002Z

This is the one ... this is the real derby for Charlton.

I've been looking forward to this all season, and it will be the first Charlton Millwall match attended by my son.

A few weeks ago I predicted that this would probably be one of the very few games that we would lose ... but you know what? The closer to the game we have got, the more positive I have become ... and it's snowing! For those that remember, what better omen for a 2-0 Charlton win.

Let's just hope that Greenwich Health & Safety and the local OB do not get too officious and cancel the game.

C'mon you Reds!!!!!!!!!

Any win will do

2009-12-06T12:15:00.016Z

We won.

I was going to leave it there and say no more ... it was the most important issue of the day and if we can win when most of the team has an off-day, then I'm delighted.

But it is worth making some comment. This is a game that I am sure we would have lost in the last 3 or 4 seasons ... ok, yes, we are in a lower division but getting a result when it is perhaps not deserved is how many teams end up being promoted. Look at Leeds ... they have had 3 or 4 games this season when even their fans admit a win was not deserved ... but they got it and that is the difference between automatic promotion and playoffs, playoffs and 7th.

Southend brought less fans than I expected but based on their home crowds I guess it was reasonable. They were in fairly good voice, although as usual the acoustics of the Jimmy Seed stand do help. Found it a bit ridiculous when they started singing 'Can we sing a song for you' just after the Covered End had been particularly vocal. And I hadn't realised how much they now dislike Nicky Bailey! Is he their Scotty Parker?

There were a few quiet spots from both sets of supporters, and once again the Covered End were better in the 2nd half and I am hoping that the reprise of "CAFC - we hate Millwall" gets a repeated airing in 2 weeks, as it is one song that currently appears to reach a high decibel level in the Covered End. Let's just trust that the Charlton fans will turn out for this game in their droves ... it is our real derby not the plasticness of Palaaarse!

As for the game yesterday, well perhaps the less said the better. I heard Phil Parkinson on the radio on the way home saying that it was messy and we did not look particularly good, but it was the result that counted ... I couldn't agree more. Not a sumptuous feast of football for the fans, but we all would have taken 3 points before the game whatever the display. There were times when we actually looked like the away side and not even a good one at that.

I said to my son before kick-off that I wondered how the lack of Semedo would affect us ... the display was not entirely due to his absence, but I believe it highlights his importance to us in midfield. Our passing game was non-existent, and we have proved many times that when we can get the passing going and keep the ball on the floor, we are as good as, if not better than, anyone in this division.

Elliot - not that troubled to be honest despite the possessional superiority that Southend appeared to have. Reacted well when called upon to do so.

Richardson - nothing special but it felt good to have him back. I hope the injury is not serious.

Basey - good game, totally committed but still a lot to learn. A concern about his lack of pace at times, but I think he brings enough into his game to counterbalance this.

Sam Sodje - very strong at times, but not at his best.

Dailly - better than most even he did not have one of his best games.

Sam - good runs, and did worry Southend at times, but not enough end result.

Racon - very worrying attitude in this game, and he showed once again why he has been the midfielder that has not managed to score this season.

Bailey - I thought this would be a giant performance against his former team but it was not to be.

Wagstaff - never stops running and can be a bit of a thorn in the side of the opposition. Like Basey, he is still learning but deserved his starting spot in the team.

Mooney - my mate was explaining to me before the game why he does not rate Mooney, whereas I do. He believes he is too lightweight and knocked off the ball too easily. Why did he choose yesterday to prove my mate right?

Burton - if I have a man of the match it is Deon. 10 goals so far and he could definitely be on course for 20 this season if his hernia does not affect him too badly. Always dangerous.

Omozusi - I am not convinced yet, but I am beginning to believe that there might be something there.

Spring - not as effective as I had hoped he would be, but to be fair, that may be down to the team performance as a whole.

Akpo Sodje - did not have a starring cameo this time, but I like having him on the bench as an effective sub.

So ... overall not the best, but we are still 2nd and widened the gap with some teams ... apart from Norwich. But they still have to catch us and those ... and their numbers were very high ... among the Charlton 'faithful' who were convinced we would be outside the top six by Christmas ... I just hope you are happy that you have been proved wrong.

Stockport next week who I believe are on the back of a 6 or 7 game losing streak - surely it must be the right time to play them!

And the week after ... the game I have been waiting for ... Spanners at home. Get those vocal cords well oiled Covered End!!!.

Welcome response

2009-11-15T09:12:00.017Z

What a great day. I hadn't posted on the two cup games, initially because after Northwich I did not find myself with much to say and others had adequately expressed my feelings.

Furthermore, many of the message boards and forums were so over the top with ridiculously inane and accusatory comments that I couldn't be bothered to add anything.

Then, after the Saints game, the comments became so extreme that an outsider would have thought that the club had ended. There was nothing good to come out of the 2 cup games (apart from the obvious ... allowing us to firmly concentrate on the league) but there was no need for the melodramatic and theatrical posturing that was going on.

So we may not all agree that Parky is the right manager ... but what's the point of replacing him now? We have been down the road of a managerial merry-go-round before and see where it got us!

Fans that emphasised we were still second are accused of having rose-tinted spectacles, do not have the bottle to complain, and are content in their little 3rd division world.

Well that's complete b*llsh*it ... just because some of us did not view last week as the end of the world and that with all the doom and gloom Charlton were finished, does not mean our viewpoint is invalid.

And perhaps ... maybe ... the result yesterday went some way to vindicating the team. OK, to those with a glass half-empty perspective, it was just one game ... it always is when we are doing well, but when we are losing (as only occasionally happens this season), it is seen as far more valid.

The best comment that I saw on the message boards last week was 'Get a grip' ... one that I fully supported and still do.

There are Charlton fans out there who seem to thrive when results are bad but disappear into the woodwork when we actually do something positive. I've not been on the boards yet today ... on purpose .. I did not want it to influence my thoughts. Will be interesting to see what is being said in a few minutes. Hopefully there will be some more positivity ... but my guess, as stated above, is that many will still be saying it's only a one-off. Well, it's one game, so what else can it be?

After the next 3 weeks ... with four winnable games ... Yeovil and Brighton away, Bristol Rovers and Southend at home ... we will have a very good idea of where we will be going this season. I still firmly believe we will be up there in the top two ... many seem to think we will be out of the play-offs by Christmas ... we will see. My son is going to Yeovil next week, and I must admit that I am quite jealous that I am missing this one ... but circumstances (i.e. an overseas business trip) denied me this game.

Anyway, back to yesterday. A sterling display, all the more pleasing as we came back from one down. In my view, an excellent riposte to the spineless 'couldn't care less' attitude of the Vics game.

Weather conditions were atrocious, but affected both teams equally, and it was always obvious that high balls could be very threatening if fed into the area. I thought that Franchise FC were one of the better teams that we have seen (oh, how I hate to say that) and for many periods played a very neat passing game. But they are badly let down by their ill-disciplined and continual complaints to the referee, a myriad of niggly fouls, and a tendency to rush the ref en-masse when they feel hard done by. Any coincidence that Incey is their manager?

Both our team and our fans seemed to approach this game in the same vein. During the first half hour, we were out-sung, and at least matched on the pitch. In the second half, we were the stronger team and better able to adapt to the conditions, whilst the Covered End just got louder and louder, one of their best 'appearances' this season.

As for the team:

Ikeme - I'm not convinced about him, but to be fair, I'm not convinced about Randolph either. He needs to take control of his area and start shouting when he is coming for the ball.

Richardson - I believe we have missed Fraser, the defence seems stronger when he is on the field. A good display, but hope the injury is not bad.

Youga - not his best game, but more than competent at times. Definitely managed to pressure Franchise when he went on runs.

Sodje (Sam) - this guy wants to win. I love his attitude and even more so when I read his interview in the program after the game. If you haven't seen it, try to get a copy. A real Charlton man who admits he has had sleepless nights since the Vics game and was desperate to amend the situation. The way he celebrated by dancing around the pitch after the game says it all.

Dailly - as always, a solid professional display. 36 years old? Hard to believe ... he still has a couple more seasons in him.

Sam - this was better. Seemed a lot fitter today than recent weeks.

Semedo - very skillful player, not yet back to his best.

Bailey - my man of the match. Got stuck in everywhere, commanded the team, and got results.

Racon - good game, but as with Semedo, not back to his best. The pairing need to get back to the the level they had earlier in the season.

Burton - excellent, so happy he got a goal before he was substituted. Definitely troubled Franchise FC.

Mooney - as he had promised, delivered a strong game, and I am a little concerned that his loan spell expires on 1st December ... I hope we can keep him longer.

Subs:
Basey - very committed if not always effective, but he tried.
McKenzie - looked good and I like the way he 'ghosts' in on the opposition without them expecting it, and grabs the ball. Strong in the tackle.
Sodje (Akpo) - if he gives us half as much as his brother, then signs are good.

... and Parky, well done, good shape to the team, and a sounder, more astute tactical awareness than we saw in the cup games.

C'mon you reds !!!

Parky renews contract

2009-10-30T15:56:00.002Z

Phil Parkinson signs one-year extension to his contract.

Differing views about this around the Interweb, but I see it as a good move.

He deserves to be recognised for his work this season having turned a broken demoralised bunch of players into a tight disciplined team.

Of course we are not there yet ... and a number of fans would rather wait until we are promoted ... or not, which is their argument.

My view is that we should give credit and reward where it is due ... this is good man-management from the board ... and shows that the club believes in his approach.

Furthermore it gives a great sign to the players that the board has confidence in the way we are moving forward ... what better way to further improve the self-assurance of the squad?

We can do it

2009-10-29T10:18:00.010Z

A month since the last post ... doesn't time fly!

So what's happened on the pitch since then?

Three nil defeat at Colchester ... more goals conceded than expected but I think a lot of us saw this as a potential banana skin game ... and so it proved.
Leeds away ... a creditable 0-0 draw ... I certainly would have accepted that before the game started ... which I celebrated in Floyds Bar in Vilamoura :-)
Barnet ... blimey, we won a cup game and emphatically at that!
Oldham ... a nil-nil slog ... I hope not many teams come down to the Valley and play like that!
Huddersfield ... 2-1 win in a very hard-fought and enjoyable match ... they are a tough team to beat.
1-1 draw at Gillingham ... bearing in mind their home record, not a bad result ... but so annoying with another late goal.

So, it's 29th October and we are second ... if given the chance at the start of the season, virtually all of us would have accepted that. We've seen enough already at the top and bottom of the table to realise that we should definitely be in the pay-offs ... whoops typo, should be play-offs but it means the same anyway ... at least, and a top 2 automatic promotion spot is certainly achievable. Actually, I have been surprised how many clubs have stayed close to us in 3rd and 4th spot, with a few not far away down to 8th position.

If I have one complaint this season it is the quality of the officials ... but bearing in mind that those at the top are not always the best, it is no great surprise.

The cup draw at Northwich Victoria is perfect ... if we have to play in the first round, then this is exactly the type of game that epitomises the FA Cup. A pity that our support will be reduced due to the difficulties of getting up there on a Sunday, but the revenue from ITV will be more than welcome to the cash-stretched Northwichers.

Talking of away support, good to see that ours is the 2nd highest in the division ... must be our highest for years!

So, Saturday, and it's on to Carlisle. I expect a win, and I'll go for 3-1 to us, all goals in a lively 2nd half.

Mooney to come on just after half-time, score the first goal and give a performance which will allow him to stay in the squad and provide Deon with the chance to have his hernia op.

Shelvey on for final 30 minutes assisting Semedo for a goal, wrapped up with a Wagstaff cameo and goal when he comes on for the final 15 minutes in place of a tiring Lloyd Sam.

Not that easy

2009-09-26T17:35:00.021+01:00

Glad that one is over. We made it far harder than we should have done ... and if Nicky Bailey hadn't made a terrific header off the line after 30 minutes, it may actually have been a different story.

A changed squad, but the player that was out was unexpected - Jose Semedo. Still not sure of the reason why, but I hope it is nothing serious ... he is my player of the season so far.

Surely it cannot have been solely due to the absence of Semedo, but we played a very different game today ... none of the passing joys that we have seen recently. There were times, especially for the 15 minutes before our 2nd goal, when I had a real concern.

Excellent first goal from Bailey ... and just at the right time four minutes before the break ... the half-time lead was justified.

Izzy scored only his second goal for us a few minutes before the end of the 2nd half ... which helped me relax at last ... until Exeter scored in stoppage time! It was that type of day, we never looked fully convincing.

But ... going into October, we are now one of the only two unbeaten teams in the country. Has that ever happened before in October? I guess that makes it odds-on for a draw next week ... a result that I would definitely accept at this moment.

Elliott - apart from one dangerous drop of the ball in his area, no real concerns. In fact, looking back, he was not forced to do too much. Some excellent catches from corners.
Richardson - not one of his best games. Defending and distribution were areas for concern today. He will want to forget this game.
Youga - improving every game. After a shaky start to the season, he is a different player. Now getting the confidence to take players on and attack. Developing a good partnership with Nicky Bailey.
Bailey - my man of the match. The defensive header and goal were already enough, but gave a good captain's performance once again.
Llera - passing not as accurate as it has been this season, but overall ok. Did not get his 5th booking.
Shelvey - fully committed to the cause. Not as good a display as the last couple of games, but still way above the level of this division. We will see better this season.
Racon - not as good without his normal partner, Jose was definitely missed by his midfield. Still a fairly solid performance.
Burton - strong player and on another day would have scored.
Sam - caused Exeter a lot of concern. Very lively and is definitely maturing into a first-class team player.
Spring - pleasing display. I was concerned that he was playing but he did not let us down.
Dailly - confident and experienced. I've said it before and will say it again - so pleased he is part of our team.

McLeod (for Burton) - easily taken goal, but will do his confidence no end of good.
Wagstaff (for Racon) - not long enough to make an impression.
Sodje (for Shelvey) - strong header away as soon as he got on the pitch, but too brief to provide any comment.

Interesting fact, my mate who is one of the chief stewards in the East Stand mentioned before the game that Exeter had brought about 600 fans, 300 of which are actually exiles based in London.

And Nicky Bailey scored our 3,000th home goal ... I'm pleased it was him.

Safe for another season

2009-09-22T12:14:00.004+01:00

Well done to the board.

..... and you heard it here first ;-)

Back in mid-June, my thoughts were '.. even if takeover rumours are true (although personally I think that if anything happens it will be some form of investment rather than full takeover).'

Of course it is clear that this is the position because the parties that had been in talks did not bring enough to the table.

Once again, the board has shown their wonderful commitment to Charlton Athetic and they can only be applauded for that.

And those that have stepped down from the board have been rewarded with VP positions.

Thanks enormously to all those involved ... let's hope we now achieve promotion so that their commitment shows some return.

Travesty

2009-09-12T17:04:00.009+01:00

I so wish I had been there ... sitting in a hotel room listening to that game was not good. Even the commentators were reporting on how bad the set of officials were ... 2 disallowed goals, one dead-cert penalty refused, and 3 yellows. It sounded like he had no control and was incredibly biased ... as were the linesmen.

But ... we drew ... and we are still top ... and under the circumstances in which the game was played, i.e. rubbish officials, dirty opposition, and the Pards factor, we came out with a creditable draw.

Last season, and the one before, we would have folded in a game like this ... the team has an inner strength that has not been there before.

And Parky ... must have been a good half-time talk ... AND he refused to shake Pardew's hand at the end ... good for him!

The atmosphere on Charlton Life was red-hot so god knows what it was like at the Valley!

I'm glad this game is over ... there were too many underlying feelings for this to be a normal game ... and I am sure it permeated throughout the ground and got to the players as well ... so well done to all of them for keeping us top.

And perversely it may not be a bad thing to have dropped a couple of points ... undue pressure grows when trying to keep up a winning run ... and they know they could have won.

Well, it's past midnight here so will check some email and get to bed.

Oh, and before I forget, if any of you get over to Hong Kong check into the Grand Hyatt and ask for a room overlooking the harbour ... I have a panoramic view of the harbour, Kowloon, and Victoria Peak ... incredible backdrop for my Charlton 'viewing' today.

Come on you reds! I'm proud of you!!!

Supporters Trust Update

2009-09-09T11:55:00.003+01:00

The 2nd meeting will be held next week on 15th September starting at 7.30 pm, venue is the Conservative Club in Charlton Church Lane.

I am still not convinced of the validity of this but have an open mind so look forward to hearing the results.

Unfortunately I will not be able to attend as I will be in Hong Kong, leaving tomorrow afternoon and not getting back until 19th. It's a great pity as it is always best to hear these things first-hand, so I encourage as many of you as possible to attend and subsequently feed back reports on the various blogs, Charlton Life, etc., to those of us who could not attend.

It is extremely important that we get this decision right as it could have potental implications for years to come.

..........................................

Hopefully my wireless network will work in my hotel in Hong Kong on Saturday night and I can listen to the Saints game on CAFC Player.

Logic tells me there is no way we should lose this game but, increasingly, it looks like a potential banana skin the closer we get to it ... that's the trouble with the last few years, it's hard to believe we can actually keep winning!

But ultimately both head and heart say we will win, so I'm going for 3-1 to us ... Shelvey to score the first and show us his golf-swing celebration, Burton the second, and Llera with a magnificent headed goal from a corner, Lambert to respond for the Saints at 2-0.

I also miss the Norwich game as I only get back that day ... bloody annoying as it is always one of my favourite awaydays. Looks like we will have good support there, and perhaps we can win this time ... my last trip to Carrow Road was on St Georges Day a couple of years ago ... brilliant day out only let down by the team!

Come on you Reds!

Six out of six!

2009-09-05T15:21:00.005+01:00

Well would you believe it! Not the fact that we have won six on the trot but the fact that a team came to the Valley to attack and win.

Kudos to Brentford ... they wanted it as much as us and were in our half more in the first half than any other team so far ... and they are not a bad team for this level ... the best we have faced so far.

So it was a good test with so many tough games coming up.

Whenever the ball was in the air we seemed to be playing their game plan but once it got on the floor, it was again a total Charlton passing game ... perhaps best exemplified by the 2nd great goal.

At times our passing was sublime ... and we haven't had much chance to see that for some time!

So, six out of six, with plus 12 goal difference and only three conceded ... and I am enjoying every minute!

Further good news this morning as Jonjo signed a one-year extension to his contract ... he is now with us (potentially) until 2012 ... good stuff Jonjo!

As to player ratings, it was another excellent team display:

Elliott - not that much to do but made a superb instinct save in the 2nd half at a crucial time.

Richardson - good game again, made some superb crosses from one wing to the other and excellent passes up the line, building a good relationship with Sam.

Youga - probably his best game this season, very impressive and strong at times.

Dailly - very pleased he plays for us, his experience shows through.

Llera - can see him becoming a Charlton legend if he keeps this up and stays long enough. Excellent long-ball passing ability.

Sam - going from strength to strength since substituted and Wagstaff scored at the Valley. If he had played all 90 minutes, would have been my man of the match. Fantastic goal after one of the best passing movements of the game.

Semedo - wonderful display controlling the midfield, good in attacking and defensive moves. My man of the match.

Racon - committed and confident. Important factor in creating what may be the best, or close to the best, midfield outside the Premiership.

Shelvey - never stopped running and determined to score today. Unfortunately did not happen but the next goal is coming soon.

Bailey - yet again a terrific display, we all knew how important it was that we kept him. Might well be the most important factor in our push for promotion.

Burton - I like him better and better each week. Contributes a lot to the team and general gameplay, and got the goal he deserved.

Wagstaff - confident and full of running.

McLeod - looked good and unfortunate not to have been given a goal.

Parkinson - got it right again!

So ... on to Pardew next week ... so annoying that I will be in Hong Kong but will ensure that I listen to CAFC Player. Those of you that are going ... make sure you give Pardew plenty of stick ... he may be getting it from the Saints fans too!

Oh ... and we got Barnet in the cup ... who knocked out the Spanners in the last round.

Tranmere ... blow by blow

2009-08-29T14:50:00.006+01:00

14.45: switched on CAFC Player, looking forward to a good, and perhaps historic, game. Five wins in a row at the start of the season ... whichever way you look at it, it seems to be an unlikely proposition for Charlton. And yet ... it actually is possible!

Team: Elliot; Richardson, Youga, Dailly, Llera; Sam, Semedo, Racon, Shelvey, Bailey; BurtonSubs: Randolph, Solly, Basey, Spring, Wagstaff, Tuna, McLeod

14.55: 40+ members logged-in to Charlton Life with 30 or so guests.

14.56: Can hear Oasis playing in the background at Tranmere – why play those tw@ts after their disgraceful behaviour towards fans this weekend.

14.59: crowd of approx. 5,500 expected today.

15.00: c’mon you reds! ... or blue and black stripes ... commentator mentions it is the smartest away kit in League One.

15.01: game started! Valley Floyd Road .......

15.03: Charlton fans quite loud, haven’t heard Tranmere yet.

15.05: Youga booked.

15.07: most possession with Charlton at the moment.

15.09: excellent shot by Jonjo met by great save from Tranmere goalie, but looks like it would have been off-side anyway.

15.13: first real opportunity, Dailly header just wide!

15.14: ooooh, Burton edge of penalty area, just over the top. Stats: 2 shots on target, 1 shot off-target, Tranmere none.

15.16: Charlton Life, 60 members on-line plus 40 guests.

15.21: according to stats on CAFC Player, Tranmere have had 51% of possession ... not from what I have heard in the commentary ... more like 60% Charlton!

15.25: Great headed goal by Sam.

15.27: Semedo, what a run ... and a brilliant goal, well done Jose!!! I am so pleased that he scored; I have rated him highly for a long time.

15.30: 4 shots on target, 1 off-target, none for Tranmere.

15.36: 55% possession, 5 shots on target, 2 off-target, still no Tranmere.

15.40: Charlton Life; 74 members and 44 guests ... getting more and more popular as the game goes on!

15.42: Bailey cross, just behind Racon, pity, could have been another.

15.45: Charlton have totally bossed this game from start to finish according to commentator.

15.46: Tranmere finally have their first real chance on goal, but saved easily by Elliott.

15.49: half-time, well done Charlton, lots of boos from the home crowd.

16.05: 2nd half starts.

16.09: Lloyd Sam, another header, great goal!

16.10: commentator, ‘game is as good as over’.

16.15: 61% possession, 7 shots on target, 2 off-target, versus Tranmere stats of 2 and 1.

16.16: away fans very loud, stand up if you love Charlton!

16.20: Kevin Lisbie equalises for Colchester against Leeds, brilliant.

16.22: Charlton Life 81 members and 44 guests

16.28: Nicky Bailey, 4th goal, wonderful.

16.29: the best start to our season of all time is going to happen!

16.36: Semedo off, Spring on ... well done Jose.

16.38: Tranmere opportunity, over the bar.

16.43: Tuna on for Jonjo.

16.46: 59% possession, 8 shots on target, 3 off-target, Tranmere 3 and 2. Fairly comprehensive.

16.51: 3 minutes added time.

16.53: yessssssssssssss, full-time, 4-0, a new record start to the season, bloody amazing!!!

Come on Charlton, what a great season.

I am so looking foward to the Brentford game next week.

And on the Pardew-watch ... Saints drew ... only 22 points ahead of them ;-)

4 out of 4

2009-08-22T17:52:00.003+01:00

When did that last happen, winning first 4 games of the season? Will check it out later but for the moment I am relishing being TOP OF THE LEAGUE!

Once again, we played a team that is not at our level, and to be honest we were not as convincing as we should have been ... but the fact is that you still have to win the games ... and we did.

Just listened to the Parky interview on Radio London ... I am definitely warming to him ... again an honest and open interview ... and let's not forget the inspired substitution.

He is aware that we did not have the greatest of performances but puts that down to a run of early games in a short time ... not getting involved in the 'takeover' but emphasises that squad is weak in depth but we will do our best to get through it if nothing materialises before the end of the transfer window.

Followed by an interview with Robbie Elliott, totally overjoyed that the team he supports is top and that he is playing for us and kept a clean sheet.

Great attendance figures again, especially as Walsall away support was so woeful.

Overall we know we can do better, and there are times when despite being so much on top, the team gets nervous ... and yet at other times our passing game is superb and other teams cannot touch us.

Elliot - No real problems, competent display.
Richardson - I like Richardson and he pulled out the stops again but I have concern with his clearances and passes which never seem at all targeted.
Youga - got stuck in, had some good moments, but I am still unsure about him.
Dailly - not sure if he can last a season and play every game but I certainly hope so. Valuable experienced player.
Llera - in the end I awarded him my man of the match over Burton. Well taken goal, excellent defending, totally determined to stop anything getting through, and a powerful presence for our corners.
Sam - some good crosses once again, and some speedy runs, but made sense for him to be subbed.
Semedo - always have been a great fan of Semedo and that definitely has not changed, very important part of our team, and often undervalued.
Racon - another excellent game contributing so much.
Shelvey - runs his socks off, he's everywhere and massively determined to win every game.
Bailey - excellent captain's performance ... again!
Burton - could easily have given him man of the match, he gets better every game in overall contribution, only thing missing was the ball in the net.
Wagstaff - totally full of confidence, converted a great goal that may not have happened if Lloyd were still on the pitch. Nice to know we have him in reserve.

Ohh, and Palaaarse lost, the Spanners only drew last night ... and we are 20 points above pardew :-)

The joy of text

2009-08-19T06:21:00.001+01:00

I am so jealous of those who were able to go last night ... it's just not the same receiving text messages whilst having dinner in Frankfurt!

But the excitement still managed to get down the mobile network as an abridged version of the texts shows below:

Son: They scored :-)
Me: Crap!
Son: SHEELVEY YES
Me: Yesss, jonjooooo!
Son: BURTOOON, 2-1
Me: Brilliant!
Son: We won!!!
Me:Yesss, I cannot wait until saturday, what a season already!
Wife: Yessss. Also Welling won 3-2, but Ambrose scored 2 for Palace and they won, sh*t!
Me: Marvellissimo!
Son: Burton motm, Racon close second. Dailly also quality.
Me: I love this division, my 3rd time in div 3 and there are always good moments.
Me: Burton may possibly be special at this level, but we need a bigger squad to be sure.

Oh what fun it is to see ...

2009-08-16T09:52:00.007+01:00

Didn't make it up there and all credit to those who went ... they got what they deserved.

I followed the game on CAFC Player - worked very well although I lost commentary for the first few minutes of 2nd half and had to log in again. Overall it is worth having.

And it is great to also contribute to the match threads on Charlton Life ... often get a very different perspective with the comments made ... some by people actually at the game.

Sounded like we were scarcely troubled in the first half and I must admit that my mind returned to Wycombe when we became too casual and let them back in the game. Thankfully that did not happen at Hartlepool, either because we did not relax so much, or Hartlepool are a weaker team.

Based on the radio commentary, our key players were Jonjo (mentioned as a pivotal influence), Bailey, Burton, and Elliott late in the 2nd half (again) ... but to be fair, none of the team sounded too bad ... possibly Youga receiving a few negative comments.

The "Two Little Boys" anthem before the game was very surreal but the crowd obviously enjoy it.

So on to Brisbane Road (or whatever it's called these days) on Tuesday ... with almost 2,800 tickets having gone by Saturday night, it looks like a 3,000 sell-out ... and I won't be there!!!

I have to go back to Germany tomorrow and won't be back until Wednesday night ... bloody work! At least my son will make it ... and it is his first trip to Orient.

To those who are going, make a lot of noise and back the Addicks ... I know it is far too early to tell, but this has the makings of a exciting season.

... and regarding the takeover ... what takeover?

Good review from one (Drinking during the Game) who was there. Also Dr Kish and Inspector Sands.

Almost a nightmare

2009-08-08T18:20:00.005+01:00

Aaaaargh, just wrote a review and the PC died on me and lost the lot ... try again!

Well, we almost threw it away again ... a game which we completely dominated until the last 15 minutes or so ... a game in which we should have been at least two clear at the end of the first half ... and at least three clear by the end based on possession ... yet we became too complacent and casual allowing Wycombe back and giving them the confidence to actually think they could get a result in a game that was never going their way.

But ... and it's a big but ... we won! And on the track record of the last couple of years, that has to be seen as a plus.

My reviews:
Paul Elliott - not bothered much in the first half, made some poor choices in the 2nd half but salvaged everything with a brilliant save.
Frazer Richardson - fairly confident display, looks like we may have a good signing here.
Kelly Youga - forced into a few errors, not his best display, but also made some very good tackles and clearances.
Nicky Bailey - excellent game, fully deserved goal, and an ideal passionate captain.
Miguel Llera - looked good in the first half, took a good goal, and then let himself down with a poor performance late on - looks very nervous under pressure especially with through balls.
Jose Semedo - fairly good performance, we will see a lot better this season.
Jonjo Shelvey - lots of passion, good corners, wanted even more of the ball and got a little frustrated.
Therry Racon - fairly quiet, but nothing to complain about.
Deon Burton - reasonable, but we should be expecting more from him.
Lloyd Sam - excellent crossing, good runs, my man of the match.
Christian Dailly - brings some much needed experience, well taken goal, could be invaluable later in the season if he lasts out.

Subs:
Andy Gray - should have scored, disappointing.
Izale McLeod - spirited, but little end result.

Crowd were good and the Covered End sounded loud from my new seat at the back of the East Stand - good attendance figure.
The ref had virtually nothing to do in the first half, yet played like a park ref in the 2nd half - totally rubbish ... Wycombe player takes a free kick and passes to himself? ... Bailey booked for what? Was the ref actually replaced - radio after the game seemed to think so?

Anyway, we won ... that's all that matters ... we will face tougher opposition but of the 3 clubs that came down, we had the best start! Onwards and ... hopefully ... upwards!

Supporters Trust Meeting - minutes

2009-08-06T17:39:00.001+01:00

Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust

INITIAL MEETING MINUTES

7.00 pm Tuesday 4th August 2009

Conservative Club
51 Charlton Church Lane
SE7 7AE

Ben Hayes opened the meeting by explaining that the reason for the meeting was to ask questions and understand what a Trust would do for Charlton Athletic fans and how the fans could, if they wanted to, set one up.

Ben introduced James Mathie from Supporters’ Direct and he began by explaining a little about Supporters’ Direct.

There are 160 Trusts across the UK and they are looking to move into Europe. Supporters’ Direct are a not-for-profit organisation. Members of each Trust are responsible for organising their own voting / policy structure and Supporters’ Direct give advice and guide the individual Trusts. Funding for Supporters’ Direct comes from the Football Foundation, and the main objective of Supporters’ Direct is to help fans.

James explained that the main difference between a Supporters’ Trust and a Supporters’ Club is the Supporters’ Trust has a legal structure, financial responsibilities and is governed by itself. They are different organisations with different structures and a different attitude to their work.

He continued to say that the organisation is known as an Industrial and Provident Society (IPS), which is a similar organisation to a co-operative. Elected roles are filled by its membership, which is open to anyone and transparent to all. The more members that join, the voice of the Trust is seen to be stronger.

Trusts are regulated by the FSA. There has to be an audit, annual accounts’ documents and an annual general meeting. Fans intending to stand for elected positions would have to be fully committed. Local councils and communities should be welcome to attend initial meetings as well as local businesses as it has to be transparent with nothing hidden and anyone would have access to view the accounts.

James stated that most Supporters Clubs’ work largely in partnership with the Football Club, organising events or raising funds on the Football Club’s behalf. Most do not have the right platform to be a critical friend of the Football Club, and do not tend to ask difficult questions about the way the club is being run.

A well organised IPS helps create a platform where not only can it retain a good relationship with the football club, but also a position where it can ask more difficult questions with the backing of a body of supporters behind it, or, in some cases, an equity holding in the club. Across the 160 Supporters’ Trusts, some hold a decent amount of shares whilst working with the club to find solutions to issues.

James used Exeter as an example of a club that owns and controls its club. Notts County did hold control until recently. On the other hand, Manchester United has a Trust with a large membership, yet the board do not acknowledge their existence. They are, however, successful in raising different questions by querying ticket information with the Office of Fair Trading and make a difference that way.

James said that all Trusts have different agendas and aims, whilst sharing a similar set of rules. There is the benefit of becoming a Trust that you have plenty of others’ experiences to assist and take advice from, along with the support and advice from Supporters’ Direct. There are 120,000 members of Supporters’ Trusts in the UK. The government are very supportive of the initiative. There are many successful Trusts and this depends on how proactive the fans can be.

There was a question from the floor asking for examples of similar sized clubs having Trusts that have been successful.

James explained that Exeter FC run their club successfully working within their means and assisting with community initiatives. Bristol City have a place on the board of directors as a result of having a Supporters’ Trust. They are assisting the board find a location for the new stadium and are researching and working with the club on the plans so that it is a fans’ stadium. Peterborough United are working on a marketing campaign to encourage people from the local area to attend matches. The club have provided them with free tickets, and they are then following up with finding out who has bought tickets since their visit. A good relationship with the club has helped with this. Sheffield Wednesday are the second biggest shareholder of their club and were assisting with the prospective takeover by getting involved in the takeover talks, vetting candidates and providing an extra due diligence.

James said that having a Trust could help protect the long term future of a club even if there are short term issues - finances and ownership etc. If there is an organised group, it could be easier to speak to the club to find out information.

A question was raised regarding the potential pitfalls of a Trust.

James said that there are already 160 Trusts to learn from and as long as there is an open meeting to begin proceedings, then the Trust cannot be accused of being a small exclusive group, which could cause problems further down the line. By holding a big public meeting inviting supporters, club representatives, local business and the council, it would provide a better start going forward.

The idea of the Trust being shunned by rich owners was raised as a potential issue by the floor; it was asked how this could be resolved?

James explained that the more prepared the Trust is, the more successful it will be. Proxy shareholding votes can be handed to the Trust so that the Trust has a bigger voice and a bigger influence, meaning the Trust will have to be listened to. An example of Arsenal FC was used to show how they are fighting as a Trust to preserve the history of the club as a collective small shareholder. There was no influence in the boardroom granted, but by building the membership they have got a bigger voice and have cornered the club into listening to them.

There was another question asking if Arsenal managed to get fans’ shares?

James said that the Trust had earned respect with the media and local businesses. They have media representatives and they publicly comment on behalf of the Trust.

Ben Hayes mentioned that there are approximately 21% of shares not held by the current board.

A question was asked regarding how it would work with a club that previously had been quoted on the stock exchange?

James used Southampton as an example, although adding they perhaps were not the best to choose with their current situation. Millwall and Aston Villa were others. Southampton Supporters’ Trust tried to assist their club speaking to the council, the club and the administrators, trying to find a solution to save their club and stadium. They were a considered voice that was listened to.

He added that there are other examples where clubs have been pushed into action by a club crisis, giving fans the kick they need to get involved. Forest Green Rovers did this by raising 20k and getting a fan a place on the board. They involved the local chamber of commerce and for a non-league club, they have 150 members and that is a great achievement for them.

He said that if people are willing to get involved then anything is possible. The main thing is to get people on board and galvanising what fans have got to bring to the Trust itself. For example, Newcastle United fans had been keen on organising a march to get a point across but realised that they would not get that far with making a point so decided to set up a Trust. They have 2000 members already and are organising themselves well to make a bigger impact.

A point was raised from the floor regarding the importance of identifying a CAFC Trust’s niche aims and objectives. We already have in place a very successful community initiative, satellite supporter branches, and a Fans Forum body who speak regularly with the club, so it is important that a new group would provide strength, representation of the support base, and not further dilution.

James said that a Trust is about influence and knowing that whoever is running the club or however it is being run, is right for the club. Having an influence over the way it is run means the community is more engaged with the football club. There are a wide range of options available for Trusts: good work in the community, two-way buffers between fans and board, looking at things differently etc. A strong body of supporters that are long term supporters of the club will be around a fair deal longer than the board of the club itself.

It was mentioned that it is scary not knowing who may or may not own the club in the future, and the possibility of one uniformed supporters’ body would be of great benefit. There is vagueness currently with supporters’ groups not necessarily being active, but the fans’ forum is currently working hard with the club. A Trust could legally hold shares and fund raise, which means it is much easier to mobilise.

Ben said that Craig Sloman had been researching with regards to Wycombe as to the work that they have been doing.

James added that Sheffield Wednesday Trust had worked hard to find out information regarding shares they could purchase from Companies House lists. He suggested finding out the movements and keeping on top of the shareholder list. He said that there is a Trust that had obtained 51% of the shares and managed to unseat the chairman as they held the majority of the club.

It was mentioned that the club had the VIP Scheme and a fan on the board in 92, before the Supporters’ Trust movement began, which was evidence of fan evolvement and that this Trust is being thought about with the benefit of hindsight.

James said that almost 70% of clubs in the top 5 leagues have a Trust. He added that clubs don’t have to have one, and some Trusts are more active than others. Some Trusts have already ticked all the boxes that they had been hoping to achieve.

A question was raised with regards to how the Trust would be run – using paid staff etc?

James answered that it works best to have a bigger group so that the Trust can draw on the skills of the volunteers to get involved; accountancy, web design, etc. These are not paid roles. Whatever is needed to make the Trust a success could normally be found in one room. He said that would involve hard work of individuals. He added that the Trust for Reading FC was an example of an extremely well run Trust. He said that most Trust Boards would have between 6 and 12 board members drawing different skills, and that there was a possibility to draw more into board meetings if and when required. He said that during certain periods, group meetings would need to be more regularly than once a month although board meetings would tend to be quarterly.

James was asked how Supporters’ Direct is funded. James said that it was mainly through the Football Foundation. They bid for the money every three years and it is expected that funding will be extended as there is a lot of support for the initiative. He added that they also have smaller sponsorship deals arranged with various companies.

James was also asked how much money each Trust had to pay Supporters’ Direct and what they receive for this money. He answered that it is a nominal fee of £50 a year which includes staff time/advice, access to services, legal advice and reduced rates with insurance schemes, conferences, training events, news emails and the vote.

A member from the floor asked about the current state of concern amongst fans and whether it was thought it would be a good time to wait and let the dust settle or set up the Trust immediately.

James said that anytime is a good time, and that it would always be better to aim long-term as the Trust couldn’t be set up immediately and there is always a role for fans to play within their club.

Ben added that in hindsight, a lot of supporters now appreciate it would have been a good idea to set up a Trust 3 years ago when things were rosier, but it didn’t happen. If the Trust is formed and then not needed it could be disbanded if the objectives were achieved. James agreed and added that Fulham fans formed a Trust to try to retain the use of Craven Cottage for Fulham FC which they assisted to do and the club do not look like they are moving stadiums so the Fulham Trust can be dissolved, or re-brand itself for the long-term future.

A question was raised regarding the day to day running of the Trust – with a structure, democracy or hierarchy and who sets agendas etc.

James explained that the process would begin when the decision has been made to create a Trust and the aims and objectives are considered. The rules have to be registered and the membership built. He said that the registration takes the longest to organise as the Trust would have to be registered with the FSA, which can take a month. Set aims and objectives are agreed by the membership, including financial decisions and a business plan. Subs are paid to join and elections are held yearly. Positions are generally held for two years before re-election.

He added that for a Trust to be really successful it should aim to have 10% of home gate as members which is deemed a truly representative amount of supporters. He said that there will be key strengths amongst members which should be drawn upon. When there is a crisis effecting supporters of the football club, regular meetings are encouraged.

A question was raised regarding retaining long-term interest. James was asked from experience whether the more successful Trusts were based on an initial ‘big ticket’ idea, or from smaller, more prolonged, long-term objectives ?

James said that survival of a Trust should be based on being part of something and keeping a pool of volunteers where issues will be raised all the time. Some Trusts play a part in small issues, alongside survival campaigns and takeover involvement. Sometimes it may only mean a sticky plaster over a bigger issue but keeping the club alive for a while longer. By gaining interest and more members, the Trust can gain from more money and more influence. James added that there should be strong aims from the start but defined short, medium and long term goals.

Ben asked the floor what their thoughts were with James’ comments in italics:

- I believe the supporters’ club does a job, but not in the same way a Trust could. Undecided ahead of the open meeting, but have now changed my mind, although not sure how it will run if the aims are confused.

- The Trust being in place could really bring fans together with no big egos. Rallying together like the old days. A very tangible idea.

- Three years ago there was a solid group of supporters who united and decided this was a good idea but there was not as much interest at the time.

- The Fans’ Forum are doing a great job and this shouldn’t be confused with this idea, although would be great for both to work together. If Man Utd fans are battling to make a breakthrough, it could be a challenge to be listened too but if enough numbers are behind the Trust being one voice, it could work.

- Crystal Palace have a Trust and get nowhere with their chairman. They have raised almost £1m but hit a brick wall at board level. They have £600k in the bank and are using that money to sponsor youth players. James added that they are sitting pretty for the future. If the current Chairman moves on, they may be able to get involved and the money and support they currently have will work in their favour. They raised the money through a loan note scheme although there are other money raising schemes we can discuss.

- I see a couple of potential problems with the setting up of a Trust that will need to be overcome. One is that there are some fans that are in denial and still believe that the board will get us out of the mess, and they still have trust in the board. The VIP scheme didn’t attract 10% so I’m not sure how this will. Also the second point is the people that are involved; I’m concerned it could be a bit of an ego trip for one or two individuals.

- I came here as a sceptic, what with the Fans’ forum in place and all the good work they are doing. I don’t think that messages should be diluted between the different fans’ bodies. James said that divided fan base could be a problem, and that fans groups should be clearly defined. Most FC’s will have a supporters’ club and the Trust would be separate from that, possibly including input from local politicians/business and be pushing boundaries with the Club. All organisations have boundaries, including Supporters’ Direct which work alongside the FSF who are involved in fans’ issues such as ticket pricing, safe standing etc.

- As a member of the Fans’ Forum, I do not believe that there is a problem with the two working alongside. There certainly is no conflict as long as the aims are established.

- The difference between the two is that the FF was put in place by the club as they were happy for it to be there, but the Trust will be there for the fans, and the fans will be there forever. The club could pull the plug on the FF at anytime.

- I think with the internal groups there needs to be unification. There needs to be long term sustainability. There is no reason why the FF cannot be a representative arm of the Trust and I really hope the FF can see the potential advantages and embrace the opportunity of being part of any Trust. The FF have done a great job in moving away from the initial remit set by the club which should be applauded, but at the same time it is a body that was formed by the club, with membership vetted by the club, and very much reliant on the clubs goodwill for it to be maintained. By embracing an active involvement in the Trust, it could give the FF the independence it needs, and more importantly a body of supporters behind it that it could legitimately say it is representative of.

- The fans’ rep being on board had legal constraints. How can a member of a Trust be on the board and those same issues not arise? It wouldn’t be too different as the same issues would arise. There could be a code of conduct set up whereby there were specific areas that could be spoken about and an agreement from both parties. Contracts could be drawn up. There are other Trusts where this exists so this information can be tapped into.

- If there is something that cannot be talked about at a board meeting – the Director may have an off the record comment – there would need to be clarity with regards to what can be reported back.

- At Wycombe, they were backed into a corner and 2 people on the board had to negotiate a position that was a safeguard.

- Could we come up with some initial aims in this meeting to get the ball rolling? A suggestion would be to hold a bigger general open meeting whereby aims can be discussed based on the standard list we have. It is best not to be accused of being a closed group later on down the line.

- There is a period of uncertainty at the moment, and I think that counts for why there are a lot of people in this room to show that they care about what happens to this club. I think having an influence at the club is important.

- How could we go about buying a stake in the club? Are there any examples of Trusts that have gained a foothold in their club other than through share equity, i.e. schemes that have raised funds and acquire the pitch, or part of the club’s assets as an equity to safeguard the assets? Halifax Town own their own stadium, which leaves them in a very positive position. There are ways to have input into the Youth Scheme. There are definitely routes and we can discuss these. There are lots of important things that a Trust can be involved in.

- Are there any legal constraints with regards to current directors joining the Trust? Is there a conflict of interest? If they wanted to be part of it they could be. There are some restrictions. You can only be a member if you are over 16 and you can only be on the board if you are over 17. There is a long list which I can send to everyone.

- The supporters’ club branches seem to have their own agendas and a Trust can bring everyone together. There are a lot of people in this room and all are here for the same reason, regardless of egos and big personalities.

- Would all shareholders have to hand over their shares if they joined the Trust? No. 99% of Trusts don’t have to hand over shares as part of membership. I can only think of one club where you had to. Shareholders can use the Trust as their Proxy instead of transferring the name of the shares to the Trust. That way, if there is a certain issue you may not agree with, you don’t have to always vote in the way of the Trust.

- To get a 10% supporter base to sign up for 250 of those to sign over their proxy vote to the Trust, the board would have to listen as 3m share votes could be acquired quickly.

- If a takeover did happen, could the shares be made worthless by the board, i.e. if we are sold tomorrow? There is such a thing as a nuisance level of shares. Enough to be listened to – 10% needed to make a difference and to call an AGM. Sheffield Wednesday had 17% which was the 2nd largest single shareholder in their club and that made a difference.

- What happened with Notts County? The fans owned and ran the club? Some members of the Trust agreed to sign over ownership to another company but not all members were in agreement. The Club was sold and people were upset with the decision, but the majority agreed to sell. All fans would like the best for their club, but that can differ as to what it is. The Trust had a choice to make, 15% didn’t vote in favour. At our next conference there will be a feature regarding Notts County and lessons learnt from that.

It was agreed that there would be an open meeting held on Tuesday 15th September, so that fans could publicise the event and make people aware of what a Trust could do. It would be a broad discussion for all and a vote would take place there with regards to whether it would be taken further. It was stated that the turnout was good for an initial meeting and in the past at other clubs has been 5 people, so for 51 to be present was an achievement, although it was also noted that some were there to find out about a Trust and their presence didn’t mean they would be in favour. There were some people present who weren’t in favour before the meeting but had changed their minds by the end and others took this as a very positive sign that the Trust could be formed.

Contact details were passed to Brenda Smith who was volunteered to set up a mailing list.

Derek Woolley volunteered to design a leaflet and email to the mailing list so that all that are interested can print off and distribute at the next few games home and away.

The meeting ended at 9.30pm.

Future of League football in South East London

2009-08-05T16:47:00.004+01:00

I spent a bit of time this afternoon trawling through a number of message boards and forums to see if there are any fresh views regarding any potential takeover / financial injection ... not that I realistically expected to find much.

... and to be honest, there isn't much, just dreary repetition of the same points, and a surprising amount of animosity towards some individuals and forums ... so much for unity.

However, I also decided to check out some of the main Spanners and Palaaarse boards and it is safe to say that all three SE London clubs have a very unclear future at the moment.

It may not be all completely doom and gloom (although it is fairly close to that) but depending on how matters develop, we could all face admin ... and I am sure that this situation is being replicated all around the country. I am willing to bet that season 2010/2011 will see us without 2 or 3 existing clubs somewhere in the League ... being a naturally optimistic person, I believe we will manage to get out of this mess ... but others will definitely fall by the wayside. I cannot believe that every club will survive in the current environment.

***********************************

Sounds like a reasonable meeting was held last night with regard to the proposed Supporters Trust ... the next meeting is planned mid-September ... when I will be on a business trip to Hong Kong - bloody typical!

I am still not convinced that such a Trust is the right way forward but am very happy that it is at least being investigated ... Charlton fans have tended to be at their best when times are bad and even if the Trust does not fly, I am sure that something will come of this action. Whichever way it goes I will try to provide some positive input and support - travel commitments allowing!

Incidentally one of the posters that I read on a Palaaarse board was not particularly impressed with the success (or lack of it) of their own Trust ... however there is evidence that it has worked elsewhere so it's best at this stage to keep an open mind.

Pathe News

2009-08-05T08:40:00.004+01:00

Thanks to Darryl and his excellent 853 blog for the below links.

Some great stuff here!

Famous football teams 1936

Charlton vs Bolton 1923

Charlton vs Millwall at the Den 1938

Jimmy Seed 1936

FA Cup Final!

Sam Bartram's 500th game

Not forgetting camels and bingo in 1969 - I was at that game!!!

Update - Supporters' Trust Meeting

2009-07-31T10:15:00.002+01:00

AGENDA FOR INITIAL MEETING FOR A CHARLTON ATHLETIC SUPPORTERS’ TRUST

Time, date and venue:
7.00 pm Tuesday 4th August 2009,
Conservative Club, 51 Charlton Church Lane, SE7 7AE

Purpose of Meeting:
This is an initial meeting for Charlton fans to find out more about the concept of a Supporters’ Trust.
The representative from Supporters’ Direct has pointed out that this is normally, in the case of other trusts, 5 or 6 people discussing the idea in a pub. While interest at Charlton has already exceeded this he is still keen to follow a process which is open and inclusive to as many fans as possible.

Aims of the Meeting:
To discuss with James Mathie, a representative from Supporters’ Direct, the stages of setting up a Trust.
To gauge if there is sufficient support for the setting up of a Trust and if so;
To start to plan the legal and other processes needed to set up a Trust.
To collect the names and contact details of any interested parties.

Agenda
1. Q & A with James Mathie - Supporters’ Direct (http://www.supporters-direct.org/)
a. Legal structure of Trusts
b. Examples from other Trusts
c. Reasons for setting up a Trust and model aims

2. Next Steps
a. Setting up a Trust – What is involved?
b. Time scales and Stages
c. Constitution and model rules

3. Open discussion on possible aims of the Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust

4. Any other business and close

This is an open meeting and all fans are welcome to attend.

Supporters Trust

2009-07-23T08:42:00.003+01:00

Welcome to the new updated Many Miles ...

More importantly, check out the below link for a very important upcoming meeting on 4th August at 7.00pm to discuss the potential formulation of a Supporters Trust.

Charlton Life

Back to Blighty

2009-07-22T13:58:00.001+01:00

Got back from Portugal last Thursday and intended to start blogging again on Monday ... fat chance with the power-cuts! Currently in one of our 3-hour rota allocations so taking advantage.

Not very easy working from home this week without regular power ... having to continually locate a power source for my laptop ... I’ve not hand-written so much for years!

Holiday started well, but got screwed up at the end of the first week ... walking back from a restaurant talking to my son and son-in-law whilst my daughter and wife were a few yards behind us. Suddenly heard my wife screaming and realised that a local scumbag had stolen her bag ... son and son-in law tried to catch him but to no avail. He obviously had done this before and had his escape route well planned. Bloody typical that my wallet was in the bag, full of cash ... and my credit cards! ... which I had got out that day ... I rarely carry cash but a lot of the local restaurants did not take credit cards. Also my wife lost her purse with all her cash, both our cameras ... and the bloody villa keys!

Some helpful locals called the police for us, and took us to the police station to make a report ... total waste of time as despite their excellent English they decided that we had to come back in the morning with an official interpreter! They then called an emergency locksmith who took us back to the villa, broke into the villa garden gates and the villa back door, charging us 200 quid for the privilege.

Suffice to say it put a downer on the rest of the holiday and money was at a premium although fortunately I had some backup travellers cheques and my son used his debit card. From what the locksmith told us, this is now a regular occurrence in Vilamoura so be careful ... we also had an intruder in our garden a day or two later who pretended he was a gardener. The people next door told us this is a common thing these days and most villas have experienced problems.

On the plus side we got to see Perry and Karen a couple of times at Floyds, the best Charlton bar in continental Europe! Equally fortunate that on the first visit, it was Karen’s birthday so a good time was had by all.

Provided power cuts are over, will get back to Charlton blogging tomorrow ... all sorts of things appear to be possibly happening ... or not ... over next few days!

It's the big question!

2009-06-29T17:14:00.002+01:00

Charlton you gotta let me know
Should Parky stay or should he go?
If you say that he is ours
Then he’ll be here with reduced powers
So you got to let us know
Should Parky stay or should he go?

Always tease tease tease
You’re happy when I’m on my knees
One day is fine, next is black
So if you want me off your back
Well come on and let me know
Should Parky stay or should he go?

Should he stay or should he go now?
Should he stay or should he go now?
If he goes there will be trouble
And if he stays it will be double
So come on and let me know
Should Parky stay or should he go?

This indecisions bugging me
If you don’t want him, set him free
Exactly whom he’s supposed to be
Come on and let me know
Should he cool it or should he blow?

Should he stay or should he go now?
If he goes there will be trouble
And if he stays it will be double
So you gotta let me know
Should he stay or should he go?

Cheers Joe and Mick ;-)

6 weeks to go

2009-06-26T08:21:00.005+01:00

Strange birthday yesterday, starting on a flight from Singapore and landing back at Heathrow yesterday morning at 5.15 ... good time to use the M25, I was back home by 6.30 and working by 7.00 ... makes a nice change to later in the day!

Got some great presents including an anthology of George Orwell books ... it's years since I read them so very timely for my hols next week! Also got the Karine Polwart album Fairest Floo'er ... getting quite into this type of music lately along with artists such Cara Dillon and Alyth McCormack.

Talking of music the new Madness and Yusuf albums have been on my iPod a lot lately ... highly recommended.

So the OS shows the players and management returning to training ... except we can't tell who everyone is, there are not many there, and were the pics taken this week anyway? ... I like the conspiracy theory CA ;-)

Regardless, one point remains ... as supporters of this club, we have always been able to pride ourselves on the openness in communication between club and fans ... well, over the last 20 years or so anyway, wasn't so good in the Gliksten days when I first started supporting ... what has happened!

It would appear that Phil Parkinson ... and Mark Kinsella ... are still with us. Will that change before the season starts? To be honest, I can't see it ... even if takeover rumours are true (although personally I think that if anything happens it will be some form of investment rather than full takeover). Perhaps the last thing that is needed 6 weeks before the season starts is even more disruption ... but the contra-side is that if Parky continues with the run of results that we had since he took over, we may be in total freefall.

There is a fans forum meeting on 9th July, and the one down side of going on holiday next week is that I will miss the meeting ... however I am sure that Perry will give me an update from Charlton Life when I meet up with him at Floyds.

Well, hopefully one more post next week before I go to Portugal ... unfortunately I have a further business trip first, leaving on Sunday to Frankfurt ... but will be over fairly quickly.

My son is currently at Glastonbury and by the sound of the weather reports last night and today ... he may well be getting pretty wet! Not that he will care, a few good bands and a lot of booze and he won't notice lol

Back in the fold

2009-06-22T04:51:00.002+01:00

Wow … is it really 8 months since I last posted? And also, incidentally, the same period of time since I actually attended a Charlton game.

Not that I had that many people reading this blog, but I guess it’s worth giving an explanation. Basically I have spent a lot of the intervening time coming to grips with the fact that in October I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis … not a happy time! I had been having problems with my legs, heaviness, and difficulty in walking very far, problems with stairs, etc., for about a year. To cut a long story short, after many months of being referred up the ladder from one doctor to another, having MRI scans, spending time in hospital being given steroid infusions, etc., the problem was finally narrowed down to MS.

My seat at the Valley was in the East Stand, 4 rows from the front, and there was no way I could continue to manoeuvre my way down the steepish stairs especially without a handrail, and the ascent back up the stairs made my legs so heavy that it was a problem getting back to my car … which was another problem as I normally parked up by Charlton Park, in Cemetery Lane, which was now too far for me to walk. Thankfully, it has not prevented me from driving although I have to admit it is now only for fairly short distances.

Fortunately my season ticket was not wasted as my son was able to take a friend with him most of the time.

I am writing this from Singapore as I have been here for a few days on a business trip and only returning later in the week. Those of you that know me are aware that I travel approximately 50% of my time, normally to Frankfurt, less often to Singapore, and then just about anywhere in between. In fact, working in that way is easier than travelling to my London office as I use taxis between hotel and office. The only problem can be walking through some of the larger airports such as Heathrow and Changi, but it can be done. I normally only have to get up to the London office once a month, which is good as it is quite an effort to do so … fortunately they have no problem with me working from home.

It is also quite surreal that I am now entitled to a disabled parking badge … I just can’t relate to myself in that way!

Coming back to Charlton, my saviours since last October have been the various excellent Charlton blogs, as listed in my links on the right (many of which I may need to re-check – let me know if any of your blogs are missing), and Charlton Life. Additionally, I have managed to listen to just about every game via CAFCTV – not the greatest at times, but a lifeline if you can’t get to the Valley!

So what about next season? I have been determined that I will be getting back down to the Valley and I have to give my sincere thanks to the staff at the ticket office who have helped in this regard … including one who was amongst those made redundant but still went out of her way to help. Even before swap week had started, they had re-located both my own and my son’s seat to a higher level in the East Stand which means I will no longer have to navigate the steps. And now they are looking into whether or not they can get me a parking space either behind the West Stand, or more likely in Lansdowne Mews. Fingers crossed that they will succeed otherwise I am going to have the same problem of getting to the ground! I had considered purchasing a parking space in the West Stand car park but at £720 per season, it is far too much especially as I cannot be sure I will be at every game.

Strange to be back in the 3rd division as I remember the last time with mixed emotions. Obviously there were a lot of bad times then, but I can recall lots of high-scoring games and some terrific away-days. Very unlikely that I will be able to attend so many away games this time, but I hope to get to some … however I will now have to restrict myself to coach travel rather than train or car, as walking any significant distance is too much of a problem.

So, will I be blogging on a more regular basis now I am back? It’s certainly my intention, but not for a few more days until I am back in the UK … and then I won’t bore you with explanations as to why I have been gone, but will concentrate on Charlton!

I’m off on holiday on 2nd July for a couple of weeks but should manage at least one posting before then, although I still have to arrange a day or two in Frankfurt once I am back. There is a Charlton aspect of my holiday that I am looking forward to … we are going to Portugal so it will give me a chance to catch up again with Perry and Karen at Floyd’s, the best Charlton bar in Europe!

Anyway, onwards and upwards!

Cheers to you all and it’s good to be back :-)

Stay Positive

2008-10-25T17:01:00.004+01:00

Couldn't get down to the Valley today, so had to listen on radio and take part in the thread on Charlton Life.

Well ... I've heard of a game of 2 halves, but this definitely seemd to be a prime example. There was an early scare when Burnley appeared to have scored, but after discussion with the linesman, the ref called it as offside. Seemed that the ref got his first decision completely wrong.

The crowd started brilliantly and the songs were coming through loud and clear.

But it didn't take too long before Burnley did score and within a few minutes, the crowd was very quiet and a few boos came across on the radio. What is the point of that? This team needs confidence at the moment, and booing them only gives the away team confidence. OK, you have paid your money and you can do what you want, but why not wait until the end, and if you don't like it, don't bother coming back.

The impression given by Phil Parry and Steve Brown was that Burnley started very strongly, yet according to BBC stats, we had 55% of possession. Didn't sound that way on the radio.

The booing came across at a more frequent rate especially when Burnley were on the attack, and it appeared to be affecting the players.

At half-time, it seemed clear that a change in shape, and a change in players was needed to change the game. Good to hear Dave Lockwood do his part to get things moving when he played Valley Floyd Road and Into the Valley before the 2nd half started.

And it seemed to work! The crowd got going and the team improved ... good job, Dave! Toddy and Sam joined the 2nd half and both of them had a storming game. Our first shot on target came on 46 minutes and got an ironic cheer. Ambrose transformed himself after a rubbish first half and sounded excellent.

The crowd were very loud at this stage and we eventually received our just desserts for our 2nd half display with a great goal from Toddy. The rest of the game was all Charlton, apart from a couple of Burnley counter-attacks, and we were very unfortunate not to win. Having said that, I still heard a few boos at the final whistle, but the rest of the crowd proceeded to drown them out.

We need to go on from here, the confidence of the 2nd half has to be maintained. We have not turned a corner yet, but the signs are there. This squad is good enough to move up the table and challenge for the play-offs. Equally, with such a close division, we could be near the bottom. Confidence is all, and I hope that we now have enough to change it around.

Oh, and Josh Wright received a standing ovation when he was subbed - sounds like he had a terrific debut.

C'mon you Reds!

Stay Positive - The Streets

We are the Pigs

2008-09-30T19:37:00.061+01:00

Had a ticket but for various reasons had to resign myself to not attending so my son took one of his mates instead.

Took the opportunity to listen on the radio and participate in the thread on Charlton Life for the first time. Great start on Radio London ... apparently due to rights restrictions they cannot bring me the program!!! So had to use an old small battery radio.

5 corners for Palace in the first 5 minutes is not good when you are listening on radio! Now managed to get live commentary on the Palace site ... but very biased.

15 minutes gone, and it seems like Palace have provided most of the pressure, although we have managed a corner.

After 25 minutes, sounds like Charlton are settling down, and game much more even. Bailey sounds like he's having a good game. Charlton fans coming through loud and clear, Valley Floyd Road!

35 minutes, Palace 8th corner! They are getting on top, corner no.9! According to Palace commentary, good goal-keeping by Weaver, and Charlton are resorting to a long-ball game!

Half-time, sounded like we were outplayed, but we kept it at 0-0 so got to hope this bodes well for the 2nd half. Palace commentator reckons 0-0 slightly flattering for Charlton ... who cares, we are still in the game.

Phewww, Ifill nearly scored at the start of 2nd half. Sounds like it was easier to score! Palace seem to be way on top, now their 10th corner. Bailey still praised as best Charlton player. Charlton crowd still loud, and VFR coming through very clearly.

Crap, been on the back foot for ages and now Beattie scores 63rd minute, come on Pards, it's obvious that changes are needed, we are not creative at all!

70th minute, ZZ, Gray and Toddy, on for Ambrose (no surprise), Holland, and Sam. Why does Pards wait till Palace score! Now we have to settle again. Pards doesn't even look at the players as they come off. OK, I'm not at the game, but even remotely it seemed obvious that we needed to make changes 15 minutes ago. According to the radio commentator, it's 'chaos in the Charlton area'. 80 minutes, it's not looking good.

4 minutes of added time, this does not look good. As far as I can make out, we have not created anything in 90 minutes, so what chance now!

That was NOT good. Be interesting to hear from those who were there, but I am sure the subs should have been made much earlier.

Ipswich game on Saturday becomes even more important now.

C'mon you Reds!

We are the Pigs - Suede

Ain't No Easy Way

2008-08-17T09:44:00.006+01:00

I wasn't able to make it for this game and after receiving a text from my son just before five yesterday afternoon stating the score, that was probably a good thing.

According to Pards the red card changed the game. He believes the card was over-harsh, but on the positive side praises Nicky Bailey on his debut. But more worrying is that Therry Racon may have fractured a metatarsal on his foot during the second half. Our team is down to 'bare bones' already and this is not going to help.

Kings Hill Addick also wasn't at the game, but highlights that, in current circumstances, losing a game 1-0 away from home to a team that was relegated from the Premier League with us and with ten men doesn't sound like a disaster ... fair point.

Dave Peeps was there and makes the point that we deserved something from the game but the red card 'by a poor refereeing decision aided by an inept Linesman' obviously did not help. I have to take heart from his summary that we showed enough belief to expect to get a win against Reading.

The Inspector also emphasises the inept ref and linesman but adds to that the 'tedious, time-wasting antics' of Watford.

New York Addick saw us as the better side but spoke about the lack of quality. Sounds like it was a bit of a long-ball game.

Dr. Kish relied on text message updates but makes an interesting point that Youga's red card was an accident always waiting to happen.

I will be away for the Reading and Preston games so will also have to rely on text updates as to what is happening ... both off and on the pitch. Back for the Wolves game and hopefully a couple more points on the board. I expect us to get a win against Reading, but we may come away with nothing from Preston as they are looking quite strong at the moment.

On a final point, I hope that ZZ is still with us when I get back ... although the signs are not positive. The Baggies have made an increased bid, and it's hard not to see him back in the Premiership. But Charlton should be aware ... his value is much higher than a pure transfer fee ... there are many intangible benefits to having him in the team. When I was in Singapore a couple of weeks ago, the first question asked by the taxi-driver at the airport, after checking my destination, was 'Would I be following the Olympics?'. I pointed out that I would, but had a particular interest in watching the football because one of the players of my local team captained the China team.

Ohhhh, he said, you support Charlton Athletic! And, the same conversation and result ensued on a number of occasions both in the office and outside. OK, this is not a direct financial benefit, but it is definitely something that can be leveraged in some way. My fear is that Albion may now reap the benefits.

Ain't no easy way - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

These things take time

2008-08-10T11:52:00.002+01:00

Well I got the score wrong ... my prediction was 3-1 ... but at least I had the 2 goal differential correct. This was always going to be a potential banana-skin game for Charlton, just as with Scunny last season, but a stronger defence ensured that this time we got through with all 3 points.

We had a dream start with the well-taken goal from Hudson, and despite a good passing game from Swansea, I didn't feel as if we were ever going to lose this game ... although I won't deny that the 2nd goal came as quite a relief. As can often be the case it is not always easy playing against 10 men, as we did from the 70th minute, and Swansea seemed to overcome the loss of their captain pretty well. I know that managers often tend not to see the truth of the matter with sendings-off, but Martinez should have been more accepting that Monk had to go, it was a bad tackle on Holland.

The Swansea fans did exactly as expected and were in full voice throughout most of the game ... there was a fair bit of noise from the Covered End but once again,the acoustics of a full Jimmy Seed stand drowned out our singing ... and I am only 2 blocks away from the Covered End in the East stand.

As for the team, there were a number of bright spots, but at times we did not look as comfortable as we should ... with a smallish squad, they will get a lot more time to play together and hopefully can gel and improve the confidence.

Weaver - reasonable game, not severely tested, and managed to scramble away a shot near the end with a strong punch.

Semedo - as previous readers of my blog are aware, I am a fan of Semedo, but he didn't seem at his best today. More to come, and I see him as a key player in the team

Youga - some excellent play at times, and good link-up work on the wing with Thomas.

Hudson - very good debut, well-taken goal, and looked strong. Cannot be a coincidence that our defence looked less vulnerable with him in the team.

Fortune - not convinced that he is the right player to take us through, but needs must in current circumstances. Perhaps I am too hard on him, as he should be good enough at this level. But he has under-achieved for a long time. As Steve Brown has said in the past, we should be seeing more from Fortune.

Sam - had a reasonable game, and I expect to see further improvement in the next few games.

Racon - liked him a lot. Made some excellent passes, and caused a few problems for Swansea.

Shelvey - I cannot say any more than the comments made by Pards, 'Jonjo worked very hard but he was caught in the headlights a little bit. He'll learn from that though.' Exactly as I saw it. But I am still concerned, for selfish reasons, that the press are building him up so much. If he can have a quiet game, and we still win, then that works for me. I don't want him to yet have a high profile before the January transfer window. I have just been re-reading Mick Collins book, The Rise and Rise of Charlton Athletic, and the reminder that West Ham took Jermaine Defoe a month before his 17th birthday has resonations that I do not want to see again ... Shelvey is 17 in February!

Thomas - had a good game, and I hope he continues like this. But he still has a lot of fans working against him ... there is a woman behind me who seems to spend most games slating Thomas ... OK, a lot of the time he deserves it, but yesterday she totally ignored the many bright spots, and as soon as he made one bad move, screamed abuse ... and she is not the only one. It doesn't help!

Varney - still not doing what we expect him to do ... he should have had a goal today, and I hope he can develop the partnership with Gray which will take us up.

Gray - still more improvement needed, but he is getting there ... and with a goal, I'm not going to complain too much.

As for the subs, Holland looked his normal industrious self, and will be a good player to have on the bench for certain games. Basey looks bigger and stronger each time I see him ... definitely a key player for the future. Too soon to comment on Bouazza, but he appears to be a good loan signing.

My original prediction for the season was very optimistic, and not in line with most fans, as I predicted we will finish 2nd behind Birmingham ... and our current position (admittedly after one game) is ... 2nd.

After yesterday's game, my revised prediction in 5th ... more realistic, and it will be interesting to see how my viewpoint changes over the course of the season.

These things take time - The Smiths

The Sunnyside of the Street

2008-08-08T14:36:00.003+01:00

Just got back from a business trip to Asia, so not had much time to prepare comments on the game with Swansea tomorrow ... so I decided to cheat and link to some of the previews I came across this morning.

There's always some good stuff out there in cyberworld from various Charlton bloggers, but my favourite is definitely the return of the Inspector, under the heading 'New season, new look, same attitude'.

I'm totally with him when he states "I realised there was something not quite right about Charlton stuff on the web. It'd been taken over by miseries." I couldn't agree more Inspector. And his summary that he wants his Charlton back, and fun on Saturday afternoons, so get behind the team or sod off ... absolutely right and I remember saying something similar on one of my reports last season.

Nelson gives us a good summary on Iberian Valley, and I expect his prediction of the team for the day is correct, but result prediction too pessimistic. Confidence levels have dropped? Maybe, but the youngsters should be going out there without fear, and as long as certain elements of the crowd desist from booing, I think they will be ok.

A Red Divided gives some good advice ... it's gonna be a long ride this season, so get some rest ;-) Will be interesting to see his thoughts as the season progresses.

Chicago / Bermuda Addick is back in the UK and will be at the Valley for the game. New season, new start, renewed belief ... good words.

Over to Wyn Grant and I agree with him, it's not the fixture we wanted to start with, but Wyn still predicts a 2-1 win for us.

An interesting retrospective from New York Addick on the comparison with 1997/98 - well worth a read.

That's all I had a chance to look at today, although there are a number of others around.

As for me, well I'm definitely looking forward to the game ... and despite concerns, I'm going for a 3-1 win.

C'mon you Reds !!!

The Sunnyside of the Street - The Pogues

View from the top

2008-08-01T11:42:00.002+01:00

Interesting comments from Derek Chappell on the OS.

He pointed out that the sales were part of a strategy to strengthen Charlton's finances in addition to gaining a squad that shared the same ambitions as the club - but insisted that the Addicks would also be looking to invest in the transfer market before the end of August.

"We have to remember that we had a big squad last season. We're very pleased at the progress that has been made over the last two or three weeks, and our finances are much improved. We are getting ourselves financially straight, but of course the transfer window is far from closed and there is still a month to go. We have interests in other players, too, so it's not going to be a one-way street. Apart from reconfiguring the squad, I think it's desirable that we should have a squad of player that are settled at the club and a club that is also settled with its players. If interest is shown in any of our players by other clubs, I'd like to get to a situation where the player isn't unsettled because he is enjoying his time at Charlton and wants to stay at the club, and from the club's point of view, we have a settled squad full of players who want to play for Charlton, share the club's ambitions and are not tempted to leave. We don't want any distractions to our overall aim, which is to progress the club and get back to the Premier League.”

Rise to the challenge

2008-07-31T10:26:00.002+01:00

There seems to be a fair bit of negativity on a number of Charlton blogs and message boards at the moment. The squad is weaker than last season and we were bad enough then, selling our best talent, not spending on any new players …….

But is it really that bad ? And is the team that different to last season ?

We would all admit that we had a bad season last year, and to be honest there were not that many stand-out matches … yet we were near the top of the table most of the season … despite playing poorly.

End September – 3rd
End October – 8th
End November – 3rd
End December – 5th
End January – 5th
End February – 5th

… and then the real collapse, end March – 12th.

So by playing badly we managed to stay in the top-6 until early March, having played 38 games by that time. If we could do that last season, can we do it again this year … or is the team now so much weaker that it is not possible. Because if the team is not any weaker overall, then we have as much chance this season as last … and perhaps if we play more consistently, we will not have the usual Charlton trait of falling away at the end of the season.

So what are the differences since the end of last season?

Out
Chris Iwelumo – our top scorer last season, but used as a sub on 14 occasions. But can we say that the long-ball game to Chris was ultimately any good for us?
Paddy McCarthy – I am a fan and voted for him as our player of the year last season, mainly because of the improvement and strength that he displayed, so depending on replacements, this could be considered as a loss for us.
Darren Randolph – not completely out, but a season-long loan. I rate Randolph, but assume that as it is a loan, then we can get him back if needed.Osei Sankofa – showed promise on occasion, but is it really that much of a loss? I don’t think so.
Madjid Bougherra – if the press reports are right, then he leaves today. I like Boogie, but he was not that impressive for a lot of last season … so again, is this a potentially fatal loss? I would say not.
Cory Gibbs – we never saw him play (apart from the Welling friendly) so cannot be considered that the team is weaker because of his departure.
Chrissy Powell – obviously a loss, but he was no longer at his best.

Injured
Weaver apparently has a ligament problem, but not known at this stage how serious it is … potentially a problem if he is out for a while.
Holland should be training by end of the week.
Ambrose will be training in a couple of weeks.
Toddy will apparently be back in training by the end of week.
Mcleod back in full training in 8 weeks.

In
Who have we purchased?
Stuart Fleetwood – 36 goals in 50 games last season, albeit for Forest Green. Should prove to be a good forward to have on the bench
Mark Hudson – I expect him to be a more or less straight swap for Paddy. In fact, we may have the better of the deal, he was Palaaarse’s captain and part of a defence with one of the best defensive records last season … actually let me re-word that … having checked they conceded the least goals of any team, only 42.

Others
Will Varney and Gray hit it off this season? … there has to be a good chance. We know from his Burnley days that Gray has talent and goals, and received many rave reviews … including, I believe, player of the year from 442 magazine.
We have a possible exceptional talent in JonJo. I get the impression that he can also handle the pressure … but, of course, we can not look at him alone to be our saviour … it is far too soon and a responsibility he does not need at this stage of his career.

I am not convinced that we are worse off than last season. We may not have brought in expensive new faces as we perhaps would have wanted, but we will hopefully keep ZZ … at least until the January transfer window.

Was my previous post too optimistic? Maybe, but with a good result against Swansea, it could kick off the season.

Are we weaker than last year? … I reserve my judgement … I am not convinced that we are … and we are still only a couple of players short of being in the top-2. If no-one else joins, then we should still have a shout at the play-offs.

Rose-tinted specs? Nope, they are red and white and I believe we have a very interesting season ahead of us … but as to whether the optimists or the pessimists are right … well, that’s all part of the fun isn’t it!

Rise to the Challenge - Asian Dub Foundation

Wake me up when September ends

2008-07-28T16:13:00.001+01:00

OK, the subject line was just an excuse to use the title of a great Green Day song, but by the end of September (well … October 4th actually) we would have played 10 games. Looking back at the table last year after 10 games, the top half of the table gave the impression that we were about to start a healthy season and that our only problem would be catching Watford!

Watford 23
Charlton 19
Albion 17
Bristol City 17
Stoke 17
Barnsley 16
Wolves 15
Coventry 15
Ipswich 14
Plymouth 14
Scunthorpe 14
Burnley 13

So what could happen this season? I can’t be bothered to go through every club’s fixtures, and anyway it’s a waste of time as I will get most of the predictions wrong. Rather try and predict our results … which I am also likely to get wrong, but here goes:

Swansea (H) - could well be a draw, but as Swansea finally lost a friendly on Saturday, and bearing in mind Toshack’s subsequent negative comments, I don’t believe they will make the impression that Scunny did last season. Home Win 3 points

Watford (A) – looks like Watford’s money woes are far worse than expected, and as far as I can recall they have not been that active in the transfer market. They could really suffer this season having had such a crap 2nd half to the season last year. Away Win 3 points

Reading (H) – interesting question, will they be like Charlton the first time we were relegated from the Premier, or like we were last season? Also not been particular active in the transfer market, but should be strong enough to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season. Draw 1 point

Preston (A) – virtually no transfer activity, and would be favourite for many to go down. But they have a reasonable defence and conceded less than us last season. Away Win 3 points

Wolves (H) – I think this one will be tough. Unfortunately I have to miss it as I will be travelling. Wolves are not significant goal-scorers but Chrissy Iwelumo may well turn out to be a great buy for them. Draw 1 point

Doncaster (A) - why is it on a bloody Tuesday !?!?! I was really looking forward to this one, but will be working away. Darren Byfield may be a useful buy for them but we should be able to take the points. Away Win 3 points

Forest (A) – been a while since we played, and I am not optimistic about the result. At this level, Andrew Cole and Robert Earnshaw could prove to be very useful purchases. Home Win 0 points

Sheff Wed (H) – not sure about this one, but they were not that strong last season and are another team that have not been too active in the close season. Home Win 3 points

Palaaarse (A) – what do you expect me to say! Can’t be bothered to look at this rationally, I can only allow one result (and they do have money problems, Bostock and Hudson gone, plus Tangoman looking for a way out). Away Win 3 points

Ipswich (H) – Tough game I believe. For some reason I am not convinced we will win this one. Draw – 1 point

So what’s the total – 10 games, 21 points !!!

Which would put us … 2nd again if we use last season’s table!

I am obviously looking at it far too optimistically as I do not expect us to start this well … it’s actually a fairly tough run of games … but who knows?

At least I have now convinced myself that I am looking forward to the start of the season!

Seagulls

2008-07-27T12:30:00.001+01:00

Just the sort of friendly (or league game) that we love. A trip to the seaside in the sunshine!

We sold out the away end, 900 or so tickets, possibly one of the bigger away attendances we will experience this season … although it would be nice to think it is a sign of things to come.

Day started well, got to Victoria well in time to get the train down to Brighton before midday. Obviously Southern Rail’s cheap ticket policy that groups of 4 can get a ticket for a fiver return paid off dividends as the train was ram-packed on both legs of the journey.

Walked down the hill from the station, looking for somewhere to eat, and chose Wetherspoons as a first stop … big mistake. Crap pub, mediocre pub-grub menu, surly staff … and being told it would take 40 minutes for food to arrive. Couldn’t be bothered to wait so we carried on down the hill and went into Walkabout … always a good option.

Despite the bar being packed with Aussies and Kiwis watching TV, we were served quickly and had our food in the garden at the back within 10 minutes. Coming back into the pub later for a refill, I recognised a few other Addicks in the bar.

Decided to go to for drink nearer the ground and used the free ticket that Brighton provide for the train and bus … train took less than 5 minutes to Preston Park. Then a quite surreal work to the ground … along a winding path through a forest eventually arriving at the Withdean stadium. And, it was very welcome on a very hot day … a pub at the ground! A bloody good pub too, serving an excellent pint of Guinness.

Having cooled down, we went to the away end, and joined the Charlton hordes. Pards got a good welcome when he came out as did the players.

Best way to describe the game is that it was a work-out … not too serious … and that’s the way the fans seemed to take it as well. Not a lot of noise from our end to be honest … although that may have been more to most of us being semi-comatose from the sun and the beer!

The anti-Palaaarse songs from both Charlton and Brighton brought a smile with Brighton insisting that they hated Palaaarse more than us.

Team announcements made it known to us that Weaver was injured and Callum Christie deputised … not a name I know.

Positives …
Shelvey looked ok but we should be careful of over-hype. Also I was concerned to read in the programme that he is being touted as one of the best talents in England and expected to be in the Premiership in a year … hope we haven’t got another Bostock here. Gonna be a strange situation where we want him to do well, but do not want anyone outside Charlton to know !
Youga and Racon did well, and I thought Sam looked good when he came on, as did Dickson who as well as scoring, caused a few problems. Only worry is that near the end, Dickson came off seemingly troubled by a slight limp. Prior to this, Dicko should have earned a penalty but the ref ignored the claim. Basey also looked good.
Wasn’t too impressed with Bougherra and Semedo … although perhaps I am too hard on them as they are two players I like a lot, and expect a lot from them. Varney definitely did not look on-form.

All in all, a good day out, and it looks like we will be invited back to their new ground when it is finished. Something to look forward to!

Team: Christie, Semedo (Moutaouakil 66), Youga, Bougherra (Fortune 54), Hudson, Wagstaff (Sam 54), Racon, Shelvey (Wright 66), Thomas (Basey 54), Varney (Dickson 54), Gray.

Here we go again!

2008-06-16T15:22:00.002+01:00

Belated thanks to Charlton Life for arranging a re-run of the Sunderland play-off game at Bartrams a few weeks ago. Celebrating the 10th anniversary and Sasa was there as well! And it was the first time he had watched the game ... as was obvious because he didn't take his eyes off the screen even when being spoken to. Terrific bloke and good to see him again.

And the even better news ... the fixtures are out ... and it's amazing how much you start looking forward to getting back to the Valley again.

Welling tickets for Wednesday 9th July ... unfortunately midweek again as are a number of good fixtures ... go on sale this week so I'll be getting mine on Friday when I am back from Frankfurt. And then the most eagerly awaited friendly for years, Brighton away on 26th July. I get the impression there are a lot of Charlton going down to this one so hope we get enough tickets.

As to next season, we start with Swansea at home on 9th August so I think we can expect a fairly healthy away following for that one. And first away game is Watford ... we should get a decent support following us to Vicarage Road.

Both the Palaaarse games are mid-week, I assume on the request of the police. It's a pity but if we can get the type of atmosphere that we had at the home evening game last season then it's gonna be very noisy. I just hope we can take as many to the away game as we did last year.

Biggest disappointment for me is Doncaster away on a Tuesday in September. Been looking forward to this one so just my luck that I will be in Vienna that week on business. And Norwich away on 20th December is not the easiest of dates but at least it's a Saturday so I look forward to one of Delia's pies just before Christmas.

QPR at home on Boxing Day should be a good one but the away game is on a Tuesday in November. Seems to be a lot of away games mid-week which is always difficult for me as I normally work in Frankfurt during the week but hopefully I can make most of the better ones.

Both Forest and Blackpool away are on a Saturday, and will be possibles for me. Saturday April 25th will also be a date to be targeted - our last away game of the season and it's at Derby ... promotion game? OK, I shouldn't get carried away after last season ... but that's what it's all about, so why not!

Hope to see a few of you at Park View Road on 9th July ... and in the Guy Earl of Warwick before the game !

C'mon you Reds !!!

Negative support

2008-04-02T01:39:00.001+01:00

For various reasons I have had little opportunity in the last few weeks to attend to my blog.

And, to be honest, there is little I could add to the excellent commentaries that have been provided by numerous other online Charlton fans.

I’m back in Singapore again and had a chance to read a lot of reports on the Wolves game on the flight over on Sunday … and it is amazing how many reported on the negativity of the Charlton crowd. And they are right! I sit in the East Stand, a couple of blocks from the Covered End, and from an early stage in the game, I seem to be surrounded by people booing … and it is not just in the East Stand … the Covered End has a number of such ‘fans’ also.

OK, if you’ve paid your money then I guess you have that choice … but if you don’t like it, then don’t bother coming!!! If this means less season ticket holders next season, then I am all for it. Fair enough, it is down to the team to get their act together … but it doesn’t help when so many ‘fans’ slag them off. Even on the TV coverage you can hear the jeering and boos.

Yes, most of us assumed that this season would be a success and we are pissed off being mid-table. But this is Charlton!!! We have no god-given right to be successful … so many of these supporters are behaving like Spurs fans … we are too good to be where we are … why should we have to play in this division … we are far too good. Well, actually, we aren’t at the moment! So live with it and support the team … grumble if you want, moan if you want, stop going if you want (and I wish some of them would) … but don’t turn the Valley into a negative arena of self-pity. Remember who we are, and where we come from, and what it took for this club to achieve what it has in the last 10 years.

Amazingly, we could still make the play-offs, we could even go up. I don’t think we will, but that won’t stop me and many thousands of others still returning next year. If they can’t make the commitment to back our unique club, then I’d rather they stay away.

There are still many positives this season … we have a great board of directors (and, yes, I know, I’m not blind, they have made big mistakes, but I’d still rather have them than not), we have a great core fan base, and still believe in having a fan on the board. The club believes in looking forward … yes, we have fallen behind from where we wanted to be, but it is still the only club that I want to support.

And there is a lot of promise and potential in the team … Zheng Zhi, Youga, Paddy, Weaver, Moo2, Basey, Semedo, Sodje, etc … they may not all have been as consistent as we would prefer … but they are good players and definitely have the potential to take us up next season.

And if they don’t … well, stuff the doom and gloom lot … this is my team, my Charlton, and I will still return year after year.

C’mon you Reds !!!

I predict a ... win

2008-03-14T11:08:00.001Z

Having added a post yesterday, it was interesting to again read my post of 6 February. At that time I predicted optimistically that we would get 15 points from the 7 games after Palaaarse. From a pessimistic viewpoint I predicted 8 points.

In actual fact we only managed to get 6 points !

Oh well, onwards and upwards … I predict a Charlton win tomorrow. For a change, we are the underdogs, and Ipswich are on a poor run. Holland to get a terrific welcome from the home fans and will then set up Ambrose for a stunning goal from outside the area.

Sounds like there are going to be a lot of inflatables and beach balls at Portman Road so let’s hope the team add to the fun atmosphere!

Memories

2008-03-13T15:52:00.001Z

For the 2nd time since I started this blog there has been a long gap between postings.

This time nothing to do with internet problems but instead a combination of overseas business trips, holiday, and finally a damaged hamstring which meant I have been unable to attend any games for a while.

The last game that I actually managed to attend was Palaaarse at home … thank god I managed to get to that one! No need to remind everyone what happened as it will be in our memories for a long time!!

But how things have changed in the table since then.

After the Palaaarse game it looked like this:

1. Watford 55
2. WBA 54
3. Bristol City 54
4. Stoke 53
5. Charlton 50
6. Ipswich 45

And now …

1. Bristol City 67
2. Stoke 66
3. Watford 63
4. WBA 62
5. Charlton 56
6. Hull 56

Bristol and Stoke have swapped places with WBA and Watford whilst Ipswich have moved down to be replaced by Hull (who thankfully lost last night).

And Charlton … haven’t moved! Which is actually astonishing. I am not sure how we are hanging on bearing in mind that since Palaaarse we have played 7 games. Drawing 3, losing 3 and only winning one game !!!

If I had to miss a block of games it is perhaps fortunate that it has been at this time of the season. In fact I will miss one more, Ipswich away on Saturday … which is a pity as it would have been fun to take a seat on the Charlton Lifers coach. Well, at least my son will be going, his first trip there, and is staying the weekend with a friend who now lives up there.

The interesting thing about the games that I missed is that most of them bring back some good memories of games gone past.

Blackpool away: one of the windiest and coldest games I ever attended. Walking along the front at Blackpool was like walking into a hurricane and no bars or cafes were open on the front. We managed to find an empty bar about 4 or 5 streets back from the front. Arriving at the ground we were amazed to see that we were to be joined by a few dozen Blackburn fans. Their game had been cancelled and because they hated Blackpool they decided to come and support us! I can’t remember if this was the game we lost 2-1 or 5-1 but it was certainly in January and in the mid to late 70’s.

Preston home. A never to be forgotten game for those that were there in 1975. We had a 20,000 plus crowd and knew we would be promoted from the old 3rd division if we won. One nil down at half-time, we came back to win 3-1 with a goal from Bobby Goldthorpe and a double by Killer. Then after the whistle went, the entire Covered End invaded the pitch shouting for Andy Nelson and Killer.

Burnley away. 1977, 4-1 up with 10 minutes to go and we almost contrived to lose with the final score 4-4. Burnley hit the post and bar and it was so nearly a defeat! Also remembered for the amount of fireworks being thrown at us by the Burnley fans.

To all those going to Ipswich on Saturday, have a great time … and hopefully enjoy a win.

I’ll be back at the Valley for the Albion game and cannot wait to get back despite our indifferent form.

C’mon you Reds!!!

Points Total

2008-02-06T06:30:00.000Z

Blackheath Addicted recently made a good statistical summary of the points that have been required for promotion over the last few years. This made me wonder how many points we can reasonably achieve. Predicting results obviously depends on the mood you are in … after Stoke optimistic, after Scunny pessimistic.

So I have tried to predict based on both moods!

Optimistic
Palaaarse (H) WIN
Sheff Wed (A) WIN
Watford (H) WIN
Blackpool (A) DRAW
Sheff Utd (A) DRAW
Bristol City (H) WIN
Preston (H) WIN
Burnley (A) DRAW
Ipswich (A) LOSS
West Brom (H) DRAW
Wolves (H) WIN
Plymouth (A) WIN
Southampton (H) WIN
QPR (A) DRAW
Barnsley (A) WIN
Coventry (H) WIN
Total points: 35

Pessimistic
Palaaarse (H) DRAW
Sheff Wed (A) DRAW
Watford (H) DRAW
Blackpool (A) DRAW
Sheff Utd (A) DRAW
Bristol City (H) DRAW
Preston (H) WIN
Burnley (A) LOSS
Ipswich (A) LOSS
West Brom (H) DRAW
Wolves (H) WIN
Plymouth (A) WIN
Southampton (H) WIN
QPR (A) LOSS
Barnsley (A) DRAW
Coventry (H) DRAW
Total points: 21

So with a current points total of 47, this gives us 82 if I feel good, and 68 if I feel bad. However, I am naturally a positive person so let’s go for 82.

According to Blackheath Addicted, in order to become Champions, the average number of points is 97 and the overall spread 88-105 … so we are going to miss that. For runners-up, the points spread is 86-92 … so still not enough!

The lowest points total for getting sixth place is 73 and the highest 76 so this puts us somewhere in the playoffs.

In view of the tightness of this division, I believe that the amassed points total for most teams will be lower than previous seasons … and that 83/84 points may be enough for runners-up spot ... which means that I am going to have to find an extra couple of points for my optimistic prediction ... in which case, I will now go for a win at Blackpool … there you go, runners-up spot in the bag!

Flat Iron

2008-02-03T10:17:00.000Z

Right, let’s start on the positives shall we?

Excellent journey up there, on the coach at Bexleyheath at 8.00am and in the pub by Scunthorpe’s ground at 12.45 … and that included a 40 minute stop at Leicester service station.

Good pub and stayed for 3 pints of a very decent Guinness. And it made a refreshing change to be allowed in a pub full of both sets of supporters, colours on both sides openly shown, and not a hint of trouble!

On to the ground and one of the best bacon rolls I have ever had … at least 5 rashers of hot bacon in a very nice bap. All for 2 quid! Charlton caterers, take note. If Scunny can do it, why can’t you? The bacon rolls at Charlton are normally lukewarm (if you are lucky), include scarcely any bacon, and cost more!

Lots of Charlton in the ground. We were in the right hand side of the stand, which seemed to be full of singers and we did not stop singing for most of the game. Helped the atmosphere in that the section next to us had a few Scunny ‘hard-men’ dressed in their Stone Island and Burberry and were the brunt of a number of songs.

So what else was good? Oh yeah, the journey home … in the coach at 5.15 and back to my house at 9.20 … a great run which still managed a service station stop on the way back. What was it with the roads yesterday … no traffic and no road-works … why can’t it always be like this.

So, there you go, a summary of the day. What do you mean, you thought I was going to a football game? Actually I thought I was too but the rubbish dished up in the ground yesterday had little resemblance to football, and was a total reverse of the way we have played over the last few games.

Scunny had little more than one shot on goal but still managed to score, albeit due to an uncharacteristic cock-up by Yassin. They played the last 20 minutes with 10 men which was still too powerful for an underperforming Charlton side.

I don’t think anyone particularly impressed so it is probably unfair to pick on anyone, but I will anyway!

Ambrose had a woeful game, but the worst of it has to be his corners. He took 6 or 7 and not one managed to clear the first defender!!! Come on Dazza, this is basic football!

And I will also criticise my current favourite … ZZ seemed to have half, if not all, of his mind on the China game this week. Has to be his weakest game yet, and I hope this doesn’t happen again when he has a China game on the horizon.

Overall, this was a crap day … we could have gone within 2 points of automatic promotion and blew it again.

Palaaarse on Friday? It’s always been a must-win game for so many reasons, but the 3 points are now essential to keep us on track. Other blogs have done the maths and looked at past statistics … it is clear that we need to average 2 points a game for automatic promotion. Well, with yesterday’s result that now means we have to win the next 2 games.

Check out Blackheath Addicted for ratings and a good report, All Quiet in the East Stand who sounds as pissed off as me, and Pedro45 who must have been sitting almost next to me judging by the picture in his report.

Stoke via SMS

2008-01-30T06:25:00.000Z

Being in Frankfurt I had to rely on my son to send me text messages from the ground.

19.09
Me: C’mon you Reds!

19.27
Me: 3-2, ZZ to score first and Gray double.

19.41
Son: I’ve just done Zhi to score first and us to win 2-1

20.36
Son: 0-0 half-time. Stoke haven’t had a shot on goal. We’ve had about 6 chances.

20.38
Me: Good but worrying. Gray and Varney playing?

20.41
Son: Gray and Iwelumo

20.42
Me: Wrong!!!

21.14
Son: Varney just come on for Iwelumo

21.15
Me: Good

21.32
Son: Sam scored!

21.33
Me: Yehhhh, c’mon reds!

21.48
Son: Won 1-0. Holland and Moo2 were amazing. Stoke dirtiest team ever seen and only got one booking. West Brom lost. Watford drew. Awesome.

21.49
Me: Fantastic, bring on Scunny! The season is turning around.

22.06
Son: It sure is. I’ve completely lost my voice. Well up for Scunny. Gray looks pretty decent.

I cannot wait until Saturday, should be a great day at Scunthorpe and hopefully there will be a lot of us there. Call me optimistic, but I am getting good feelings about this season!

Missed games

2008-01-23T14:31:00.000Z

I will be back in Frankfurt on Monday so will miss the Stoke game ... typical when it looks like it will be a good night. Once again, will have to rely on text updates from the ground from my son. Although last time that happened we beat Stockport 4-3 ... and I predicted the score correctly. So this time I'm going for 3-2 to Charlton!

Will be back on Friday 1st Feb and going to Scunny the next day ... this is one I have been looking forward to all season. New ground and with our away form, we have a good chance of victory.

Back to Frankfurt again the following Monday but have made sure that I return on Thursday 7th Feb ... I am NOT going to be late for the Palaaarse game!!!

Hopefully it will be the result we need as I have to fly to Singapore on business the next day and that's a long way to travel when you are pissed off. I arrive in Singapore on the Sunday night, run a workshop all day Monday, fly back Monday night and arrive in London early on Tuesday ... and then go on holiday to the Canaries the next day for 2 weeks deserved rest!

It means I miss the Watford home game but I am hopeful that I can find a bar over there that will show the game ... if anyone knows of such a possibility let me know.

A lot of good games coming up ... we should know by the end of February whether we are going for a playoff place or automatic promotion. I'm still optimistic!

Day the music died

2008-01-17T15:31:00.000Z

EMI to slash jobs and change the business model.

This has me worried. Actually, no it doesn’t … it completely pees me off. New music is the lifeblood of the medium. Without it, music will die.

And yet the new owners of EMI seem determined to take a short-term approach to the business and destroy any chance that new acts have of breaking through. Short-termism will not work … however many big acts they have on their books, they will need new music to take them through to the medium and long-term.

They certainly understand business and how to make money … but do they understand music?

My work is Product Management, so I know as much as anyone that when a business needs to be changed it has to be either streamlined, re-vitalised, or innovated … but NOT without taking your eye away from the medium term. Short-term solutions have only short-term effects.

I do agree with one of their announcements which is to end huge advances paid to certain artists … this is as obscene as the amount of money that footballers can earn and makes sense. They even intimate that perhaps some acts could be paid salaries or daily rates whilst they work on their new material … I’m not saying this will work but it’s an innovative idea and deserves consideration.

I also like their idea of limiting some bands to single track downloads over the internet rather than trying to force whole albums out of possible one or two hit wonders.

But certain comments from the new owner worry me, e.g. ‘we need to be selective who we provide a service to’.

Does this mean that new bands will not get a look in until they have somehow proved themselves, a impossible Catch-22 situation?

Tangerine Dream

2008-01-13T10:36:00.000Z

Well, that was rather good wasn't it. Nice to leave the Valley with a smile our face!

Entertaining and attacking football, with an improved atmosphere in the ground. I suggested on Thursday that we were perhaps in for a lively performance with Moo2, ZZ and Youga and so it proved. There were times during the game that we had so much possession that Blackpool couldn't get near us.

Blackpool were not the best team we have faced this season but to be fair we have seen worse, and the fact is they were on a good run of form. With the games we have coming up in the next few weeks, this was just the right time to put in a real team performance.

ZZ was my man of the match and showed his premiership qualities ... he seemed to be cloned as he was so many places and in the thick of everything. If his English was better, he may well be our captain!

On the OS, Pards rightfully thanks the fans for the noise. He also makes some relevant points on the coming weeks: "Once we go to Watford next weekend, we'll have played the top six away from home,” he said. "Then they've all got to come here, so we are not in too bad a position if we can keep this sort of form and this sort of atmosphere going. We are going to go close.” Just the right time to turn around our home performances!

Sunderland started their run this time last year, and perhaps we can give the push to get ourselves back in an automatic promotion slot.

As mentioned above, ZZ was my man of the match, but on another occasion it could well have been Kelly Youga who put in a strong and confident display. Why did we let him stay at Scunthorpe for so long?

Yassin had a great game and is turning into a very exciting attacking defender. Paddy and Boogie also put in good displays. Lloyd Sam had a very quiet game, but didn't actually do anything wrong ... I am sure that by normal his standards he will be unhappy.

Holland put in a great captain's performance and was unlucky not to score.

I don't want to nit-pick on the game yesterday, but if there is a downside, it is Ambrose. Stop being enigmatic and start being consistent!!!

We guessed that Big Chris would not start yesterday and so it proved ... Varney and Izzy up-front instead. And didn't it make a difference! No long balls right down the pitch ... ball played to feet and very exciting it was at times too!

Varney looked very good up-front and may have had more on another day ... started to show why he had previously been rated so highly. Izzy also could have scored, but I still need convincing about him. Dickson came on to great applause from the crowd and, as with the Albion game, came close. He is certainly a confident character, mentioning in the press today that he expects to get 20 goals for Charlton!

One annoyance from me ... Jerome, stop trying to get into the showboat section of SoccerAM every week - that back-heel was pathetic and could have caused problems.

Oh ... and I cannot stop without mentioning the referee. I have continually castigated refs on here, so let's give credit where it is due. An excellent performance from Mr. Singh allowing the game to flow yet being authoritative whenever needed. Can you ref us every week!

Elsewhere, a good report from Blackheathaddicted as always, and we have similar thoughts on the players. Good reports also from Wyn Grant and CharltonNorthDowns.

Scunthorpe Away

2008-01-10T13:34:00.000Z

Got 2 tickets today for myself and my son. Nice to see the online ordering system working efficiently (although it was not up until after 10.00). I had tried to phone but it appears that I cannot use the 0871 number from my overseas office!

I'm looking forward to this game as it will be the first time I have visited Scunthorpe. Last visit was at their old ground back in 1973 which I missed.

Hopefully a lot of Charlton will be getting tickets for this one ... at the start of the season, it was certainly a game in which many showed interest.

I was also hoping to get to the Blackpool game later in February but will now be away. Hopefully for those who are going, it will be better than the time I last went quite a number of years ago. One of the coldest days I can remember with gale-force icy winds. Most of the shops and bars were shut and the ground was rubbish. Interestingly a group of Blackburn fans turned up as their game had been postponed and proceeded to support Charlton ... at that time I didn't realise that they disliked each other so much.

As for Blackpool at home this weekend, I feel rather optimistic ... at least I did until I read Iberian Valley. The stats do not make good reading!

According to the OS, Blackpool new signing Stephen McPhee may be playing and, if so, it will already be the third time he has faced us this season having scored for Hull in October.

Up-front I have a feeling that Big Chris will be on the bench for this game with Varney and McLeod or Dickson replacing him in a 2-man attack.

Moo2, Youga and ZZ should give us a lively presence and it is only to be hoped that we can overturn the recent doldrums at the Valley. A return to the form displayed in the first half against Ipswich would be ideal!

Check out Blackpool Mad for a review of a game in 1952 that ended up 8-4 to Blackpool (although Sam Bartram wasn't playing!). And no ... I wasn't there ... I'm not quite that old!

Hopeless

2008-01-02T10:53:00.000Z

4-5-1 ... at home ... to the team that is bottom ... and as far as I am aware have not won in about 14 games.

Pards ... change the tactics ... it ain't working! And before he loses his recent confident scoring touch, try Dickson. He may end up being as ineffectual as some of our other strikers but at least give him a go before he gets disillusioned.

Having read a number of blogs today, there's no point in my repeating the comments. Suffice to say, most agree how bad we were ... although Blackheath Addicted has a different perspective to most ... maybe he is right , but it's difficult to feel that way this morning.

For other good reports check out Wyn Grant (I fully agree with his final match analysis), Inspector Sands (very good points about a number of the fans at the Valley ... also being in the East Stand, I can confirm he is absolutely right ... there are fans around me who seem to go not to support, but to complain!), Frankie Valley (always entertaining and pertinent), Drinking during the Game (entirely right about the formation), Pedro (same old, same old ... yup!), and Chicago Addick (he wasn't there but felt it just as much!).

Where do we go from here? Well, from a cup perspective, it doesn't look good with the Baggies coming to town ... but perhaps trying out a few new players (Dickson, Youga ?) may bring us some good cheer.

More importantly, what about the League? We are apparently in our 'easy' run of games at the moment. Mid-January onwards looks tougher with Watford (twice), Stoke, Palaarse, Bristol City, Burnley, Ipswich and Albion.

If previous seasons are anything to go by, the transfer window will be critical in deciding who can move onward and upward. Albion look a good bet for the top spot, but it is no foregone conclusion with 2 other teams on the same points. Despite some abject displays we are still very much in there. Contrary to my pre-season confidence, I'm not convinced that we will make an automatic spot (but hopefully will be proved wrong), but play-offs should definitely be attainable ... this is not a particularly good division.

Home truths

2007-12-23T09:32:00.000Z

In a way, we should have expected this.

i) A very physical Hull side ... in fact, at times, becoming very dirty. Well, their manager was number two to Sam Allardyce so no surprise. But how can their fans enjoy watching that crap every week?
ii) Rubbish ref ... seem to say this most weeks, so what's the point? We knew they were not that great in the Premiership, and these are the refs that cannot make it to that level - 'nuff said.
iii) A bag-load of injuries and suspensions ... although, surprisingly, ZZ and Ambrose were back despite being tipped on the OS as being out with injury.

What we should not expect is the abject display put on by Charlton ... there were times during the first half when I felt I was watching a team playing up on Charlton Park. They were awful! My son pointed out that Hull were one of the worst teams he had seen ... I reminded him that, on the day, we were no better!

No-one came out of this display looking good ... I can't even be bothered to give ratings to the players ... suffice to say, they would all be low. Yes, they can say that certain players were still not fit, but if that were the case, they should not have been playing. We all expected a few of the kids to play yesterday and they didn't. That doesn't mean that the score would have been any different but at least we may have departed from the Valley thinking ... well, they tried under difficult circumstances.

I'll be glad never to play Hull again ... but we have to do a bit more to ensure we are not in the same division as them next year.

And I can't finish this post without mentioning Danny Mills. He had a chance to leave the Valley as a hero ... and instead left as a prat. Surely he should know that we hate play-acting at the Valley, and yet he tried it on 3 or 4 occasions. And then to swear at the ref and get sent off like a petulant kid ... what an idiot! And this guy apparently earns something between 30k and 40k a week ... a good week's work then Danny, eh?

Mills has been a revelation for us this season and I so hoped that Charlton could somehow do a deal and keep him for at least the rest of the season ... now, I'm not so sure.

Two away games coming up, so we should get at least 4 points ... but when are they gonna bring it together at home? Apart from one half against Ipswich and other short phases, we are not seeing a promotion winning team - Maybe that will change on New Years Day.

I have been one of those on Charlton Life stating how much I have been enjoying this season. Not sure why at the moment, but I still am ... however it's getting closer to the time when certain individuals in the red shirt need to stand up and be counted.

Have just read the OS .. good to see that Pards agrees about Mills - quoted as saying it was 'inexcusable'. 'We have been discussing the situation with Man City, in terms of keeping Danny ... I feel it's a difficult time to reflect on that decision right now, so I will absorb the decision over the next few days' said Pardew. Bloody hell Danny, you could have well and truly screwed this one up for everyone including yourself!

Good match report from Wyn Grant, and player ratings from Charlton North Downs - he is far more generous that I would have been and his marks are low already!

Blackheath addicted says much of what I would have said ... but in a far better fashion ... if I could have been bothered to write a proper match report on this turgid display, although I also think his player ratings are too generous!

Have a great Christmas everyone, and enjoy the New Year!!!

Boing Boing

2007-12-16T10:15:00.000Z

Excellent game to watch for the neutral and showed a few Premiership sides that there are at least 2 teams better than some of the dross in the lower half of the top division.

Overall, Albion deserved the result, but if Izzy had made more of his chance this may well have been a 3-3 game .. possibly we may have won, even though against the odds.

This is a strange division ... a couple of weeks ago after the Burnley game, I was so annoyed that I could not be bothered to post ... and then we go on to win away at Cardiff, and demolish Ipswich in a superb first half.

Not many teams will win at the Hawthorns when they are in that type of attacking form ... a point mentioned by a few Baggies fans on their message boards ... this was one of their best displays of the season. We had a number of injury / suspension issues, some of our team were not on top form, we picked up even more injuries ... on another day under different circumstances, who knows!

As for my thoughts on the team:

Weaver - could have been a little more forceful at times, but had a good game despite conceding four
Semedo - not one of his best, but was not playing in his preferred position for a lot of the game
Powell - it seems wrong having a go as Sir Chris, but he was definitely not up to it yesterday, same as in the 2nd half against Ipswich last week. Maybe not fully fit yet, but I think time is beginning to tell
Sodje - I'm a big fan of Sodje, but today was not one to shout about
Bougherra - he's a tough player but needs to develop more of his game
Ambrose - after finding that he can play inside, we were forced to push him out again. Almost a cliche nowadays, but he will probably always remain an enigma for Charlton fans
Holland - been well up for it in last couple of games but tended to fade in and out for a lot of the game
Zheng - has been getting better and better and still signs that we have a lot more to see of ZZ
Reid - up and down game let's hope his injury is not bad
J Thomas - looked very dangerous against their inexperienced right-back
Iwelumo - scoring a goal whilst injured from a very difficult angle. No need to say more!
McLeod - maybe he just needs confidence but I keep shouting for him to shoot! Albion were doing it all the time
Varney - will he succeed or not. My vote is still out on this one

The main worry has to be the injuries to Big Chris, Reidy and Dazza - could be tough next week with this lot out as well. Key injuries gives Pardew Hull headache.

Ref was not bad this week but he should have a least given Pele a booking for his trip just outside the area on ZZ. Possibly a key, incorrect, decision at the time.

A few newspaper links from Iberian Valley.

Good reports from Chicago Addick , New York Addick - who blames the shorts ;-), and Blackheath Addicted.

Burnley Clarets

2007-11-30T13:24:00.000Z

Should be an interesting game Saturday.

We definitely need a result at the Valley and Pards knows it. Hopefully the players will all follow Danny Mills example and be ready for the game with no complacency.

But Iberian Valley has some revealing stats on Burnley's away form.

Basey would appear to be out with an injury so there will definitely be some juggling around. Perhaps we will see the return of Moo2 ... which I would welcome.

May well be that this time we start with 2 strikers.

My prediction, 3-1 to Charlton, scorers Zheng Zhi, Sodje and Varney.

Monkey Business

2007-11-30T08:36:00.001Z

Great gig by Ian Brown at Brixton last night.

Support were Paul Ryder's (ex-Happy Monkeys) band, Big Arm, who made a good sound.

When Brown entered the stage he immediately launched into a Stone Roses classic 'I wanna be adored' - one of the best starts to a gig I have seen.

Lots of excellent stuff from his solo albums and even brought on Andy Rourke (ex-Smiths bassist) for a few songs.

His band are superb as always, and he has re-mixed a number of songs such as 'My Star' which was much harder and sounded great live.

Two highlights of the evening were an amazing version of 'I am the Resurrection' which got the whole place going crazy and a finale of F.E.A.R. which was brilliant.

Ian Brown has not lost his touch and is still far more classy than anyone else around in the music business.

Put to the sword

2007-11-28T08:51:00.000Z

What a rubbish referee ... Halsey got it wrong so many times, and was it really a penalty? I couldn't really tell, and the 2nd goal which he seemed to disallow and then allowed ... what was going on there!

And he never booked any of the SheffU players when they got over-physical, yet he booked Danny Mills when it should have been Bryan Robson.

And .....

But what am I talking about, these are all excuses which I am using to find out why we lost. The simple and obvious truth is that we were utter rubbish.

Can you believe we had the chance to go within 2 points of Watford and not only blew it but fell apart.

The crowd played their part and were terrific, but the players ? I don't know what went wrong, and according to the press interviews, nor does Pards!

Basey did fine, and he cannot be blamed for inexperience. Sam was well off his game and deservedly got taken off. Millsy as always got stuck in and no negatives from him.

Reid has been a hero all season, but Pards ... rest him! He looks like he needs a break. Thomas had some good spells as did Zheng although it was unforgivable the way that ZZ missed and shot the ball over the bar when all it needed was a simple tap-in.

We spent too much of the game, especially 2nd half shooting up high balls to Big Chris ... not attractive and it didn't do anything to win us the game.

On to Burnley at the Valley ... can't see them winning 2 away games on the trot but if we play again this way, then they will !

Charlton Nil

2007-11-25T10:13:00.000Z

Well, Jim Davidson's old joke still applies, except these days it's nil goals conceded !

We looked very lively at times and apart from a couple of scares, and despite the pressure from Preston at times, we did not seem likely to concede a goal.

And what is about Charlton and these last minute goals in both halves. If nothing else, this may stop the early leavers! It must be a new ploy to keep fans in their seats ... and it might work!

Nicky Weaver had a terrific game and is fast becoming a favourite of the Charlton faithful ... who would have believed that a while ago!

As for player ratings:
Weaver - as stated above, had a great game ... and I loved his push on the Preston striker late in the game ... Get Out of My Way!!!

Mills - excellent, very important player for us these days

Basey - may be young, but putting in good displays

Fortune - made some important clearances

Sodje - I like having him in the team, got to buy him before other teams notice how good he is

Sam - excellent down the wing, key player these days

Semedo - still often an unsung hero, great at what he does and makes no song and dance about it
Zheng - improves every game, must be going down a storm on Chinese TV

Reid - not his best game, and a few passes went astray but still the right man for captain

Thomas - one of his best games for ages but went a bit quiet in the 2nd half, extremely influential and scared the Preston defenders

Iwelumo - not many teams know how to deal with Big Chris and played a key part in the 2nd goal

Ambrose - not on long enough to decide

Holland- looked useful

Varney - excellent goal

And the fans ... first class. There may not have been many of you but on TV you came across loud and clear ... well done to those who made it up there.

The next few games look very interesting ... the top of the table at Christmas will give a good picture of how this division will pan out, I think we are only now beginning to gell, and yet we are in 2nd place.

As we all predicted, this is an enjoyable season ... and the final result still looks positive.

Back online !!!

2007-11-14T11:05:00.000Z

What a ridiculous couple of months. I returned from a business trip at the end of September only to find that I could no longer access the internet.

I use NTL (sorry ... Virginmedia) for my broadband access however they informed me that because my internet service provider is AOL I must call them.

Over the course of a couple of weeks I called the AOL help-desk on numerous occasions (each call taking ages due to waiting in a queue) and received more than a dozen reasons why my service no longer worked, none of which of course placed the blame at their end. At one stage I was informed that my PC must be at fault and I should call the manufacturers. I actually called in a local technician to run a diagnostic test and he found nothing wrong with my equipment at all. Based on this information, I called AOL again and was finally told that the modem software must be corrupted and they would send me a disc in the post. It never arrived and I was then informed that it was not their practice to send such software despite the fact that it had been promised.

At this stage, realising that I was going round in circles, I tried another tack and wrote to AOL Complaints department. They responded very quickly and were a refreshing change to the inept performance of their help desks, and stated that all I needed was a new modem which arrived the next day!

However, the problem did not end there. In order to register the modem, Virginmedia had to come into play ... and they proved to be the final barrier. For whatever reason, the registration did not work.

Realising that I faced a hopeless task, and not feeling like starting the whole process again, I cancelled my AOL subscription and got Virginmedia to set me up with their 4Mb broadband service. I can still access my AOL mail, and the bonus is that the new service is lightning fast. Furthermore, AOL have been kind enough to pay for my first years subscription due to the length of time they took to resolve the problem.

So finally I'm back ... I shan't bother giving updates on the games that I missed posting - plenty of others have done that ... just refer to the links on the right.

Also means that I can finally get back on Charlton Life on a more regular basis!

Essex and Norfolk

2007-09-07T14:07:00.000+01:00

I will be away on business for the next couple of weeks so will miss the Colchester and Norwich games ... as with other international addicks, this will unfortunately mean that I will not be able to watch either of the games ... unless I can find an appropriate TV channel in Singapore.

At the minimum my son can keep me updated with text messages ... although with the time difference, I may not be awake for the Norwich game!

The last time I visited Layer Road must have been back in the early 80's. I remember we lost and it was a very wet day which did not help with the long walk from Colchester station. The ground was very basic then (may well still be the case) with wooden planks as terraces.

Will be back the day before the Leicester game and hoping that I have missed 2 wins ... and then watching another one against the Foxes.

I won't be getting my Coventry tickets until I get back so hopefully there will still be some left! Bearing in mind we are getting 4,000 I presume there will be ... but wouldn't it be great if we could sell out without the club having to arrange another 'Operation' day out.

Anyway, c'mon you Reds over the next 2 weeks ... it's gonna seem strange being away and not catching up with games on the TV ... for the last 8 years it's been no problem wherever I was!

Well ... as those of you who have been to Singapore know, at least I'm going to be enjoying a lot of great food!

No. 1 in South London

2007-09-02T10:19:00.000+01:00

What a day!

Met my son at London Bridge and we had a couple of beers in a nearby pub returning to get the train just after 2 o'clock.

Plenty of police at the station but none on the train. The carriage in front of us had a lot of Charlton inside, primarily fans with shirts/scarves and a few kids. No problems until we reached Sydenham ... then it was clear that something had started in the front carriage with a number of Charlton fans moving back having been attacked by Palaaarse. The thing that got me was that the Charlton were primarily young fans wearing colours, no troublemakers at all ... a very cowardly action from the locals. It appears that the attack was a total set-up as the Palaaarse jumped into the train at Sydenham and then immediately left. Surely this could have been anticipated by the police?

In any event, it meant that we were all ordered off the train and told to find an alternative means of transport. With the cab office telling us it would be at least 20 minutes wait, this seemed unlikely. Fortunately the train was eventually moved on and we got on the following train, eventually arriving at the ground 15 minutes late.

Plenty of Charlton there and for the majority of the game you would have thought it was a home match - does not appear to be a lot of singing by the home lot these days. As expected, Jordan came in for a lot of justified abuse.

As often happens with local derby's, the game was not the best but we certainly ensured that the atmosphere was way up.

Weaver had to work for probably the first time this season, and he made at least 3 great saves ... proves he can still play at a good level. In view of our sometime flaky defence, I had been expecting a hatful of goals in this game ... however, the back four limited the home side to only a few opportunities.

The goal was well taken by Toddy but was a prime of example of how direct football can pay results ... a long clearance from Weaver was the impetus for the goal.

Reidy was magnificent, and ZZ initiated a number of good moves. Up front Iwelumo was perhaps unfortunate once or twice, but the prize for worst finish must go to Izzy in the closing moments ... how he failed to score, I don't know.

Danny Mills was not at his best but the way he got stuck in in the last 10 minutes showed he still has a passion for Charlton - he wasn't going to let anything past him.

Brilliant celebrations at the end not only from the fans but from the players and manager as well.

Reidy was going crazy with excitement as was Danny Mills who pulled his shirt off and threw it into the crowd. He even got Toddy jumping around. Pards showed how important this result was for him as well, by joining the players in the celebrations ... you would have thought we had just won a Cup !!!

And with Chrissy doing his usual at the end of the game to the encouragement of the crowd ... oooooooooooH ... you would have thought we were at home.

It's been a great week for Charlton and we are moving in the right direction.

Remote Control

2007-08-29T06:18:00.000+01:00

Great to use a Clash title for this post but it almost seemed that I was controlling the game remotely last night!

Over in Frankfurt this week so I was kept up to date by texts from my son in the Covered End.

I said to him before the game that we would win 4-3 ... typical that I was not there to put a bet on ... the odds must have been terrific!

My texts:
20.05 - enjoy the 4-3 win
20.39 - in response to Todorov scoring, 6 more goals to go!
20.47 - ZZ scores, c'mon Charlton China
21.18 - Stockport score, 4-3 is still on
21.31 - Stockport score again, no surprise
21.32 - Stockport score, noooooo!
21.40 - Charlton score, now annoyed that I didn't get the bet on
21.54 - 4-3, wondering if the bookies will accept that I had predicted the score ;-)

Well so far this season, I've seen 2 games, listened to one on the radio, watched one on TV, and now followed one by text!

Roll on Saturday ... can't wait to get to Selhurst ... may be quite a few goals!!!

Fans won the game

2007-08-26T10:18:00.000+01:00

Listening to BBC London on the way back from the match, the reporter made a telling comment. Although the fans had every right to be aggrieved about the first half, they still cheered the team on as they came out for the second 45 minutes. And in his opinion ... which I fully agree with ... the fans carried Charlton all the way through the 2nd half and were at their loudest for some time.

The team were rightfully booed off after the 1st half - a display of such ineptitude it was hard to believe that Charlton had spent so much time in the Premiership in the last few years. I thought we had got rid of all the prima donnas that don't give a stuff, but for 45 minutes it looked like we had another lot left - we could have been 3 or 4 down to be honest.

Not a single player distinguished himself in the first half, yet it was a different team in the 2nd half, not just because Thatcher and Bent were replaced by Zheng and Todorov. It appears that Thatcher received a knock but I am not convinced about him so far this season - he does not have the commanding presence that was so important for us previously - hopefully it will return. Marcus receives his first bad report from me this season, totally inadequate and my son and I even surmised that he may have faked an injury at half time just to get out of the game - probably untrue but it gave that impression.

I have just seen the 2nd half goals on TV and all 3 were wonderful. Chris Iwelumo is so strong that he is going to give many defences untold problems this season - once he has a chance to partner with Varney, we may see a wealth of goals from this Charlton team.

Reidy was fantastic in the 2nd half, following on from his great display for Ireland during the week. We have an excellent captain!

Still very difficult to make a decision on Weaver ... after 3 games I don't think he had yet been tested so we wait and see. Paddy had again a very poor game and seems afraid to receive the ball. I had assumed that Magic would have a stormer against his old team but it didn't materialise ... although a couple of runs into the Wednesday area showed what he is capable of ... and has not yet delivered. Fortune was OK but nothing special. With Moo2 out, defence is going to remain a problem area.

From my perspective, Zheng transformed the game when he appeared at the start of the 2nd half ... we are going to see great things from the Chinese captain at this level ... very capable and set up one of the goals. Semedo is a strange player ... there is no doubt that he brings a lot to the game and is very important to our structure, yet you never really see him doing too much ... not usual in this day and age of player histrionics. Like Zheng, a capable and important acquisition.

Jerome looked good but he may need to cut down on some of the show-boating - of course we enjoy it, but at this level, there will be a few players willing to cut him down to size.

Unlike others, I was not too impressed with Toddy ... I still think he goes to ground too much.

Which brings us again to the enigma that is Ambrose. I seem to say this in every report but he is the most frustrating player ever. At times, moments of sublime skill and confidence, and in the next an error of such extreme that you want to scream him off the pitch. Will the real Darren Ambrose please stand up!!!

After 45 minutes I was dreading going to Selhurst next week ... now I cannot wait ... bring on the Palaaaarse.

As a side note did anyone notice the comment from Reg in the programme that we are seeking planning consent for a state-of-the-art training complex on Heath Farm (by the way, where is it?). Is this the end of Sparrows Lane? ... I guess the land in New Eltham must be worth a fortune.

Out-potted

2007-08-19T10:46:00.000+01:00

I think most of us would have been happy to come away with a point before the start of this game, and at one stage that looked on the cards ... even maybe 3 points.

But the injury to Moo2 gave the Potters an opportunity to break through an unsettled defence and later to grab the winner.

I was a little surprised at the start of the game to see that Fortune had been given a place instead of Paddy but circumstances would prove this to be a good move ... albeit ruined by the injury to Moo2.

Stoke had most of the first half with Charlton only coming into the game in the final third of the half.

Nicky Weaver once again had relatively little to do most of the game so it's still difficult to assess how good he will be for us ... one thing I am not too happy about is the way he punches balls out rather than catching them but that may well have been due to the wet conditions rather than anything else.

Magic is not yet doing what we expected of him and it is another case of wait and see before we can make any real comment. Fortune had a fairly decent game, but Ben Thatcher does not seem to be having the best of seasons ... all too often his clearances were only half-hearted and went straight to a Stoke player.

Our best player, Moo2, had to be replaced early in the 2nd half to a rather rash tackle ... which did not even earn a yellow card for Stoke ... and Charlton fell apart for a while. In fact, I was not altogether convinced with Paddy when he came on ... he has the potential but needs to settle down in this team.

Semedo once again had a game where he does a job but does not stand out too much ... very different to Ambrose who plays the same type of game every match, either getting stuck in or non-existent - he needs to be available for a complete game!

Reidy had a good game being involved in most things including taking the free kick which led to our goal ... claimed by Fortune due to a deflection. But as with Thatcher, there are too many occasions where Reidy's passes go astray.

Lloyd Sam looked good and was a real threat but only lasted the 1st half to be replaced by Jerome Thomas when the players came out for the 2nd half ... Jerome looked OK but I am not convinced that the change was right.

Pards had obviously decided to change tactics at half-time and bring in some height in the form of Iwelumo ... Izzy was the one to suffer and to be honest that probably made sense for this particular game.

Marcus had a capable game up-front but I feel he should definitely have scored - if he is to reach his own target of 20+ goals this season he has more to do ... but as previously stated in other posts, he is a different player to last year and that is a real plus.

I know we need time to bed in all the new players but in my opinion next Saturday is a must-win. Sheff Wed at home is not a game for which we can consider even a draw if we want to be up there at the end of the season.

It's definitely far too early to panic ... Sunderland were near the bottom for a few weeks last year ... but improvements must be evident as the weeks go by to prove that we do have the squad that can take us back up.

Marcus re-vitalised

2007-08-15T08:55:00.000+01:00

I must admit that I do not enjoy listening to games on the radio ... but I should be thankful that I at least have that option unlike many of the overseas Charlton who now have no way of listening to the game.

The first half made it sound as if we were being overrun by Swindon, but Stevie Brown put it into context when he rightfully pointed out that the wind had a lot to do with the way the game was going.

In fact, by the sound of it in the 2nd half, we could possibly have scored a couple more.

Weaver appeared to have very little to do in goal ... and one of the only notable comments made about him by the commentary team was that he is growing a Hales-like beard!

In defence, Fortune seemed ok, but Steve Brown again made a very good comment in that Fortune has now been around a long time and it is about time he took on more responsibility with leading the team.

Magic had a better game than Saturday and Moo2 once again showed us that he is an excellent prospect for the season. It is probably unfair to make a comment based on listening to the radio, but it seemed like Chrissy Powell was not on top form at all last night.

In midfield, Reidy had another good game, whilst Ambrose proved to be his normal enigmatic self, in the first half almost non-existent and then getting more involved later on.

Llloyd Sam sounded very active and as I mentioned in earlier posts, I hope that this will finally be his season to break through. Difficult to assess Semedo's impact on the game ... it seems like he does all the right things without being too noticeable.

Up-front, Izzy sounded like a big threat once again particularly in the 2nd half.

But I should save my main praise for ... Marcus Bent !!!

I never expected to be saying that this season. He was fully involved, unselfish, committed himself to the team and ... well ... looks like a great asset for us this season. It's almost like having a new player.

Keep it up Benty !!!

Roll on Saturday ... unfortunately I cannot make it so hope I have a chance to watch the game on TV.

The next major milestone is Monday ... please let there be tickets left for the Palaaaarse game !!!

Deflated

2007-08-12T10:15:00.001+01:00

Aaaaargh.

Sometimes I should listen to my head not my heart. In my post yesterday I stated:

But to be honest, with the Irons really up for it (and 2000 of them in the Jimmy Seed stand), and with a brand new Charlton team getting to know each other, it may be be a draw.

And then I decided to be positive and predicted a 3-1 win. No wonder I'm not a betting man!

It wasn't the greatest of displays by Charlton but there are some positives to come out of this. Moo2 looked excellent and could be quite an exciting prospect this season. Reidy never stopped running and although he didn't get it right a couple of times ... and perhaps should have scored ... he definitely looked a real danger.

Lloyd Sam seems like he may finally be able to break into the team on a regular basis but he needs to work on his crosses - a number of runs were wasted due to his inability to get the ball across into the area ... a feat that was managed very capably by Izzy when he came on. OK, it was only a short time Izzy was on the pitch but I believe he will cause a lot of teams problems this year ... a very tricky and fast player.

Marcus Bent gave a capable display ... but let's be honest ... so he should at this level. He should have finished with more than one goal and I was disappointed at the way he went to ground a couple of times ... the refs at this level are just not going to listen. Toddy was perhaps even more guilty of going down too often.

Semedo didn't show too much yesterday but by all accounts he will do so once he has settled so let's wait and see.

It was great to see ZZ on the pitch before the game and he will definitely bring some strength to the middle.

Perhaps the main concern from yesterday was the defence ... as mentioned above Moo2 was great but it wasn't the best of displays by Magic and Ben, although Paddy looked reasonably good. Weaver had very little to do so not much to say on him as yet, but he must have been pleased by the reaction he got from the Covered End.

Ambrose sometimes flatters to deceive ... a few good touches but overall not enough - he is capable of far more and we need to see it.

The linesmen and ref were awful - I thought we had the worst of it in the Premiership but logically I suppose they must be the best - the standards at this level were appalling. No yellow cards when a few should have been given to Scunny players, and then Iwelumo picks one up late on - I didn't see the tackle too closely so don't know if it warranted a card but the goalkeeper definitely milked it and stayed down far longer than needed.

As the Inspector put it last night, we can and WILL get better - Scunthorpe will not.

Charlton in Europe

2007-08-11T10:33:00.000+01:00

Been quite a gap since the last post due to holiday and commitments at work. However, first day of the new season so a good day to re-start!

Holidaying in Vilamoura in the Algarve, we had to make sure that we spent a couple of nights at the only Charlton theme pub in Continental Europe (run by Algarveaddick). If you happen to be in the Algarve make sure you visit. It's in Albufeira and you can find the address on their website Floyds Bar. We stayed in Vilamoura and the taxis had no problem in finding it.

Quiz night is particularly good and you will find Perry and Karen to be terrific company. The interior of the bar is packed with Charlton memorabilia so take a camera ... there a couple of reasonable restaurants very close by the bar.

So ... on to today ... who will be in the lineup.

In goal would seem to obvious with Nicky Weaver, and defense seems pretty clear with Paddy, Moo2, Thatcher and Magic.

Midfield likely to include Semedo, Reid, Ambrose and Thomas.

Upfront we almost seem to have an embarrassment of riches for this level, but I expect Toddy and Bent to start. I'd rather it hadn't been Bent but that seems to be Pard's thoughts at the moment.

As to the result, if Varney had been fit I would have gone for 4-1. But to be honest, with the Irons really up for it (and 2000 of them in the Jimmy Seed stand), and with a brand new Charlton team getting to know each other, it may be be a draw.

However, I like to be positive. I am sure there will be goals in the game and we should have plenty of goal-scoring subs, so will go for 3-1.

Come in No.4, your time is up!

2007-07-12T08:26:00.000+01:00

Down to the refurbished Earl of Warwick last night, and managed to get served far more quickly than usual for a Charlton game. The pub did not seem as packed as in previous years but there were still plenty of fans in the ground.

As is usual with the Welling friendly, the first job is to work out who is who.

The public address system was not too efficient (apart from later in the game when the announcer continually asked the ‘boys behind the goal’ to get back over the fence), and I spent the game gradually identifying the players, although I didn’t manage at all to find out the number 8 – clarified by the official site today as Dean Sinclair, a trialist formerly with Barnet.

So, how did they do … Randolph was fine but had to go off early due to an injury. Replaced by Elliot who had a reasonable game, although to be honest, he didn’t have that much to worry about.

In defence, Moo2 who was reasonable but nothing special, McCarthy who I thought was not yet ready but did show signs that he will be strong for us, and Chrissy being what Chrissy always is – dependable and enthusiastic.

Souleymane had a great game throughout and I was very impressed with his attitude from start to finish – let’s hope the talk from his agent is rubbish and he will be staying – he could be a very important player for us this season.

Martin Christensen never stopped running the entire game, probably deserved a goal, but perhaps let himself down by being a little too greedy occasionally – overall, I think we have a good player here.

Todorov didn’t look match fit, but if he can stay injury-free, we have a player with that bit extra who can help us fight our way back to the Premiership.

Varney was a handful all game, and definitely deserved his goal … will now be interesting to see him at a higher level, as it will be for Chris Dickson who scored a wonderful goal from a very acute angle.

Jerome got stuck in and was the subject of a few heavy tackles from the Wings, but overall he did well.

Gibbs and Arter came on in the 2nd half, and both looked promising as did Pedersen. Rhys Coleman, who I have never heard of, looked like a reasonable prospect. Josh Wright also played but I do not recall too much about him.

Ohhhh … and there was a player at number 4 … one that I am sure we haven’t signed yet… Pards, we DO trust in you … but DO NOT sign this total waster !!!!!!!!!

No Nicky and Algarve Wednesdays

2007-07-11T10:31:00.000+01:00

Looking forward to the Welling game tonight … and meeting my mates before the game in the Guy, which judging by the weather at the moment may be where most Charlton fans stay for the whole game!

According to the official site, Pards is not going to make the same mistake as Dowie last season and will be taking a 'proper' team along. So it seems like we will get the chance to see Luke Varney, Svetoslav Todorov, Paddy McCarthy and Yassin Moutaouakil. Unfortunately, it looks like Nicky is going to the Tooting game … such a pity, Welling would have given him a good opportunity to make his mark with the fans … I am sure he would have got a bit of stick, but judging by his recent comments, he would have responded positively. I must admit I am beginning to change my mind about him … I know players have to say the right thing when they join a new club but he seems pretty genuine about it.

OK, I’ll start it now’ ‘England, England’s number One !!!’.

Also a pity that we will apparently not see Iwelumo as he is in the Tooting squad.

But it looks like Chrissy will play… should be a great reception for him. And will we manage to see Cory Gibbs? Tipped by our fans director to be player of the season!

And next Wednesday night should also be a lot of fun. I am off to the Algarve and intend to spend the night in Floyd’s bar, the only Charlton theme bar in Continental Europe! Wednesday is quiz night so hopefully a good chance to relax and have a few drinks with Perry.

According to Leapfish.com, my domain name is only worth $21 ! Maybe I should change the name and try to get a quick profit by re-selling … although 'Charlton Athletic' is only worth $11 ! 'Ian Brown' gets $31, but I’m sure that’s been used ;-) Just tried ‘London', that gets $121, but I won’t get away with that one! Found it, I can get $161 for ‘Dave’!!!

On a different subject I went to see Die Hard 4.0 last night. If you want a couple of hours suspending belief with a great action film, then this is for you … I must admit that I enjoyed it. Bruce Willis may not be the world’s greatest actor but he is good for these, primarily non-speaking, parts.

And before I forget, go out and buy the new Chemical Brothers album – superb!

… and download the Glosoli video by Sigur Ros from iTunes, it’s one of the best videos ever.

I don't believe it!

2007-07-05T06:39:00.000+01:00

Weaver !!!!

This is ridiculous - the history between us and Weaver is well known. OK, some are saying we should treat it as just that, history, it's in the past. Well, I can't do that.

It just fills me with concern ... if he has a couple of bad games the crowd will quickly turn against him - this does nothing to lift the team.

If he does not perform consistently well at a high-level from the beginning, he will not be able to convert most of the fans and that helps no-one.

I like the majority of Pard's signings and continue to trust in him - I sincerely hope he proves me wrong ... and whatever happens, you won't find me booing any players ... but you can be sure that many will if this does not work out.

One out, all out

2007-07-03T06:27:00.000+01:00

Returned to Frankfurt yesterday and it seems that every few months I have to leave even earlier to get through the Blackwall Tunnel. A couple of years ago, it was sufficient to leave my house at 6.30 to get a flight at 8.00, but due to heavier traffic this changed to 6.15 and then eventually 6.00. With the ridiculous closure of the contraflow system in the tunnel, I had to start leaving at 5.45 ... and let's be honest, the closure is nothing to do with safety, it is all about introducing the congestion charge. Now we have the increased security at airports, I had to leave at 5.30. However, security was not as bad as I had expected ... my cab received a cursory check by the police on the way into City airport, and the driver was still able to drop me off at the front of the airport. From what I heard, it was not so easy an hour or so later when the traffic was a lot heavier ... a number of people were unable to get too close to the airport and walked the remaining distance.

Will be interesting on the way back later in the week to see the situation then.

And in Germany today ... there is a train strike! I pointed out to my German colleagues that you don't see this sort of thing in the UK nowadays ... neglecting to mention the recent postal strike ;-)

Fortunately, I only have a 5 minute walk to work from my hotel so has not affected me today ... but the office is very empty, hence the opportunity to catch up with my blog!

The Charlton clear-out finally happened over the weekend, and to be honest, there are very few surprises. There seems to be a difference of opinion on some Charlton message boards and blogs as to whether or not some of the players should have been retained, but I have no real problems with the changes.

JFH - never delivered anything near his potential and no loss ... in fact, a big gain as we no longer have his wage bill.
Talal - I would have liked to keep Talal but, as far as I am aware, he had already made it clear that he did not want to drop a division - good luck to him and I hope he gets a good move.
Myhre - I actually thought he had gone in January, but it does leave us rather short in this area! I assume a replacement is planned!
Lisbie - about time! Earned a lot of money for scoring 3 goals against Liverpool. Having said that, I hope he finally does realise his (apparent) potential at his new club ... rumoured to be the Gills.
Nathan Ashton, Rurik Gislason, Alistair John and Myles Weston - I don't know enough about these to make much of a comment - I guess it's down to, 'Trust in Pards'.

A number of sites again speculating that we are linked to Freddie Eastwood - as long as we don't get screwed on the price, I think this is a good move. I would prefer him to Ellington with whom we are also linked.

The home friendly with Jorge Costa's team, Braga, has been announced - I'm looking forward to getting back down the Valley for this - it seems like a long time. The annual match at Welling is next Wednesday and thankfully I will be in the UK to see this ... although to be honest, it's more an opportunity to catch up with mates in the Guy Earl of Warwick ... incidentally I was in the renovated Guy at the weekend and spoke to the new owners. Business is not that robust at the moment, but they hope to have a lot of customers for the Charlton game ... I reassured them that this would be the case!

Incidentally, Iberian Valley has come up with a very amusing blog recently. Amazing to see how many Charlton bloggers we have out there, including a number of new ones such as myself.

Bowing to the inevitable

2007-06-29T09:54:00.000+01:00

Back from Frankfurt last night and, to be honest, quite surprised that Darren was still with us. I've kept up-to-date with developments whilst I have been away on the various blogger sites and Charlton Life, and was even beginning to hold a faint hope (misguided, I know !) that he might stay. Every newspaper report just seemed to be a copy of another, so I wasn't entirely convinced he was going.

And then I log-on this morning to Forever Charlton ... crap, he has left ... and as expected by the media, to the Spuds. Can't say I am overjoyed by this. If he was to go, I had hoped it would be to a better team. Unless they sell, he may find himself on the bench quite a lot, definitely not something he is used to. I hope not, because he deserves far more than that.

At least we stuck to our guns and got a great price for him. A lot of (jealous) fans from other clubs (particularly Palaaaarse) were telling us that we had blown our chances by not selling in January and if we were relegated we would be in such a state of weakness that we would have to sell at a far lower price ... yeah, course we did!!

And respect to Darren for not moving just for the sake of money ... the Hamsters would have been a far worse move despite the salary you would have obtained.

You go with our best wishes Darren and leave us with a lot of great memories. Just make sure, when you get re-sold again, it is to a team that is more admired.

I wonder how the Spuds fans will react. They have been all over our sites shouting that Bent is over-valued and they do not need him. Same on their own Rivals site. In fact, the spat that they had on Frankie's place was one of the funniest things I have seen this year. I wonder if they will now go back and say how brilliant Darren is ... ;-)

I asssume Pards will be happy as he will hopefully now be a given a share of the money for the transfer chest. Whilst Pards appreciated the value of Darren, I think he had his eye on him leaving from day one. Remembering his comments during the January transfer window, he knew that he needed more funds in order to re-build the team, and if it hadn't been for the fact that Darren was injured at the time, he may well have gone then.

Oh well ... on to another era ... and it seems to involve a lot of younger players. Semedo looks an interesting prospect although he hasn't been able to guarantee a first-team spot at his previous club. I intended to give a summary of my thoughts on the current squad, but found that it had been done far more competently than I could have done by New York Addick.

Just noticed in Addicks Premiership Diary that Mattie has signed a further one year contract. I'm pleased with that as I am sure he can still do a good job for us for one more season.

Another day ...

2007-06-22T10:44:00.000+01:00

... another rumour. Apparently Rafa thinks that Darren's valuation is too high. And according to the Guardian , Varney is now prepared to accept a reduced offer of £16 million in the next 7 days from Spuds. Much as we would all love him to stay, the signs are very clear that he will be going. I'm not convinced that White Hart Lane is the right destination for him. Apart from the fact that I don't really want him there, I do not see how he will fit in with their current line-up unless they sell someone.

Again, if we believe the rumours, they may be selling, as Defoe has been mentioned on a number of occasions as the player to move out. Berbatov and Bent with Keane behind them sounds very strong, but it may still not be enough to take them to the next level. Perhaps Berbatov will go, but having spoken to some Spuds fans, this would not go down well, and in their mind would prove that Spuds do not really believe they can make the next jump up.

As far as I know, the transfer window does not close until August 31st, so there is still a lot that may happen. If Darren is going, then the sooner the better, so that we can take advantage and get some more new players in.

On a separate subject, it was my wedding anniversary yesterday and we went to the Chapter 2 restaurant in Blackheath. Excellent service with good food and a great wine list. Prices are not that bad considering the location and I recommend it to anyone in the area. It is our 3rd visit in the last couple of years and we will be returning again.

I've been working from home most of this week (apart from Monday, more of which below) but will be back in my Frankfurt office again next week. Being someone who has to travel a lot on business (26 countries in the last year on top of my usual stints in Frankfurt!), this is when I really value the Charlton blogs and sites such as Charlton Life enabling me to keep up with what is happening. I know there are quite a few others that travel frequently and, of course, there are many ex-pats in various parts of the world including some with excellent blogs. Keep up the good work - I really enjoy reading these when I get the chance.

As to Monday of this week, I had to visit a client in Stoke-on-Trent. Buying an advance ticket some weeks ago from Virgin trains, it cost £184! And to make matters worse, my train on the way back was cancelled due to 'operational dificulties', which meant that the next train was completely packed and I had to stand all the way back to Euston - scandalous!

Have a good weekend.

Welling v Charlton

2007-06-21T11:04:00.002+01:00

Just been to Park View Road and purchased tickets for the game on 11th July, £10 terraces.

They inform me that there are still plenty of tickets left for the terraces but seating in the stand expected to sell out fairly quickly.

Hope to see plenty of Charlton as usual in the pub next door, Guy Earl of Warwick.

It will be interesting to see who turns out for us on the field, and perhaps just as interesting to see who will not be there!

C'mon you Reds!

Mou are ya?

2007-06-21T09:46:00.000+01:00

Yassin Moutaouakil - interesting buy although I haven't a clue how to pronounce his surname. Seems to be very well rated and a number of clubs such as Lazio, Barca, Celtic, Everton etc have apparently been after him. You have to wonder why he signed for a Championship club but I like the way he has explained this on the official site.

"Many clubs tried to sign me but Charlton did a good job convincing me that this is the best move for me. The media in France have been critical of my decision to move to England because, as captain of the U21s, they want me to stay and play in France. But I chose Charlton because I feel that this is an ambitious club and I believe that I will progress well under the manager here. Charlton have shown great interest in me, for which I am very grateful, and after the discussions I had with the club I wanted to be a part of this project. I did not want to sign for a club just because they are a big name, or for the colour of their shirt. The most important thing for me is the trust and the confidence that I have in this club. It is going to be a difficult season but it is essential that we get back to the Premier League next season for the club and its supporters. And I believe we will do it with this team and this manager."

And he scored against England in an U-19 match a couple of years ago!

And I cannot leave today's posting without adding my belated thanks to Kish. It's a pity that he has left us for Leicester as I believe he could have done a good job for us next season. Yes, I know the usual complaints that he often lost the ball and he could create problems for the team, but for me he was the perfect example of the things we love in a Charlton player, full of honesty and commitment. He will definitely get a good reception when he returns.

On the non-Charlton front, I listened to the new Editors album yesterday over on Myspace - it is excellent and as good as the first album - well recommended.

My wedding anniversary today and among the presents from my wife, a superb CD 'The Best of Asian Dub Foundation' - if you don't know this band, visit their website and check them out.

Will be going down to Park View Road later today and getting tickets for the Welling v. Charlton game - hopefully not yet sold out!

My condolences to Charlton North Downs on the death of his mum - also a new blogger this year although he started a couple of months before me. I feel privileged to be part of the Charlton blog world and long may he and his fellow bloggers continue.

Points total

2007-06-19T11:57:00.000+01:00

Interesting to recall how many of us felt when we last returned to the Premiership - it was incredible to go up and then the fixture list came out and reality dawned. It looked tough!

And yet, year by year, we lost a lot of the fear - games that previously seemed unwinnable suddenly appeared to be worth a point or maybe three. We started to believe that we belonged at that level. So relegation should hold no fear - we were until recently an established Premiership club, so what's the problem?

And yet, when I look at the next fixture list, I start to think, well actually it's not that easy at this level either. Sure, I know that Colchester were there or thereabouts all of last season, and if they can do it, we certainly can ... but it's certainly not a foregone conclusion that we will be at the top.

Looking at the first 5 games:
Scunthorpe at home - they will be on the crest of a wave, promoted last year, playing attractive football according to the reports, and are bound to come at us seeking a notable first scalp.
Stoke away - certainly not a walkover.
Wednesday at home - not that easy.
Palaaarse away - local derby, who knows.
Colchester away - very hard to beat on their own ground last season.

If I'm honest, I still think we will get quite a few points from that lot, but ... famous last words and all that!

After 5 games last season, Cardiff led the way with 13 points, followed by Norwich, Palaaarse, Brum and Wolves all on 10 points. However, Sunderland were 2nd to bottom and Derby 19th which shows how much it can change. By the end of the season, no team had lost less than 11 games, so a bad run certainly won't finish anyone off.

If we have 20 ponts on the board after 10 games, then based on last season we would be well placed. Only Cardiff managed to exceed that figure ... however, it is also worth pointing out that Cardiff didn't go up and ended up in mid-table mediocrity.

Well, after writing that lot, I at least know where I stand now - we will finish ..... CHAMPIONS!

Rumours

2007-06-17T16:16:00.000+01:00

So here we go again... the rumour mill seems to be buzzing since Darren turned down the Hamsters with Spuds still being his likely destination. Can't say I will be too happy if he goes to White Hart Lane, plus the transfer funds being quoted are lower than expected - still it is all paper talk, so take it with a pinch of salt.

Chelsea and Arsenal also being mentioned ... I don't see Chelski as a good move but if Henry moves on then the Gooners may be an interesting place for Dazza to end up in. But for the moment, let's all take heart that he is still an Addick - you never know, we can still dream he will be with us next year.

Excellent piece in 'From the Hill to the Valley' http://hilltovalley.blogspot.com/2007/06/why-we-dont-like-palace.html on why we don't like Palace. The only extract that I would contend with is that for many of us, our hatred towards Palaaarse goes back a long way before ground-sharing. I remember as a kid in Cherry Orchard Estate in Charlton that whilst we obviously did not like the Spanners, the animosity towards Palace was always much more. Maybe because we did not consider them as true South East London, whereas, despite never liking them, at least Millwall were part of the local area.

As a separate rumour, Simes the Orange One seems to have us in his sights as his next court case - hopefully this will be the one that he finally loses.

On a quick visit to Bluewater yesterday, it would seem that our support is still in clear view despite relegation. Lots of kids and adults wearing the ubiquitous Chelski, ManU, Arse topes, but at least a dozen Charlton shirts being proudly displayed. At least we can say we are the most popular team outside the Premiership!

Charlton Athletic

2007-06-16T11:32:00.000+01:00

So we are back in the Championship. It's a strange feeling - I still don't know how I really feel about it. Back in December/January, most of us were resigned to it, but Pards got us in a position wherein we felt we might escape ... which perhaps made the ultimate relegation even tougher.

Perhaps the release of the fixtures list this week has made it sink in properly now. Scunthorpe at home first game! I'm actually looking forward to it - being a long-standing supporter of Charlton means I have memories of the old 2nd and 3rd division days and despite our moans and complaints at the time, we did have a lot of fun. A higher percentage of our crowd followed us away and games at home were always noisy.

But who am I kidding - the fact is that even then we always wanted to be in the top division. And I am using rose-tinted spectacles if I say that everything was perfect in those days. There were many occasions when the crowds were so low we had to wonder if we would survive.

So I can take another season outside the top level, but I hope we get back in May. There are a few new grounds to look forward to, and some old favourites re-surfacing. Pity that Blackpool and Scunthorpe away are in February but I still predict a good turn-out. Norwich away on Boxing Day is also a pain, but the lure of the pub by the river and Delia's pies should persuade a reasonable number to travel.

Will Darren Bent be with us in August? I guess not, but I am very pleased that he chose not to go to the Hamsters. They are already looking like a pseudo-Charlton outfit with Curbs, Day, Peacock, Spector, Konchesky, Parker, Bowyer, etc etc. They have even now planned a pre-season friendly at http://www.wellingunited.com/ Welling United! What's next, a transfer request for Floyd and Harvey?

Template

2007-06-15T17:16:00.000+01:00

New blog - if I get time it will be expanded