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Jun 30

Final thoughts

I have hung my tipping boots up. “The Germans meanwhile look head and shoulders above the competition” I said on the eve of their semi-final. The same quality precognition I had when I bet on Russia and Holland making the final four.

Once again the Germans came up short despite almost everyone enthusing over them. It is now 16 years since Die Mannschaft last won a major tournament. Failure is a not a word Germans like to hear and Joachim Löw’s golden generation, who I think are mostly products of an extensive and systematic youth programme which began after Germany flopped at Euro 2000, now have to go in search of gold in Brazil in 2014. No European nation has ever won a World Cup in the Americas.
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Jun 28

1 Comment

Ronaldo falls over

I got out to watch the Iberian derby yesterday and what a pile of poo it was. After 27 games without the slightest chance of a goal-less draw, we get two in two games.

All that nandy-pandy passing around and not a shot on goal. I was particularly disappointed in Portugal, as was the packed bar I was in, who I thought had the beating of a tired looking Spanish team. Conversely in extra time I just felt if Spain wanted to up the pace a little they would have won conventionally instead of going to the penalty shoot-out.
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Jun 26

2 Comments

Is Peter Varney leaving a surprise?

The biggest news of this pre-season is the impending departure of Peter Varney. He left once before and what followed wasn’t pretty. Peter’s place in Charlton’s history is already secured but I had wondered for a while how much of a function he played within the club nowadays, and knowing him a little bit I would have thought he would have been bored. In many ways his job was done smoothing the transition of the new owners. Frankly, I think Richard Murray may be next.

What has worried a lot of Addicks, and I will save my concerns until Richard Murray moves on, is that Varney is someone we know and trust and although Slater, Jimenez and whoever else is involved behind the scenes have been exemplary in their running of club so far, mostly we are a mistrustful lot, with good reason let me add, particularly if you look at some other clubs out there.
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Jun 25

3 Comments

England pay the penalty…. again

And I quote: “Now for the winner takes all stage, although in the past we have seen countries play for penalties. I just don’t see that this time.” I wrote that the other day and then England came along last night.

For the whole of extra time we played to protect our goal and take the game to the lottery of a penalty shoot-out. Yet, what we didn’t account for is our record in penalty shoot-outs!
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Jun 22

Community Day

This afternoon was a day to give back to the community as we cleared the office and 50 of us headed to four different locations on the island to give a helping hand to a number of worthy causes.

Most of us were at the Bermuda National Trust owned Tivoli Estate in Warwick Parish, which is a 11-acre area nature reserve. The estate also includes Tivoli Pond and Tivoli House, a typically built early 19th century house that is a fine example of local architecture.
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Jun 21

Anyone for Port?

Football’s back on later after a day’s rest. Portugal take on the Czech Republic and I fancy the Portuguese to outclass the suprise Group A winners.

Tell me, is it just 90 minutes, extra time and penalties now? Or have UEFA dreamed up some mathmatical genius to decide winners. Teams with players with the most consonants or something. Czech Republic will walk it.
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Jun 20

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The Newport to Bermuda race

The first Newport to Bermuda race took place in 1906, and is therefore the oldest ocean race for amateur sailors. After leaving the harbour at Newport, Rhode Island last Thursday 188 yachts spent three to four days out at sea in the very cold water of the Atlantic. They crossed the very unpredictable Gulf Stream, where the weather and the current presents a real challenge and many boats have in the past come a cropper. Then for 300 smooth miles the water warms as the yachts race for the reefs and the finish line in Bermuda.

The bi-annual race finishes at St David’s Head at the very eastern tip of the island and first to cross the line was the 90-foot sloop named Rambler, captained by George David from Hartford, Connecticut.
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Jun 19

England top group

A solid performance from the 3 Lions tonight in what was in reality a very tricky away game in Ukraine’s back (coal) yard. Hopefully the hardy 4,000 Englishmen will be safe tonight in Donetsk.

Wayne Rooney got the all important winner, but otherwise looked very match rusty. Gerrard was immense and Parker as expected blocked and harried everyone and everything. The back four impressed, particulary Terry and Lescott, although once again the evidence was there for millions to see that even having a human-being five yards from the goal-line will never be as accurate as technology. Oleg Blokhin looked like he was going to blow a gasket. Oh well, swings and roundabouts as far as England are concerned I guess.
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Jun 18

4 Comments

A look at the 2012/13 fixtures

My first reaction when I saw the fixtures this morning was how tough the games looked, a hangover I am sure from dealing in a much different market these past 3 years.

Birmingham kick us off at St Andrews and my favourite memory of the Blue Noses was when we went there for the last game of the 1992/3 season and Big Fat Pete hit the woodwork in the final minute.

While manager-less Birmingham are 5th in the promotion odds, Leicester City are the bookies favourites and the Foxes will be our first Valley opponents followed quickly by Steve Bruce’s Hull City.
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Jun 17

Mary Prince

A Bermudian National Holiday tomorrow. The government decided to turn their back on the Diamond Jubilee, and a couple of years ago ditched the Queen’s Birthday holiday for a National Heroes Day instead. You know what, a day off work is a day off work in my book.

For the first three years the same national hero was chosen, Dame Lois Browne, Bermuda’s first female barrister and first female Attorney General. A perplexing decision and reasons only known to ‘The Naming and Recognition Committee in conjunction with the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.’ Oh yes an island of 65,000 inhabitants can have bureaucracy too!
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Jun 17

Portugeezers

A lifeless, uninspiring performance from the Dutch this evening has sent them packing with their tale between their legs. From the very beginning of the tournament Holland played with a death wish in the group of death and they got what they deserved.

Portugal meanwhile with Ronaldo finally showing as much panache as hair gel ran the show scoring twice and hitting the woodwork twice. So dominant was Ronaldo that he could’ve, should’ve become top tournament goalscorer tonight after just one 90-minute performance.
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Jun 15

1 Comment

From Theo to hero

Blimey we ain’t going to win any beauty contests playing like that but it was a thrilling game with a never say die attitude and I don’t believe I am the only one chuffed for Theo Walcott. He gets a lot of stick from all sorts of quarters including his own club’s fans. If you don’t want him Gooners, then we can find room for him down at The Valley.

At 1-2 we feared the worse, we couldn’t string a pass together, Gerrard and Parker were knackered, Young was running around in circles, Milner was having a shocker and the scene was set for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
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Jun 14

2 Comments

Getting shirty

The Charlton club shop opens on Saturday with the new kit available to buy. It might have been hastily designed but it was sure quick to the shelves. I remember the days when you couldn’t even get it for Christmas. Other items are available as well.
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Jun 14

All bets are off

My betting slip is about to be torn up (my final four: Russia, Spain, France…. and Holland!). The Dutch have had good success in the Euro’s – finalists and semi-finalists four times in the last six competitions, yet, unless the stars align dramatically for them on Sunday, they will be on the KLM flight back to Amsterdam.

The Germans comprehensively beat their old rivals yesterday in the ‘Spider Arena’ in Kharkiv. The Dutch only rallied when belatedly RVP (who on my 2nd betting slip is down as top scorer!) finally managed to unlock his obvious talent. The Dutch now have to rely on the Germans, which is sure to grate, to comprehensively beat Denmark, whilst they will have to raise their game to beat the Portuguese.
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Jun 11

Bulldog spirit

I was pleasantly surprised by that. I thought England started both halves with good intent and showed a lot of industry. Often it was a little backs-to-the-wall but white shirts bravely threw themselves into shot after shot. The type of character that makes an Englishman cheer but a Spaniard or Italian whince.

There were some good performances, in particular Parker, Welbeck and Young. Oxlade Chamberlain also showed patches of fearlessness. I did think Johnson was poor though. Sadly after we took the lead we played so deep we were almost playing in Volgograd whilst the French were in Donetsk.
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Jun 10

Irish luck out

The Irish and Croatian game was like watching a Premier League match this evening, no surprise bearing in mind many of the players on show ply their trade in it.

The Irish typically relied on a strong team spirit but the difference was the Croat strikers Mandzukic and Jelavic. I would have thought that substitutes Walters and Long would have carried more threat but orchestrated by Modric, Croatia were a cut above. My exceptionally tall Croatian mate back in Chicago would be knocking back a Rakia or two to celebrate.
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Jun 9

4 Comments

Orange shock

I met a mate of mine from the west country in the supermarket this morning and we both found ourselves nominating a back-up nation to follow after England either bravely or calamitously get sent home after 3 games.

We both picked the Dutch to follow, Le Oranje, everyone’s second favourite national football team but also since the 1970’s the world’s most frustrating team also.
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Jun 7

2 Comments

The Euros

During the 52-year history of the European Championships there have been more turn-ups than any other national competition. Czechoslovakia and Greece have both been champions as have Denmark, who were only in the finals because Yugoslavia was beating itself up at the time. Belgium, Hungary, Sweden, Turkey and even England have each made it to the semi-finals. Yet almost everyone expects nothing from Roy’s England team at this year’s event. And that maybe *big maybe* is our most potent weapon.
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Jun 6

1 Comment

Andrews Air Conditioning

There is possibly only two things wrong with Andrews Air Conditioning being our latest shirt sponsor and that is the logo is anything but sexy and that it’s not Apple or Google adorning the beer bellies of grown men in tight Charlton football shirts.

But it never was going to be was it, and I am just thankful that it’s not a faceless shell of an online betting company or a here-one-minute-gone-the-next high street mortgage lender. What Andrew Sykes are is a local firm with a wealthy Charlton fan as owner, with a history of supporting the club, an international outlook and over £53.8m of turnover. They’ll a real company too, and actually make stuff, which looking around the league’s other principal sponsors is a rare partner.
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Jun 5

Hurricane season

The hurricane season officially began on June 1st and ends on November 30th. I know a lot of you worry about me, especially after Igor paid us a visit in September 2010, so I thought I would share this year’s hurricane predictions.
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Jun 4

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Wet weekend

Bit of a rubbish weekend really. Our little girl was struck down with gastroenteritis at the end of last week and didn’t eat for 4 days and could hardly keep anything down. A dinner we had planned with some friends Saturday we blew out and basically we just camped out in our bedroom watching a couple of films (Albert Nobbs and My Week With Marilyn) and of course the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant.

I had to laugh because I would get embroiled in so many arguments with Americans who used to say to me “I love London, but it always rains.”
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Jun 3

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The Diamond Jubilee in Bermuda

Bermuda goes to work tomorrow and Tuesday, whilst sovereign states, crown dependencies and other overseas territories are off waving flags, necking Pimms, eating pork pies and celebrating Her Majesty’s 60 years on the throne.

I shouldn’t complain too much, we get more than our fair share of public holidays here on the rock, but it did interest me that the government in election year decided against observing the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
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Jun 1

7 to 5 to 7

I’m old enough to remember when there was just one sub, although not quite grey enough to remember the very first substitute in the English game, who I don’t need to remind you was one Keith Peacock on 21 August 1965, when Pee-Wee replaced injured goalkeeper Mike Rose 11 minutes into the away match against Bolton Wanderers.
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