Skip to content

Archive for

May 30

3 Comments

1974 World Cup – Part 1

To commemorate my 10 years of blogging and to reminisce why I fell in love with the beautiful game 40 years ago, I’m going to tell the story of the 1974 World Cup Finals. From memory, but helped by no little research.

1974 World Cup – Part 1

West Germany was chosen as the host nation by FIFA in London, in the week leading up to the 1966 World Cup Finals, in fact hosting rights for the 1978 and 1982 tournaments were also awarded at the same time. West Germany agreed a deal with Spain by which Spain would support West Germany for the 1974 tournament, and in return West Germany would allow Spain to bid for the 1982 World Cup unopposed.

West German football had come a long way since the end of WWII. Excluded from international football until 1950, with none of the three new German states, West Germany, East Germany and Saarland accepted into the 1950 World Cup qualifiers, yet just four years later the West Germans produced one of the competition’s biggest ever shocks by winning the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland.
Please click for more

May 29

1 Comment

Katrien’s summer hol’s

“I’m just going to check my work emails luv.”

“Oh, do you have too?”

“I just need to check if anything’s going on at the office, maybe Roly has bought that club in Azerbaijan that he’s been banging on about.”

“Oh, okay then, but can you get me a Stella and a waffle on your way back to the pool, I’m going back in for a swim.”
Please click for more

May 27

3 Comments

Peeters in

Not much of a surprise nor the unheralded announcement. The official statement also mentions that José Riga and Karel Fraeye have also moved on. Nice.

Damian Matthews will stay though as part of Peeters coaching staff, and two others are expected to join him from Belgium.

No mention of a contract period for Peeters, who will be head coach. I wonder if we are now worthy of a bit of an explanation from Duchâtelet or Katrien Meire?
Please click for more

May 27

18 Comments

Alex Dyer tells all

Alex Dyer deserves our thanks, not just because of the work he did whilst assistant to Chris Powell but also as advisor and coach to José Riga. His loyalty to the club will always stay with me.

Now, after leaving Charlton at the end of his contract, without any legal stipulations, Alex is free to talk, and talk he did in today’s SLP.

The interview is here and here, and pretty damning reading it makes too.
Please click for more

May 26

32 Comments

10 years on

During the next month this Blog will be 10 years old and I’m giving myself a pat on the back.

I remember that June Sunday evening well, sat in my apartment in Chicago juggling with Blogger’s idiot-proof yet bewildering templates to pen my first post.

Only the venerable Professor Wyn Grant has being blogging Charlton longer, although Daryl, the original inspiration for me to start still writes intelligent and punchy words here at 853.

As others will tell you blogging is often a labour of love and can be equally time consuming and frustrating. It has never been a chore though, otherwise I would have stopped. Writing has always been a release, and despite many bumps in the road, I have selfishly pushed on, writing 2,824 posts in the process but always taking great delight in knowing that many of you stop by to read my latest ramblings on whatever pops into my mind and not just the trials and tribulations of Charlton Athletic.
Please click for more

May 25

1 Comment

Karel Fraeye

Jose Riga’s assistant Karel Fraeye has been located and has been appointed as head coach of Belgium Division 3 side VW Hamme.

A penny for Fraeye’s thoughts then as he returns home to East Flanders in north Belgium, but Hamme represent a level higher than his last job in Belgium at Eendracht Zele.

Horribly translated this is what Karel said about his time at The Valley:
Please click for more

May 23

3 Comments

Fond farewells

A bit of a bleugh statement on the Official Site yesterday bidding farewell to those players that have not been offered new contracts. It perhaps underscored Roland Duchatelet’s sentiment towards supporter communication. A thank you wouldn’t have been too difficult would it? Especially to players that have grafted so hard and will be remembered fondly such as Leon Cort, Danny Hollands and Bradley Pritchard who in particular epitomised the phrase ‘hard working midfielder.’

Compare this to Chris Powell’s eulogy of Scott Wagstaff when he left the club last summer. The club’s comms team can’t be blamed, they could hardly invent a quote and therefore were left to just factually state the obvious, plus I suspect they have had their own opportunities to say personal goodbyes.

Twitter’s a great medium to communicate with players and pass on messages but it was great to see Leon Cort come onto the Charlton Life Forum yesterday and humbly say his thanks. A sign of class.
Please click for more

May 23

Peeters resigns from Waasland-Beveren

This morning Bob Peeters resigned from his role as manager of Waasland-Beveren and the club will now turn to Roland Duchatelet in order to settle the legal formalities and any compensation that can be agreed. This after meeting Duchatelet last night in London.
Please click for more

May 22

1 Comment

Hamer time

Time to leave for Ben, who signed for Premier League new boys Leicester City today on a free. Undoubtedly Leicester’s Thai owners would have paid handsomely for a 4-year contract, even if it is to mostly sit on the bench. The galling bit of course is the King Power Group would happily have paid a fairy sizeable fee if Ben was under contract.

Slater and Jimenez take the brunt of the criticism for the farcial contract situation that the club find themselves in, and rightly so, but equally Duchatelet had plenty of time to heed the advice he was given and at least attempt to tie in Hamer and others to an extended contract which would have given us some kind of transfer fee. It’s good governance if nothing else.
Please click for more

May 22

8 Comments

11 players released

Despite being without a head coach/manager or assistant manager Charlton announced the list of players that won’t be offered new contracts this morning. They were:

Ade Azeez
Jordan Cook
Leon Cort
Cedric Evina
Kevin Feely
Mark Gower
Danny Green
Danny Hollands
Bradley Jordan
Bradley Pritchard
Please click for more

May 21

1 Comment

Riga gone. Peeters in

A lot of drawing the dots this morning especially in Belgium where a number of good sources are reporting that Waasland-Beveren manager Bob Peeters has agreed to become the next manager of Charlton with Jose Riga moving back to AC Milan as Technical Director, the role he left to join us in March.

It is said that Riga is unhappy about not being offered the full time job at Charlton. He was quoted in a Belgium newspaper as saying “I do not imagine for a moment that it stops this way , so brutally. Without bragging on my part, including supporters, we had been very satisfied with the good turn of events and the work I could do in a competition that I had a lot of fun to discover. Now, to know why I have no voice, it remains a total mystery to me.”

This is exceptionally disappointing and shows Duchatelet’s cut throat nature, not to mention some poor man-management skills. Peeters is under contract with Waasland-Beveren until June 2015, so compensation will have to be agreed, although Waasland-Beveren have made a statement that they are “unpleasantly surprised by the reports in the press and if these rumours are correct, the negotiations were conducted without prior authorization for him.”
Please click for more

May 21

Paul Hart leaves

A real shame to see Paul Hart leave his role as Academy Director. For all the muck thrown at Slater and Jimenez, the latters connections was the main reason Hart joined the Addicks in June 2011. The previous owners then held off an offer for Hart from Nottingham Forest, but rumours have abounded since early this year that Hart would leave at the end of his contract and possibly take up a similiar role with the Premier League Champions.

So, the announcement on the OS is a little bit strange, suggesting that both Hart and Steve Avory were invited to apply for a new post of Academy Manager, the merging of the previous Academy Director and Head of Coaching roles held by Hart and Avory respectively. Reading in between the lines, it looks as if Hart didn’t take up the offer. Spin or not, I don’t know.
Please click for more

May 18

Standard Liege fail to win title

On the final day of the Belgium football season Roland Duchâtelet’s Standard Liege lost out on the Jupiler League title to Anderlecht, the team they finished 10 points clear of at the end of the regular league season. Those 10 months of grind all means nothing as the clubs enter a crackpot Play-Off system, that could only have been thought up by an American.

Standard’s Technical Director Jean-Francois de Sart called the Belgian Play-Off system “stupid, a failure and unique in the football world.” De Sart isn’t always as perceptive as Addicks may remember.
Please click for more

May 15

3 Comments

No contract for Morrison yet

“There is talk something will be sorted out – that’s all well and good – but is that just lip service? I’d like to think that a contract will be offered before I get back off holiday. Whether it does or not, we’ll see.”

If something doesn’t get offered me then I’ll have to go down other routes. I knew I was going out of contract and I’ve spoken to different parties, like anybody would.”

“You want to see some clear direction. When you look at January we brought in players and a lot didn’t play as many games towards the end of the season and at Blackpool only Astrit [Ajdarevic] was available for selection.”
Please click for more

May 14

2 Comments

Who is Amaury Gerard?

Roland Duchatelet’s newly appointed Network Media Manager for Standard Liège, Charlton Athletic, Ujpest FC, AD Alcorcòn and Carl Zeiss Jena according to Gerard’s profile.

A Belgium, with a background in telecommunications, sales, marketing and product management most recently working for one of Belgium’s main sports broadcasters. It would appear Roland Duchatelet has employed Gerard to oversee the media and communication output at a network level. He will be based in Budapest, the home of Ujpest.
Please click for more

May 13

Roy’s 23

I got a little buzz from the announcement of Roy Hodgson’s England squad yesterday, a teensy one anyway.

If you remember 4 years ago before South Africa, England and the FA were in right old mess, but yesterday was different. From the way Hodgson handled the reporting of the squad, to stupid questions from the press like “is this squad capable of winning it?”
Please click for more

May 13

2 Comments

Dervite to leave

Dorian Dervite, one of the stand-outs of Jose Riga’s reign looks set to sign for Bolton.

The Frenchman has said previously that he would like to stay on a long term deal, but I have heard nothing of an offer from the club. There was a ‘Dervite to Bolton’ rumour a month or so back, and knowing what Sordell was earning, it is clear that Bolton have a much higher wage bar, this despite the club’s huge debt.

One would think that Riga would like to keep Dervite, but we still know nothing on Duchatelet’s plans for the head coach. However this interview with a Belgium journal makes it pretty obvious that Riga wants to stay and that he has made his wishes clear to Duchatelet.
Please click for more

May 11

Travelogue: Scottsdale, Arizona

In 1888 a United States Army Chaplain called Winfield Scott bought 640 acres of Sonoran Desert for $2,240. Now Scottsdale has some of the most expensive real estate in the country.

The area was named as Orangedale after the huge orange groves that were planted by Winfield and his brother George, who cultivated the land to great effect. The town was renamed Scottsdale after it’s founder in 1894.

The Old Town retains much of it’s 19th Century Wild West flair. It’s more than a little kitsch, with it’s tourist souvenir shops selling cowboy boots and indian jewellery. It is also the centre of much of Scottsdale’s nightlife with many bars and restaurants. The oldest saloon in Scottsdale, the Rusty Spur has to be worth a stopover for a pint.

One building with genuine history is the 1909 Little Red School House, now home of the Scottsdale Historical Museum. Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is Arizona’s only permanent showcase to modern art and is very cutting edge. Also worth a closer look was the beautiful Adobe Mission Church. A white building made of 14,000 individual adobe blocks. Someone was inside willing to answer questions.
Please click for more

May 10

Travelogue: Sonoran Desert

We hired Jesse, a self confessed cowboy with an off-road jeep for a tour of the northern part of the Sonoran Desert. Jesse strapped us all into his slightly battered and bruised open sided jeep and took off down the highway, and as the wind took our breath Jesse talked of indian reservations and bikers conventions and how in this part of the desert the valleys are narrower, the mountains are higher, the winters are colder and the summers are warmer, and we were going to see it all.

The Sonoran Desert covers the southwestern part of Arizona, part of California and the northern part of Mexico and is approximately 120,000 square miles in size.

Jesse drove us slowly away from the busy roads to a point where hundreds of mail boxes were bundled together on dirt, and the track moved from gravel to sand.

“This is as far as the mailman comes,” Jesse announced and then with a steep drop we were off.

What amazed me was for miles tucked away amongst the terrain of cactus, trees, flowers and nothing were houses, big houses. All with roof top gardens. No one is safe in there own garden Jesse told us, that land belongs to the snakes and scorpions, so people sit on the roof. Interesting I thought as I peered over the side of the jeep.
Please click for more

May 7

1 Comment

Hollands and Hughes

Players contracts has been a topic of supporter’s conversation all season. Charlton won’t be alone in having a scratch squad left after June 1st, and I am sure there will be a record number of professionals available on free transfers.

With the loan players gone, Charlton have 18 players out of contract plus the coaching team of Alex Dyer, Damian Matthews, Karel Fraeye and Jose Riga all contract-less after June 1st.

Today Andy Hughes officially left the club, this on the back of Danny Green and Danny Hollands also moving on, although these two yet to be confirmed by the club.
Please click for more

May 4

3 Comments

Poyet voted Player of the Year

Despite playing only 20 games and making his debut in January, the 19-year old born in Zaragoza was tonight named Charlton supporter’s 2013/14 Player of the Year.

Lawrie Wilson, who got my vote, was 2nd and Michael Morrison 3rd. Jordan Cousins, a year older than Poyet, won the Young Player of the Year. Cousins made his debut back in August and the two awards are testimony to the latest current crop of outstanding Academy players.
Please click for more

May 4

3 Comments

No tears spilt for Fulham

“All aboard the CAFC party boat to Fulham” – Johnnie Jackson

My disappointment at seeing Birmingham avoid relegation soon evaporated after hearing of Fulham’s demise at Stoke City. They were truly awful yesterday and after 13 Premiership season’s they will join Cardiff in The Championship next season.

I have long had an irrational dislike of Fulham, who were transformed from a community, family club with a rich history into the egotistical face of Mohammed Al Fayed, who over time squeezed every ounce of individuality out of the club and it’s famous ground. Michael Jackson statues and neutral areas just two examples.
Please click for more

May 3

Blackpool 0 Charlton Athletic 3

“I said to them you might not be the best players but you must be the best squad in terms of team spirit, of collaboration and in commitment.”

I had an unusual feeling listening to the game this morning, well two actually. Firstly I was relaxed, no anxiety, no irrational obsessions, just me, the commentary, a cup of coffee and warm buttered toast.

The second strange realization was that in the 2nd half it sounded as if we could score at will. Another quarter of an hour and Callum would’ve had 6. What’s with that?
please click for more

May 2

2 Comments

Who’s for the drop then?

There must be 626 Donny fans sat at home tonight still shaking their heads because that was how many were sat in the Jimmy Seed Stand on the afternoon of Saturday, 24th August looking on in disbelief as their own players took to sweeping water of The Valley turf with brooms, whilst Paddy Powell leant on his fork.

With Donny leading 3-1 at half-time, a half that lasted almost an hour and twenty minutes, referee Lee Collins finally abandoned the game. Paul Dickov called the whole affair “shambolic” and he was right.

I remember a couple of mates saying that with the way the game swayed before the break, we would have come back to win. This was August remember, before most of us had come to realize how rubbish we were to become.
Please click for more

May 1

3 Comments

Duchâtelet’s plans for José Riga

“We will back you (Jose) 100%, and I really want you to see and hear for yourself a rip-roaring Valley because it will send shivers down your spine.” – what I wrote the day José Riga was appointed.

With rumours growing that Paul Hart will leave the club in the summer to embark on a much bigger challenge, many are talking of what Roland Duchâtelet’s plans are for Jose Riga.

Riga has acheived his goal and I think he has acted in a warm and very professional way in what were very difficult circumstances. He has endeared himself to players and fans, even to the most-avid of Chris Powell supporters, and gone about his job with the minimum of fuss.

Helped no doubt by Alex Dyer and Damien Matthews, who also should take great credit, as well as senior pros such as Johnnie Jackson and Andy Hughes, who was the centre-piece of the immediate post game celebrations on Tuesday, Riga’s ability in quickly adapting to new surroundings and mostly talking in a foreign language has been outstanding. Add to this the non-stop cycle of crucial games, which would’ve not allowed him a lot of time on the training ground to implement his ideas and philosphies, this has to be his greatest achievement in football, in what I maintain has been his biggest ever job.
Please click for more