Jul 31
Thursday and Friday in Bermuda are national holidays, officially known as Emancipation Day and Somers Day, but more widely known as Cup Match, when the two end’s of the island take each other on at cricket.
It’s a fun time to be in Bermuda, but I’ve ticked that box a few times and it is hard to give up an opportunity to go away for a long weekend. Thus, we find ourselves at the airport on our way to Miami, a familiar retreat for us.
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A look at the other teams in our division through the lens of an opposing fan, me. Who have they signed, who have they sold or released, what’s the manager like, key players, their fan’s expectations, and what we should expect.
Alphabetical order then, starting with the first of many B’s, AFC Bournemouth. The Cherries eased themselves into The Championship last season and like the Addicks the season before, a late run of good results almost grabbed them a Play-Off place.
Their Russian owner also spent big, including a big French striker, that some of us haven’t really got over, but it came at a cost. Bournemouth posted losses of a whopping £15m, and this before the signings of players like Tokelo Rantie, Lee Camp, Adam Smith and Yann Kermorgant.
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I wonder if the Addicks have finished their summer shopping, I hope not as I still think we look short on options and most importantly firepower.
Scoring goals last season was our biggest handicap and I still don’t think Peeters and Duchâtelet have done enough to address that. I have my reservations on Pigott, but Peeters has started the youngster in every friendly so far. Still only 20, and with time to bloom, he began last season in the 1st team picture but was eventually unable to unseat more experienced players. Even though those players weren’t doing it.
Other than Yann, those picked in front of Joe – Church, Obika, Tudgay, Reza and Sordell, except in the final fixtures – didn’t deliver goals either. Piotr Parzyszek wasn’t considered good enough by three managers and has now moved elsewhere in the network on loan.
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After the friendly tonight against Ebbsfleet, members of the media asked Bob Peeters to the whereabouts to Reza Ghoochannejhad. Bob said this:
“There was a transfer to the Middle East. Now there is no transfer anymore and he comes back tomorrow.
I will have a chat with him because he deserved a rest after the World Cup but I will talk to him about what his plans are because for me it is important if players come back they want to be at Charlton.
If you don’t want to be at Charlton then you don’t need to train with the first team. He needs to tell me whether he stays or not.” (more)
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In New York City for a couple of days of working, and continuing to work on my project of how the World Cup impacted the life of American’s.
My Chicago homecoming last week was short and sweet and left me craving for more. It certainly is my kind of town, and as anticipated I ate well.
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The club announced the signing of Stephen Henderson on a 3-year deal this morning.
The 26-year old goalkeeper was a free agent after having his West Ham contract mutually cancelled last week. Originally it was suggested that we were going to take him on loan, but the issue was his 20k a week wages.
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Unsubstantiated rumours are building on whether Roland Duchâtelet has sold World Cup star Reza Ghoochannejhad. The club said that Reza was to meet up with the squad in Spain after an extended break following Iran’s World Cup exit. However he wasn’t in Spain and now all Addick eyes will be on Sparrows Lane tomorrow to see if he starts pre-season with Charlton or in fact has been moved on.
Reza signed a two and a half year contract in January, but struggled with the pace and physicality of The Championship despite some obvious skill and talent. He started just 10 games, 7 in which he was substituted and scored just once, albeit it was this cracking and decisive goal at Elland Road in April.
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It sounds like the Addicks will steal a march on Brighton and sign West Ham’s Stephen Henderson on a season-long loan.
The Irishman has like many young ‘keepers played at a host of clubs, nearly all on loan. The 26-year old began his career at Aston Villa but moved to Bristol City without making his senior debut at Villa Park.
He made 25 appearances for Portsmouth after signing for them in 2011. West Ham signed him from Pompey after a loan spell in which he sat on the bench in the Championship play-off final. He then signed permanently but has never made a first team appearance for the Hammers.
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I’m on way to Chicago today, mostly for work stuff, principally a licensing exam, but I have built in some down time too. Shamefully I haven’t been to the Windy City for almost two years, and I’m looking forward to catching up with some mates and doing plenty of eating.
I am also on a mission to find out if the World Cup has had a lasting affect on Americans. Chicago is one of the more ‘soccer-centric’ cities mostly driven by a large immigrant population, but the American preoccupation with Brazil 2014 interests me, and I watched news programmes portray it with a mixture of delectation and awkwardness.
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Germany were rightful World Champions after beating Argentina 1-0 last night, and for once I was happy to see them win and particularly pleased for Philipp Lahm, whose glittering career now includes lifting the most famous trophy in sports.
The game if not a classic was still enthralling as both sides attempted to unlock each other to score the all important goal. It was Mario Götze who was to be the hero, Mendonca-esque controlling the ball on his chest and sweeping it past Romero in one movement to prevent, gladly, a penalty shoot-out deciding the World Cup winners.
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André Bikey-Amougou plays the ball into Reza Ghoochannejhad, who lays the ball out wide to Jóhann Berg Gudmundsson, who crosses for Igor Vetekole to head back across the goal for George Țucudean to fire home.
Who’d be a commentator eh? Poor old Peter Finch must be waking up in cold sweats!
The reliable Doctor Kish has posted that the striker Bob Peeters mysteriously talked about yesterday after losing to Welling for the first time since 2006, was George Țucudean (pronounced zz-ucu-dean).
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Well, this is it then, World Cup Final day. It seems like an age ago when I watched the opening game with some mates in a pub in Sidcup, but a month later, the fútbol de carnaval journey is almost over, and whilst the words ‘best ever’ have been on every fan, journalist and pundit’s lips every day since, the Brazilians may never recover!
Proclaiming anything the ‘best ever’ until it has ended is a little premature, so the world waits to see if today’s final can provide us with a fitting finale to what has been an extraordinary World Cup in more ways than one.
So, as I sit here this morning like a kid on Christmas Eve and wondering what is going to fill my head until August 9th, I have compiled one, actually two, of my Chicago Addick Top 5’s.
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Whilst a little underwhelmed this morning by the signing of Tal Ben Haim, I am certainly ‘whelmed’ by the capture of Icelandic winger Johann Berg Gudmundsson.
The 23-year old signs on a 2-year contract after leaving Dutch Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar on July 1st. Gudmundsson arrives with a very impressive reputation. He has 32 Icelandic caps and came to prominence with this cracking hat-trick against Switzerland in World Cup qualifying.
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Not sure about you, but I’m still trying to get my head around last night. In the meantime the Addicks have made their 4th summer signing with 29-year old André Bikey joining the ranks on a 2-year deal.
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I knew I would miss the first half an hour tonight as I was taking my daughter to a swim lesson. No worries I thought, this game could go the whole 120 minutes plus penalty heartbreak…. if only Brazilian hearts were to stay in one piece that long.
Half an hour. 5-0. And I missed it. A record busting game and a footballing night of great magnitude that has left all of us with a certain perception of Brazilian football and footballers in a mind boggling daze.
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Has this been the best World Cup ever? Although I have a childhood fondness for 1974 and 1978, in my lifetime it is Spain ’82 that I hold up there as my favourite World Cup.
The curtain will be drawn on Brazil 2014 on Sunday and after the sumptuous openness of the Group Stages and late drama in many of the 2nd Round matches, the Quarter’s became a lot more cagey and defensive.
If it is to be the best ever World Cup then I think we need one big game out of the three that are left. One to have us drooling in front of the telly and one that will stick in the memory forever.
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I watched bits of Charlton’s pre-season games in St-Truiden this past weekend on the Addicks You Tube service, which was very good by the way.
I am sure those that travelled had a fun time despite the driving rain during yesterday’s game and Stayen looked a neat little stadium. Nonetheless pre-season games are simply that, an opportunity for fitness, preparation and team building. Training games that you can pay to watch.
This was underlined by Standard even wearing their training bibs in Saturday’s 45-minute kick about. Friendlies play with your expectations, be careful, but no one has ever been promoted or relegated after a pre-season friendly and one week of training.
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I saw David Moyes on Friday night sat in a bar in Bermuda with a couple of mates on a golfing holiday. A penny for his thoughts when Louis Van Gaal brought on Tim Krul in the final minute of extra time for the Netherlands penalty shoot out against Costa Rica.
It was a breathless finale to last night’s last quarter final and I was off my seat as the attacks swung one end to the other with both teams looking to avoid the dreaded penalties.
The Dutch’s penalty heartbreak is only second to England’s, but Van Gaal’s decision to bring on Rob Elliot’s teammate Krul was a masterstroke.
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Little has been written about the departure of Standard Liege’s Technical Director Jean-François De Sart. It was thought that De Sart was a close ally of Roland Duchâtelet, but the Charlton owner has failed to renew De Sart’s contract and he left the club this week.
Addicks will remember that De-Sart was the guy that announced in a television interview that Standard’s players not deemed good enough will come to Charlton and the Addicks best players will go to Belgium.
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Diego Poyet will sign a 5-year contract with West Ham later today. Poyet who turned down a new contract at The Valley after playing just 23 first team games had a choice of Premiership teams to join as well as Monaco and Borussia Dortmund on the continent, but has chosen to continue his career under Sam Allardyce at Upton Park.
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Anyone else notice how the three Charlton shirts when stood together resemble the Belgium flag? They are not just all waffles and mussels you know.
Being a grown up, the design of a football shirt shouldn’t really bother me, but I’m sorry these three from Nike this season are atrocious and £61 for kids who want the full kit.
Actually I think my aversion to them stems from the Sunday league font used for Greenwich University. Anyway the wrapping doesn’t matter, it’s what’s inside that counts.
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Born in the capital of Belgium but made his debut for Southend as a 16-year old. Moussa ticks all the boxes and shone last season at Coventry scoring 14 goals from midfield. Described as pacy and skilful and only 24.
A lack of Championship experience didn’t deter clubs from chasing him with Birmingham, Forest, Huddersfield, Millwall and Wolves all said to have been interested in signing the Belgian, who is out of contract.
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Charlton, SE7
