2017 March | Chicago Addick

Mar 31

Meire’s incompetence part 457

If Dave’s list of Katrien Meire’s ‘accomplishments’ was not enough, yesterday the club announced that the CEO has now presided over another loss making year for the football club.

Charlton reported a £13.5m loss for the 2015-16 season, up by £9.5m on the 12 months previous. The club claimed that there were increased costs of nearly £4m, which largely went on January transfers and salaries. Charlton Athletic’s total debt now stands at £65.2m and total staff costs were £14.06m, which was scarily 116% of turnover.
Please click for more

Mar 29

4 Comments

A tribute worthy of a hero

There has been very little to praise the club over the past three years but the tribute they announced today to PC Keith Palmer deserves applauding.

The club will donate 50 per cent of all of next Tuesday’s ticket sales to the fund for PC Palmer’s family, while Charlton players will donate the entirety of their appearance fees. There will also be a one-minute silence before the game, whilst the Charlton players will wear black armbands, as well as a special shirt which will be emblazoned with hero Keith’s Police warrant number, ‘P204752’, in tribute.
Please click for more

Mar 26

10 Comments

Simplifying the stadium map!

VOTV have broken the news a day before the club’s PR machine lurches into action that the 2017/18 season tickets will be more expensive in some areas of the ground and that they plan on closing certain blocks in the east and west stands.

The days of the fans bringing the club back to The Valley and not being unable to get a seat, let alone one of your choice are now far back in the rear view mirror and the owner and his inept CEO really don’t give a flying. Moreso it also prevents fans buying in cheaper areas and moving game by game to more expensive seats. Perhaps less stewarding is required too, but it looks to me an effort to maximize income from a no doubt further falling season ticket base.
Please click for more

Mar 22

1 Comment

Thank Vale

“Yesterday I felt the first pangs of a new season. Pearce’s signing bringing me out of a sweaty summer stupor, helped or hindered, I can’t work out which, by the fact that I finally added the fixtures to my calendar.” – me the day before the season started in August.

Fast forward 7 months and on a cold chilly night in Bermuda there I am searching for the Port Vale score and punching the air to celebrate a Vale defeat. Mark Robins’ Coventry, who are all but relegated, were 2-0 up at half-time. Kyel Reid scored a stunning opener and won their first game in seven. Relegation would mean Coventry playing in the 4th tier for the first time in 58 years.
Please click for more

Mar 18

2 Comments

Sheffield United 2 Charlton Athletic 1

A not unexpected defeat but we put in a good shift and Karlo told us that we saw for the first 25 minutes how he foresees a Charlton team playing in the future. Promising, and I am glad he has a vision and I hope he gets to carry it out.

On the flip slide it is one win in twelve and we remain 6 points off the relegation zone and Port Vale have two games in hand and the table might look a lot worrisome by the time we get to Peterborough in a fortnight. Two home games in a week follow so we have more than enough points to play for to avoid a relegation end of season dog fight.

Please click for more

Mar 17

10 Comments

Better times around the corner?

As a mysterious for sale sign in Dutch appeared on a wall outside The Valley, the VOTV has disclosed that a secure data room was created within The Valley 2 weeks ago and has since been in use by an unknown female lawyer. Not Pinocchio.

Of course this is what one would expect at the outset of a due-diligence process or an external audit. Any potential and qualified buyer who has agreed to sign an NDA would need to have ready access to a whole range of financial data, and that is what I assume this lawyer is putting together. Word is also that a price has been agreed in principle.

Please click for more

Mar 16

2 Comments

Mike Norris RIP

Mike Norris’ name will always be synonymous with getting Charlton Athletic back to The Valley. Sadly the former director and vice chairman passed away yesterday.

Mike, a chartered surveyor by trade, was a lifelong Charlton fan, and was hugely important in the Sunley days of keeping the club alive in 1984. That of course meant that we had to go to Selhurst Park, but although there were then divergent opinions on the future of the football club among individuals at the time, Norris was always in the camp of returning the club back to borough of Greenwich.

Please click for more

Mar 15

1 Comment

Charlton Athletic 1 Bradford City 1

Another draw but a decent one for a supportive Valley crowd.

We didn’t appear to get to grips with whatever system Robinson employed in the 1st half and the Yorkshiremen impressed even though for once we took the lead through another goal from Jorge Teixeira, who is rapidly becoming our most lethal weapon in front of goal. Bradford deservedly equalized just before half time when Declan Rudd spilled a shot into the path of Dieng.

Rudd has been a fault a couple of times recently and I hear calls for our own Dillon Phillips to be brought back into the side for the remaining games in readiness for next season. From what I have seen of Phillips, he looks good enough but will the club be prepared to ditch the on-loan Norwich ‘keeper?

Please click for more

Mar 12

6 Comments

Duchatelet close to selling?

The Duchatelet to sell rumour mill has been amped up around SE7 the last few days and at yesterday’s game it was a topic that appeared to carry a lot more water than just plain wishful thinking amongst Addicks. Katrien Meire was also absent yesterday but that is thought to be a coincidence.

Post match both Rick Everitt and Rich Cawley tweeted that there is strong takeover talk, wth Chinese money thought to be in the mix and on that note I want to direct you to Wyn’s Blog for some really good insight into Chinese football ownership.

First things first before we get over excited. The game is littered with bad owners it should be a football league condition that any sale passes a detailed due diligence test and any prospective owner is thoroughly scrutinized.

Please click for more->

Mar 11

Charlton Athletic 1 Walsall 1

Another draw, our 16th, and unfortunately we were unable to build on Tuesday’s last minute winner although Tony Watt himself had a better game, more involved it seemed and got a good goal.

The first half sounded pretty rough, which was disappointing and I question why Robinson changed formation, but he does like to tinker. We went in at the break a goal down, although possibly could have been worse but the effort wasn’t questioned in the 2nd half as we probed and pushed and ended with the spoils shared.

Please click for more

Mar 8

2 Comments

Charlton Athletic 2 Scunthorpe United 1

A much needed 3 points at an empty Valley last night with the unofficial crowd pegged at less than 5,000.

It sounded a much better performance but it also sounded a match very much played out by two of the countries least in form sides, but after a dreadful February we finally got a reaction and won one of our ‘cup ties.’

Mind you the winner came unexpectedly. By this time I was in the pub after turning off the commentary fully expecting Scunny to be the winner if there was to be one. Once they equalised they were certainly in the driving seat as I left the office. A text from my brother along the lines of “thank gosh for that” made me check to see that Tony Watt had converted a 90th minute penalty and was abruptly booked for diving into the Covered End.

Please click for more

Mar 7

CARD statement following Belgium and Northampton

The Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet (CARD) wants to thank the hundreds of Charlton supporters who made the 500-mile round trip to Sint-Truiden to join Saturday’s Unity Protest march through the town, as well as the many other fans who spontaneously demonstrated their own feelings about the owner and his regime during the team’s 2-1 defeat at Northampton Town

Please click for more

Mar 6

Historic weekend

On my way back to Bermuda now and having time to reflect on a historic weekend in Charlton’s history.

Roland Duchatelet would not have liked the fact that 300 ordinary men, women and children, not louts and irate ex-employees demonstrated against him alongside STVV fans on Saturday in the sleepy town of Sint Truiden, where the 70-year old has always felt he had some kind of power over the people of the town and it’s football club.

Stories and tales from those that made the trip out to Belgium are both heartwarming and of legend and memories made will last a lifetime, especially once we rid ourselves of Duchatelet and Pinocchio. There has been much media coverage both at home and in Belgium and the whole thing was beautifully organized, and perfectly executed and makes me proud to be an Addick. And the lazy and misguided PR men at the club should be embarrased.

Please click for more

Mar 4

21 Comments

Northampton Town 2 Charlton Athletic 1

I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction Karl Robinson was looking for after Tuesday night but 1,500 fans screaming “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” might not have been quite it.

It wasn’t that they weren’t trying, because they were, it’s just that as a team they played like strangers. Defensively porous, and other than a few intelligent carry outs by Konsa always it was just a hopeful punt. A midfield wholly unable to find a telling pass and constantly caught in possession.

The two strikers Novak and Magennis playing as if they’d met for the first time before kick off. Chasing long balls and lost causes. Ex-Addick Michael Smith giving our two strikers a lesson in movement, hold up play and finishing.

From our lot only Botaka and Holmes showed any sense of urgency and came out of the game with any credit.

Pleas click for more

Mar 4

1 Comment

Body in Sixfields, mind & spirit in Belgium

After much deliberation my brother, my son and I will be at Sixfields this afternoon. My surgeon would not have been hp with me making a drive to St-Truiden so I called the club and bought three of the last available tickets.

Don’t get me started on my two hour drive to The Valley yesterday only to get to the Superstore and be told they had lost my tickets. Gone missing from the ticket office all the way around the corner to the store. Customer service at it’s best! So we now need to pick them up from Sixfields, which you and I know has ‘problem’ written all over it….

The only saving grace was Dave was at home and he makes a cracking cup of tea and brought me up to speed on the Belgium plans. He also reminded me, as if a plant sent by my surgeon, that I needed my head testing flying from Bermuda to go and watch them play. Fortunately I didn’t have my head operated on!

Please click for more

Mar 3

10 Comments

Unity Protest update

From CARD:

Charlton fans organising Saturday’s Unity Protest against the club’s owner Roland Duchatelet in his home town of Sint-Truiden have confirmed that every seat on the two coaches travelling has now been sold.

Dozens more protestors are travelling to Belgium by Eurostar and local rail services as well as private cars, with up to 250 supporters of the London club expected to march through the town ahead of the local team’s Jupiler League match against Eupen at 8pm local time.

They will be joined by disaffected Sint-Truiden (STVV) fans who recently announced the launch of GrAS, their own protest group, urging Duchatelet either to run their club on a competitive basis or sell it to someone else who will.

Media interest in Saturday’s protest is already high, with both BBC and ITV sending a camera team on board the coaches, and other reporters expected.

Please click for more

Mar 2

4 Comments

Sint-Truiden or Northampton?

I am back in the UK down at my parents in East Sussex arriving early yesterday morning to a grey but promising South Downs day (photo). My trip back was to see family and join hundreds of other Addicks in Belgium this coming weekend, as it turns out it is now one of convalescing after recent surgery which came about very suddenly.

Belgium is still on my and my brother’s mind but we will make a late decision and as an alternative may go to Northampton instead. If my surgeon is reading this then I am at home in Bermuda, sat on the couch reading a book.

I expect the numbers going to Sint-Truiden to swell this week beyond the already committed 250. We were always going to go under our own steam and I expect many others will join up in the Grote Markt on Saturday unannounced.

Please click for more

Mar 1

1 Comment

Robinson’s interview

Whilst I stared into the abyss rubbing my eyes after listening to Karl Robinson’s on pitch press conference last night pondering if I could somehow put my dumbfounded words into a post, I was beaten to it as I tried to draw words together in my mind by Dave and Rick.

I will not be able to put as much colour and significance around Robinson’s rant as those two gents did, so please read them first and then come back here for an attempted epilogue.

Please click for more

Mar 1