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Oct 31

4 Comments

Portsmouth 0 Charlton Athletic 2

A statement sending victory that one.

The tactics, game plan and the game management spot on. A magnificent defensive display again even with a makeshift back four, which became even more makeshift when Akin Famewo left the field with quarter of an hour left.

Portsmouth on the back of a very good run themselves presented our biggest challenge to date, and although we started slow, we grew into the game with the midfield four of Pratley, Shinnie, Forster-Caskey and Williams peerless, individually and as a collective.

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Oct 30

1 Comment

Alfie out for 4 months

Devastating news for Alfie. A torn hamstring and surgery will mean the 20-year old will be out until well into the new year. Gutted for the young man and I wish him a speedy recovery.

For a 20-year old who was playing for Bromley a year ago, Alfie has made himself pretty irreplaceable down that left hand side for us.

I am sure he will be looked after by the club and he has the character to come back fighting fit, but following on from all of the transfer speculation it shows how fragile a footballer’s career can be. It would be a boost for all of us if Messrs Sandgaard and Gallen sit down with him during his rehabilitation and offer him a new contract.

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Oct 27

3 Comments

Charlton Athletic 2 Oxford United 0

Funny old game.

First half hour we chased the shadows as Oxford passed and moved around us and we didn’t trouble them at all as we lined up 4-4-2 with Smyth and Shinnie outside Pratley and Watson in midfield.

Then abruptly we burst into life. Gunter from the right played the ball into Shinnie, who shook his marker and played a lovely reverse ball into an acre of space for Connor Washington to run onto, which he did with full gusto and he finished expertly under Eastwood, and suddenly we were ahead.

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Oct 26

4 Comments

Free agent Adam Matthews to sign

Looks as if Adam Matthews is the player Lee Bowyer wants as his right-sided defender to complete the final piece of this transfer window jigsaw.

Matthews was outstanding after he came in as a free agent last September. I also thought he was our best performer after lockdown. Unfortunately it says a lot about the current state of the game that he cannot get a contract at another club, but their loss is our gain and he will provide competition for Chris Gunter, remembering that the ex-Reading player can also play on the left side.

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Oct 24

3 Comments

Northampton Town 0 Charlton Athletic 2

That was a howler of a game that matched the weather, and the pitch, which was frankly Cobblers.

It was not pretty, but it was a handsome three points, and another bruising defensive display with Ryan Inniss monstrous at the back leading to a further clean sheet.

The first half was desperate and the initial pick of a midfield of Levitt, Williams and Forster-Caskey was far too lightweight. Darren Pratley changed the whole mentality when he was introduced for the 2nd half. His influence was all around him as Williams and Forster-Caskey were much busier and effective. Behind DP Inniss and Famewo dominated.

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Oct 20

7 Comments

Blackpool 0 Charlton Athletic 1

This evening the newly put together Addicks squad proved they can do it on a chilly Tuesday night by the seaside as we left the Lancastrian coast with all three points.

The performance was once again a long, long way from perfect but there were encouraging signs. Ryan Inniss and Akin Famewo were dominant at the back against a good forward three for Blackpool. I thought Andrew Shinnie and Chris Gunter were more on point, and Alfie was once again a live wire, night cap and all.

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Oct 17

3 Comments

Charlton Athletic 1 Wigan Athletic 0

A scrappy and sometimes untidy performance but we came away with the much needed 3 points today at The Valley.

It’s almost impossible to judge the team, and I think it will be most of this month before it’ll be fair to make any appraisals.

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Oct 17

1 Comment

Phillips gets his move

I suspect if we hadn’t been relegated Dillon Phillips would be in goal for us today, but he honourably and respectfully made his career ambitions known and he finally got his move yesterday.

I’m unsure that Cardiff was a team and place he dreamed off when he and his family came to the conclusion that after 17 years at Charlton it was time to move on, but Cardiff have added well in the window and will be in the promotion mix I’m sure.

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Oct 17

Shinnie and Smyth make 12

The loan signings before the deadline closed of Luton attacking midfielder Andrew Shinnie and wide front man Paul Smyth from QPR brought Charlton’s summer transfer window to 12.

A whole new team with a sub, although we’d have to play rush goalie.

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Oct 15

1 Comment

Oztumer and Lapslie leave on loan

Steve Gallen and Lee Bowyer found a bit of headroom in the constricted salary cap today.

George Lapslie, who has been at the club since he was 10 years old has moved to Mansfield Town in L2 on a season’s loan. Lapslie is popular but has been used sparingly and mostly out of position. He asked for a chance to play somewhere else as he clearly doesn’t feel he can claim a regular central midfield slot.

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Oct 14

2 Comments

Two more added, three to go

Double figures now for new players. Yesterday Bowyer and Gallen added centre half Ryan Innis on a permanent deal from Crystal Palace and quickly on the back of that 18-year old Chelsea prospect Ian Maasten joined on loan.

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Oct 9

2 Comments

Who is Omar Bogle?

28-year old Omar Bogle was hot property when he was banging in the goals for fun as a young man in the non-league. After he helped bring Grimsby back to League Two he had another banner season hitting 19 goals in his first season in league football.

I remember thinking he would perfect for us then, but he wasn’t Belgian unfortunately so Wigan paid just over a £1m for him in January 2017, but a change in manager at Wigan saw him move on again to Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City.

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Oct 8

4 Comments

Ged Roddy appointed as Technical Director

Possibly the first long term visionary move the football club have made in a decade. Thomas Sandgaard has hired Ged Roddy as the club’s Technical Director.

Roddy has a very impressive CV, and this role points to future plans and ambitions that Sandgaard has. The Dane has said he will be the only director of the club, which put a little bit of concern in my head bearing in mind where he lives and being CEO of a $80m company and growing.

Yet, the key is to surround yourself with good people, build a trusted and connected team, and establish a plan and a strategy, and keep as close to it as possible.

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Oct 8

1 Comment

Chris Gunter signs

This one has been on the horizon for a while, and Bowyer and Gallen have finally gotten themselves a right back with Welsh international Chris Gunter signing on a two-year contract with an option of a third.

Gunter has 97 caps and could make that 98 tonight when England host them at Wembley.

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Oct 4

2 Comments

Football has gone

🥳 Bonkers. The Premier League was like the last day of school today and I loved it.

Football without fans has had a dramatic impact on games and results, and has levelled the playing field in so many ways, yet today’s events were imaginable.

I have to track down a recording of James Alexander Gordon reading the results, just to hear his melodious tone, and to make sure the games I watched from the couch actually happened.

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Oct 4

Bermuda Election: Green Day

A sea of green tee-shirts, socially distanced of course, filled the back streets of Hamilton, Bermuda on Thursday after the ruling Progressive Labour Party (PLP), swept to victory in the hastily called election just three years into their tenure, which can run as much as five.

On the back of an aggressive but intelligent handling of Covid-19 pandemic, which frankly has been a lesson to many much larger nations, and before the true economic reality hits, Premier David Burt took advantage of a flimsy and disorganized opposition One Bermuda Alliance (OBA) by forcing voters to the polling booths.

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Oct 3

Charlton Athletic 0 Sunderland 0

I would have taken a point before the game, but that was a abominable match and unfortunately we more than played our part in it.

It was a strange line-up and formation at kick-off even given Bowyer’s lack of options. He changed the formation numerous times during the game, but apart from a ten minute spell when Chuks Aneke came on there was nothing to get the pulse remotely racing.

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Oct 2

7 Comments

Farewell Macauley

Charlton sold Macauley Bonne to QPR this morning in a deal expected to be worth £2m with an added sell-on clause. He scored 11 goals for us after signing from Leyton Orient last summer.

Lee Bowyer called Bonne a project. I never felt quite sure that he was Lee’s pick, but he took the 24-year old on and Bonne was a willing pupil. That project work is still ongoing and it’ll be interesting to see how Mark Warburton further develops him.

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Oct 2

6 Comments

Thomas Sandgaard week one

A week ago today.

The dark clouds lifted in SE7, the sky cleared and in walked Thomas Sandgaard. Guitar, sunglasses and all.

It was still the dead of night in Castle Rock, Colorado but a man slept in his bed knowing that the next day he would be the owner of Charlton Athletic Football Club.

It was no dream, Sandgaard had finally closed the deal after getting EFL approval and OADT sign off. With no shortage of help from top law firm Freshfields Druckhaus Deringer, the Dane had navigated the shark infested waters of ESI and claimed ownership of our historic club.

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Oct 1

4 Comments

Marcus Maddison signs

I don’t think I was the only one saying that we dodged a bullet when our January move to Peterborough’s Marcus Maddison fell through. At the nightfall of the January window we were told that Maddison couldn’t be bothered with the London traffic and Posh owner Darragh MacAnthony covered for his counterfeit mate Southall that Maddison was a bad egg and we were both better off without him.

History now tells us to trust no one and we were all taken for a huge ride, MacAnthony as well.

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