Melancholy

I’m looking forward to seeing the new Back to The Valley memorial next time I’m at the ground.

CAST should take credit again for another enterprising idea which they took from blueprint to fruition.

It’s interesting that the CAST article felt the need to suggest that “we all need to look to the future and to work towards ensuring that our club can return to former glories.”

I totally get that, and whilst my support has never diminished, it’s been bloody tough to look through what has been a frosted and cracked window of the future.

I’ve been feeling a bit melancholy myself recently about the Addicks. Maybe it’s an age thing, probably it’s because there often seems no way out of this malaise, and I know it’s extreme short-termism, which is not in my character, but I found the past couple of weeks before yesterday, quite vexing.

This is our 5th consecutive season in the third division, 8 out of 9 and I feel fortunate that I grew up watching the club have success with Lennie, against the backdrop of not playing at The Valley, and then the rebirth post going home under Curbs, improving steadly towards the success and times we shared.

Even the dip at the turn of the last decade still saw a sustained push to return to the second tier at least, but if you only started supporting the club after 2015 then my heart goes out to you.

I am still in a bit of shock from yesterday’s result, but it did remind me that this is a journey, melancholic or not, and as long as I can see a purpose and plan then I am probably not getting off.