Happy New Year
I wrote my first New Year’s Eve ‘message’ in 2004, and have done so for each of the 20 years since. It’s makes me immensely proud, and old, that I have kept these pages alive for all of that time.
One of my New Year’s resolutions, normally futile, is to convert at least the first six years into a book. We’ll see.
Hopefully, as you’ve seen I’ve been picking 20 Players and 20 Places to commemorate my 20 Years of Blogging which I acccomplished in June. I’ve almost reached the end of those lists, but it was great to relive some stellar memories of both Charlton players and places that I hold dear.
We have now lived in Sarasota in Florida for 16 months, and despite being regular visitors here previously, we’re still exploring it’s many charms. Unless you’ve been here then this sounds a bit odd, but it really isn’t like living in Florida at all other than the blue skies and white beaches.
As I wrote a year ago, the move was an adjustment for all of us, Bermuda can kidnap you with it’s own charms, but we were all seeking a new adventure and there is not a day that I don’t walk into our kitchen, or sit outside by the pool and not feel happy.
I was grateful to my company for moving us last summer, but the job I was given had a broad jurisdiction and also a lot of autonomy. I was enjoying the new challenge, and frankly the autonomy, but knew it wouldn’t be forever.
In August I was offered a promotion and a far more focused leadership role, and I thus far am relishing the very different challenges. With that has come a lot of travelling however, and rarely a week goes by when I am not on an airplane or two.
The one man almost solely responsible for our move from Bermuda back to the U.S. was not only my boss, but also a friend. Sadly he passed away very suddenly in May after a painful and desperately short fight against cancer. Just eight weeks from diagnosis to passing. I think about him every day.
On a happier note, we had my son here over Christmas which was lovely. He is aspirational, humble and good company. He took a shine to my gin too, but he does make me very proud. Our daughter loved having him around and it coincided with a rare week for her of no swimming or school.
Having a teenage daughter, as a lot of you will know, brings a lot of mind-boggling moments, such as this weekend when she heads to Miami for a friend’s ‘sweet’ 16th birthday.
Nonetheless, she also has the most mind-boggling of schedules. Swim practice twice a day and a seemingly never ending brief of school homework and exams. We think it critical she doesn’t miss her ‘childhood’ and are always pleased for her to do fun stuff with her friends. Mind you I think I went the Catford ABC for 16th birthdays!
In 2024 Charlton Athletic continued along a decade’s journey to nowhere, possibly worse, and supporting the Addicks brings little cheer. You can wade through these pages and find plenty of gripes and grievances, but we have to enjoy good moments when they come, and that has been in the final few games of this year.
Patience has run paper-thin, but I live forever in hope of a new page being turned where at the very minimum they give us something to at least get behind. As always we can only watch and see.
I sit here writing this with my third cup of coffee and the Florida winter sun as company. We have booked an early dinner for tonight and will return to the sofa for the annual challenge of staying up until midnight.
Finally, I want to wish you and your close ones a healthy, lucky and happy New Year 🥂.
Live, love, laugh and be happy.
Happy New Year. Thanks once again for keeping me in touch with the Addicks.
Even today with social media and instant news bulletins you supply all my CAFC news first and reliably. Not sure where you get it sometimes. So thanks for that and keep it up.
Cheers
keith
ex
Catfordian
Happy New Year fellow Catford escapee.
Keep the blogs coming in 2025 CA.
Happy New Year to everybody…
AlanFromParis (in Dieppe at the moment)
Bonne Année, Alan.
ABC Catford never particularly liked the ABC we use to go to the Odeon Lewisham! Saw Deep Purple there live, they were dreadful, must have been really high, as they were booed of the stage as they kicked the drum kit up in the air and smashed up their guitars, similar to some of the dreadful performances Charlton have served up this season! 🙂
Anyway wishing you and your family a Happy & Healthy New Year and that our season continues to get better in 2025, along with your blogs.
Ah, but the ABC was at the bottom or my road. Saved on the bus fare!
Love the Deep Purple story. A happy and healthy new year to you and yours, Mike.
Happy New Year to you CA and all other readers of this blog.
Maybe it’s a false dawn, but the last three games have relit the fire a bit, with half the season left and 70 odd points still to play for the season may yet surprise us, especially if reinforcements arrive. We may have to trade on a couple of players first, we need that creative number 8 or number 10 though.
While NJ has his share of critics we seem to have got out of the treadmill of employing new managers, giving them a few months and reaching for the ejector seat after just one transfer window. If sacking managers, bringing in a new face and hoping that they were going to do better is a viable strategy it will have worked by now. That it hasn’t is why things seemed to get worse season on season and why we need to stick with NJ. At any rate we are in a much better situation than this time last year when relegation was a possibility.
I always appreciate your insightful comments, SP. Happy New Year to you.
A happy, healthy, and successful New year to you and your family. I have no family in Florida (mine are in California with their own trials and tribulations – mainly wildfires) but strangely, l found myself monitoring storms in Sarasota this year and breathing a sigh of relief when you returned home to a house that was still intact! Like Keith, l find that your blog is invaluable, and l read each edition with interest, even the non-football posts. Keep up the good work and all the best for 2025.
NR
Very kind words, Norfolk and thank you and others for giving this Blog a community feel. Happy New Year.
Happy New Year CA. I always enjoy your musings both about Charlton and travel. I, too, have lost a really good friend recently so I know exactly how you feel. My next visit back to the UK will coincide with the last match of the season. Let’s hope I’ve got something to celebrate.
Condolences to you Kevin.
Well, you never quite know with this lot. Happy New Year.
Happy New Year to you and all readers. It’s the hope that kills you, but Charlton may have turned a corner.
Happy New Year to you and your family Wyn. Keep up the writing please 🙏
happy new year to you and family.
Happy New Year, John.
Happy new year to you and your family CA!
Thanks for your continued blogging. Always a good read and to hear your thoughts.
A new year brings new hope, doesn’t it?! Let’s hope the upturn in fortunes continues although some pruning and recruitment is greatly needed.
Best wishes and have a great new year!
Phil.
Thank you for reading, Phil. Happy New Year.
Happy new year to you and your family CA!
Thanks for your continued blogging and thoughts on Charlton. Always a good and interesting read..
A new year bring new hope eh?!
Hopefully our recent upturn in fortunes will continue although some pruning and recruiting is required of that is to happen.
Best wishes for 2025!
Phil.
A Happy New Year from North Yorkshire to you, your family, Charlton supporters everywhere,and everyone who contributes or reads your blog CA. I will be thinking of you guys in Florida sitting by the pool in the next few days, as we have snow forecast by the end of the week!!
Best wishes and try not to spill your Pina Colada’s. Come on you Reds,
Greg.
Wrap up warm, Greg. Happy New Year to you and your family. 🧉🍹
Happy New Year CA to you and your family and to all fans who follow Charlton through thick and thin…..True fans never give in and let’s hope that 2025 brings success!
Never give in, or can’t shake the bug? 😄 Happy New Year to you and your family, Cliff.
Happy new year Chig. keep up the (best) Charlton blog.
Thank you Daggs, much appreciated. Happy New Year to you.
Cheers to you and yours, C.A. This is my annual response to your blog. I only bother with you and a bit of Albury these days, there’s no need to look further. Also enjoy your family news. Once again I’ll say that it’s a funny old world when you find a complete stranger’s report on his equally stranger daughter’s swimming gala news quite interestng. My word, the internet has a lot to answer for!
The Addicks have been a tough watch this season and for that reason I stopped trying until the Wycombe game. My Valley visits, (From Brighton), have become much thinner this season and last and it’s only via the telly these days. HOWEVER, I am heading up on Saturday for the return leg of The Royals, I went to the away with a Reading fan from work. I’ve been avoiding eye contact with him until a week or so ago.
Looking forward to the 21st and beyond seasons of your mutterings.
Best
Richard
Same to you and yours and thanks so much and when I first communicated with you and stated was working in Bermuda from 1973 to 1979 Gosh all that time ago and was trying to find my post.
But do you think U could and was asking for your Christian name but originally from Eltham Park and still somehow surviving here in Thailand.
As for your comments about CAFC and yes there are firmly in our DNA and yes we somehow hang on to hope if greater things and yes very much in our everyday lives.
Yes post on here often and want to wish my fellow Addicks the very best for 2025 and Happy New Year to you and yours. 5555 OOOO xx
Thanks for your support John. Happy New Year to you and other Thailand Addicks 🇹🇭
Dear CA,
Have been a casual reader of your Charlton musings for many years. Have today spent many hours going through so many of you archived blogs. I now feel guilty that I have never corresponded previously. I am 66 years old a few years ahead of you I think, but we do share a remarkably similar career. I started in Lloyd’s in 1975 with Leslie and Godwin, next to Bland Payne and finally to RTC where my father was chairman. In 81 I was offered to chance to head up either our Bermuda office (Foster Coombe) or our Dallas base. As I had already visited Texas and liked it, I went there on a 3 year contract. Ended up opening my own intermediary and underwriting agency (bloodstock). My Dallas neighbours enjoyed watching on a Saturday morning when me and my transistor radio would scale a large oak tree to get a decent reception on BBC world service and follow the football live. Only once was Charlton on the second half commentary. Moved from Dallas to San Antonio in 87 and returned to UK in 94. British Caledonian used to have a last minute $99 weekend round trip to Gatwick. Used this probably a dozen times, always travelling in the current cafc shirt. Personally not a great fan of Bermuda but really enjoy Chicago and Sarasota where I visited quite frequently for horse sales.
I ramble too long, so pleased to have the opportunity to introduce myself. Feel that the current Charlton squad plus 1 or 2 is good enough for the step up based on last few..we’ll see soon enough.
Have a very happy and healthy 2025.
David
Wow. I don’t know where to begin with that, but that’s a fabulous post. Thank you for getting in touch. I love that up a large oak tree story.
You didn’t ramble long enough. Please keep in touch.
Happy New Year.
Dear CA,
you’ve made a rod for your back with that invite. My first match was a 3-3 draw at home to Norwich in the 67/8 season I think. Got my first season ticket in 1970 and even had one the 13 years I was in exile in the US. As a child I used to attend in a red and white satin guards suit, complete with bobble hat, scarf and rattle. I had to retire a few years back to look after my aged parents as I had always promised that I would care for them as they had cared for my brother and I. Brother is fan and ex underwriter too. Still living with my Dad who,s 97 sound of mind but physically less so, mum 98 now has advanced dementia and is in a home. He has his own office at Lloyd’s and tries to go up at least once a week, as you can imagine he is the oldest man in Lloyd’s and also the longest serving having started at Bland Welch in 1946. All 3 of us are Liverymen. He is also life President of the 3 rooms club. What class of business were/are you in. We were principally marine and xl as brokers and bloodstock as underwriters. I struggle to attend games now due to my care duties and my own health, I’ve only seen 3 this season, luckily all wins. Bromley Fc is just up the road from me so been to see them a couple of times.
particularly enjoying your 20 player post, many of your selections would mirror mine…would deffo include Paul Walsh, Richard Rufus and Deano and I particularly liked Shaun Barlett probably because of his home debut and that wonderful goal crafted by Graham Stuart and he.
I’m sure I have many amusing memories so I’ll invite myself to continue rambling another day.
all the best,
David
Thank you for this, David. You clearly have good genes!
There really can’t be many members of the 3 Room Club left. I’m in the Large Property D&F space. I’d love to know what your Dad thinks of the Room these days. I was in there this past Autumn, has changed so much.
Happy New Year to you and your family….and many thanks for your loyalty to us supporters by keeping us in touch with the news and your comments…..yes we live in hope…every now and again this lovely club chugs into life only to go on life support after a few relatively decent matches even seasons sometimes….Hope at times is all we have to cling to…the truth is…I love this club as many do….Happy New Year to all us Addicks
We do Paul, we do. Thank you for reading.
Happy New Year.
Happy New Year to you too CA and thank you for the great blogs that help keep me informed about our beloved Addicks from the Hunter Valley in NSW Australia.
Eric Worton. Also ex Catford, Lee Green, Forest Hill and Maidstone.
Great wines from the Hunter Valley, Eric.
Happy New Year to you.
yes, particularly the Shiraz and Semillon.
Cheers CA all the best to you and your family…here’s wishing for the best of New Years…all things SE7, health and happiness.
And keep up the good work mate we love it.
Much appreciated, Steve. Happy New Year to you and your family.
A happy and prosperous 2025 all, I grew up in Blackheath SE3 but my better half is also from Catford but the furthest we managed to escape to was Meopham in Kent the garden of England.
I know Meopham well, lovely place. Happy New Year GV.
Happy New Year CA
keep up the good work – maybe we’ve turned a corner – I bloody hope so!!
We are due some luck
How many black cats have you run over AA? We, really are….
Happy New Year to you and your family. Good luck with the horses this year too.