Happy New Year
A little chilly here this New Year’s Eve morning in Sarasota. It might be a pyjama day, especially as our daughter has a touch of the flu so any plans, as minimal as they were, will have to be shelved.
I’ve never been a fan of ‘amateur night’ as I used to call it back in the day, so cooking and popping open a nice bottle of red later will be good enough for me.
2025 was my 50th year of supporting Charlton Athletic, a love I have had in my life longer than anything other than my parents and brother. Particulary after Monday, there is a lot of dread in the air, but when you sip your champagne tonight remember 2025 was a fantastic year to be an Addick. After what has almost entirely been an horrendous decade to be a Charlton fan, remember and celebrate the good times.
A year ago I wrote in my New Year’s post on Charlton: “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.”
Well, led by Nathan Jones they certainly did that culminating in another day at Wembley to cherish. It is tough at the moment, but I’d never swap losing to Portsmouth sat on the edge of my seat screaming at the television over how emotionally detached I used to be watching us scrape a win against the likes of Cambridge, as an example just a year ago. They have given us something to get behind, let’s get behind them.
I have had a busy, mostly fulfilling, often stressful work year. The new job I started in the late summer of 2024 is a lot, and frankly this wasn’t really how I had planned spending my work days once we moved to Florida. This past year I have probably spent about 40% of it travelling and being away from home. Around me mates and peers are retiring or planning on retiring, and I feel like that still seems in the distance for me.
I have long said I will pack up when I don’t want to get out of bed to go to work anymore. I feel I still have a lot left in the tank, but there has been times this year when that tank has felt drained.
I’ve worked hard to be able to enjoy our home here, and with my beautiful-other-half and daughter, it’s a calming sanctuary when I am home.
Our 16-year old daughter is, well 16, so I’ll leave that there, but she is steadfast, funny and studious and of course gets away with almost everything. My son only makes me prouder and prouder. At just 25, he is an old soul, but I admire his ambition and drive.
Finally, this Blog continues to be a refuge for me, and although at times in the past year it was a bit of a labour of love, there were plenty of Addicks’ stuff to chronicle. Nonetheless I have missed stories or had to supress thoughts or opinions as I’ve not had time to jot them down.
Despite that, it gets read regularly over 1,000 times a day. Visits in 2025 exceeded what I thought was a crazy number in 2024.
I’m forever grateful to you for making a stop by here part of your day and a big thank you to those of you that comment giving it a community feel.
Lastly, I’d like to wish you and your families a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Cheers 🍷
And the same to you and yours!
Happy New Year, Brian.
Happy New Years CA. I’m sure it’s chillier here in London than where you are.
Hope to see you during 2026 and, you never know, we might even have to discuss a work-related topic again!
If we have to discuss work, then let’s make it over a lunch!
Happy New Year to you and your family, Steve.
Happy New Year. Landed in Sarasota from Los Angeles at 2 am instead of Tampa on 28 th with no luggage ( thanks Delta) …and headed to Apollo Beach and then back to Siesta to see old friend for lunch on 29 th…it was rocking as though nothing had happened a year or so ago. Our old house had clearly survived unlike our friends that is now being sold for land only . But surprised that it looked like .95% had been repaired or rebuilt.
As you say very very cold but with sun.
Like you I hope our recent performances show an uptick soon hopefully with some shrewd signings permanent or loan. Frankly it would be disastrous to go back down again after taking so long to get out of it.
Again all the best for the New Year and start thinking how retirement might give you the freedom to enjoy your life and travels. Much to everyone’s shock, it took me a nanosecond second after a very stressful life running here there and everywhere and selling our company.
Cheers
Lovely to hear from you, Alan.
It has taken some time but Siesta, Longboat and St. Armands Circle are finally almost back to normal. Not everyone was as lucky as us sadly.
I’ll get to retirement one day. Definitely have a lot of things I want to do.
All of the best for the New Year.
I have long enjoyed your blog CA, and am using some of your hotel recommendations for our US World Cup trip next year.
1981 my first visit to the Valley, naturally, we lost but got promoted at season end!
Happy Amateur (New Year)
Thanks Steve, and happy New Year to you.
Let me know if you need any more reccs on hotels.
Thanks, once I know my route and games will take you up on suggestions. Starting from
Miami!
Hi CA, just want to wish you, your family, everyone who contributes to this great Blog, and of course everyone associated with the great CAFC, a Happy and Properous 2026……and fingers crossed we will get to 50+ points by the end of May. COYR.
Cheers to that, Greg. Happy New Year.
Bonne Année pour 2026.
Best wishes CA for you and yours for the coming
Year from a cold Paris.
Looking forward as always for your next message.
AlanFromParis
Bonne Année to you too, Alan.
Wishing you CA and your family a Happy New Year and also contributers to the site.
We wish for stability and success for the remaining games of the season.
I’ll be at the Coventry game with everything crossed during the game !!!! 😃
Just enjoying glass of red 🍷 with the family and listening to really loud fireworks 😃
Happy New Year, Cliff
Nice one CA my 50th too 3-1 v Halifax Hales’ hatrick all down hill thereafter! Nip over St. Armands to Cha Cha Coconuts and have a cocktail or 2! All the best to you and your family and keep the posts going⚽️coyr
I will do, Paul. They are dropping the coconut outside there this year to bring in the new year.
https://www.mysuncoast.com/2025/12/30/celebrating-new-years-sarasota/
Happy New Year to you and yours.
Happy new year to you CA and your family and all the other guys on here too it’s really cold here on the north nofolk coast of the UK COYR lets do this
Stay warm, Craig. Happy New Year to you and yours
Although recent results have been disappointing, 2025 has been a fantastic year to be supporting Charlton.
We only need to finish with 3 teams below us this season to keep the upwards curve progressing.
Keep the faith.
Wishing you a wonderful 2026
Same to you, Marco. COYR
Happy New year CA and your family and to everyone in the Charlton family all the best to everyone fingers crossed for us in2026 coyr
Happy New Year, WA. COYR
Cheers CA all the best mate, I reckon I’m in my 51st year of sufferance so not much between us.
Fortunate enough to be in comfortable semi-retirement now and loving the balance, a lot to be said.
But on important matters, football, like life of course, is all about the ups and downs…and 2025 has been a year of massive football highs.
Keep the context, keep the faith, above all keep the hope.
Love and peace to all 🙏
Same to you, Steve. Happy New Year.
And HNY to you and yours also. Thanks for the reads which I check in on every day – if you have the time and inclination pls do keep on ‘penning’. Regards to you and your readers. Graham, Bexley
Thanks, Graham. Encouragement always gratefully received 😀
Hi CA and Family
A Happy New Year 2026 to you all and thanks for a wonderful site. where one can post strong opinions and all the regular posts from supporters.
Yes, in these very testing times, we look up to CAFC for a release, and at the moment, they are doing the reverse. In 7 decades of support, it is never easy.
CAFC is in our blood.
On the question of family it can get very complex and they grow up so fast and some split with blood parents who are divorced and at times they use one against the other.
I do not know about others but yes Christmas is a time for children, but it important to remember it is what one does throughout the year that matters.
A shame and we were awake at mid-night and the 2 girls well young ladies of 20 and 19 were with their blood Mum and stayed up to greet them, but they said nothing to us, though I wished them a Happy New Year and they sometimes forget how to say things.
In Thailand and elsewhere they can be very complexing and my wife stated this morning they stated nothing to her, but they seemed happy enough but LOL I am sure they think we are all old cronies, but we have more go in us for sure.
Happy New Year and come on CAFC wake up fast and it would be nice to have a good a year on the football front as 2025.
Good morning CA,
Many thanks for your wishes, patience, honesty and balanced comments over the past year. I whole heartedly agree on your assessment of this last year’s performance. After spending many years in the doldrums I believe we now have a well run football club that inspires belief, hope and optimism. I accept that we are having a bad run at the moment but a couple of wins can change the mood. We are in the Championship with 27 points from 23 games is a great start to the New Year, something many of us would not have believed to be possible this time last year !
May I wish you and your family good health and happiness for this New Year.
MC Addick
Thank you for your kind words. Happy and healthy New Year to you and your family.
A very happy and healthy 2026 to you and all your family CA. I always look forward to reading your blog to either agree with my thinking or challenge my viewpoint. Let’s hope it’s going to be another fantastic second half of the season like we had last year.
Amen to that. Happy New Year to you and your family, Robin.
Your blog is one of the first things I look for after a match day! Thank you very much and happy new year😀. I will retire mid year myself in 2026. Mixed thoughts but I have worked for 47/48 years now and already take my state pension so it’s time to spend more time golfing and fishing – as much as I can get away with anyway. All I can say is go when you are ready.
Fantastic. Enjoy your well deserved retirement and happy new year.
Happy New Year CA to you and the family! Have not posted for a long while but keep up the great work. 2025 was a great year for CAFC fans and we need to support the team in 2026 to achieve our goal of survival in the Championship.
Happy New Year to you and the family, Andy.
Have just seen the lineup for the Coventry game. No Carey, no Apter, no Knibbs and no Docherty or Oleafe……..Campbell keeps his place. 3-0 to Coventry I reckon. Stubborness from NJ again.
Prove me wrong Nathan.!!!