Blog | Chicago Addick

Dec 31

Happy New Year

As I sit here drinking coffee at my kitchen counter in Sarasota tired from overdoing it on New Year’s Eve Eve, I am pretty pleased to put 2022 in the books.

Normality returned to life as we knew it in 2022 after two pandemic impacted years allowing us to remember again how to do the simple things we took for granted.

I often had to remind those around me, and myself that in times of hassle and intensity, that it was these moments that we’d missed. I love being busy and slightly living on the edge of unorganized and spontaneous, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Dec 31

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Happy New Year

So bored of Covid. It has had it’s fun and games, killed loved ones, turned upside down daily life and prevented us from seeing the people and things that make us happy. Please just do one. Of all the hopes and aspirations for 2022 I want Covid to become no more than a nuisance factor and it no longer gets to run roughshod over our lives.

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Jan 31

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Freewheeling

I was heartened to see a new fanzine appear this month. I ordered a copy and had it sent to my Mum for review, as I can’t get it sent here, but I’ve already read many positive comments on My Only Desire.

There can never be enough independent Addicks content, and from a Blogging perspective there is a just a few of us hardy souls left these days led by the evergreen Wyn Grant, who was tapping on his keyboard way before I started in 2004.

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Dec 31

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Happy New Year

The year of all years crawls to a welcome end tonight. Sadly nothing will be much different when the sun rises tomorrow, and it is probably going to get worse before it gets better. Still, a new year brings new dreams and hopes of better times ahead.

We have a Chinese guy in our office, and after he returned to Bermuda from being back in China at the beginning of January he was made to stay at home. When he did come back to the office he wore a mask. It was odd to see him walk around with a mask and no one quite knew how to act around him.

Fast forward 12 months and the entire world has been heavily inflicted by Covid-19. This silent terror of a virus has literally changed the world we live in, a film set only previously in the minds of story tellers.

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Sep 15

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RIP Doctor Kish

Devastating news today of the passing of Chris Thompson, the one and only Doctor Kish.

It’s been a truly dreadful year for the Charlton community, and Chris, or Ketts as he was also affectionately known is another very sad loss to the Addicks’ family. My sincerest condolences to his family and friends, one of whom is Phil, who wrote a lovely tribute to Chris here.

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Jan 26

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CA Blog Posts Revisited – Sandhurst School, Catford

The original post was titled Sandhurst School, Catford 65 years ago. I wrote this Blog Post 11 years ago today, and I remember researching it like it was a year ago, not eleven.

65 (actually now 76) years ago last week my old primary school, Sandhurst School in Catford, was shockingly bombed by a German fighter plane, eyewitnesses including my grandmother used to say that the plane was flying so low that you could see the evil in the pilot’s eyes.

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Jan 25

Old Blog Posts Revisited

I often look back at my old Blog posts. I’ve written almost 4,000 since I started out one Sunday evening in June 2004. I pick random dates or search for different topics, but mostly I just click to see what I was doing on this day 5, 10, 15 years ago. Then over Christmas I had a brainwave that I should republish some of those that I’ve written, especially since time is increasingly hard to find to enable me to write the next 4,000!

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Jan 6

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Blog stats from 2018

In early January 2018 my millionth visitor clicked on this Blog. Prior to my move to WordPress in August 2010, I was less popular but still had 350,000 visits when my Blog was hosted by Blogger. In 2018 these pages had 177,649 visits, which means I have passed the 1,500,000 mark. Something to be proud off. And thank you.

Last year’s visit total was up on 2017 by 27%, although not quite as good as my record ever count in 2016.

I was pretty consistent in my output writing on average 17 posts a month. My most active being 20 in January. I did 14 in November. I wrote 207 in total, and still manage to hold down a full-time job!

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Jan 31

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Get well soon Wyn

Renowned Blogger and Addick Wyn Grant has written on his Blog that he is in hospital and seriously ill. Wyn has temporarily suspended Addicks Third Division Diary.

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Jan 14

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1,000,000

I orginally began this Blog on Blogger in June 2004. After 1,892 posts and 350,000 visits I switched over to WordPress in August 2010, and today the WordPress stat counter passed the 1,000,000 page views mark, which I admit made me feel very proud.

I’ve written 1,778 posts since moving here in the summer of 2010, clearly less prolific than I was in those early days, but the individual posts get a lot more traffic and that has been increasingly true in recent years.

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Dec 31

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Happy New Year

As I sit here in my pyjamas with a beer with far too long to wait until midnight I feel content that I don’t have to go out and pretend tonight will be the best night of my life. Movies are downloading, my daughter sits at my feet and we have a fridge full of snacks. Good enough for me.

I turned 50 this year and we spent a couple of memorable weeks in Rio at the Olympics to celebrate it, although I’ll be honest I’ve struggled moving into the next decade of my life. Not physically, I feel good and I think I look alright but it has made me very introspective and I question myself a lot, especially when I wake in the middle of the night, which happens more and more. Must be old age and my eyes are going and my ears are getting bigger as well….

My 2016 had its challenges. Personally and professionally. Questions without answers. Vacillant sometimes, headstrong other times.

Charlton are no longer an escape for me or sadly for the majority of us. I never ever thought my love for them would wane, but incredibly it has and it breaks my heart.
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Jan 5

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2015 in Blog numbers

Indulge me, this is a little self-serving, but I received my Blog stats for 2015 that WordPress package up nicely into a little interactive presentation. Katrien would be proud.

In 2015 I had 190,000 page views, a smidge down on the year before, and I wrote 243 posts. Blimey, I need to get out more. Newsnow and Twitter directed the majority of the traffic, but a big thank you to Dave at Forever Charlton, Ketts of Doctor Kish fame and Ken at CAFC Picks for massively helping to direct readers my way.

Wyn and Dave head the list of the most clicked of those listed over there on the right hand side with Kyle and VOTV not far behind.
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Dec 31

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Happy New Year

Ordinarily New Year’s Eve is a time for reflection but I sit here this morning ruminating over the future of something I have loved since the first afternoon my Dad walked me down the huge steps of the East Terrace in 1975.

Two years ago today the club was shrouded in rumours of an impending takeover by a mysterious Belgian, one of the richest men in the country. 24 months later hardly a day goes by that further shocks me at what damage this man has caused. The spivs’ CV is widely impressive compared to what has gone on since their departure, but potless and disinterested we all welcomed new investment, enthusiasm, better communication and an opportunity to build on the foundations that Chris Powell and players that etched their name in CAFC history like Yann Kermorgant, Dale Stephens, Michael Morrison, Ben Hamer, Rhoys Wiggins, Chris Solly and Johnnie Jackson had started.

Only Solly and Jackson remain and they cut forlorn figures on The Valley turf at the end of the game on Monday as anger poured down from three sides of the ground. Shiny new seats and painted steps a reminder of how f**ked up this whole journey has been.
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Jan 1

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The year in Blog numbers

Hangover central in our house today after a night out in town with friends. The other half is already in bed (7.10pm), the little ‘un was next (note to social services: she does not have a hangover) and I’ll be next.

Good hangover reading was going through my WordPress Blog stats for 2014 and they were pleasantly surprising.

I had 199,000 page views in 2014, which is more than double the previous year, probably because after 9 years of writing News Now finally acknowledged my Blog as a ‘Charlton Athletic one’ and carried links to it on their club page. News Now referred 55,000 readers to my posts.
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Dec 31

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Happy New Year

2014 wasn’t the smoothest of years. At home we had to come through some personal anguish, my other half also lost her job and I attended a funeral of someone close that came all too suddenly. Work is never easy and will continue to be challenging and not in a revolutionary way.

On the flip side I went to a couple of great weddings, headlined by my brothers, where he and his now wife pulled off a glorious day in the middle of a forest. My daughter started primary school and is absolutely flourishing and my son continues to make great strides at his school in Kent as he approaches his GSCE’s head on.

I got to cross off more places to visit on my long list and we were lucky to have a couple of fabulous holidays.

Charlton Athletic of course continue to be both the ying and the yang of one’s frame of mind, but that is why we love them and undoubtedly the Addicks sit in a better place today than they did 12 months ago, although the sacking of Chris Powell wasn’t one of my year’s most endearing moments.
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