Nov 21
What with takeover chatter dominating yesterday I had forgotten that we are actually playing again on Saturday after what seems an almighty long break from action.
Leeds stole the points a fortnight ago, well actually Ross McCormack seized them, but we should still go to QPR Saturday in good heart, especially after winning at St Andrews last time on the road.
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A more solid than normal ‘takeover story’ in today’s South London Press.
“Charlton are in advanced talks with a multi-million pound British property company over the sale of the Championship club. Sources close to the Addicks have revealed that an investment company is on the verge of completing the deal to take total control of the Championship club.” (more)
The Property Company is a red flag, but it sounds more of a trust than a developer, and the mention of Powell and transfer kitty in the same breath are very positive.
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I notice that the press has been asking Chris Powell and his players more assertive questions regarding the contract situation.
The contract expirations have been known for long while among those close to the club, but now it is gathering a little more pace within the media. Powell and numerous players that includes Jackson, Morrison, Hamer, Wiggins, Cort and Pritchard will want at least to be involved in discussions as we enter the near I am sure, but I hear none of the players have been approached yet.
Those players will sense that the January transfer window is only around the corner and I am sure agents, good ones anyway, are already planning some options for those that will be without a contract come June.
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After 5 clean sheets, Leeds stunned us today with an undeserved 4-2 victory at The Valley with Ross McCormack scoring all 4 of their goals.
The game was delayed by half an hour due to a late pitch inspection following driving rain. Only one other game in the country was postponed and that included matches at many tiny non-league grounds in the FA Cup, so at least we avoided that embarrassment!
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Saturday was a cracking reminder of what following the Addicks away from home can be like. I know it’s not always a pleasant experience, trust me I have watched them in many corners of the country and have returned home hours, sometimes a day, later wondering why I bothered.
But you do, as 855 of us did on Saturday. Leaving home early from wherever that may be, full of hope and no or little expectation, but equally willing to give the team every ounce of support because we know that it matters.
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Still grinning after a terrific day out on Saturday at St Andrews. With 850 other Addicks we clapped and sang our voices hoarse watching 11 heroes run their absolute socks off for 94 minutes and returned to the capital with 3 well deserved points.
The day started early for the three of us meeting Dave at Euston, a strong coffee trying to stabilize my body which was still a little shell-shocked from a record four and half hour flight from Bermuda to Gatwick the night before. A 150mph tail wind responsible for that.
It’s a quick hop to Birmingham New Street though, my son enjoying the 1st class carriage although that was where the opulence ended as we cabbed it to an ultimately disappointing Balti Triangle. The Sparkbrook area was certainly an eye-opener for my son born and bred in leafy Kent but like his old man he does love a curry, and we were satisfied with our choice, despite there being an absence of balti dishes on the menu.
The walk from there across town to St Andrews was depressing and whilst the Bullring has captured the 21st century, the re-gentrification of the second-city appears to end there.
Two days back in Bermuda and the next stop on the itinerary is St Andrews on Saturday.
I fly into Gatwick tomorrow, a short stop at my parents and then will whisk my son up to Birmingham, the scene of one of the greatest night’s in the Addicks’ history. Saturday may not be quite so important as that Friday night in May 1987, but I am still looking forward to seeing the Reds for just the second time this season.
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An eventful night for me in the Bahamas (more on that later) meant I wasn’t paying as close attention to the Sunday afternoon happenings at The Valley as usual but I’ll take a point and another valuable clean sheet.
Wigan still have some obvious remnants of a Premiership side. I understand Emmerson Boyce was excellent as an example. Whilst the Europa Cup has taken a lot of wind out of the likeable Owen Coyle’s sails, Wigan still possess a team and a bank balance to do this division justice and I am sure the Latics will be in the mix come May.
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A decade ago today I flew from Heathrow Airport to Chicago with two suitcases, a rucksack stuffed with some photos, a work visa and an address of an apartment building.
I had always wanted to experience living and working abroad, and on that Tuesday 10 years ago, I was finally going to realise my ambitions. Mind you if I was told before boarding that plane that I would still be away 10 years later, I wouldn’t have got on, no chance. That was certainly not in my plans.
I wrote a diary those first few months, and I re-read back the first week recently. It was a mixture of sadness, apprehension and wide-eyed excitement.
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It’s been a busy weekend, but the smile across my mush has hardly disappeared after a great result up at Ewood Park on Saturday. It was another sterling display against ‘superior’ opposition. Fluid in the 1st half, rugged determination in the 2nd.
Typical Charlton confounding the form book. The Addicks will bugger up anyone’s fixed odds!
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Most pundits and fans alike put a lot of emphasis on how a league table is blossoming after 10 games, which is a little over a fifth of a season complete.
There are plenty of cautionary tales though, such as Iain Dowie taking Palace from a Christmas relegation battle to the Play-Off final in 2003/4 and after 10 games last season Wolves were 3rd and Hull City were 10th. The season before champions Reading were placed down in 15th at this stage of the season.
So you get my gist, it is early to be making assumptions although Penfold look-a-like Paul Scally already has and so have the chairman at Bury, Sheffield United, Carlisle and Sunderland. In our division Derby dispensed with Nigel Clough, rather suprisingly to the neutral. Mind you I am not in the camp that Steve McClaren is a bad appointment. I think the Rams, a pre-season tip of mine, might still have their say.
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February 23rd, 2000. Wales were out in Qatar, helping trying to establish the game in this oil-rich land. Wales won the friendly game 1-0. A certain John Robinson was the scorer, his 3rd and final goal for the Welsh National Team.
Tonight over 13 years later in Cardiff the Addicks’ Simon Church scored with a sweet finish to give Wales a 1-0 win over Macadonia in their final home World Cup qualifier.
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Charlton majority owner Tony Jimenez lost his case today against former best buddy Dennis Wise relating to Jiminez’s golf development, Les Bordes in the Loire Valley.
Jimenez was made to pay back £500,000 to Wise, which was said to be his commitment to the resort, although Wise admitted it was more of a gentlemen’s agreement and couldn’t provide any written evidence.
Wise was also awarded costs likely to total £230,000, according the the report while the court refused Jimenez extra time to pay the ex-Chelsea player his money back.
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Our first league clean sheet at The Valley for almost a year, so thank heavens for small mercies. Nonetheless you don’t lose many games when you keep a clean sheet and I will look at the result positively as another step in the right direction.
From what I’ve read (CAFC Player wasn’t working again, it’s useless it really is) it sounded like both sides busily cancelled each other out in an interesting contest with defences having the upper hand, and both sides pretty flaccid in front of goal.
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They say good news comes in threes and on the back of the performance at home to Forest on Tuesday, today the club announced that Jordan Cousins has signed a new 3-year contract.
I wrote after Tuesday’s game that I’d really like to see Powell build a team around Cousins but expressed concern that I wasn’t sure how long we could keep him. Of course a new contract doesn’t change that but it shows willingness by both parties to add a lot more appearances to Cousins list before he no doubt moves on to greater things.
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It was a real delight to read the Blogs and reports last night and this morning after yesterday’s game. There isn’t much more enthralling than a Charlton game at The Valley, under the lights, singing and shouting yourself hoarse and leaving the ground proud of the team.
It sounded a performance to make the heart sing and the support and backing of Chris Powell and his players showed once again how the gaffer is viewed by the supporters. As importantly to us was that it proved again that the players have what it takes to compete in this division.
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…. Forever hopeful.
I am approaching these next two games with a sense of dread, but that won’t be the first time. As a kid, and to be honest as an adult I used to get very nervous before games and always feared the worst yet watching Charlton has given me some of my best lifetime memories.
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This Blogger and Addick has consistently asked questions of Messrs Jimenez and Slater, I’ve tried to understand their motives, their plans, the capricious running of the club and it’s finances, their hires and reasons behind resignations and sackings of long term staff members and very importantly what their intentions are for The Valley and for the football club I have loved for as long as I can remember.
Apart from some irregular Slater baloney in the programme, we get told nothing so it is left for the fans to make assumptions, and I sense even the most insouciant of Addicks are now asking questions. Those questions I think will be loud and clear this week as we face two home games.
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Sadly not an entirely unexpected loss today to an inform Burnley, although the Clarets dented our confidence further inflicting our biggest defeat of the season. Danny Ings put them in front before half time and then Sam Vokes killed any hope that we may have had of getting something from the game making it two in the 67th minute and then added more misery with his second right near the end.
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How is everyone? Got over it yet? No, me neither.
The excellent Valley Talk has listed five players that should feature at Burnley and it’s hard to argue with any of them. Even sulky Sordell deserves his chance, one of the few players proven at this level. At least the Bolton striker’s stock has risen after coming on Saturday and being an improvement on the tosh witnessed before then.
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I’ve been counting ever since the final whistle. Counting and hoping to calm the hell down. I don’t mind losing, I have had almost 40 years to get used to it, but to lose in a gutless fashion like that is not good enough.
It was a spineless performance again against one of only two teams out of the entire other 91 that Charlton fans hope their players, whatever the generation, or ability show up for.
All the pre-match chest thumping and we know what this game means, you can keep, we don’t want to hear it. Lose yes, but show some heart. From what I saw only a couple of players can sleep tonight on the knowledge that they at least respected the occasion.
Millwall were pretty dire too, and only a wickedly deflected shot gave them the victory, but their stranglehold over us knows no bounds and I would dare anyone to give me the history of a more one-sided local derby.
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These days we probably have more in common with Millwall than we care to admit. Both clubs compete in the lighter-weight division when it comes to The Championship’s financial muscle. Steve Dixon wrote an excellent piece about both of our closest neighbours in the most recent VOTV, and made a good case that there is probably more affinity between the three of us than ever before.
Millwall’s chairman John Berylson threw a lot of money Steve Lomas’ way in the summer, as is often the way when owners appoint a new manager. I was quite impressed on paper with the ex-West Ham captain’s signings, but I wrote at the time that Lomas needed a good start or the natives would get restless. They are.
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Huddersfield had our number again tonight up in West Yorkshire. It was a dull game as it approached half time but just seconds before the teams went in for their slice of orange James Vaughan headed home, which wouldn’t have pleased Chris Powell.
The first half I missed but the second half I listened to, and the commentating team seemed to be losing the will to live until the stadium burst into noise signalling a stunning goal from distance from Joe Lynch and a 2-0 lead for Terriers.
A very good point today at Vicarage Road. My efforts from my Miami hotel room to pick up CAFC Player were thwarted again, so I had to content myself with Twitter which did a fine job as I followed the ‘action’ whilst purveying the ‘scenery’ at the hotel pool.
As I expected it was a good attacking game, and we most definitely played our part, We had to be at our best defensively to hang on at the end but it sounded a most deserving point and one that was cheered to the rafters by the travelling Addicks.
I’ve been in a good place, and not just Banff, since I was at The Valley for our last game. It does seem like an age ago but I had a great day and thus my last Charlton memories are both good and fresh.
The transfer window came and went and Chris Powell even managed to add a couple of players to the squad, but more importantly no one was sold from under him and the icing to that particular cake was that Chris Solly signed a new 4-year contract.
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Great news to wake up to this morning with Chris Solly signing a new 4-year contract. Stories around SE7 on Saturday afternoon suggesting that his absence from the side was a sure-fire signal that he was off was counterbalanced by another rumour that he had agreed to sign a contract extension.
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Hold the back page! Another Addicks signing. Ben Alnwick who had his contract mutually terminated by Barnsley on Monday has joined on a one-year’s contract.
Alnwick is one of a host of homegrown young goalkeepers who has simply faded from view. The Northumberland born ‘keeper has represented England at all levels up to Under 21 and at just 20 earnt a big money move to Tottenham, who paid an initial fee of £900,000 to Sunderland.
He has since been loaned to all and sundry and ended up at Barnsley a year ago signing then a 2-year deal. Alnwick, if you remember, played very well against us in one the ‘games for fiver’ last season. He was on the bench for the away game if you are asking!
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Credit where credit’s due. Despite a host of rumours doing the rounds it was with huge relief that today’s latest manic transfer deadline day passed without any of our most important players leaving the club, this despite the club’s financial predicament.
Blackpool were linked with Yann Kermorgant and Fulham with Chris Solly, but to be honest there was nothing more than wild gossip doing the rounds today so we should accept that Jimenez and Slater were not that desperate to sell the family china. The next step (please) has to be to extend some of those contracts that expire at the end of the season.
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Felt good didn’t it? Seeing the boys playing like that, with confidence and a fair bit of style. A well deserved and thoroughly enjoyable first 3 points.
The formation with 5 in the middle was the difference, it added some much needed backbone and we dominated that area from early in the game allowing us to dictate the tempo.
We started with real intent and after 5 minutes my mate turned to me and said that this was already a million times better that the Donny match.
Safely ensconced at my parents in East Sussex with a delicious glass of red wine from my Dad’s Australian Shiraz collection, don’t tell him, watching the Super Cup on the box. Although I’m looking forward to going to The Valley tomorrow it is with a level of very low expectation passed onto me by family, friends and forums during these early weeks of the new season.
I spoke frequently on last night’s flight to a mate who is an Arsenal fan, a proud one who owns 4 season tickets but lives in Bermuda. Honesty I left him this morning at the baggage carousel thanking my lucky stars I was a Charlton fan so depressed he was. You have to laugh.
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Good luck to Danny Hollands who moved to Gillingham today on loan for 3 months. Martin Allen seemed happy to get his man and we know that Hollands will do a good job for the Gills in League One.
Hollands has been a bit part player since we won promotion and has also been hampered by injury including whilst he was on loan at Swindon at the end of last year, which resulted in an early return to The Valley when I thought he may end up joining the Robins on a permanent deal.
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The open top bus company were not surprised that I rang and cancelled them this morning after the Addicks once against wrestled defeat from the jaws of victory to end our latest Cup run.
Powell utilised a 3-5-2 formation which although didn’t bear any fruit it did offer 179 hardy souls a much more heartening display. We started for once brightly and in an attacking mood and many chances were created against a Town side that has began the season excellently.
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I am not going to lie, but I’m a little worried about the boys in red, but I will soon see for myself as I will be at the Leicester game on Saturday. Subject of course to it not raining!
I may be a little pessimistic, but I’m actually preparing myself for a relegation battle, which I am okay with, as long as the players show the mettle for it. One thing that Powell needs to address is how we start home games. Potential relegation battle aside our home form is critical to keeping the positivity around the club towards these players and the manager. Although this particular blogger remains 100% behind Chris Powell.
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The times I have been stood or sat at The Valley during a game and wished…. no prayed, some divine intervention would occur, you know an earthquake, ice storm or just plain old rain, and the game would be abandoned!
Well, that is exactly what happened today in such bizarre circumstances. I was listening to the radio and every bloody time Donny attacked they scored. What the hell is up with our defence, Morrison particularly, tropical cyclone or not?
I knew it was raining, I saw the forecast and Peter Finch and the bungling Emma would mention it occasionally, but really? What has happened to the drainage system? Did Slater sell it to pay for Richard Wood’s wages?
Offensively it sounded okay with Cousins impressing again, Gower better, Harriott a handful and my boy Church scoring again, although the Welshman might be the only person lying in bed tonight slightly miffed.
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There has been a lot of questions asked of the form of four of the Addicks best players from the end of last season – Yann Kermorgant, Chris Solly, Michael Morrison and Rhoys Wiggins – since the season kicked off three weeks ago.
With just over a week left of the transfer window stories persist that these four players have each been made available to other clubs should someone offer a price that Tony Jimenez feels acceptable and if true this will no doubt have an affect on the players, who I believe all had good pre-seasons, especially Yann, but have suddenly looked a little disinterested.
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On the board tonight with a point up at Oakwell, and a base to build from.
The first hour is probably best left to the history books, although those committing hari-kari all over Twitter and elsewhere online this evening need to take a close look at themselves. I have always believed, especially in the modern game that players don’t bother themselves with what happens behind the scenes at clubs, until the pay slip doesn’t hit the current account, or until it individually impacts them.
They are professionals, young men, living a dream closeted together on a training ground, in a dressing room, or on a coach. As long as Chris Powell and his team can continue to separate whatever is happening in the dark corridors of egos and owners, then I think we will see plenty more of what we saw in the last 30 minutes of the game today. A fightback and a response that has been a hallmark of a Chris Powell Charlton team.
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In my opinion the coldest football ground in England opens it’s doors to The Addicks tomorrow for what stupidly already seems like an important 90 minutes. Last season this fixture provided one of the club’s histories finest moments as we meandered our way through the spring like a newly confident baby calf.
Despite a pretty encouraging pre-season the doom-mongers are out in force, although I suspect they won’t be the ones travelling to south Yorkshire tomorrow.
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Panama and Nicaragua boxes ticked, 14 days of summer holiday over, although any hint of gloominess is lifted by the thought of my son arriving here on Saturday to spend almost 2 weeks with us.
More on Panama and Nicaragua soon, but meanwhile back at the good ship Charlton all is not HP. A disappointing start to the season has been compounded by more lack of transparency from the club’s owners.
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Was that the new bad, or was it only as bad as many of the home games last season? That was the question I was asking myself after the game today.
It didn’t sound pretty with a lacklustre attacking display and an uninspiring sounding midfield in which once again (at home) we failed to get anywhere near to winning the all-important possession battle.
A real shame after the encouraging win on Tuesday and a shame, although not unexpected, to only see two of that vibrant side start today.
Well that was a nice turn up for the books. A Charlton cup win, and a good one at that.
Chris Powell put out a B team, but it sounded like it was an XI that was out to impress. These early League Cup matches are easily forgettable and this Cup doesn’t get remotely interesting until the 4th Round yet, with our cup history this was a result to put a smile on all of our faces.
Disappointing as always to lose the first game of a new season, but it’s never easy to go to a newly promoted club with the wind still in it’s sails. Those already writing us off have obviously never read a book beyond the first page before.
The Cherries were deserved winners today, although my temperature rose when Yann thundered in a very early contender for goal of the season at the start of the 2nd half, however the Addicks couldn’t wrestle control from the home side and Grabban produced his very own moment of magic to claim the 3 points.
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We had an interesting drive from Managua to the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua this afternoon passing more malnourished farmyard animals than I have ever seen stood on the side of the road, but we have reached the hotel and I am pleased to report that wireless technology has made it to this outpost of Central America.
In fact I smiled as we overtook each colourful packed rickety old bus with locals hanging from the back, each with mobile phones grasped in their hands.
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The final grouping. Those clubs whose owners and fans are only planning a run at promotion, a bit like Wolves a year ago, but will start the season as the bookmakers favourites.
I going to throw a curved ball the begin with a start with Derby County, my tip as dark horses, although in this league everyone has a chance. Nigel Clough is the longest serving Championship manager (Powell is 3rd!) and after being allowed that much coveted ingredient – time, Clough Jnr has slowy recreated the Rams from basket case into a young dynamic outfit.
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After the strange goings on of yesterday when Michael Smith moved to AFC Wimbledon on loan and No.2 goalkeeper David Button was sold to Brentford for an undisclosed fee, late tonight strong rumours are suggesting that Bolton’s Marvin Sordell could be close to joining the Addicks on a season-long loan.
The 22-year old striker from Pinner has openly struggled to adapt to life in the north-west after his big money move from Watford to the then Premier League Wanderers. He did make 26 appearances last season and scored 8 goals. He is also a regular England U21 and proudly played for Great Britain at The Olympics.
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A lot of clubs in The Championship will have ambitions of promotion, play-off’s at least, and the next grouping will each start the season believing this is their year, and sure enough as is proved every season, one or two will come out of the pack and surprise everyone.
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Being a bit of a nervous nellie I’ve spent probably all of my Charlton-supporting life looking over my shoulder, in a league table sense, so I thought it would be apt to start my review of the new season with the teams that I hope will spend most of their season’s looking at our backs.
The Championship is stuffed full of the ‘used to haves’ and ‘want to haves’ so I welcome Doncaster and Yeovil to the league, two clubs that will be considered as fighting above their weight. The Glovers and Donny’s sole ambition will be to stay in The Championship this season.
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Yesterday’s game for Paddy sounded a bit of a bore, the legendary Addick deserved better, but a friendly is just that and in the greater scheme of things the 90 minutes were just another piece of Chris Powell’s pre-season jigsaw as he takes them into this important final week before we go to Bournemouth.
Even though I purchased a ticket, the wrist slitting amongst some of Addicks last night was a timely reminder why a gave up pre-season friendlies a couple of decades ago.
In saying that the crowd was very disappointing, and there could be a number of reasons for that but 132 from Inverness was a wonderful effort and I saw that one group that travelled down from the Highlands actually upgraded their tickets to the corporate area once they heard it was to benefit an old pro. Very honourable indeed.
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Colin David Powell has always been in my life, since the very first time I first walked down those steep steps of the East Terrace that made Chichen Itza look like a sandcastle.
Paddy Powell is a proper Charlton legend. Although there was that one time in 1978 that he deserted me as a 12-year old and went to play in America for the New England Tea Men.
He and Flash Flanagan almost got us relegated that season, while they were whopping it up in Boston we couldn’t score a goal for toffee and only just escaped relegation to Division 3. I soon forgave them though, especially Colin, and in later life I realised that Paddy went for the money and I do not begrudge him that at all and of course he kept coming back.
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Ok, I have a new game. Instead of getting yourselves all het up about who we have or more appropriately haven’t signed, let me tell you some transfer news of some old Valley favourites.
Whilst Darren Bent is training with the U12’s at Aston Villa waiting for Joe Kinnear to give Alan Pardew the approval to talk to our esteemed ex-striker, the highest profile summer moves involving ex-Addicks were those for Jonjo Shelvey and Bradley Wright Phillips. Valley academy graduate Jonjo’s £5m move to Swansea from Liverpool meant that we were due a six-figure sell-on fee but where that went is anyone’s guess.
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The incoming door at Sparrows Lane remains very much intact emphasising the financial constraints that Powell has been put under by the owners. Stories of alleged unpaid bills, loyal employees leaving and out of court settlements have punctured the summer transfer season again and one has to admire how Powell continues to put a brave face on the situation in public meanwhile diligently putting the players through their pre-season paces with help of his coaching team, which is also one short after Nathan Jones left for Brighton. Dagenham & Redbridge were the latest to get the runaround last night.
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Our defensive unit seems to be coming together, as opposed to our front line, but Powell being a wily defender likes to build from the back! After signing Richard Wood, Powell and Ceddy Evina finally ironed out any differences today and the Frenchman, still only 21, signed a one-year contract with the Addicks.
Ceddy is popular with fans and players and I hope he manages to really break into the side this season.
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A warm Addicks’ welcome to Richard Wood, signed yesterday on a one-year deal.
I have seen some question the validity of Wood’s signing over Matt Taylor, who CP released. I liked Taylor, but Woods is three years younger and has played the bulk of his football at Championship level, well over 200 games compared to just 12 that Taylor played in the 2nd tier.
Taylor was a good club man, and a leader but Wood has also been club captain at both Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry. I’m happy to have him as part of the squad.
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Hmmm, the Newshopper have just posted a story that CAFC’s Communication Manager Matt Wright has resigned to “search for a new challenge.”
I have corresponded with Matt a number of times during his 13 years at the club, and he has always come across as a dedicated hardworking professional. Matt has built a great team around him and for a club with a smaller Comms budget than most, and getting smaller all the time, he has been behind some excellent initiatives often leading the way amongst it’s peers, the club’s Twitter account for example.
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As so often happens with success your best employees get headhunted.
Nathan Jones, who has performed wonders with Charlton’s promising and hugely successful U21 Development Squad has moved to Brighton as part of new manager Oscar Garcia’s coaching team. Jones played 150 games for the Seagulls and is a Spanish speaker.
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I mentioned Joe Pigott yesterday and right on cue the young striker hit a 1st half hat-trick in the pre-season opener at Welling this afternoon.
Pigott, 19, is a big lad and according to a text I got from a mate was very composed in front of goal. Hopefully we will see some more of what he can do pre-season. Powell played two different sides for each 45 minutes with Kermorgant scoring one and laying two on for Pigott. Green scored the 5th for the 2nd half team. Powelly and the many Addicks present would’ve been pleased with the first run out of the summer played in bright sunshine.
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Charlton’s first pre-season friendly tomorrow as we head to Welling for the traditional curtain-raiser. Mark Gower and Richard Wood will be the only new faces on show at Park View Road with Scott Wagstaff, Matt Taylor, John Sullivan, Yado Mambo, Danny Haynes, Ricardo Fuller and Salim Kerkar all departed.
Richard Wood has been on trial and is a centre-half with almost 300 appearances under his belt for Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry. He is 28 today and would fit the bill for a 5th central defender alongside Morrison, Cort, Dervite and Feely.
Ceddy Evina has been back training with the club, and was offered a new one-year deal, although he initially turned it down. There has been no sign of a move for Jonathan Obika and unless I missed it no announcement on which 2nd year scholars were retained or released.
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Just when you thought it was safe to go out in the knowledge that we won’t be signing any one, the ever reliable Daily Mail informs it’s readers that a “Russian group of investors want to buy Charlton.” And why wouldn’t they?
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Nothing unusual there as we have kicked off with the Cherries twice in the last few years, but this time we will be the visitors which will give Addicks fans an opportunity to have a summer weekend on the south-coast.
The opening league Valley game is Middlesbrough, who handed us our biggest defeat of last season, so we owe them and this is followed by Barnsley away, Doncaster at home and then I would think my first appearance, Leicester City at home. All these are Saturdays.
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And, it’s a football shirt…. has a henly neckline (oh, that’s got you hasn’t it?), is polyester, probably far too tight on the non-athlete, will be hidden under a coat for most of the season and will cost around £50 a pop, but most importantly of all, it’s the right colour!
Last season’s kit was hurried out and Just Sports gave us a catalogue kit in red, this time around we had the whole Nike line to choose from (let’s face it, we’re not big enough for them to design us a bespoke range) but thankfully because to me it is the most important thing, they have got red shade from the palette right!
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Rumoured to have been on Chris Powell’s original target list last season, CP finally got his man this morning when Mark Gower signed a 1-year deal with The Addicks.
A year older of course but Gower showed what he could do when he came in on loan at the end of last season. The ex-Southend midfielder showed all of his Swansea traits during the final game against Bristol City simply and expertly passing the ball around the park and it was his superb pass that released Pritchard who crossed for Jackson the put the icing on a cake of a great afternoon with our final goal of the campaign.
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There’s a great thread on Charlton Life with some superb mock-ups of when next season’s kit will be announced and what it might look like.
The Andrews Sykes Group only sponsored the shirts for a season and there is a possibility that they may extend for another 12 months, however it is believed that the owners are hopeful of a bigger windfall following a successful season back in The Championship.
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Wolves this afternoon appointed Kenny Jackett as Head Coach. It’s about the most sensible decision to come out of the Molineux boardroom for some time although I will be interested to see how Jackett works with Head of Football Development and Recruitment Kevin Thelwell and fan’s public enemy No.1 Jez Moxey.
Millwall’s search continues with St Johnstone manager Steve Lomas the bookies favourite and it must have been a bloody big ladder that Brighton walked under as their woes don’t seem to be ending any time soon.
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Sarasota, Florida
