Charlton | Chicago Addick

Aug 16

Colchester United 0 Charlton Athletic 2

Second to your boss calling you into his office to give you an unexpected pay rise, listening to Charlton win away from home sat at your desk with ear phones discreetly tucked into one’s ears is a bloody nice way to spend an afternoon at work.

Apart from just a couple heart in mouth moments (mostly from corners and without the benefit of pictures) the commentary team on Player gave me an excellent description of an impressive and confident away victory this evening. This at a ground, well two grounds actually, where we had never previously won a league match, although I was at Layer Road many moons ago to see us very fortunately win in the cup. But why ruin a good stat?

I think a lot of us were thinking that tonight was a really difficult test. Colchester had scored 8 goals so far this season but that first half performance sounded, and has since been confirmed by onlookers, a devastating display of attacking football.
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Aug 13

Notts County 1 Charlton Athletic 2

I’ve just seen the goals on Sky, what a wonderful finish that was by Waggy and fully justifying his starting place in the team. By all accounts Wagstaff played so well that Danny Green didn’t even get close to taking his tracksuit off!

We will play better teams than both Bournemouth and County but trust me we will play far worse. In Martin Allen they have a manager who is an expert motivator and they brushed aside Carlisle last week and ran city rivals Forest about as close as you can get in the League Cup on Tuesday, so today’s win at Meadow Lane packed a powerful message of what we can hope for this season.
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Aug 12

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Green day

Tuesday night’s cancellation also affected the chances of a few players staking a claim for a first 16 place. Danny Green, Andy Hughes, Ruben Bover, Cedric Evina and maybe even Jason Euell could all have featured against Reading but although one would suspect Powell will be tempted to begin with the same team that began on Saturday I think he may give the right wing berth to Danny Green holding back Waggy for a 2nd half introduction perhaps even up front.
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Aug 10

2 Comments

London riots

This post should have been a retrospective on Charlton’s League Cup game, which selfishly I am still pissed off at missing, with the added annoyance of having spent money on a hotel room and match ticket. It’s the third game that has been moved or postponed that I’ve come back for in past year…. ok, selfish rant over.

After the game Saturday my son and I stayed at my brother’s in Hackney, and when I woke on Sunday morning I truly thought he was watching some library clips from the 1985 Broadwater Farm riots. I was in Hornchurch Sunday night but my brother spent most of it stood looking out of his window with his baseball bat as groups of yobs roamed the streets outside. Fortunately the police unsettled them enough to move the low-life’s toward Bethnal Green Road.
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Aug 10

3 Comments

Always believe in

Jason Euell signed a one year’s contract for the Addicks today after training with the club since early July. He’s still only 34 and brings invaluable experience and a Charlton legacy to Chris Powell’s brand new squad.
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Aug 8

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Charlton Athletic 3 AFC Bournemouth 0

Winning your first game of the season is not imperative but my does it put a skip in your step. Yes, it wasn’t perfect and one would hope we will get better but as I walked away from The Valley amongst smiling faces there were some significant signs of better days ahead.

Undeniably we tried to pass the ball, particularly amongst the midfield. It wasn’t always possible and a long ball was reverted back to and arguably Bournemouth passed the ball better, but they had nowhere near the quality of impact players that we possessed and neither the penetration. One other worry, as has often been the case in past seasons, was that we occasionally sat back too deeply but I liked the strength and power of Taylor and Morrison.

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Aug 5

3 Comments

This is it

My son and I landed at Gatwick this morning after a lovely couple of weeks together in Bermuda. We have timed our trip back to the UK in order that we can be present at the inauguration of what we all hope is a brand new chapter in the history of our great football club.

Chris Powell and the owners have done everything any fan could have asked of them after years of despair where Charlton have for past seven years finished in a lower league position than the season previous. Powell has single-handedly disassembled the squad that he inherited last January and created a whole new team and fashioned, or at least began to fashion, his own style of play, one a lot more attractive than what we were used to.

In what has been hands down the most exciting summer and pre-season for a couple of decades the strength of overwhelming support for our manager is palatable. 15 new players have signed and 15 have moved on in an incredible summer of activity at The Valley. Only two players that started last season’s opener against Bournemouth will run out of the tunnel tomorrow, although both Hollands and Wiggins were on the opposing side.
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Aug 4

Danny Hollands

Saturday marks my 36th season as a Charlton fan – yes I was a child bride. Pre-Selhurst Park I always had a season ticket and I got one again when we knew that Upton Park was just a mere overnight stay before we finally got back home. I continued with a season ticket from 1992 right up until a couple of years after I left London to work in Chicago but finally gave it up, when frankly Valley seats were easier to come by and financially it didn’t make sense to me.
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Aug 1

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Come in no. 15

Andy Hughes and Ben Hamer were the latest new additions to this season’s squad this morning. Hamer’s fee was *shocker* undisclosed and utility man Hughes is a free.

The signing of Hamer poses a lot of questions but I expect Elliot to be cashed in before the transfer deadline, which would be in line with New York Addick’s anticipated investment portfolio of players.
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Jul 31

3 Comments

Elliot off?

Summer murmurs of Robbie Elliot leaving might well come to fruition this week. Chris Powell mentioned a few days ago that the club are in discussions to extend his contract but one has to wonder why then Powell feels he needs another 1st choice keeper with the OS stating that we are in talks to sign Reading’s Ben Hamer?

Hamer was on loan at Exeter when we played them in the bumper Valley crowd day last February. Matt Taylor would thus know him well.
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Jul 30

2 Comments

Ready or not

“It was a battling performance from the visitors, who matched the Lions throughout a frenetic and absorbing match which will whet the appeitite among Addicks supporters for next Saturday against Bournemouth and the new season” – cafc.co.uk

I can’t help myself, but like a kid stood outside a candy store with his Dad’s wallet I’m a little beside myself with excitement a week from the opening day of the new season.
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Jul 26

Bish-Bash-Bosch

I told Johnnie Jackson via Twitter tonight to save some room in the trophy cabinet after he lifted the inaugural People’s Cup, instigated by the noisy 150 Den Bosch fans in the stadium.

I’m not one for friendlies but I was keen to read opinions of tonight’s only home pre-season game and I was looking for style and substance over most anything else. Pleasingly the reports were commendatory with the midfield pair of Hollands and Stephens receiving a lot of plaudits as did Green, who unfortunately will miss the Bournemouth game due to suspension. BWP scored a neat lob and by all accounts the Dutch side were no mugs and played a pleasing passing game as did we.
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Jul 21

5 Comments

Paul Benson to Notts County

It is being widely rumoured that Charlton have accepted an offer of £150,000 from Notts County for Paul Benson. Of course he has to want to leave and agree terms, which team mates McCormack and Francis couldn’t do last week.

This is disappointing news to me. I was always supportive of Benno and his actual goalscoring ratio (1 every 4) wasn’t too bad considering our below average season and the fact that rarely from what I could see did we ever get a decent cross into him.

Therefore I assumed that this was one of the reasons for signing his old wide man team-mate Danny Green, and I was happy to see this combination work last night in the friendly at Aldershot.
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Jul 19

1 Comment

Off to the Shots

Aldershot tomorrow night. A name that always brings back some sweet childhood memories because it was at the Recreation Ground that I saw my first ever football match.

It was 1972, or it could have been 1973 but we were at a family friends in Camberley for the weekend and the Dad, Pete, was a regular at The Rec and offered to take me and my Dad along to a game.

Aldershot were playing Southport, or was it Stockport? Or Workington? Always annoys me that…. but I am more certain of the score. It finished in a 2-2 draw but what I remember more vividly is the ground.
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Jul 15

¿Dónde está Mikel

A defeat on the final day of the Addicks’ tour of southern Spain, but a defeat with no shame only more words of encouragement. The Cardiff City media man on Twitter was complimentary of the Addicks’ performance despite losing 1-0 and I am sure the party will return in high spirits. Next up is Aldershot on Wednesday.
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Jul 14

4 Comments

New look

A new look then to honour the Addicks new look. I hope you like, it’s taken me a few days to fiddle around with but I wanted something that more resembled a magazine with a clean look. I think my previous design was a little bland, although to be honest I have spent so much time staring at this new page that for the life of me I can hardly remember what the old one looked like!

The new-look Addicks meanwhile are out in Spain being put through their paces and we had a very decent win over Bristol City Tuesday night in Lepe. On Friday the Addicks play Cardiff City at the Estadio Guadalquivir of Coria FC in Seville and return to Blighty on Saturday.
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Jul 11

Another brick in the wall

Another new signing today but a strength and conditioning coach, not a player, but one would have to say another important brick in the foundations of the club’s rebuild.

Last week Charlton let go (and I’m probably being polite there) Donough Holohan and have snared 29-year old Laurence Bloom from Southend. Southend’s player-coach Graham Coughlan said: “Speaking on behalf of the whole group we are really going to miss him. He did some unbelievable work for the football club and will be a big, big miss for us. He was a joy and pleasure to work with and whoever comes in to replace him has some very big shoes to fill.”

By all accounts Bloom was on the pitch at Welling before the game on Saturday.

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Jul 8

4 Comments

And Morrison makes it a team

With a couple of subs in Nick Pope and Ruben Bover Izquierdo, so 13 new faces in total. There is no denying that is a pretty impressive effort from Chris Powell and the board.
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Jul 7

Francis going, Llera going, Semedo gone

As predicted Jose Semedo signed for Div 3 rivals Sheffield Wednesday today. I’m sorry to see him go but it was hardly unexpected, it’s just a shame that he has chosen to go to a team in the same division as us when one would have thought he had options higher up. Wednesday obviously were prepared to match or improve his current contract and gave him the stability of a 3-year deal.

But, in saying that I belong to the band of people that thought Jose was part of the problem and not the solution. Powell has already signed a whole new midfield and we should be more excited by that than the re-signing of the Portugeser and his Guadalopian mate Racon.

Nonetheless he only ever gave his all in a red shirt and I was proud to sponsor his shirt in his final season at The Valley.
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Jul 4

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Any more for any more?

A day off work today as we closed the office for the US July 4th holiday. This gave me a chance to catch up with some errands and attempt to take stock of the continued incomings at Sparrows Lane.

Young goalkeeper Nick Pope officially signed for the club this morning from Bury Town as did Spanish attacking midfielder Ruben Bover Izquierdo, who impressed last season at Halesowen Town. Previously the 19-year old was on Real Mallorca’s books and was on trial with the Addicks at the end of last season, coinciding with Jeff Vetere’s involvement, unless I am reading too much into it.

What interested me about the announcement on cafc.co.uk was Powell talking of a development squad consisting of Pope, Bover-Izquierdo, Calum Harriot, Freddie Warren, Tosan Popo, Ben Davisson, Yado Mambo and Conor Gough. Nice idea and very continental in it’s thinking and I would imagine that this will lead to more reserve matches next season.

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Jul 1

5 Comments

The new Steve Brown

Matt Taylor this afternoon became Chris Powell’s 10th signing of the summer on the 2nd day of pre-season training. Taylor was out of contract at Exeter and has signed a 2-year deal. This is a player that I did see last year and at 29 Taylor has taken the long road in his career.

As recently as the middle of the last decade Taylor was a goalkeeper and wore the gloves again recently in the sad testimonial for Adam Stansfield. Like Bradley Pritchard, Taylor played for the England Universities team and was then converted to a centre half. Paul Tisdale signed him as a centre-half for Team Bath and then took Taylor with him to Exeter City where he had four very successful years, twice winning the player of the year award, two promotions and captaining the side for the last two seasons including when my son lined up alongside him on the halfway line when he was mascot in February at The Valley.

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Jun 30

3 Comments

In rolls Rhoys

The internet jungle drums are banging like the clappers this afternoon with news that Rhoys Wiggins has done a 360 on Watford after they had agreed a fee with Bournemouth and is discussions with Chris Powell about signing for the Addicks, possibly by tonight. No doubt Danny Hollands is being instrumental in this as well. Please click for more

Jun 29

7 Comments

New away kit

I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to football shirts, whilst others got all excited about Charlton playing in purple and green stripes or all black, I yearned for the simple reversal of our home colours when we travelled away from home – good old white shirts and red shorts. Well I got my wish and I like it.
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Jun 28

3 Comments

Two more

Tomorrow Danny Green and Dale Stephens should be unveiled at The Valley. It was generally agreed upon that Danny Green was one of the best players in last season’s 3rd Division scoring 13 goals, including two against us and having 12 assists. He is 22 and was released by Charlton as a 15-year old when we were wallowing in the Premiership poop as happy as Pinky and Perky.

The fee is set to be £400,000 with Championship clubs also believed to have had bids accepted by Dagenham & Redbridge. Perhaps now Paul Benson will have someone to put a decent cross in for him?

This afternoon Sky Sports took their head out of the Premier League’s arse to announce on their website that little old Charlton had outbid and pipped Bayern Munich to the signature of Tranmere’s excellent young prospect
Dale Jennings. Of course Twitter was falling over themselves at the absurdity of all this, but meanwhile the more sensible of us realised that there are in fact more than two Dales that play outside of the Champions League. Note to all those Sky Sports subscribers: This is what you get for your money.
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Jun 21

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The Vetere and Jiminez influence?

Quite a day on the transfer front. Between walking from FAO Schwarz where I was having fun on the big piano to Grand Central Station to meet a friend for lunch Charlton had made three signings.

To be honest only Cedric Evina stirs me out of my self-induced Addick coma. Mikel Alonso (pictured) has swapped 3rd Division Spanish football for 3rd Division English football and Paul Hayes hopefully is back in a level more suited to him.
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Jun 21

Racon to Millwall

The majority of player’s contracts expire on June 30th, it should then become a whole lot clearer who we are left with for next year and hopefully then some of the rumours of players coming in become a reality.

Sky Sports have broken the news that Therry Racon is undergoing a medical at Millwall and will sign a 2-year contract at the New Den.

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Jun 20

Fixtures

It’s taken me a couple of days to allow the excitement to subside. Bournemouth at home to start with, Hatlepools at home to end, Yeovil away in the middle. Thrilling. However not many have mentioned that the Carlisle away game is nicely placed!

Selfishly I would rather Notts County away first game of the season for a good old fashioned away day, but the good news is that my son and I will be able to watch us at The Valley on August 6th and I can probably make the Reading League Cup game too. Two games before I fly back to Bermuda (after arriving on the Friday), the same total amount of times I saw our sorry lot the whole of last season.

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Jun 14

Quiet please

Quiet isn’t it, on the football front I mean although Randy Lerner’s mailbox might be awash with action. Funny old game football. Last week we were all nodding with a mutual respect at Roberto Martinez, who opted to stay as Wigan manager, even though no one would have blamed him if went to work for a proper club, and then we have wiley old Scott Alex McLeish emailing his resignation through to his Birmingham chairman, while blind-copying Randy Lerner at friendly neighbours Villa. We need New York Addick on the case to hack into the West Midlands server don’t we?
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Jun 11

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Voice of the Valley

Click on images to make larger.

The very first edition of the Voice of the Valley from February 1988. The whole edition can be read here. Somewhere in the abyss of my parents loft lives a whole collection of VOTV’s except for a couple that I have in a box under my desk at work that made the journey to Chicago and then Bermuda with hundreds of significant (to me) programmes that I rescued from my ex-wife.

That editorial written by Rick Everitt is enough to give you goosebumps and it’s why on my sadly infrequent visits that despite some of the dross that has been served up in recent years my hearts still beats a little faster when The Valley comes into view on Charlton Lane.

With thanks to Charlton Life.

Jun 3

2 Comments

Young at Hart

Some more transfer rumours today. According to the South London Press we made a £300,000 bid for Bournemouth left back Rhoys Wiggins. Watford are in for him as well. Other names linked are Cody McDonald, scorer of 25 goals for Gilingham last season and League Two top scorer with 29 Clayton Donaldson from Crewe.

One official signing today was rather out of the blue, and that was Paul Hart joining the club as Academy Director. Hart has had a somewhat mixed time as a club manager but his success with youth players has been very impressive as Andy Reid, Michael Dawson, Jermaine Jenas, Harry Kewell, Jonathan Woodgate, Alan Smith and Paul Robinson will attest.
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May 31

John’s a keeper

A second goalkeeper was signed by Powell today and it was the familiar figure of John Sullivan, the ex-Millwall keeper we had on loan at the end of last season and he seems a popular pick amongst Addicks.
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May 26

Hatrick

13 years exactly after waking in my Charlton shirt covered in pride and disbelief, I have broken my self-imposed Charlton silence (it wasn’t difficult) with the news that Chris Powell has made three signings before the end of May.

The most significant is that of Danny Hollands, two of Matt Holland will be quite acceptable. The only negative to signing the Bournemouth man is that one could read into it that either Racon or Semedo will be leaving, and I would say it is almost certainly curtains for Alan McCormack. Hollands is also potential captain material if Semedo goes (to Greece according to Sky Sports) and Dailly moves on to pastures new.
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May 7

4 Comments

The end

Charlton Athletic 0 Hartlepool United 0
A predictable indolent end to the season. It will be a joy knowing that I don’t have to tune into the radio on Saturday mornings.

Sadly the biggest talking point was the achilles injury to Jon Fortune, which forced him off on the half hour mark. Fortune has been dogged by injuries in recent years and on has not been the same player since his summer return to The Valley. One now wonders if he will play again.
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May 5

Put down

I almost forgot…. how could I? Saturday is the last game of the season and those going have my complete and utter admiration. Hartlepool United in 18th and Charlton in 14th has all the makings of a cracker. At least the sun might be out.

If we’d been a racehorse we would have been put down by now as we limp over the League One finish line. A truly miserable and let’s be honest, scandalous 46 games plus the odd two or three cup embarrassments thrown in for good measure.

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May 1

2 Comments

Wo-wo-wo-woah

CAFC Player of the Year tonight and with 43% of the vote Jose Semedo swept the fan’s vote. Johnnie Jackson, who may well have won if it wasn’t for the injury that has kept him out of the majority of Powell’s games was second with Rob Elliot third. 17-year old Callum Harriot was the Young Player of the Year.
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May 1

Saddled with another defeat

Walsall 2 Charlton Athletic 0
This is getting tedious. I only really write a match post to remind me in later life of results and performances, just in case Colin Cameron doesn’t get around to writing another book!

Yesterday I was making my way from Bermuda to Vancouver via Toronto but Charlton were alreay done and dusted by the mighty Walsall before I boarded my first plane yesterday. We were bad when Parky’s team lost to Walsall at The Valley earlier in the season and Powell’s charges weren’t much better yesterday as the Saddlers completed the double over us. At least it all but relegated that nasty piece of work Stuart Campbell and Bristol Rovers.
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Apr 28

1 Comment

Charlton’s Women show the way

I need to mention the women’s team and their promotion from the Southern Division to the National Division Premier League on Tuesday. They beat QPR at Thamesmead Town’s ground to confirm promotion and the title is now also a formality.

In 2007 the demise of the Charlton Women’s team was both very high profile and an unmitigated PR disaster. The road back has been both long and rocky but Paul Mortimer and his dedicated players and staff under the umbrella of the Community Trust have performed without fuss and admirably.
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Apr 28

3 Comments

Sin Miguel

According to Sky Sports Miguel Ángel Llera will be one of the first out of The Valley come the end of next weekend. News of the central defender’s availability on a free transfer this summer is sure to alert a number of clubs in England and abroad. So it says here.

I read (somewhere, I can’t remember) that Joe Anyinsah won’t play again this season due to injury, nor will he play for Charlton again as he won’t be offered a deal either. Shame, because I think he has some talent but so did Gary Rowett.
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Apr 25

Hot chocolate

Charlton Athletic 3 Rochdale 1
Whoopee, a win. Now do I make that four decent performances in a row or have I just eaten too much chocolate? I listened in on Player and unlike normal, it was actually quite enjoyable. Some good individual performances, particularly from Eccleston, Racon and Parrett, plenty of heart and some pleasing passages of play.
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Apr 23

Two up, three off, don’t win, dodgy ref. Yep typical Charlton!

Bristol Rovers 2 Charlton Athletic 2
As someone said on Twitter: “So if you’re sat in London it’s all Powell’s fault, if you were at the game, you’re proud of the team and feel robbed. I trust those in Bristol.”

Well I’m even further away and was as frustrated as the next Addick as I scurried around pushing kids out of the way to get my hands on as many creme eggs as possible at the Easter egg hunt I was at, whilst periodically checking my phone for match updates. Yes, we threw away 3 points but not only did it sound as if we played pretty decent and scored two goals, we also battled to take something away from the game and fought for the shirt. And then I’ll reserve my wrath for the referee until I see the highlights. But it does sound like he was a twat.
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Apr 21

3 Comments

If you know your history

6 points from 45 is not big nor clever and I wonder how many of us actually have any expectations of Charlton getting any more than 54 points by the time the curtain is drawn over this awful season.

The next three opponents all have something to play for. Bristol Rovers have a poor home record, whereas Rochdale have one of the leagues best on the road, but both will desperately be trying for 3 points. Powell has recently installed a bit more desire in the players, but one is sceptical that this will be sufficient enough to claim victory against sides with greater targets.

Walsall are in the relegation dogfight like Rovers and by Saturday week the Sadlers will probably need to win to stay up. Then the Hartlepool fixture has all the makings of a harmless draw as both sets of players look to avoid a summer injury or an early season suspension. God, I’m a cynical old bugger aren’t I?
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Apr 18

4 Comments

Kent Senior Cup

According to reports in the Kentish press it looks like Charlton plan to take part in the Kent Senior Cup next season. Gillingham are also expected to enter and Millwall were also asked.

Charlton last entered the competition in the mid 1990’s (we won it in 1995) and were regulars in the 70’s alongside Millwall and Crystal Palace. The lack of league clubs in the county has hindered the Kent FA financially and the Senior Cup has taken on little importance in recent seasons and is played out to sparse crowds.
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Apr 16

6 Comments

Is it over yet?

Charlton Athletic 0 Huddersfield Town 1
It sounds at least that those present this afternoon may have at least seen a performance, they were owed one. It worries me that Chris Powell said after the game that he doesn’t want the season to drift, well Chris me old mate I hate to break it to you but we have been drifting like ghosts amongst the trees in Greenwich Park for a couple of months.
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Apr 12

Trouble and strife

It wasn’t long ago that I was sat with the other-half on one of our Friday date-nights plying her with wine and persuading her that I have to be in Manchester around the end of May for the weekend. Well that was a pink ticket well and truly wasted wasn’t it?

Then today I was working out my summer visit back to Blighty and was trying to coincide my trip around the first game of the new season. Sadly it won’t be Upton Park but more likely the Crown Ground…. yes, quite, small margins indeed.
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Apr 9

Christian-insanity

Oldham Athletic 0 Charlton Athletic 0
Another game chalked off, and any chance of a win was ruined when Dailly idiotically kicked out at an Oldham player after a late challenge 10 minutes before the break. Today may well be the last time we see Christian Dailly in a Charlton shirt, and although I think he shouldn’t form part of a new look Powell side, he has given everything in a red shirt and it would be a sadly indignant end to his Charlton career.

Semedo took the captain’s armband and by all accounts led the team to an excellent defensive performance, not something we have said much, if at all in this depressing season.

Any Addicks at Boundary Park: Life, Love and CAFC.
CA fact: Our first goaless league draw since October 2009. Also against Oldham!

Apr 5

4 Comments

Saints alive

Southampton 2 Charlton Athletic 0
Despite the lift we all got on Saturday, and also the wholly unexpected news today that 6,253 season tickets have been sold for next season, tonight’s result was no surprise to me. Saints wanted, needed these 3 points and following their sixth win in seven I expect them to join Brighton in filling the top two spots.

We disappointingly conceded early, did appear to get back into it after almost being over-run in the first half hour. Then we created a few chances in the 2nd but a second goal by Lee Barnard just before the hour ended the game as a contest.
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Apr 3

3 Comments

Winning

Charlton Athletic 3 Leyton Orient 1
April Fools Day came late to SE7 yesterday as not only did those rip roaring Addicks win for the first time in 7 weeks, the ball stayed on the ground for longer than it has for months and Jose Semedo scored only his second goal in 128 Charlton appearances. Feels good doesn’t it?

Judging by reports we started well, with a good tempo and movement. Then we conceded and our fragile confidence split. At half-time though Powell finally got through to the players and they came out and put on a show. The O’s didn’t lie down however and the Valley faithful got a long-owed decent match, 3 goals, some positive talking points afterwards and of course 3 points.
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Mar 29

2 Comments

Pointless in Rochdale

Rochdale 2 Charlton Athletic 0
Another defeat, this time to ruddy Rochdale in front of 2,589 people and whilst I really want to believe in Michael Slater and Tony Jimenez, I am fast losing the will to live. That is now an embarrassing 3 points from 33. A thoroughly depressing and horrible stat.
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Mar 27

A point Rob-bed

AFC Bournemouth 2 Charlton Athletic 2
The timing of yesterday’s game threw me completely. I was unaware that it was an early kick off, added to the fact that until today the UK was an hour less ahead of us in Bermuda as we switched our clocks forward a few weeks ago. I also thought the England game was at 5pm and not at 3pm. Anyway, you get the gist and I missed both games completely.
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Mar 24

4 Comments

Saints alive

Charlton Athletic 1 Southampton 1
I’m a bit late with this as this week has been ridiculous at work but from what I have read it sounded a vast improvement and coupled with Michael Slater’s comments the same day I sense a bit more forbearance and less angst amongst Addicks. Am I right?

Whether Southampton came to win the game and therefore allowed us to play helped or the fact that probably everyone bar the most pessimistic Saints fan in the ground expected a complete thrashing distilled the general feeling of oncoming doom, I don’t know.

Maybe it was an excellent few days on the training field. Maybe it was an impassioned pre-match team talk. Maybe it was a more better balanced team line up with timely substitutions. Maybe we had reached the bottom. Or maybe Tuesday was all a blip.
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Mar 22

5 Comments

A letter to supporters

For those of you that have not seen this, the below is a transcript of a letter sent this week to season ticket holders and others from Michael Slater. I understand something along the same lines will feature in tonight’s programme.

Dear

I am writing to thank you for your continuing support as a season ticket holder this year and to let you know that all of us on the board share the disappointment and frustration that I’m sure you are feeling about our recent run of results.

There’s no point in me trying to disguise the fact that I’m also writing to try and encourage you to continue your support by buying a season ticket for next season.

We are conscious that until very recently the club was locked in a spiral of decline following relegation from the Premier League in 2007 and fans like you have shown extraordinary loyalty over that period. I can well understand if your patience is stretched to breaking point.

Supporting Charlton at the moment isn’t easy. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but please don’t give up on your team.

When Tony Jimenez and I assumed control of the club at the turn of the year, we were well aware of the many issues that had to be addressed on and off the pitch to take the club forward again. We also felt that the squad had to be improved in order to gain promotion. We have taken steps to improve that situation, with some changes of personnel and the appointment of Chris Powell as manager. After four straight wins perhaps we all started to think that Chris might have a magic wand but recent results have confirmed what we and Chris believe – the squad must be strengthened.

I want to assure that change is coming. Nobody can guarantee success, but we did not come to Charlton to run it as a League One club. It is not a viable business in this division.

The board recognises that the only way out of this situation is to invest in the playing squad without making the mistake that so many other clubs make by panic buying in January. A better squad means better performances which will attract more fans and generate greater revenues for the club to invest.

We are not going to spend recklessly or hastily and nothing will be done without Chris’s say so, but I want to assure you that we know what needs to be done and over the coming months you will see significant investment to that end.

If you have already renewed your season ticket for 2011/12, I thank you and hope what I have said gives you cause for optimism. If you haven’t, I trust it will encourage you to do so by the deadline of April 4th to take advantage of reduced prices.

I’m confident the next season will be better than this one and that in years to come you’ll look back with pride in the knowledge that you stuck with the club through thick and thin.

On a personal note, I would like to thank you for the warm welcome Tony and I have received over the past few months. We are absolutely determined to repay that reception with success on the pitch, and sooner rather than later.

Onwards and upwards.

Michael Slater
Chairman

Mar 19

2 Comments

Fatally wounded by Daggers?

Dagenham & Redbridge 2 Charlton Athletic 1
Another horrible performance from the Addicks today. Paul Benson failed a late fitness test and was replaced as match summariser by the helplessly optimistic Liam Happe but it was desperate listening and the 1,156 Addicks in the away end voiced their opinions loudly at the end of each half and particularly when Wagstaff, seemingly our best player, was replaced by Reid just after the hour when we were already two-down.

There is a view that Chris Powell should be given time to build his own team, and I understand that. There is also a notion that we should write this season off, Peter Varney has allegedly already said as much. Powell denied that tonight but the players have clearly given up the ghost and by their lack of effort look to have given up on Powell. Question is should we?
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Mar 18

2 Comments

Green day

Dear me, it’s football tomorrow isn’t it? Shit, how Charlton can ruin your weekend episode 474.

For those of us listening to the game from Dagenham tomorrow we can at least be comforted by the fact that Paul Benson will be doing the commentary. When he signed on the dotted line for three times his salary I don’t expect for a minute that he thought just seven months later his career would reach these kinds of dizzying heights.
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Mar 14

5 Comments

Ignorance

Charlton Athletic 0 Brentford 1
I was ignorant to what was happening at The Valley on Saturday and frankly, I wish I still was. I did manage to switch my phone on as we rushed to get our Chicago connection at Miami just around the 88th minute of the game. Timing is everything.

I was very disappointed to see the starting line up. Too many out of form players, although Francis was dropped but there was not enough adventure or hope in the team. The top 6 is way beyond us now and spectacularly those chasing promotion all appear at the top of the form table whereas us and Oldham are stranded at rock bottom. Thank heavens for those first four, some would say fortunate, wins under Powell.
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Mar 11

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A Nouble art

A bit of Charlton action today which I might just be the fillip we desperately need.

I have heard good things from my Hammer-supporting mates about 19-year old Lewisham born striker Frank Nouble (right). He has signed on loan for an initial month and he’s a regular in the England U19 set up and is perhaps the target man we have craved for a long while.

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Mar 8

5 Comments

Franchise FC 2 Charlton Athletic 0
It was a busy day at work….

On a deceptively mild evening in Milton Keynes, Chris Powell adopted a naively unbalanced formation for this vital clash. Powell once again proved he is tactically unsure of his best team, as his side sought to avoid a fifth defeat in six.

The first fifteen minutes were cagey, with Powell’s men seemingly unable to gain a foothold. Benson was unlucky with a 28th minute half-chance, after finding himself on the end of a mishit Francis cross.

McCormack and Semedo were typically uncreative, placing too much pressure on Racon and Wagstaff. In defence, Dailly was uncomfortably slow whilst alongside him Jenkinson again displayed signs of promise.

The MK Dons opener was brilliantly taken as Powell fizzed in a low shot. At the other end, Charlton offered little threat, and were too reliant on pointless long balls. Despite falling behind, Powell appeared deep in thought on the sidelines, clueless how to turn the game around.

The half-time whistle was greeted with boos by the not surprisingly disappointing away support.
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Mar 5

3 Comments

Not Wirral good enough

Charlton Athletic 1 Tranmere Rovers 1
We can’t be happy with that can we? Yes we stopped “the rot” but a point at home to Tranmere is simply not good enough in any context.

From the radio the first half was woeful, littered by mistakes, one of which led to Rovers goal, who by all accounts were even wasting time during the warm up hence why for the bazillionth time our game finished last in the country.
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Mar 2

Pony

Pretty hacked off with last night to be honest and I didn’t even have to suffer through it. I was tied up in client meetings the whole day, so I dipped in and out of Twitter and was really lifted to see us take an early lead. What happened afterwards sounded pretty shambolic.

For the most part Powell is being given the time that the new owners had wished for. Parky would have been lynched from the west stand by now.

There is no disguising that we are in a mess, things haven’t improved even with BWP’s five goals in seven games and the only other chink of light has been the introduction of Carl Jenkinson. The rest have been pony.
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Feb 26

Tied in Notts

Notts County 1 Charlton Athletic 0

I actually thought at times last night we played quite well. It wasn’t pretty and the pitch was a dog, but we did enough to take a point didn’t we? Anyinsah and Eccleston’s pace caused them a lot of problems, especially in the first half but for some composure one of them would have scored, and but for a reckless challenge by County ‘keeper Nelson, then Joe would almost certainly have scored. A free-kick 30 yards out and a yellow card was little justice.

Yet, for the 3rd consecutive game we lost. BWP, who I felt looked a bit disinterested throughout missed a sitter in the first and then had a poor penalty saved by Nelson, who shouldn’t have been on the pitch.

It was a horribly messy goal to concede. Francis’ misfortune aside, it came from another set-piece and Powell has to work on this. Jenkinson, a surprise inclusion at left-back, was a plus point but Doherty and Dailly played far too many lofted anywhere-will-do-passes.

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Feb 21

10 Comments

Mascot memories from Saturday

Saturday’s mascot experience was fantastic, and a real credit to the club. We’ve glossed over the middle 90 minutes in our family but to be fair kids don’t dwell on results, and my son is still buzzing from the day. Hopefully most of those that came on Saturday for the first time or the first time in a while will remember the atmosphere and the experience as a whole and not the result. I know that I pick my games and therefore have to take the rough with the smooth.

Anyway our day started at 12 noon when we met the mascot co-ordinator Sue and we were given our excellent goodie bag. We waited for the other match mascots in a little waiting room by the players entrance and greeted each player as they showed up for ‘work.’ First we were taken to the Director’s Lounge, which had just been overhauled and redecorated by the new owners, with the whole intention to move on from our past achievements and allow the club to embark on a new era, a theme that we heard a lot as we toured the west stand.

Overlooking the car park the Director’s Lounge was unfussy and simple, a bit like like the trophy cabinet, although I will never tire of staring at the sparkly Play-Off and Championship trophies.

Next we were up in the Director’s Box complete with panoramic views of an empty Valley before the gates opened. Then down onto pitchside for some irresistible photo opportunities. The dugouts sadly showed signs of how tight the purse strings were previously. Half the seats were a faded and torn red leather, the other half replaced by the plastic seats one finds in the stands. A chirpy and huge Bob Bolder greeted us, Colin Walsh shook my hand and I’m in two minds whether to wash it this week and then there was Colin Powell patrolling the right wing, like he used to, who at any minute I expected to scream “keep off my grass.”

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Feb 20

PR disaster

Charlton Athletic 1 Exeter City 3
I”ll leave our mascot experience for another post because it puts the club in such a positive light I don’t want this one to ruin it!

Equally the people behind the idea, funding and hard graft that encouraged almost 25,000 people into The Valley yesterday once again made me extremely proud to be a Charlton fan and everything I have witnessed and heard about the new owners so far has impressed me greatly.

Shame about the players then.

It was a truly disappointing performance bearing in mind the effort everyone else with some affection for the club had made but those of us long enough in the tooth know how we all too often are let down.

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Feb 17

9 Comments

Mascot

I head back again to London tonight and get to spend the day with my son tomorrow on his 11th birthday. However I think both of us are more excited about his birthday treat on Saturday.

I booked him in as one of the match mascot’s for Saturday’s game at home to Exeter at the beginning of the season and told him just a week or two ago. With the added exhilaration of there being a 20,000+ crowd at The Valley to run out of the tunnel to it will hopefully give him many memories to cherish forever.

I was talking to my brother the other day and exactly 30 season’s ago he was the match mascot (there was only one in those days) for a pre-Christmas match at home to Carlisle United. It was our promotion season but needless to say the crowd was a long way off 20,000. we think it was more like 5,000.

Anyway Charlton won 2-1, and my brother picked two favourite players, apparently so he was told, this had never been done before. Those players were a young Paul Walsh and the slightly more experienced Colin Powell who scored on the day to keep us top of the Division 3 table. The other Charlton goal was an own goal after Carlisle took the lead.

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