General football | Chicago Addick

Mar 26

Sir Chris sacked

Southend United have sacked Chris Powell today with 7 league games left.

In a very short statement the club said: “The results over a number of weeks, 11 games without a win, has impacted all concerned and immediate changes needed to be made.”

The Shrimpers were buzzing around the play-off’s prior to Christmas, but have not won since the middle of January.

The debate about how good a manager Sir Chris is will go on. It is clear he is not a firefighter manager but a builder of teams. Trouble is very few clubs allow time or finances for that. Southend was a bit of a safe haven for Powell, but he hasn’t put his mark on it, and a top half finish would have given him another season at least.

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Mar 24

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Bermuda and Montserrat qualify for Gold Cup

Bermuda’s national football team (pop: 62,000) made history tonight by qualifying for the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time. It is the island’s first qualification for any major tournament.

Nakhi Wells led the Gombey Warriors, resplendent in their pink shorts and blue shorts, to a 3-1 victory in the Dominican Republic (pop: 10,785,000) and 20 places higher in the FIFA rankings. The win gave them a top 10 qualifying birth within the 34 team CONCACEF Nations League.

Wells, the most well known player in Bermuda’s ranks, scored the 2nd after Zeiko Lewis, who plays in the USA 2nd tier for Charleston Battery, equalized a very early Dom Rep opener. Justin Donawa (Columbus Crew) scored the crucial third from distance to make the game safe.

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Jan 9

Nathan Jones leaves Luton

Despite being a staunch promotion rival you have to feel sorry for Luton Town fans after Nathan Jones left for Stoke City.

Addicks fans know how ambitious Jones is. Money I don’t think has ever been his drive, just the passion to work hard and improve. He left our coaching staff in 2013 to take up a role at Brighton, who were on the verge of good things. His two and a half years at Albion magnified his reputation and he took his first managerial role at Luton 3 years ago, and has had unprecedented success.

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Dec 25

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Cold meats and pickles

Merry Christmas to you all.

I trust you are getting stuck into some smoked salmon and scrambled eggs and climbing over wrapping paper and not reading this first thing on Christmas morning.

I’m spending Christmas at home this year, just the three of us, although I think Santa may have possibly delivered next door and the door after’s presents down our chimney as well. We could be unwrapping for a while.

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Nov 18

1 Comment

Southgate you’re the one

I really enjoyed that England performance today. Someone at UEFA should be feeling very proud of themselves at work tomorrow as the Nations League is looking like an innovative success.

Wembley was alive today and as far removed from a comotosed stadium watching a monotonous and meaningless friendly than you could get. It was great to see and hear how the crowd serenaded both Gareth Southgate and the players afterwards following a superb calendar year for the national team.

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Nov 17

Nahki Wells back with a bang

Bermuda caused a big upset last night by beating El Salvador 1-0 in a rain soaked National Stadium. Nahki Wells scored the 2nd half winner on his first appearance for his country in 3.5 years. El Salvador came into the CONCACAF Nations League Qualfying seeded 4 out of 34 countries and 110 places above Bermuda in the FIFA rankings.

The conditions were shocking but helped neutralize El Salvador’s technical superiority and after Wells, who is on loan at QPR from Burnley, headed in Reggie Lambe’s cross the Gombey Warriors hung on for a famous win.

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Nov 12

2 Comments

Euell to Wimbledon?

The chairmen of AFC Wimbledon, Shrewsbury Town and Swindon Town have all been busy today.

Dons’ chairman Erik Samuelson removed Neil Ardley from his role at Wimbledon after a hugely successful six years, the Shrews’ very own Roland (Wycherley) moved on John Askey after just five months in the role after he was given the difficult job of rebuilding the side that Paul Hurst built. Hurst was just sacked himself by Ipswich and one would thought he’d be favourite to head back to Shropshire.

Askey’s old team Macclesfield, who are marooned to the bottom of League Two, may offer a route back into management for Askey. Macclesfield have broken the mould of recent promoted National League teams, who have mostly flourished at the higher level, showing what a magnificent job Askey did at the Moss Rose.

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Oct 28

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RIP Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha

I’d like to add my condolences to Leicester City fans and the family of their owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha who died in such terrible circumstances yesterday after the end of their home game with West Ham United. It is yet unknown who else was in the helicopter when it crashed just outside of the Walker Stadium.

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Oct 16

Nations League

International week has dragged although the newly hatched UEFA Nations League seems to have a lot more going for it than the pedestrian paced friendlies we used to have to endure.

Over in this part of the globe the CONCACAF region have also embraced the Nations League concept and have replaced friendlies with a tournament that will not only have a champion plus promotion and relegation through the small teamed groups, but will also determine who qualifies for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

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Aug 2

2 Comments

2018/19 League One Preview – Part Three

Part One of my 2018/19 League One preview, which went from Accrington Stanley to Coventry City is here and Part Two that began at Doncaster and ended at Portsmouth is here.

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Jul 31

2018/19 League One Preview – Part Two

The second part of my look at our League One rivals as we enter our third consecutive season under our current genius owner. I am sure he is reading this as he renews his subscription for Valley Pass.

Here was Part One of my 2018/19 League One preview, which went Accrington Stanley to Coventry City.

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Jul 30

2018/19 League One Preview – Part One

With motivational levels at an all time low, I have managed to drag some fingers over my keypad to look at our fellow League One rivals and give them each a mini once over for the new season.

Let’s start at the beginning of the alphabet with Accrington Stanley, who will play at their highest ever level in 50 years after winning League Two last season following a magnificent run of 16 wins in 19 games between January and April culminating in an historic promotion.

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Jun 12

1 Comment

Russia 2018

Hold tight because football’s coming home on Thursday. Well, not unless your home is a non-ethical racist cesspit. It was seven and a half years ago when those nefarious egomaniacs at FIFA had us all shaking our collective heads over breakfast when they awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia, and then used their top trump to select human rights dinosaurs Qatar for 2022. We’ve been shaking our heads ever since.

We could all boycott it of course, you know a football fan’s every Christmas and birthday rolled into a month, 64 matches to be glued to, but that’s plain silly. Yet it is hard to see the month will pass without any incident.

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May 20

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Wembley woes

Growing up in Catford, Bromley FC was just about my nearest non-League football club, and I would often spend some idle Saturday afternoon’s or Tuesday evenings’s at Hayes Lane with mates.

In those days they knocked around the Isthmian Leagues but for the last few years have been playing at National League level and today were joined by 17,000 fans (photo) at Wembley to watch them play Brackley Town in the FA Trophy Final.

It was all going swimmingly for Bromley leading their National League North rivals 1-0 with injury time minutes ticking when on loan Addick Brandon Hanlan missed a great chance. I was following online and thought we’ve seen this before and sure enough that polite human Roger Johnson deflected into his own net, which was probably the fans fault, in the 94th minute to salvage an equalizer for Brackley and take the game into extra time.

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Nov 10

2 Comments

The Tangerines are smiling

Whereas Roland Duchatelet can be found guilty of mass incompetence, utterly poor management and sheer stubbornness he has, as far as I know, has never illegitimately asset stripped the club. The Oyston family are a different matter though and after Monday’s high court ruling that ordered Owen and Karl Oyston to pay £31m to the minority shareholder, Valeri Belokon.

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May 20

6 Comments

Bothered

Well no, well yes. Millwall’s victory today was the icing on the cake of a desperate season for the Addicks. A cake that had also Big Sam’s firefighting rescue of Palace inside it. We can sleep well tonight knowing that just Barnet and AFC Wimbledon finished below us amongst all of the capital’s 13 professional clubs. Thank you Roland, just think how lucky we are you don’t do failure.

Millwall leaving the division and one of Exeter and Blackpool joining us means we are in for long away days next season with Wigan, Blackburn, Rotherham, Plymouth and Doncaster all added to the undoubted Tuesday night excursions.

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May 13

5 Comments

Plenty of rumours part I

A week of rumours and conjecture and little actual news.

The two signings promised immediately post season have yet to materialize, although according to press reports two bids may have been lodged. One for MK Dons midfielder Ben Reeves, who was subject to Robinson’s last transfer window rant. The other bid is a less obvious one for young Scottish prospect Liam Lindsay, with Bolton in the hunt too. Swindon defender Nathan Thompson has also been mentioned as has Rochdale striker Ian Henderson and 21-year old Fulham winger George Williams.

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May 8

5 Comments

Envious

25th May, 1998. A day that will forever stay with me and every other Addick.

But not 18th April, 1999, 22nd May, 2004*, 24th May, 2009, 29th May 2010, 13th April, 2013, 29th May, 2016 and 20th May, 2017. The days since our famous Sunderland victory that Millwall have appeared at Wembley. *played at Millennium Stadium.

Envious? What, me?

You have to give it to them, they rarely shirk a big game and yesterday was no different when Millwall came from a goal down at Scunthorpe to win 3-2 on aggregate and will meet Bradford in this season’s League One play-off final at Wembley. On the bright side is that they’ve won only one of those Wembley / Millennium Stadium games, the 2010 League One play-off final against Swindon.

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May 7

Oh Pools

Following on from the sad and unnecessary relegation of Leyton Orient, Jeff Stelling’s Hartlepool United joined them yesterday after a 96-year stay in the football league. This video clip encompassed every emotion that a football fan can go through. Jeff is a proper fan and in the early days of Soccer Saturday I was lucky enough to sit next to him at a friends’ birthday dinner and his passion for his hometown team and football in general was then pretty obvious way before he became one of the most famous faces in English football media.

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Apr 25

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All to play for

Port Vale winning at Walsall last night thanks to a Chris Eagles stunner (photo) not only means that Port Vale have it all to play for on Saturday, but so do the Addicks. Oh yes!

Victory for Charlton and a draw between Walsall and MK Dons who meet will mean that Karl Robinson’s team will hit the heady heights of a 12th place finish, which by my calculations is half way! Only problem with this is that we would forego finishing top of the bottom half, which Karlo set as our ambitious target. Lamentably bottom of the top half has nowhere near as much kudos.

At the real bottom of the table the final relegation place is between Bury, Gillingham and Vale. Bury and Vale both have ultra tough tasks with the Shakers away at play-off chasing Southend and Bury at Fleetwood, who need to win to have a chance of snatching 2nd place from Bolton. The Gills have it in their own hands away at nothing-to-play-for Northampton Town.
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Apr 25

1 Comment

Heartbreaking for The O’s

Great little club are Leyton Orient. During the mid 70’s and 80’s when I first started going to Charlton we played them regularly and my family and I would always make the short journey across the river. We were there for the abandoned game in 1978. The game was called off at half-time and the tannoy system was so bad that the crowd only found out by word of mouth. We went back for the re-arranged game which had been postponed again and was pushed back 24 hours to see us avoid relegation by the skins of our teeth.

In 2014 The O’s were a penalty kick away from playing in The Championship and then Barry Hearn sold the club to Francesco Becchetti, who walked the EFL’s fit and proper test because he had money and ambition. Sadly what Becchetti also had was not one clue of how to run a football club. As Barry Hearn said: “But no one could have foreseen the level of ineptitude when it comes to management. You can’t do due diligence on whether he is a nutter!” Sound familiar?
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Apr 17

9 Comments

Congratulations to Brighton

Huge heartfelt congratulations to Brighton and my mates who have followed them through their peaks and many, many troughs. 20 years ago Brighton were homeless thanks to the ineptitude and irresponsibility of a club chairman who shamelessly sold their historic Goldstone Ground from under them. They subsequently played 70 miles away at Gillingham’s ground for two years before spending 12 seasons at the Withdean athletics stadium, with portable cabins for changing rooms.

But today at their wonderful Falmer stadium, a legacy to the generous and patient Tony Bloom, the Seagulls returned to the countries top division 34 years after they were last there, and in that time only Steve Gritt and a last-day draw at Hereford stopped them from sinking into the non league, and potentially the abyss.

Brighton have long been ready for the Premier League and they are a proper club, with proper fans and the long friendship with Charlton supporters runs very deep.

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Aug 8

4 Comments

Sweet FA

The FA, not known for being in touch with the supporters of the football clubs it is supposed to oversee, has now given a forum for Katrien Meire to spout off more uninformed lies and made up rubbish. Mind you a board meeting of that amount of people, mostly crusty old aged white men I’d imagine, would need to take place at Wembley Stadium. Anyone who has ever sat in a meeting where the aim is “to deliver an effective and professional organization” will know that nothing will be achieved with a room of more than 4 let alone over 100.
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Jul 6

4 Comments

Wales show the way

The Welsh players’ wild celebrations at England’s defeat still sticks in the craw but I can’t help but be inspired by Wales progression and performances to reach the Euro 2016 semi’s. They have been everything England weren’t. Aggressive, organized, unified, passionate, proud and in Gareth Bale they have a truly gifted world class player with little or no ego.

Wales take on Portugal tonight and why some Englishmen will wish them to fail, I think the majority of Britain will be cheering them on as they represent not just themselves but the whole of the Kingdom.
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Jul 1

2 Comments

Eric the Boss

Eric Cantona has a fond place in Charlton fan’s memories. But this is just brilliant:

Eric the Boss

Jun 28

2 Comments

No surprise here

I was surprised how few St George’s flags there were hanging on cars and from houses when I was home last week. But of course it all makes sense. Why go to all of that bother for that shower, who pretend to represent us as a nation at football. Why should we go to all of that bother when these overpaid and arrogant young men don’t. And as for the old bloke stood on the touchline. The highest paid manager at the tournament he is/was. Hapless.

Once a forward thinking coach plying his trade in Switzerland, Hodgson’s tactical ability, organizational skills and leadership looked like they were left back in the 90’s. Out thought, out muscled, defence all over the place, hopeful pot shots, no intensity, a baffling system and team selection, and all etched with that time old sense of entitlement and ego pampering. Best league in the world and all that. Where young English players are stifled not developed.
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Jun 9

1 Comment

Euro 2016

I have to be honest, I’m not really in the mood for football. The tragedy that is Charlton at the moment has sucked all of the football life out of me. For as long as I can remember I’ve looked forward with great anticipation to every major tournament since the first one I can remember in 1974.

I’m optimistic it draws me in. It should, I have a ruddy big above my desk, the timings of the games are good for Bermuda – late morning beer, lunchtime beer and early evening beer – and I will even be back in the UK for parts of it.
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May 21

3 Comments

He who dances last dances longest

The intense loathing of Alan Pardew. Uniting football fans since 2007.

May 20

6 Comments

Depressing

Is it possibly the worst ever time to be a Charlton supporter?

Taking Charlton in isolation. Depressing with a forecast of further stormy times ahead.

But let’s look around us. Crystal Palace tomorrow play in a repeat of the 1990 FA Cup Final. The face-painted Palace ultra’s will stain Wembley again for the second time in a matter of weeks. That Charlton butcher Pardew played in the 1990 Final, in fact it was two games as United won in a Wembley replay. Mark Bright, John Salako and one for the older statto’s, David Madden also played in both games.

Palace at Wembley in the Cup Final. At least here I can bury my head in the sand. Depressing. As is the amount of money they are banking as they move to a different stratosphere to us financially. But we live in hope that Super Alan Pardew will f**k it up again.
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May 15

3 Comments

Rolling Stones

For my 16-year old son, following Charlton recently has not become so joyous. His first Charlton memories were of Paulo DiCanio and Darren Bent. How things have changed, and although I am pretty sure we have gone through the stage where the Addicks might lose him to someone else, he has in the last season or so taken a little shine to his local team Maidstone United.

He has been to a number of matches with his mates, and their relatively new Gallagher Stadium is just around the corner from his school. I have encouraged him to go along and enjoy some grass roots local football as I did at the same age when me and my mates used to nip along to watch Bromley and Welling whenever Charlton were away.
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May 2

2 Comments

Dreams can come true

I’ve been celebrating Leicester goals and results more than my own team in recent weeks. It wasn’t hard to be fair, but I think we can all join in the celebrations tonight as Leicester are crowned Premier League Champions. Champions, for real, and I really don’t think anything is comparable in world sports to what the Foxes have just achieved.

Leicester have truly resuscitated our dreams. I know Chelsea, Man City, Man U fans et al are all happy for them as well, but that’s mostly because of an ‘anyone but them’ wish but for fans of football club’s like ours, it is what we all go to football for. The hope, the fairytale, the slightest improbable chance that one day Charlton, or Cardiff, or Crewe, or Cheltenham might just do what Leicester have just done. Sport is the impossible, football is the impossible and Leicester City have just kept those dreams alive.
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Mar 24

8 Comments

RIP Johan Cruyff

Aged 7, the 1974 World Cup appeared in my life like a thunderbolt. My head already turned by the 1973 FA Cup Final when Bob Stokoe ran across Wembley’s perfect turf and the year after when Keegan and Heighway defeated Newcastle. I sat for an entire month watching pictures on our little telly from West Germany. I was enthralled.

The orange-shirted Haan, Neeskens, Krol, Jansen, Rensenbrink, Rep, the Van Der Kerkhof brothers and my idol Johan Cruyff were responsible for my falling in love with Charlton. It wasn’t as complicated as it sounds. For a whole year after the 1974 World Cup I nagged my Dad to take me to football, to see close up this game that had captivated me. Total football, the Cruyff Turn, the Arie Haan thunderbolt. My Dad finally caved and took me to the only ground that he was ever going to take me to, The Valley. The rest as they say, is history.
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Oct 22

Johan Cruyff

I have written on many occasions of my admiration and love for Johan Cruyff and how he and that great 70’s Dutch national team take all of the credit for me falling irrevocably in love with the game of football.

I dedicated my Ten Year Blogging anniversary to the 1974 World Cup tournament with Le Oranje and their talisman Johan Cruyff at the heart of every memory I cherish of it 41 years on.
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Aug 6

The Championship 15/16 preview – part III

The final part of my look at our Championship rivals. Part I is here and Part II is here.

In this section I will look at the teams the bookies have bundled together in the middle of the table, and those who the bookies have flagged as likely relegation fodder.
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Aug 4

The Championship 15/16 preview – part II

Part II of my look at our Championship rivals. Part I is here.

Using the bookie’s predictions, the following are the 8 teams they think will be knocking on the door of the play-off’s.
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Aug 3

The Championship 15/16 preview – part I

Part I of my annual pre-season peak at our Championship rivals. Their signings, their manager, their hopes, their handicaps.

The Championship is one of the most competitive and unforgiving leagues in Europe, and picking winners and losers is almost impossible but the bookies have had a crack and I will use their sticking a tail on a donkey theory as my guide.

I will start at the top, and will begin with the 6 teams that the bookmakers think will have the best chance of promotion.
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Jun 6

4 Comments

Overseas Addicks

The Football League are asking for fans of England’s 72 clubs based overseas to sign up to enter a competition to win flights, accommodation and tickets for two people to see your team play.

You have to fill in where you live, email address and of course your name and then the FL website are running a leaderboard of who has the most overseas based fans. As of this minute the Addicks lie 17th with 493 fans from 66 countries. Leeds unexpectedly are top with 4,362 fans, Sheffield Wednesday are a long way back in 2nd and Wolves 3rd. Fleetwood are bottom currently with 32 fans.
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May 22

2 Comments

Play-Off Symmetry

There’s a certain symmetry to the 3rd and 4th placed teams, 4th and 5th in League Two, reaching the play-off final, if you like the ‘two best teams’ after those already promoted. You can also add the Conference into that unusual statistic this season as well.

I have worked out that this year is only the third time in 29 seasons that the best two placed teams in the three tiers have made it to the play-off final. The last time was 2000, and in 1998 it also happened. I remember it well.

Everyone has there own theories on the play-offs, although few complain that they are a bad thing, as there is no doubt it adds some great excitement and also prolongs the season’s dreams. This season is only the 8th time that 3rd and 4th in The Championship have made it to the Final. It also happened last year when 4th placed QPR scraped past Derby.
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May 7

4 Comments

Who do we want?

The 1st leg of the League One play-offs were tonight and it got me thinking about who I’d like to see in next season’s Championship.

Sheffield United are the last remaining of the ‘big clubs’ stranded in League One after the departure of Wolves, Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton, Brighton, Southampton and Norwich in recent years. This is the 4th season in League One for the Blades and after tonight’s result they may well be staring at another.

I’d love to see United come up because it would make our division even more competitive, yet I am torn because my head tells me that Chesterfield would represent an easier target for us to finish above. I know, naturally pessimistic!
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Apr 28

5 Comments

Millwall relegated

The trapdoor finally opened for Millwall tonight as Rotherham beat Reading 2-1 to end the Lions 5-year stay in The Championship. Wigan, FA Cup winners two seasons ago are also relegated to League One.

Relegation for Millwall didn’t happen suddenly, the Lions have been treading water for a long while. This despite John Berylson backing Steve Lomas and Ian Holloway with the two biggest wagerolls in the club’s history. What Millwall fans want to hear now is that the American is going to stick with it.
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Apr 27

1 Comment

Congratulations Cherries

Great tweet sent out tonight by Charlton after Bournemouth won 3-0 at home to Bolton to all but guarantee their promotion to the Premier League before they visit The Valley on Saturday.

CAFC press officer Iain Liddle leaves the club after Saturday, and he’ll be feeling pretty pleased with himself after that gem of a tweet tonight. Iain and his team, past and present, have done a terrific job, in often very trying circumstances, in building Charlton’s social media presence to the standing it has today.
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Apr 26

3 Comments

Ronnie, Ronnie Moore

There’s a lot to like Hartlepool United for. First of all their manager is Ronnie Moore.

Moore was a Rotherham legend in the 80’s, signed by Lennie Lawrence when we didn’t have a bean, with the fan’s contributing the bulk of the money. Somewhere in my parents loft is a certificate proclaiming that my £1 donation helped buy him.

Moore sacked by Tranmere Rovers last season due to illegal betting – he won £3.93 on an accumulator – took over at dead and buried Hartlepool United in December. Pool were 10 points adrift of safety in March with the Conference staring them in the face for the first time in their 94-year history.
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Apr 22

The end of the season is nigh

The end is looking nigh for Millwall after defeat at Blackburn last night. The deadly duo of Gestede and Rhodes banging another nail in the Lions’ coffin, only emphasizing how disappointing Rovers have been this season and I will be amazed if Gary Bowyer can keep his strike pair for another year in The Championship.

Millwall host play-off chasing Derby on Saturday and have to win. Rotherham have Norwich visiting and then their game in hand is at home to Reading next Tuesday. Next week is when the Millers should find out about their ineligible player. It is hard to see the Football League making such a crucial decision by docking Rotherham points, especially when they fined Blackpool £30,000, half of which was suspended, for a similar incident earlier this season.
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Apr 19

Joe Gomez

Our 18-year old defensive prodigy lost out to Leeds United’s Lewis Cook in the Football League Championship Apprentice of the Year award tonight. Midfielder Cook missed the game yesterday due to injury but has played twice the games than Gomez has this season. Cook is also a year older. The other nomination for the award was Millwall’s Fred Onyedinma.

Catford-born Gomez, who was playing for Charlton’s U18’s when he was just 13 has been a revelation since breaking in the first team under Bob Peeters early in the season. The best way to describe Gomez is that he plays as if this is his tenth season and not his first and has that ability to simply glide across the pitch. Joe compares very favourably in my mind to Richard Rufus and Paul Elliott and I just hope Charlton fans get to enjoy this great kid for another season or two. Please click for more

Mar 30

2 Comments

Bermuda through

A 7,000 sell out crowd at Bermuda’s National Stadium yesterday afternoon watched a bit of a dull game, although when you are 5-0 up from the 1st leg, that tends to happen, at least until the final 10 minutes when the Gombey Warriors hit three late goals to beat the Bahamas 3-0, and therefore 8-0 on aggregate in the CONCACAF 1st Round 2018 World Cup qualifier.
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Mar 26

Walk in the park

Bermuda strolled to a 5-0 1st leg victory in the Bahamas last night, making the 2nd leg on Sunday here on the rock almost redundant.

1,500 were present at the impressive Bahamas national stadium in Nassau, gifted to the people by the Chinese. China is big in Nassau, as they are also behind the $3.5bn brand new Baha Mar resort.
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Mar 24

Bermuda World Cup adventure starts

The 2018 World Cup Finals kicks off in 1,209 days time, but for the island of Bermuda and others in the Caribbean the road to Russia starts tomorrow.

Bermuda are ranked 169th in the FIFA rankings and have to begin their qualifying in the CONCACAF 1st Round and have been drawn against 194th ranked Bahamas. The tie is two legs with the first game in Nassau and the return in Bermuda in four days time.
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Mar 17

Pitch imperfect

Have you seen Blackpool’s pitch? How dare they, you’d never see that at The Vall…. Oh.

Of course whilst the Spivs didn’t have a pot to pee in, the cuddly and charming Karl Oyston’s Blackpool have just posted a pre-tax profit of £9.45m for the financial year ending May 2014, this includes £11m paid to club’s owner and Karl’s father Owen, and another £23.7m moved to other Oyston companies used apparently for items such as ground improvements and maintenance. The pitch obviously not qualifying as ground maintenance.

As others have said, for every Roland Duchâtelet there is a Karl Oyston. I also don’t expect that Roly’s old man was sentenced to 6 years in prison for rape.
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Mar 10

6 Comments

Holloway sacked

Sadly our friends from Bermondsey finally pulled the plug this morning on Ian ‘Ollie’ Holloway after six defeats in seven games has left them 8 points adrift of safety.

Only on Saturday Millwall owner John Berylson said “The decision I have made, in the best interests of Millwall and not for any other reason, is that we must stick with and support our manager more than ever at this time. I don’t believe that a change of manager would lead to different results.” Three days later Holloway who sounded and looked a spent force has gone, and will be replaced by first team coach Neil Harris.
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Feb 19

5 Comments

Thoughts post CAST meeting

I heard a lot of good things about last night. The fan’s meeting was expertly arranged by CAST and it sounded constructive and, importantly, respectful, with the overriding agreement from those present that we need much more engagement from the owner.

My hope was that a plan of intention was scoped out by the end, but that was probably asking for too much, and I support the view that we need to be ready for the long game by being organized, smart, rational and lucid. We also need to separate results from fan actions and back Luzon and the team.

I won’t dwell on the meeting because I wasn’t there, but these people were – Dave, Kyle, Blackheath and Ted. Video’s of the opening speeches are on VOTV, including Rick Everitt’s impassioned address to the 400 or so that were at the Woolwich Grand Theatre, a very impressive number that tells it’s own story.
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Dec 29

Pardew sparks the silly season

And not just down at Selhurst Park where apparently Steve Parish has agreed a £2m compensation with Mike Ashley for Alan Pardew’s services! A marriage made in heaven.

The transfer window opens on New Year’s Day and although it remains to be seen what plans Roland Duchâtelet has for us, the Charlton rumours are rolling in.

The gift that keeps on giving is Andy Delort, signed by Wigan for £3m on summer deadline day in a blaze of self-social media publicity driven mostly by his Dad. It was no secret that Duchâtelet had banked on bringing in the 23-year old from Tours who was joint top scorer in Ligue 2 last season.

In the end, and the Belgian could hardly be blamed, the self-aggrandizing and inflated fee was enough to put the Addicks off. Since, Delort has struggled to make any impact at all with Wigan. Signed by Uwe Rosler, but dropped to the development team, Delort has not even made a matchday squad for the Latics under new manager Malky Mackay. Delort in 8 Championship appearances has yet to register a goal, but has scored 5 for Wigan’s development side against the likes of Morecombe, Walsall and Tranmere.

Talk is that Delort will move to The Valley on loan until the end of the season.
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Nov 19

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The English way

Watching England has for the longest time been akin to watching paint dry, but I really did enjoy last night’s 3-1 victory over Scotland and it made me question why our national team insist on changing their game to attempt to match-up with the opposition.

Why Roy Hodgson can’t get England to play with the same intensity and pace when they play against Spain, Germany, France, Estonia and others I don’t know. Why do we insist in trying to play like Spain against Spain or like a South American team against a South American team? You can’t tell me that if we played with the same speed and fearlessness against Uruguay in Brazil we would have seen the same outcome.
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Nov 13

Uwe makes it 12

He never quite recovered from his tete e tete with Big Bad Bob, who he accused of over celebrating our winner in his space.

I took it upon myself to subsequently follow Uwe Rosler’s after match comments, and the German turned into a right old sour puss, this after a scintillating spell at Wigan after he joined them last December from Brentford. His record this season is about as far away as last as you can get. One win in 12 games, and despite signing 4 players on deadline day including one Andy Delort, Wigan dropped into the bottom 3 after losing their last game to local rivals Bolton and today Uwe Rosler was sacked.
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Oct 20

Guy Luzon to remain in network

As expected Standard’s Guy Luzon stood down as head coach this morning after the debacle of yesterday. Standard sit in the bottom half of the Jupiler League 3 points above the relegation zone. Remember Standard fans have the expectations of a Man Utd fan.

Interesting that the official Standard announcement said “Luzon is no longer head coach of Standard, but will remain active inside the network of partner clubs.” Quite what that means I am unsure.
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Oct 19

Trouble brews in Liège

Whilst Addicks grow to accept, maybe even like Roland Duchâtelet, mostly I would say due to the industry of Katrien Meire, over in Belgium sister club Standard Liege are having a few problems, and Roland is getting the blame.

Today in the Jupiler League bottom-placed Zulte Waregem, who had not won all season, went 2-0 up away at Standard Liege sparking near riots in the stands that forced the referee to abandon the match on 79 minutes, incidentally just after Standard had pulled a goal back.
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Oct 8

Made in Charlton

Fantastic to see Joe Gomez agree to an extended contract and great credit to the club for pursuing this and getting it across the line.

Joe is an exciting talent and has stepped into the 1st team like an old hand when required this season, and committing to the club means Addicks will get to enjoy Joe for a lot longer and we won’t have the painful suffering of seeing a academy graduate leave for nothing like we did in the summer.
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Oct 3

Call for Morrison

With Tal Ben Haim missing tomorrow’s game at home to Birmingham one would have think Peeters will turn to Michael Morrison to play in his first league game of the campaign.

Morrison is not as cultured in his style as Bikey and Ben Haim, but he is no clogger either and he deserves his opportunity, and I hope he grabs it. Morrison might be a bit game rusty, but he is known as a hard trainer and would have been privvy to the same drills and methods as everyone else and I see no problem with him playing.
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Sep 6

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Riga’s Blackpool journey to end?

Days after Chris Powell got himself back in the game, José Riga looks set to leave Blackpool by the end of this weekend as his peppery relationship with chairman Karl Oyston looks to have irretrievably broken down.

Riga has overseen just 6 games, all lost, but despite this is popular with fans. Matters came to a head with Oyston after he refused to sanction any of Riga’s proposed transfer deadline signings.
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Aug 10

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Where did they go?

Being a bit of an old sentimentalist I try to follow the fortunes of players that have left the club. I did a little research and tracked down the players that left us at the end of last season, just in case you were wondering like.

We all know that Diego Poyet (West Ham), Ben Hamer (Leicester) and Dorian Dervite (Bolton) decided against new contract offers and increased their already not insignificant wages. Dervite came on as a 2nd half sub for Bolton yesterday and was at fault for Watford’s 3rd goal.

For some of the younger players released finding a new job is a little bit more of a necessity. Of the 15 players that departed The Valley in June, the only players I can find that are yet to have a club are Bradley Jordan and Mark Gower.
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Aug 10

Sack race ‘won’ by Mark Robins

No time to waste in Huddersfield.

“Following yesterday’s first day defeat, Mark met with the board of directors. At the conclusion of the meeting, Mark and the directors all agreed it would be in the interests of all parties to part company.”

After a first game shellacking by Bournemouth Mark Robins has been unceremoniously dumped by chairman Dean Hoyle. One would have to think that this has simmered through the summer because it is hard to believe that an owner would be so neurotic to a club’s survival after just 90 minutes.
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Aug 7

The Championship preview – part III

The 3rd and final part of my look at our Championship competition for this upcoming season. Part I is here and Part II is here.

Auld enemies Millwall like us will be looking to avoid the stress levels of last season. Ian Holloway has now had a whole summer to implement his plans and quirky style and although it looked as if he would fail in his firefighting last season a late run of form saw Millwall clear of relegation.

Fans are very much behind the ex-Palace boss after the vexing spell under Steve Lomas but, not unreasonably, I think it is fair to say after the budget Lomas was given a year ago, Holloway has shopped in a cheaper aisle.
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Aug 4

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The Championship preview – part II

Part II of my look at our Championship rivals this coming season. Part I is here.

This time a year ago I tipped Derby County for promotion and they came very close, and the reason I picked them was Steve McLaren.

McLaren is still a very good club manager and he put together an exciting young team that scored plenty of goals utilizing a 4-2-3-1 formation. Craig Bryson and Chris Martin combined for 41 goals between them, Bryson from midfield and the Rams have done well to hold onto the Scot.

21-year old George Thorne was McLaren’s top summer transfer target and he signed in July only to suffer a cruciate knee ligament injury four days later and is expected to be out for 9 months, which is a huge blow. Leon Best was signed on a season-long loan from Blackburn and defender Cyrus Christie joined from Coventry.

Rams’ fans expectations are being held in check from what I can see but one would have to think that if they can get a good start then they will be up there challenging. Promotion 5/2, Relegation 40/1.
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